G. C. Waldrep
The Visitation (Objects to be Destroyed)
Carmarthenshire, 1710
Elder growing out of the walls at the East end of the Chancel
& Ashes growing on the Walls of the northside of the Church
should be destroy’d
The windows in the Chancell should be repair’d The Glass
belonging to two of the Church windows is intirely broke away
The Steeple is cover’d on the West North & East with Ivy
At the west end a little above the ground the roots of the Ivy
have rifted the Stones asunder On the south side of the Chancell
the Ivy from bottom to top & the Ash out of the wall
by the Chancell, & the Ashes & Elders growing on the northside
out of the walls want to be destroy’d to prevent further mischief
The Ash & Ivy at the East end of the Church over the Chancell
& the Ivy at the east end of both Chancells
& the Ash Willows & Elder growing on the Buttresses
on the north side of the Chancel which belongs to the Parish
& the Ash & Ivy in other places of the north side of the Church
& Ivy & Elder at the west end of the Church
should be destroy’d
The Floor is of earth & uneven, the graves being left
so that ordinary people may see where their friends are buried
The floor is of earth, & graves make it uneven from one end
to the other The walls want rendring Two windows
want glazing The Minister has neither House nor Glebe
The Act of Parliament against swearing is not read at all
The Proclamation against Vice & Profaneness is not read quarterly
The Book of Homilies, Canons, & Table of Degrees are wanting
In that Parish the Minister has no Tyth except Kids & Hony
Ivy at the west end over the porch & about the Church
in other places should be destroy’d
For a year after the Funeral of Persons of better fashion
every saturday night the Graves are straw’d with herbs
& a bier that is arch’d is set over the grave every Sunday morning
& cover’d with black
unless it be a Maid’s grave & then ’tis cover’d with white
The Hazle, Elder, Ivy & Ash growing out of the Church-walls
& in other places near the foundation of the Walls
to be destroy’d & the walls new-pointed
A very great part of the Tiling of the roof of the Church is dropt down
The windows of the Chancell are without Glass
The floor of Church & Chancell are uneven
Stones & rubbish lie scatter’d over the Church floor in many places
The Fence of the Church yard is down
Elders on the north side of the Church near the wall to be destroy’d
Ivy on the wall of the cross Ile & at the east end of the body of the Church
over the Chancell Roof & at the east end of both the Chancells
together with the Elder under the north wall of the Church
& in other places to be destroy’d & the walls to be new pointed
A great part of the Chancel lies expos’d to all weathers
the roof is so decay’d that probably it would drop down
were it not supported by props in the inside of the Chancell
by which a great part of the Chancell is render’d altogether useless
Neither Church nor Chancell hath any Glass in the windows
Every part of the floor is uneven There is no Book kept
for registring Christenings, Marriages & Burials
The Book of Homilies, Canons, & Table of Degrees are wanting
The Church-yard is very indecently over-run with bushes
For above Seven years there hath been no Sacrament administred
Not a Child hath been catechiz’d in seven years time
An Ash growing out of the east wall of the Chancell to be destroy’d
The Church & Chancell walls want rendring
The floor is a little uneven, & none of the windows are glaz’d
The walls of the Chancell should be render’d
the floors be made even
& the windows glaz’d both there & in the Church
The Elder on the south side of the Church shou’d be destroy’d
There is but one Sermon in a month & that in Welsh
The Children are catechiz’d in Lent
The Act against cursing & swearing is not read
The Presbyterians have a Meeting house here
The walls of the Church want rendring the Tiling of the Roof
between the Bells & the north door wants to be new ripped
The windows to be glaz’d The floor to be made even
The Chancel window is stopt up which makes the Church too dark
The Church windows to be glaz’d the floor to be made even
Ivy on the south & north sides of the Chancel & at the east end
of the Body of the Church over the Chancel roof
& Ivy on the north side of the Church & of the Steeple
in which last place ’tis grown about 30 foot high & 20 foot broad
should be quickly rooted up, & the walls new pointed
Ivy on the south side of the Church & at the east end of it
& on the north side & east end of the Chancell
& on the north side of the Church & on the Steeple
(which on the north & south sides is almost cover’d with Ivy)
