St. Pierre, Monmouthshire

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St. Pierre is a former parish and hamlet in Monmouthshire, south east Wales, 3 miles south west of Chepstow and adjacent to the Severn estuary. It is now the site of a large golf and country club, the Marriott St. Pierre, which was previously a large manor house and deer park.

1 History
2 Golf course
3 References
4 External links

[edit] History

The Church of St. Peter, adjoining the hotel and golf course at St. Pierre

The manor of St. Pierre was originally part of the parish of Runston, now a deserted village, and was later amalgamated for civil purposes with the neighbouring parish of Mathern. It is uncertain whether the name originates from a Welsh family, Pŷr, or is of Norman origin. Around 1380 it was owned by Sir David ap Philip, who served under King Henry V in France, and the name of his son, Lewis, was later adopted by his family and descendants as their surname. The manor was then owned by the Lewis family until about 1910. Several members of the family became High Sheriffs of Monmouthshire. Others became Members of Parliament, including Thomas Lewis who was MP for Monmouth, Newport and Usk between 1713 and 1752.^[1] In 1925 the mansion and deer park were sold to Daniel Lysaght.^[2]

The church of St. Peter has a Norman doorway and windows, but was largely rebuilt in later centuries. In the chancel are two ancient slabs bearing an inscription in Norman French to Urien de St. Pierre, lord of the manor who died in 1239.^[3] There are also numerous monuments to members of the Lewis family.^[4]

The former manor house includes a 16th century gatehouse, but the remainder of the building was largely built in the 19th century. Major extensions have been added since the house became a hotel in the 1960s. It was bought by Tintern Abbey Hotels in 1961, and a golf course (now "the Old Course") was opened in 1962 with a second course in 1975.^[5]

[edit] Golf course

The Old Course boasts a championship length of over 6,000 yards, par 71. It was the venue for the Curtis Cup in 1980, the Solheim Cup in 1996, and the Welsh Masters in 2000. The Epson Grand Prix of Europe was a European Tour golf tournament held annually at the club from 1986 to 1991, matchplay from 1986-89 and strokeplay from 1990-91.^[5]