The origins of Pennard Church are steeped in mystery but what is known is that the church was originally located next to Pennard Castle, on the high ground overlooking the magnificent sweep of Three Cliffs bay. A tiny fragment of this original building can still be seen today, protuding from the manicured green behind the castle on land that now forms part of the Pennard Golf course.
It was believed that the Church was relocated to today's more inland location after both the original church, Pennard Castle and the village of Pennard became besanded sometime in the early 16th Century. This theory, however, was turned on its head when parts of the current church were dated as far back as the 13th Century. This discovery means that Pennard once possessed two churches, the current church, dedicated to St. Mary, obviously having flourished with the closure of its coastal counterpart.
What is known, however, is that parts of this earlier church building were incorporated into the later St. Mary's. The church's two large wooden beams supporting the present gallery are believed to have originated in the earlier St Mary's, as is the window hood in the east end of the building, which was obviously designed to span a larger arch.
Renovated in 1930, the church's barrel organ, once a great attraction of the church, is now held at St. Fagan's Folk Museum, near Cardiff.
Pennard Church
Pennard Castle
Perched high over the magnificent Three Cliffs Bay , the mysterious Pennard Castle has to be one of the most picturesque ruins on the Gower Peninsula . Little is recorded on the history of the stronghold, but it is believed to be of late 13th century origin and to have been occupied for only a short period of time before abandonment. With few historical documents to detail the site, the castle is bathed in an air of superstition with many legends and folktales noting the castle to be both haunted and cursed!
The bedevilment was said to have commenced upon the return to Pennard Castle of a fearsome chief who had just won a fiercesome battle. Having been awarded the hand of a Welsh Ruler's daughter for his success, the chief began a great feast on the grounds, ordering all to join in the festivities. He was most furious however, when his celebrations were spoiled that night by a sentry reporting strange lights he had witnessed in the valley below. Grabbing his sword and ordering his army to follow, the chief raced down from the castle to give battle to the trespassers who had dared disturb his raucous victory party. The trespassers turned out to be a group of fairies dancing around glimmering moonbeams on a grassy patch near the bay. When the chief and his army burst upon their party, jabbing and waving their swords to cut the little folk into pieces, the fairies, impervious to the attack, became furious and called to the chief: "Stop thy warring ways. Thy canst harm us with thy swords and spears. Cursed shall you and your castle be for spoiling our innocent game!" The fairies then disappeared and the chief and his men became afraid. Looking over the sea, they saw a great sand storm descending from the sky towards them. Running for their very lives, it was only moments before they all succumbed to the choking sand that roared and tore about them and when the sun next arose, Pennard Castle had become ruined forever and buried in the avalanche.
With such a legend, it was perhaps only natural for tales of ghosts and other supernatural occurrences to also become attached to the Pennard Castle . Perhaps the most famous of these is that of the Gwrach-y-rhibyn - a spectre similar to that of the Irish banshee, who roams the castle grounds, condemning all those who dare spend a night amongst the enigmatic ruins to instant madness. Published over a century ago, "Wanderings in Gower" by C. D. Morgan, available here, described a lake at the foot of Penrice hill where a maiden threw herself to her death after avenging the death of her lover. The description off spirit of this woman very closely matches ths Gwrach-y-rhbyn. Are they one and the same?
