St Andrew's Church Penrice. This 12th century church is cruciform in shape with an embattled western tower .
Photograph by Simon Swansea 66

Penrice, or Pen-Rhŷs - From 'A Topographical Dictionary of Wales' (1849)
PENRICE, or PEN-RHŶS, a parish, in the union and hundred of Swansea, county of Glamorgan, South Wales, 13 miles (W. S. W.) from the town of Swansea; containing 385 inhabitants, of whom 31 are in Pilton-Green. This place is thought to have derived its name, signifying "the head of Rhŷs," from the circumstance of Rhŷs ab Caradoc ab Iestyn having been defeated and slain here, in defending his territories from the aggression of a party of Norman invaders. According to other authorities, the place is said to have obtained its name from the family of Penrice, who accompanied William the Conqueror into England, and effected a settlement in Gower in the reign of Edward I. The ancient castle, of which there are still some fine remains, is supposed to have been one of the fortresses raised by the Earl of Warwick, for the defence of the territory of Gower, which he had subjected to his authority: some writers think that the earl was not the actual founder, but that he greatly enlarged a previously existing British fortress. It was conveyed, together with the lordship, by marriage with Isabel, daughter and heiress of Sir John Penrice, to Sir Hugh Mansel, in the time of King Henry V. The property remained in the possession of this family till the year 1750, when, in default of heirs male, it passed to the second son of Mary, youngest daughter of Sir Thomas (afterwards Lord) Mansel, who had been married to John Ivery Talbot, Esq., of Laycock Abbey, in the county of Wilts.

The parish is situated on the western shore of Oxwich bay in the Bristol Channel, and comprises a moderate portion of arable and pasture land, the latter of which has been for the greater part recovered from the sea. The village is neatly built, and of prepossessing appearance. The scenery is pleasingly diversified, and enriched with wood; and from some points the views over the bay and the adjacent country are full of interest: a field near the eastern extremity of Penrice comprehends one of the finest coast-scenes in the principality. Near the remains of the ancient castle stands the modern villa called Penrice Castle, erected by the late Mr. Talbot, with stone brought from the quarries of Margam; the grounds, which are laid out with great taste, and ornamented with a large artificial sheet of water well stocked with fish, comprehend a variety of pleasing scenery. At the distance of about half a mile from the house is Oxwich marsh, an extensive tract, partly in the parish of Penrice, and partly in the parishes of Oxwich and Nicholaston adjoining. It was formerly overflowed by the sea at high water, but was reclaimed by means of an embankment, constructed at the expense and under the superintendence of Mr. Talbot; it was also drained by a broad ditch cut on the north side, which empties itself by flood-gates into a rivulet or pill communicating with the sea. This land, which is more than 200 acres in extent, affords excellent pasturage for cattle and horses, but the sheep that feed in it are now invariably subject to the rot, from which they were always free previously to the exclusion of the sea-water. A market was formerly held, and there are some remains of the old market-place; fairs still occur annually on May 17th, June 20th, July 17th, and September 17th.

The living is a perpetual curacy, endowed with �800 royal bounty; net income, �53; patron, E. V. Nash, Esq. The church, dedicated to St. Andrew, and situated on the summit of a hill, is a Norman cruciform structure with a lofty tower, which being partly mantled with ivy, is both a conspicuous and picturesque object, as viewed from the sea, and from the grounds of Penrice Castle. The edifice has lately undergone restoration. There is a place of worship for Wesleyan Methodists in the village of Horton; and two Sunday schools are held, one of them, in connexion with the Established Church, in Penrice village, and the other in the meeting-house. Sarah Bennet, in 1735, bequeathed �15 to the poor; but though it is stated in 1786 that this sum was then vested in the representatives of Thomas Hancorne, no interest has been received for many years. The remains of Penrice Castle occupy the summit of a high rock commanding Oxwich bay, and from its ruins it appears to have been of great strength: there is a good Norman entrance. Near the village are vestiges of an intrenchment; and at a short distance is an old house, called the Sanctuary, which is said to have belonged to the manor of Millwood, or St. John's, the property of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem. A number of silver pennies of Ethelred II. were found in 1825, in making a new road to Mr. Talbot's mansion.

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