ANOTHER BAKER RELATIVE

As most of you will know, St David Lewis was born into a prominent  Abergavenny family in 1616.  His father, Morgan Lewis, was head master of King Henry VIII Grammar School in the town.  Morgan saw to it that David, the youngest of his nine children, was brought up in the new state religion.  David's mother, Margaret, was a devout Catholic who openly practiced her faith and brought her other children up as Catholics.  When David was a young man he spent some time in Paris. It was in this city that David converted to Catholicism.  Some years later he became a priest and, under the strict penal laws of the time, he was eventually arrested and executed for the crime of being a Catholic Priest and for saying Mass.  His remains were laid to rest in the churchyard of the Priory Church in Usk.

Some of David's maternal relatives are buried or commemorated in the very beautiful Priory Church of St Mary, Abergavenny. They were important men of their time and their memorials are easily found in that church.  Several of them have already been posted about on this blog,  (HERE) and (HERE).  Now we will post about another of the martyr's close family who is commemorated in this venerable old church.

William Baker was the son of Richard Baker. Richard, until his early death, had been Recorder of Abergavenny. Richard's brother, David, was summoned home from London and he then became Recorder.  Shaken by a profound religious experience, David Baker converted to Catholicism and  went on to became a Benedictine Monk.  He  is well know as the writer and mystic, Dom Augustine Baker  (HERE).  William was also the first cousin of Margaret Pritchard. Margaret was the wife of Morgan Lewis and the mother of St David Lewis. Below is a simple chart showing the relationship.  

William Baker and Margaret Pritchard were first cousins

As we said, William, born around 1584, was the son of Richard Baker.  It was William who had erected the Brass plaque in the Herbert Chapel in memory of his father.  William's son, also named Richard, is remembered on the memorial too. 

William Baker was a Royalist and a staunch supporter of the Stuarts.  During the Civil War he raised an army for the king's service and maintained them for three months.

William, later Sir William, was Recorder of Abergavenny and Sheriff of the county.  In 1640, he presented a bell to the town of Abergavenny.  The bell was inscribed "Bayliff Baker, 1640" .  This bell was taken down, recast, and re-presented to the town in 1868.  

William Baker married, in 1606, Joan, daughter of Henry Vaughan of Bredwardine Castle, Herefordshire.  Theirs seems to have been a happy marriage for at his death in 1648, Joan erected an elaborate monument to him on the north side of the Herbert Chapel.  A brass plaque informs us, in Latin,  "Here, resting in Christ, William Baker, armiger, magistrate, maintainer of justice, of unspotted integrity, of renowned judgement and eloquence, asserter of the orthodox faith, waits for the resurrection of the just.  He changed life for immortality, 30th October, in the year of our salvation1648, of his age 64, and of a happy marriage 42.  His wife, Joan, the daughter of Henry Vaughan of Bredwardine Castle, and an old family, and lord of the territory of Hereford and Brecon, of illustrious memory.  Therefore she, sorrowful and grieving, caused this monument to be erected."

William Baker's Memorial in the Herbert Chapel, Abergavenny Priory Church
(Photo J D Smith)

So, we have located another relative of St David Lewis.  Llantarnam, Usk, and various places around Monmouthshire and area speak to us of the Last Welsh Martyr. None speak louder than Abergavenny, his birthplace, and the birthplace and last resting place of so many of his family members.