should be quickly destroy’d
No Canons, no Homilies, nor Table of degrees
The Ash growing on & about the Buttress at the east end
& near the Buttress at the west end & in several other places
out of the wall on the south side of the Church
should be destroy’d & the wall & Buttresses new pointed
Prayers are read here once every Sunday,
& every other Sunday there is a Sermon in Welsh or English
The Children are catechiz’d every Sunday
There are in the Parish two dissenting Families
An Ash growing out of the wall & Ivy on the wall at the west end
of the Church & Ashes growing in several places
out of the wall on the South side & at the east end of it
should be destroy’d & the wall new pointed
The little Ashes growing out of the wall near the top of the Steeple
the grass & other plants that grow thick in many places
in the steeple wall where the mortar is decay’d
should be rooted up and the walls in those places be new pointed
The Elders & Ashes on the south side of the Chancell
& near the east end should be destroy’d
& the walls that are injur’d by them should be new pointed
The Tiles and laths belonging to the Church Porch
are all dropt down & the Timbers of the roof
of the porch expos’d to rot by rain & bad weather
The Steeple is ruinous & part of it is fallen into the Church
The Church yard wall is very much out of repair in most parts of it
& in some parts dropt down to the ground
The walls of the Church & Chancell should be new render’d
the glass windows mended & the floor be made even
The Proclamation against vice & profaneness
& the Act against cursing & swearing are not read
The Young Ashes & grass growing on the Buttresses
& Sicomores by the foundation of the Vicarage-house
should be destroy’d & the buttresses be pointed
Ashes & other plants growing on the west side of the Chancell
& over the tiling of the cross Ile & Ivy & Ashes
& other plants on the northside of the Church
Ashes on the southside of the Church together with the Ivy
should be destroy’d & the walls new pointed
The Vestry Roof is down & the walls of it very much cover’d
with Ivy & is now made use of instead of a Charnel house
The Ivy at the East end of the Chancell the Elder & Ivy
on the north side of the Chancell & Church the Tree on the top
of the Steeple & the Elder at the foot of the Steeple
on the north side & the Ivy & other Plants
growing in many places where the mortar of the Steeple is decay’d
& on the south side of the Church near the porch
& over the porch & Ivy which stretches in length
about 20 foot on the south side of the Church & the Ivy
also at the east end of the body of the Church just over the Chancell
roof should be rooted up & the walls new pointed
The Steeple is very ruinous the Top is fallen down
the stones at the bottom are so much fallen away as to endanger
the falling of the part of the Steeple that is yet standing
which is in a great measure cover’d with Ivy
which if it be not timely destroy’d will quite ruin the Steeple
the roots are grown so very large that they have thrown down
a great part of it already The Ivy on the south side
of the Church & the Ash growing over the Chancel
at the East end of the Church the Elder & Ivy at the east End
of the Chancell the black thorn on the north side of the Chancell
& the great Ash growing out of the wall near the roof
& the Ivy & other Plants which cover most part of the north wall
ought out of hand to be remov’d & the walls & steeple to be repair’d
The floor is uneven
No Register in this Parish nor has been for many years
No Canons, Homilies, nor Table of Degrees
About 12 poor people can read Welsh
There are no children to be catechiz’d
The Ivy on the south side & Elder on the north side of the Steeple
should be destroy’d & the Steeple in those parts
where the mortar is decay’d by reason of these plants
should be new pointed The Elder on the north side
of the Church & Chancell should be rooted up
The little Ashes & Elders growing out of the sides of the south wall
the Elders on the north side to be grubb’d up
& the rubbish on that side to be remov’d
The Ashes & rubbish on both sides of the south door to be remov’d
The Sacrament is administred at Easter & Whitsuntide only
The Ivy at the east end of the cross Ile & the body of the Church
& the Hony Suckle growing on the wall on the west side of the cross Ile
& the tree growing out of the wall on the north side at the top
of the Steeple & the other plants growing round the Steeple walls
in many places where the mortar is decay’d & the Ivy & Plants
on the north side of the Church & Ivy on the west side
of the north cross Ile & north end of that Ile
& Ivy on the east side of the north Ile & the Ash
