Margaret Marloes lived in south Wales in the 1300s. Her uncle built her a small chapel at Llandawke, where she created a beguinage – a community of like-minded holy women who lived together without taking vows. In a leafy dell, they lived, worked and worshipped together.
#thread
#thread
Margaret dedicated herself to the religious life – but she wasn’t a nun (there were only three communities of nuns in Wales at that time, two following Cistercian Rule and one Benedictine). Margaret’s brother, Philip, acted as the chaplain for this small, informal community.
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Margaret is a rare example of local ‘canonisation by acclamation’ – i.e. her life and work were so special that she was acclaimed locally as a saint. But who was this woman? Her name doesn’t appear in any calendar of saints-nor is any feast or festival associated with her.
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In fact, she was the niece of Sir Guy de Brienne Lord Marcher of Laugharne. The De Brienne family had extensive land-holdings throughout Pembrokeshire and Devon – a prominent family with significant wealth.
📸: Drawing of Guy de Brienne (d.1391) effigy @TewkesAbbey
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📸: Drawing of Guy de Brienne (d.1391) effigy @TewkesAbbey
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The sacred community Margaret created probably didn’t outlast her own lifetime – but her life was clearly one of recognized holiness. In the church, close to the altar, is a battered effigy to a woman in flowing robes with her hands clasped in prayer: Margaret Marloes.
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But why is Margaret’s effigy so weather-worn? And broken into three pieces? Local legend has it that she was cut into three pieces by robbers, or perhaps, as The Gentleman’s Magazine described in 1838, destroyed by Cromwell’s troups sent to spike Llandawke Castle.
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We can only imagine what circumstances caused it to be cast out of the church and languish, covered in moss and bramble, until it was finally brought back inside in 1838.
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This delightful little church, with its jaunty tower and hidden history, is well worth a visit (when permitted). In the silence broken only by birdsong, remember the life of Margaret Marloes and her community, who 600 years before, lived a life of holiness in this secluded spot.
