St Michael

The parish church of St Michael was established in the 12th century and is Grade I listed. It is worth making the detour from the A40 to visit this quiet church used now for Sunday Worship but steeped in history.

In the early part of the 12th century, the living of the church was granted to the Order of Knights Hospitaller of St John of Jerusalem whose Commandery was situated at St John’s Church, Slebech. This remained until the dissolution of religious houses by Henry VIII.

The whole of the east wall of the Lady Chapel is occupied by the striking 17th century monument to the Howard Family of Fletherhill. The five almost life size figures in costume of the Restoration period gaze into the distance above you; four of them carry skulls. The centre couple are James Howard and his wife Joanna. On the right are their children Thomas and Mary and the single figure on the left is George, brother of James. Thomas died as a result of a duel, there is a red daub on his breast signifying violent death. Mary Howard is famous as she became Mary Tasker following her marriage to a master mariner from Steynton and started an almhouse school in Haverfordwest. Joanna seems to have commissioned the memorial and appears without the skull that the others carry which denotes death. She does carry something in her hand but it is difficult to identify what it might be.

Due to the close proximity of Poyston Hall to the church , which was owned by the Picton family from the early 18th Century, General William Picton (d1811) and Major General John Picton (d1815) are all buried in Rudbaxton church. There is a bust of General Sir Thomas Picton, killed at Waterloo (1815) and buried in St Paul's Cathedral, in this church where he was baptised. William Laud, Bishop of St Davids and Archbishop of Canterbury, adviser and supporter of Charles 1 for which he was executed 10 January 1645, held the living of Rudbaxton between 1621 and 1626 and has a memorial plaque.