1978 School Project - Marros

Some notes from Trudy Ebsworth’s Marros School Project 1978
NOT CHECKED OR VERIFIED - HOWEVER THE COUNTY BOUNDARY STREAM IS NOT CALLED CWM WAUNGRON – Ruth Roberts

The name Marros comes from Mawr Rhos – large moor.  A 16c map shows it as MARRAS.

There are many ruined cottages about – at one time there were carpenters, blacksmiths, masons, farmers, hauliers and a herbalist.  Many also worked in the small quarries.  Hetty was also called on to help deliver babies – and was called a ‘witch doctor’.
The herbalist, Hetty Wilkins, lived in the cottage behind the church, there was a grinding stone there till about 20 years ago.

The annual fair was on 10^th August, St Lawrence Day.  The Perseus meteor showers take place from 1-20^th August and were also called St Lawrence Tears.  My grandmother went to live at Marros Farm 53 years ago and there were still old animal tethering posts still in position then.

It was said there had been a toll gate a few hundred yards on the Pendine side of Marros Cross.

The old Roman Road came down via Meidrim to St Clears, Llansadurnan, Castle Lloyd and Marros and then on to the Roman Villa at Trelessy.

In 1868 30 large earthenware vessels full of bones were found by the graveyard walls.  The church was renovated and enlarged in 1884 by Alfred James of Llanteg.  There is a large slate slab in the vestry wall stating 121 additional sittings.  An old oak chest is in the vestry with the following inscription:
DX 1 CW1 8 15
Also a stag’s head brass inkstand in memory of James Thomas, clerk of Marros Church for 40 years, presented by his children.

Originally the church had a lynch gate, but it was removed when the graveyard was extended.
The eastern window shows Jesus and Mary, while the one near the lectern shows St Lawrence.  The stone font has an oak and iron lid and there is a stoup in the porch.
The oldest gravestone is from 1802.  A tall stone fixed into a round millstone was put there by Major Morgan Jones in memory of an unknown sailor who was found on Marros beach by his workmen.

The oldest person buried there was 107 and the youngest 3 days – neither had a stone.

Some of the old gravestones came from Pwll Green.  The stone for the churchyard walls came from the ruined cottages nearly.  Near the steps in the wall are inscriptions from those who helped to build it from 1786-1899.

The War Memorial
The work was carried out by Thomas Harries – Tommy Harrie, a local mason who lived at Pwll Green by the quarry.  He made no charge, all the local men gave their help freely.  Ex-servicemen were not allowed to help.  The stones from Pwll quarry were dragged by my great grandfather and great uncle with teams of horses.  The cross piece looked like a coffin – they were dragged from the megalith at Marros Mountain.

Tommie Harrie was an expert with ovens, and would also build houses and sheds.  Often walking 20 miles for work, he would make use of his time by setting rabbit snares on the way.

There are ruins at Pyett’s Well (another name for magpies).

Marros Mill was in use until 1820, farmers took corn down there with donkeys.

Wrecks

ROVER – wrecked 1870s – visible in the sand at Ragwen Point.  An Irish ship carrying coal.  Mrs Lewis of Underhill Farm apparently walked the beach all night with a lantern to warn and save lives.

TREVIGA – 1923 – a Russian ship from Riga.  Its first trip from Trinidad to Cardiff with pitch and it was trying to shelter out a storm by Caldey.

FRANCES BEDDOE – built in Saundersfoot and launched in 1877. In 1920 it ran aground in fog on Pendine Sands.  The wreck was bought by my great grandfather, William Ebsworth, Marros Farm, and the timber was used to make beams which now support the first floor of Upper Marros Farm.  The ballast of gravel was mixed with cement and used for the kitchen floor.

A cave at Telpyn Point was once used as a church for open-air meetings.  A nearby cave was called Benny’s Kitchen.

In 1576 the last wolf was killed in Telpyn Valley.  The pads were kept for many years by Sir Herbert Eccles of Island House, Laugharne.

Lots of quarries at Dyffryn at the bottom of Telpyn Valley.  The flagstones form there were used in f arm kitchens and also taken to Tenby to make pavements.

Marros School

From 1840 – opposite the church – now a shed. It has a stone plaque in the wall:
MAROS NATIONAL SCHOOL
1940
Supported by Voluntary Contributions

They took board and day pupils.  My great grandfather William Ebsworth and his brother John were day pupils.
One pupil, Harry Evans, was schooled at Marros and later Whitland went on to win a scholarship to Oxford.
The school was there till 1875 when Tremoilet was built.
One original form from that school is in the vestry.

Down at Marros Mill was Lady Well (maybe named after ‘Our Lady’ – and it had a niche for maybe a statue).

About 1630 Lady Crowe from Westmead Mansion would often travel there by donkey cart to bathe in its curative waters.

There were 3 stone circles on Pwll Mountain, and the remains of a cockpit.

Limestone was burnt in lime kilns and used as fertiliser.

A famous sculptor with Marros stone was Tom Morris – b 1804, d 1886.  He lived for 50 years at Morfabychan and is buried at Pendine Church. Tom played the violin viola and also wrote poems and ballards – he became known as the Bard of Morfabuychan.

The stone for the plinth of the Albert Memorial in Tenby came from Pwll Quarry – called ‘snowdrop marble’ because of its white flecks.

On Marros Mountain are farms Pwll Green, Sunnybank, Pwll and formally Honeypot Hill, Mutton Gate and Merriman’s Gate.

At Woodreefe there is an iron age fort, above the stream of Cwm Waungron.

At Telpyn Farm is a field called Parc Yr Eglwys – field of the church – there are two low mounds there called ‘the giant’s graves’.

At Greenbridge (pub built in 1875) my grandfather built a sheep dip in the path of the stream, just off the entrance to the cave, and he used it with my great uncle.  They could not use it after the water board started using the water so then had to go to Common Church with the sheep in a lorry.
In 1821 the Cambrian Tourist Companion stated that the area was infested with bandits.

2^nd World War

There were big guns at Clyngwyn.

Most of the land on my nans and great uncle’s farms was commandeered.  There was radar opposite the Marros farmhouse.

There were Churchill tanks on Garness and Marros Mountains, ploughing through the fields.

A concrete slab was built at Morfabychan for bombing target practice.  Marros beach was heavily mined and my great uncle’s job was to blow up the roadways leading from the beaches if ever we were invaded.

In 1943 Operation Jantzen saw 100,000 troops in the area.  There was a curfew from Monkstone to Marros.  Churchill, Eisenhower and Montgomery watched from the Wiseman’s Bridge area.

In 1942 my great aunt and grandmother entertained Lord Mountbatten and Lord Lovat to tea at Marros Farm.