St Mary's Church contains a most interesting series of monuments, consisting chiefly of altar tombs, ten in number, bearing recumbent effigies, dating from the 13th to the 16tb century.
(1) The earliest of these is the effigy of a very young man, clad in a hauberk and hood of chain mail, and a a long surcoat, his head reposing on cushions end his feet on a lion; the hands are placed together, and the whole figure, together with the slab on which it lies, is carved out of one solid balk of timber; this effigy is now placed on a trestle table made for the purpose in the Herbert chapel, and is believed to represent George de Cantelupe, who died 25 April, 1273, aged 20.
(2 and 3) The next in order are two monuments of about the middle of the 14th century: the first of these is an effigy of stone lying on a plain altar tomb within a panelled and traceried recess under one of the south windows of this chapel, and represents a knight in bascinet with hood and camail, a long surcoat, and legs encased in plate armour: the is identity of this figure is quite doubtful, but it perhaps represents Sir William Hastings, ob. 1349: the other monument is an altar tomb of the Decorated period on the opposite side of the chapel, at the back of the stalls, the sides of which are relieved with crocketed and canopied panelling, once contaimug statuettes, of which only one headless example now remains; the recumbent stone effigy is clad much as the preceding, and it seems tolerably certain that it represents Lawrence de Hastings, ob. 13 Aug. 1348, and buried here.
(4) In the centre of the Herbert Chapel stands an altar tomb of rough masonry cased on two sides and at the east end with slabs of sculptured alabaster, dating from the end of the 15th century and once probably forming part of the screen above the high altar. The side slabs consist of shallow canopied niches containing figures; that at the foot represents the "Annunciation" with a censing angel on either side. On the tomb lie the recumbent effigies of Sir William ap Thomas, ob. 1446, and Gladys, his wife, daughter of Sir David Gam, ob. 1454. The male effigy is in plate armour, and wears a collar of SS. At the head of the figures are large canopies of unequal site, brought from elsewhere, and probably also portions of the great altar screen.
(5) Parallel with the foregoing, and below the arch opening from the Herbert chapel to the choir 18 another large altar tomb of alabaster, surrounded or nearly the whole of the two sides with elegant canopied niches, Surmounted by an embattled creating, and containing fifteen figures, twelve of which bear shields, the remaining three representing the Virgin and Child, St. Catherine and St. Margaret, and moat likely once at the foot of the tomb, both ends being now blank: on the Upper slab are the recumbent effigies of a knight and lady, much mutilated; the former is in plate armour, with a collar of alternate suns and roses, and the head resting on a helm with his crest, a sheaf of arrows: the lady is attired in a long robe and mantle and wears a rich necklace; at the heads of the figures are mutilated alabaster canopies, not, apparently, belonging to this monument: these effigies represent Sir Richard Herbert of Coldbrook, 2nd son of Sir William ap Thomas, before mentioned; he fought valiantly on the Yorkist side at the battle of Edgecote or Banbury, 26 July, '459, where he 'was taken prisoner, and executed on the following day; Margaret, his wife, was the daughter of Thames ap Gryffydd.
(6) In the south wall of the Herbert chapel, within a recess under a flattened ogees crocketed arch, is an altar tomb of alabaster, the front of which is adorned with nine double canopied niches, eight of which contain seated figures, and the central one a sculptured kneeling angel from some other structure: on the top of the tomb lies the recumbent effigy, bareheaded, of a man in plate armour, his head resting on a helm and his feet on a lion, and on the chamfered margin of the tomb is an inscription in black letter, only a portion of which, viz., the words "regni regis Henrici Octavi 2 cujus aia propitiatur Jes. Amen" are original. The figure, however, correctly represents Richard Herbert, Esquire, a natural son of Sir William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke, ob. Sept.1510: on the arch above are the arms of Herbert, debruised with a baton arg., and impaling Cradock. At the back of the recess is a collection of figures carved in alabaster on three separate slabs: that in the centre depicts the "Coronation of the Virgin," and on either side are kneeling figures of three men in armour and a female, and beneath each figure a shield bearing the arms of Herbert and Cradock alternately; under the whole runs an embattled molding.
