St Michael and All Angels Church, Kerry

St Michael’s Church is the parish church of Kerry, in the historic county of Montgomeryshire, now Powys. Kerry is sited about 3 miles to the S E of Newtown. which suggests that there may have been a church on the site since the 7th century. The church stands in an almost oval churchyard in the centre of the village. It was rebuilt and re-dedicated in 1176. Of the original church only the north aisle arcade survives, and the chancel arcade is 14th-century in date. The square stone tower is surmounted by a Montgomeryshire style timber-framed belfry. The main body of the church was rebuilt in 1882–83 by the architect George Edmund Street.Early historyArchdeacon Thomas suggests that originally Kerry was a Welsh collegiate or 'clas' church of the 7th or 8th century, and the church would have been in the Diocese of Llanbadarn, which came to be merged with the Diocese of St Davids. Some indication the earlier history can be gained from the account of the confrontation of between Gerald of Wales, Archdeacon of Brecon, and Adam Bishop of St Asaph in 1175 A.D., when the church was re-dedicated.Giraldus and dedication in 1176In 1176 there was the subject of an altercation between Gerald of Wales, Archdeacon of Brecon, and the bishop of St Asaph who planned to take it into his own diocese. The confrontation is documented by Giraldus A synopsis of this text in English is given by Archdeacon Thomas, and there is a commemorative plaque of 1818 about the event on the west wall of the north aisle. The rededication in 1176, presumably to St Michael, raises the question of an earlier dedication. Thomas pointed out that the bell with the inscription to 'Sante Egevire' (= Gwyr) might give an indication. The new church in 1176 was of stone, the only trace today being the remnants of the nave arcades. With its north and south aisles and perhaps a small chancel occupying what is now the east end of the nave, it was a building of some size and presumably importance. In 1246 Henry de Bretun was presented to the living of 'Sancti Michaelis de Kery', and at this time it was a collegiate establishment. The church was recorded as 'Eccl'ia de Kery' in the 1291 Lincoln Taxation with a value of £20.