that grows out of the wall just over the roof should be destroy’d
The tree on the top of the Impropriator’s Chancell
at the east end and the other plants there should be remov’d
At Easter Communicants 12
Families about l00 or 120 Above half of them are Dissenters
The Ivy on the South & north sides of the Church
& the Ashes & other plants growing out of the north walls
& the great Ash growing over the west door to be destroy’d
The Chancell being uncover’d & expos’d to all weathers
make it unfit for the Communion Table to stand there
All the walls want rend’ring & whiting
No Canons no Homilies no Table of degrees
About 30 poor people can read Welsh
A Welsh Bible & Common-Prayer-book are wanted
No Canons, No Homilies, no Table of degrees
The fence of the Church-yard to be repair’d
No House No Glebe The Minister never preaches here
About seven years since a Meeting house was built here
for Presbyterians
The Stonework of the Steeple is decay’d from top to bottom
a great part of the top is fallen to the ground
the stonework round the Church want to be pointed
& at the Buttress on the northside between the Chancell
& the Church to be made up new and the Ashes on the northside
to be grubbed up
The Bible is torn and imperfect
The Church-yard fence decay’d in many places
The Chancell to be new til’d The Church wall on the north side
to be new pointed, & stone work for under pinning the roof
to be made good The walls to be render’d
the floor made even and the windows glaz’d
Here is an Anabaptist Meeting consisting
of about 40 persons Poor that read Welsh about 20
No Canons no Homilies no Table of Degrees
The Battlements on the top of the Steeple to be repair’d
On the east side of the Steeple just over the roof there is a space
bigger than a large Church-door where the stones are taken away
& a crack from it to the top of the Steeple On the north side
the roof of the Church is decay’d the walls
between the steeple & the east end of the Chancell want pointing
The Chancell roof on the north side is very much decay’d
The Buttress against the north wall should be repair’d
The trees growing on it & ye elder on the south side
near the Chancel door shou’d be destroy’d
The Scaffold holes at the west end of the Church to be stopt
The trees growing on the north Buttress by the roof of the Church
to be rooted up The scaffold holes at the end of the Chancell
& on the south side of the Church to be stopt up
The Ashen Trees on the south side to be destroy’d
Families above 40 Ten poor people can read Welsh
The Plants growing out of the wall at the west end of the Church
& Steeple & the trees growing on the top of the Steeple
& the Elder at the east end to be rooted up & the wall new pointed
& repair’d in these places The Church yard Fence to be made good
The tiling of the Chancell & the Church in many places
to be repair’d the windows to be glaz’d & the floor made even
No Canons no Homilies no Table of Degrees
About 35 years since the number of dead buried in the Church
were so many as to make it offensive to the living almost every space
of the Church being imploy’d there was little or no room
for fresh graves to remedy which the floor of the Church
from one end to the other was rais’d 4 or 5 foot higher than it ought to be
by earth brought out of the Church yard & by this method
room is made for a new succession of graves both in the Church
& Chancel & the old partition between them being still standing
there is by reason of the immoderate raising of the floor
no going from the one to the other without stooping considerably
The Churchyard wall to be repair’d
The tiling of the Chancell to be mended The Ashes & plants
growing on the Buttress on the north side of the Chancell
to be destroy’d
The Clerk says that earth has been brought out of the Churchyard
to raise the floor of the Church for the sake of new graves
The Bible imperfect The Clark cannot read
The Ivy at the west end of the Church the Elder
& other Trees growing on the top of the south wall between
the west end & the cross Ile the Ivy & trees growing
on the top & on other parts of the wall the Ivy & other Trees
that cover the greatest part of the south wall from the Cross Ile
(the walls whereof are fallen down) to the east end
the Ivy & large Ashes growing on the north wall & battlements
between the east end & the north cross Ile & the Ivy
on the west side of that Ile & the trees & Ivy that cover
a great part of the north side of the Steeple & the Ivy, Elder, Yew
& other plants of great stature growing out of the north wall
from near the bottom so as in a manner to cover it from the cross Ile
