St John Kemble Perhaps one of the greatest glories of this little church is its association with St John Kemble, who was martyred at Hereford in 1679 and who lies buried at Welsh Newton, a few miles outside the town. The Parish exercises the privilege of organising a pilgrimage to his tomb every August, on the Sunday nearest to the 22nd, his feast day. (Click here to see photos of this year's Pilgrimage.) At the rear of the Church is an altar dedicated to the memory of St John Kemble. It consists of two small benches, which could be separated to disguise their real purpose in dangerous penal times. They were used for the celebration of Mass at Pembridge Castle near Monmouth. The reredos of the altar is made from the bed of Matthew Pritchard OFM, Vicar General of the Western District in the 18th century. He resided at Pethir near Monmouth at the home of the Catholic Lorrimer family. The creation of the altar was the work of Thomas Abbot, who also restored Kemble's grave at Welsh Newton. Abbot gathered other artefacts associated with St. John, namely a chalice, now at Archbishop's House in Cardiff, a missal annotated by John Kemble and a missal stand. The parish also possesses a magnificent red chasuble embroidered with Opus Anglicanum work and dating from about 1502. It was believed that it belonged to St John Kemble. There is no evidence for this although he may have worn vestments of this type. Life and martyrdom of St John Kemble