(7) On the north side of the choir, under the arch between it and the Lewis chapel, are two small altar tombs placed end to end and projecting eastwards from the western pier. The one next the pier has been roughly built up, and bears a female effigy of freestone, only about 4 ft. 6 in. long, clad in a close-fitting robe, the head, now incomplete, resting on two cushions and the feet on some animal: the figure, which is of much earlier date than the present church, is conjectured to represent Eva, daughter of William Marshall, Earl of Pembroke, and wife of William de Brosse, lord of Abergavenny: She died in 1246. The tomb, forming a continuation of the preceding is of hard gritstone, and appears to have been made up from different sources; the north side displays three square panels with quatrefoils enclosing plain shields; on the opposite side are five square panels also containing plain shields, and above, on the margin of the slab, a molding of roses: the recumbent effigy is also one of a female, 4ft. 3 in. in length, with the head on a cushion and the feet on a dog; the figurs is clad in wimple and veil and an ample mantle, and the upraised hands hold what was probably a heart: nearly the whole of the body below the hands is covered by a long shield, charged in relief with three fleurs-de-lis, arranged 2 and 1: these were the arms of de Cantelupe, and the figure is held to represent Eva de Cantelupe, widow of William de Cantelupe, and baroness of Abergavenny in her own right; she died in 1257, and was the mother of George de Cantelupe, whose wooden effigy has already been described.
(8) In the north-east angle of the Herbert chapel, against the walls, is a rude attar tomb, on which lie the much injured recumbent effigies of Andrew Powell, a judge on the Brecon Circuit, 1615-35, and Margaret (Herbert), his wife, ob. c1641: the male effigy is attired in slashed doublet and breeches and a long gown, and wears a ruff: on the wall above the monument is an inscription on brass.
(9) At the east end of the Lewis chapel, against the north wall, stands the quite unique monument of David Lewis, DCL, a native of Abergavenny, Principal of New Inn Hall and Jesus College, Oxford, and a Commissioner of the High Court of Admiralty, ob. 27 April 1584. The front of the tomb id divided into three panels by broad pilasters supporting flattened arches: the centre is filled by a large anchor and the words: "IOHN GILDON MADE THIS TOW ME "- within the left arch are three clasped books, and above them a skull, and round the whole a wreath or fillet, bearing the legend, "EN GLORIA MVNDI": in the other arch is a figure of the Sergeant-at-mace of the Court of Admiralty, bearing his official silver oar: at the head of the tomb are the arms of Wallis, the judge having been the son of the Rev. Lewis Wallis: the upperr slab of the tomb is large and massive, and has a super slab, on which lies the effigy of the judge, in his official habit and wearing a ruff and a flat round cap: the head rests on a book, and round the neck are three chains one below the other.
(10) In the Herbert chapel, and against the back of the stall work, is a lofty and elaborate monument of Renaissance character, within which, under an arched recess, are figures of a man and woman kneeling face to face at a desk, and there is an inscription in Latin to William Baker esq. steward to Lord Ahergavenny, and Johanna (Vaughan),. his wife, sister of Dr. David Lewis, he died 30 Oct. 16--.
There are other memorials in the church to Henry Maurice, ob. 30 July, 1682, and to Lewis James, ob. 15 May, 1663; and affixed to the east end of the stalls on the north side are inscribed brasses to Walter Lewys, 1619, and John Morgan, gent., 1587, and a small shield with a female bust, crowned, within a bordure. On the floor below is a brass inscription to John Stephens, 1662; and there are other brasses to William Jones, and Elizabeth, his wife, 1756; Richard Baker and his father, 1551-98; and to Margaret, wife of John Roberts, 1637, with rudely incised figures of a female and of an infant lying on a tasselled cushion. The brass effigy of a priest is now concealed by the boarded steps to the altar pall, and one of Wm. Herbert of Coldbrook is supposed to be under the floor of the Herbert chapel.
At the east end of the Herbert chapel, beneath the window, is a sort of raised platform, faced with stone panelling, consisting of eight canopied niches, containing small figures. On this structure now reposes ael enormous semi-recumbent figure of Jesse, boldly carved in oak, and in feet in length; the head, supported by the right hand, rests on a pillow held up by an angel, and from the body issues the stem of a tree which is grasped by the left hand. This remarkable figure, which in 1645 lay at the east end of the Lewis chapel, was removed in 1828 to the west end of the Herbert chapel, and transferred to its present position in 1896; it is assumed to have once formed part of a reredos. Lying loose on the floor, near this figure is a large and massive but mutilated canopy, perhaps also once forming part of the high altar screen.
