Prendergast, Pembrokeshire

Last updated

Prendergast
Medieval church tower, Prendergast, Haverfordwest (geograph 6086804).jpg
Medieval tower of St David's Church
Pembrokeshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Prendergast
Location within Pembrokeshire
Community
Principal area
Country Wales
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Postcode district SA
Police Dyfed-Powys
Fire Mid and West Wales
Ambulance Welsh
UK Parliament
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament
List of places
UK
Wales
Pembrokeshire
51°49′N4°58′W / 51.81°N 04.96°W / 51.81; -04.96

Prendergast is a former village and parish [1] in Pembrokeshire, Wales, now a suburb of Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire's county town. The name survives as an electoral ward of Haverfordwest. The Western Cleddau forms the parish's western boundary, and the Hiog, a tributary of the Cleddau, the eastern boundary. [2]

Contents

Name

The origin of the village's name is possibly linked to a family named Prendergast, whose earliest-known ancestor was Maurice, who was possibly a Cambro-Norman. However it is thought he himself may be named for the town, especially as the surname carries the affix of De. The name could also very likely be Welsh in origin and either poorly rendered from its original form over time, or if originating as a surname; it may have been Anglicised in later records. Examples are a potentially Anglicised form of Bryn y Gest from the Welsh bryn meaning hill and gest, a lenition of cest which means belly or swelling or a deep glen between two mountains having but one opening. It could also come from Pren-dwr-gwest, meaning the inn by the tree near the water. The suffix ast (cf. gast) is possibly of Druidic origin such as the cromlech chamber tomb of Penllech yr Ast meaning the chief slab of the bitch or Llech-yr-ast for Bitch's stone, found in Llangoedmor, Cardiganshire but also Gwâl y Filiast for Lair of the Greyhound Bitch and Carn Nant-yr-ast or Llety'r Filiast or Twlc y Filiast. [3] [4] Alternatively, the name may come from a lost Flemish settlement near Ghent, known as Brontegeest. Pembrokeshire notably had a Flemish population by the twelfth century. [5]

History

Parish

Prendergast (Prendergest) appears on a 1578 parish map of Pembrokeshire. [6]

The parish, originally placed in the ancient Hundred of Dungleddy by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535-1542, and before that in the pre-Norman cantref of Deugleddyf, [7] was considered a suburb of Haverfordwest as long ago as the mid-19th century, at which time it had 1,105 inhabitants, [8] but was still referred to as a village. [2] In 1872, the parish extended to 1,104 acres (447 ha), and in the 150 years between 1801 and 1951 the population almost doubled from 814 to 1,543. [9] In 1831, agriculture was a minor industry, with most people employed in retail and handicrafts. [10] Under the Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832, the urban part of Prendergast—33 householders—became part of Haverfordwest. [11]

Parish church

The parish church of St David is a Grade II listed building, and has many memorials to distinguished local people. It was described in 1833 as "an ancient and venerable structure, in the early style of English architecture, and in good repair", [2] but by 1872 was "in disrepair". [8] It was rebuilt in the late 19th century, but retains its late-mediaeval tower. [12]

Chapel

A Welsh-speaking Baptist Chapel was established in 1858 to serve north Pembrokeshire people settling in Haverfordwest. Welsh-only services ceased in 1880, and the chapel was enlarged in 1888–91. [13] : 369 

Prendergast Mill

Listed bridge and ruined Prendergast Mill in 2007 Prendergast mill and bridge - geograph.org.uk - 410565.jpg
Listed bridge and ruined Prendergast Mill in 2007

About 1786, the 3-storey cotton mill—possibly the only one in south Wales, or at least the largest, with 1,512 spindles—began an industrial complex on the Cleddau River. It was converted to a paper mill in 1816, establishing the paper-making industry in Haverfordwest, but by the end of the century was disused. In ruins by the 20th century, it was partially demolished in 1986. The bridge over the mill race—now no longer running— was constructed in 1812, is a Grade II listed structure and is still in use. [13] : 92  [14] [15] [16]

Rebecca riots

With few turnpike tollgates in Pembrokeshire escaping from the Rebecca rioters of the early 1840s, Prendergast was no exception; on 6 April 1843, about 24 men destroyed the tollgate on the Fishguard road. [17] In the spring of 1844, two men were convicted of unlawful assembly in the previous August, and sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment each. [18]

Education

A primary school was established in the village in 1876. [13] : 369  Sir Thomas Picton School was established in 1954, and closed in 2018 as part of a school merger. [19]