to the west end & the Ivy & trees growing over the windows
& extending themselvs to the top of the Church
should be wholly rooted up & the walls repair’d & new pointed
The fence of the Churchyard should be repair’d
The Sculls & bones lying above ground in great heaps
in the Church should be buried in the Churchyard
The gutter is decay’d to such a degree that great quantities of water
flow into the Chancell in rainy weather & the arch
under the Gutter will probably drop if it be not quickly mended
All the Ivy in the inside of the Chancell to be destroy’d
on both sides of the Chancell there are great decays
The Ivy growing in the inside of the south Ile to be taken away
The tiling on both sides of the Church is very faulty in several places
The west windows want glazing & the floors of the Church
& Chancell to be made even
Plants growing out of the wall of the north Ile of the Church
& the Ivy & Ashes over the walls at the east end of it to be destroy’d
The scaffold holes at the east end to be stopt up
one of the Ashes there got root by a lodgement of seed
in one of the decay’d scaffold holes The Ashes & Ivy
on the north side of the Chancell the Elders under the Chancell
window the Ivy that covers most part of the Chancel window
the Ashes Elder & Ivy that cover the east end of the cross Ile
& a great part of the tiling the Ivy and other plants covering
the west side of the cross Ile & the Ivy & Ashes & other plants
growing out of the walls & buttresses between the cross Ile
& the steeple & the Ivy & other plants growing on the walls
of the steeple These to be entirely destroy’d the walls
to be new pointed & the stonework where wanting to be made good
No Homilies
The wall of the Churchyard is decay’d in several places
Four Fairs are yearly kept in the Churchyard
On the fair-days Horses sheep & lambs & casks of Ale
are brought into the Churchyard & sold there
In fair weather the Minister reads prayers here once every Sunday
but in wet weather he is forc’d to omitt them there being no
convenient place in the Church for keeping him or the people dry
The tiling on the east side of the Church Porch to be repair’d
several large ashen Trees on the buttresses on the north side
to be rooted up & the stonework decay’d by their roots to be mended
Thirty poor people can read Welsh In this Parish are two Quakers
Ivy in the inside of the Chancell to be destroy’d
& the tiling of that & the Church to be mended The floors
to be made even, & the windows repair’d The tiling
of the Church porch to be mended the Ivy on the west side
of the south cross Ile the Elders joining to the south side
of the Chancel wall & the tree growing out of the Buttress
of the north Chancell wall & the Ivy that covers it & an ash
of considerable bigness growing on the East wall
of the north cross Ile the Ivy covering the north end of this Ile
& the elder & ivy about the west side of it & the Ivy
that covers above half the north wall & the Ivy & Ashes
growing out of the building projected a little into the Church yard
as I conceive for stairs formerly leading from the Church yard
to the rood loft All these to be destroy’d
& the wall new pointed The wall of the Church yard is decay’d
Note: This is a found poem. The text comes, verbatim, from A Visitation of the Archdeaconry of Carmarthen, 1710, a manuscript account of an ecclesiastical inspection of churches in rural south Wales. What I have done is arrange the text with elisions, i.e. everything remains in sequence, but with much text and most punctuation excised. It is closer to a creative abridgement than to an erasure. The original text may be found here: http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/Archives/NLWjournals/Visitation1710
I was interested less in the archdeacon’s account of alleged ecclesiastical decay than in his repeated attacks on encroaching non-human nature, the recrudescence of ashes, elms, sycamores, and other flora on religious precincts that were apparently meant to be free of them. The result, it seemed to me, constituted something of an agon. The subtitle comes from the repeated use of that phrase throughout the text, though it also references, of course, the infamous Man Ray object. I like the idea of mutable, adaptable Welsh ecology staring back into the anthropocentric church experience—as figured here—rather like the collaged eye on Man Ray’s metronome.
G.C. Waldrep is the author most recently of feast gently (Tupelo, 2018) and the long poem Testament (BOA Editions, 2015). He lives in Lewisburg, Pa., where he teaches at Bucknell University and edits the journal West Branch. From 2007 to 2018 he served as Editor-at-Large for The Kenyon Review.