Notable people

Maurice de Prendergast was a Norman knight (fl. 1169–1174) who participated in Norman invasion of Ireland, launched from Pembrokeshire. [20] [21] The Stepney family were prominent in Prendergast from the mid-1500s to mid-1700s. [22] Their seat, Prendergast House, was in ruins by the late 18th century. [13] : 368 

Today

The present-day parish of Prendergast with Rudbaxton is in the Diocese of St Davids. [23] Prendergast now includes the trading estates of Withybush, and Withybush General Hospital, as well as some new and older residential properties and a school, and is divided approximately north–south by a spur of the main A40 road into Haverfordwest town centre, and northeast–southwest by the B4329 road from Cardigan. [24]

There are several other listed buildings in the parish. [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pembrokeshire</span> County and historic county in southwest Wales

Pembrokeshire is a county in the south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and is otherwise surrounded by the sea. Haverfordwest is the largest town and administrative headquarters of Pembrokeshire County Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haverfordwest</span> Human settlement in Wales

Haverfordwest is the county town of Pembrokeshire, Wales, and the most populous urban area in Pembrokeshire with a population of 14,596 in 2011. It is also a community, being the second most populous community in the county, with 12,042 people, after Milford Haven. The suburbs include the former parish of Prendergast, Albert Town and the residential and industrial areas of Withybush.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neyland</span> Human settlement in Wales

Neyland is a town and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales, lying on the River Cleddau and the upstream end of the Milford Haven estuary. The Cleddau Bridge carrying the A477 links Pembroke Dock with Neyland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dinas Cross</span> Human settlement in Wales

Dinas Cross is both a village, a community and a former parish in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Located between Fishguard and Newport in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, it is a popular holiday destination on the A487 road. The two hamlets, Cwm-yr-Eglwys and Pwllgwaelod, are in the community. The community has an elected community council and until 2022 gave its name to an electoral ward of Pembrokeshire County Council which covered the communities of Dinas Cross, Cwm Gwaun and Puncheston.

Prendergast is a British and Irish surname.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llawhaden</span> Human settlement in Wales

Llawhaden is a village, parish and community in the Hundred of Dungleddy, Pembrokeshire, West Wales. The community of Llawhaden includes the parish of Robeston Wathen, part of Narberth and the hamlet of Gelli, and had a population of 634 in 2001, increasing to 688 at the 2011 Census.

Canaston Bridge is the location in Pembrokeshire, southwest Wales where the A40 trunk road crosses the Eastern Cleddau. It is on the edge of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, 14 miles (23 km) northeast of Pembroke, and close to Oakwood Theme Park and Blue Lagoon waterpark. It is about half a mile upstream of Blackpool Mill, at the normal tidal limit of the river.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nolton and Roch</span> Human settlement in Wales

Nolton and Roch is a community in the Hundred of Roose, Pembrokeshire, Wales. The community consists essentially of the villages of Nolton and Roch and a number of hamlets including Cuffern and Druidston. The western part of the community is in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Its population (2001) was 746, increasing to 825 at the 2011 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castlemorris</span> Human settlement in Wales

Castlemorris is a small village in the parish and community of Mathry, Pembrokeshire, Wales, south of the Western Cleddau river, on the B4331 road between Mathry and Letterston. It has a population of roughly 150 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treffgarne</span> Human settlement in Wales

Treffgarne is a small village and parish in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales. It lies to the south of the Preseli Hills close to the Western Cleddau river, and close to the main A40 road from Fishguard to Haverfordwest. The area has an interesting local geology and evidence of mineral extraction at least as far back as Roman times. The present village is medieval in origin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uzmaston</span> Human settlement in Wales

Uzmaston is a small parish in Pembrokeshire, Wales, about 2 kilometres south-east of Haverfordwest. The village, to the northwest of Boulston, forms part of the community of Uzmaston, Boulston and Slebech, and lies near the bank of the Western Cleddau. It contains the Grade II listed St. Ismael's Parish Church which has existed since at least 1230, and was extensively rebuilt in 1870-73 and restored in the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rudbaxton</span> Human settlement in Wales

Rudbaxton is a village, parish and a local government community in the county of Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is 81 miles (130 km) from Cardiff and 208 miles (335 km) from London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scleddau</span> Human settlement in Wales

Scleddau is a village and a community in the county of Pembrokeshire, Wales, and is 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Fishguard on the main A40 road. The Western Cleddau river which lends its name to the village flows under the main road. There are several springs in the village.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B4329 road</span>

The B4329 is a scenic route and a former turnpike in Pembrokeshire, West Wales. It links Eglwyswrw in the north of the county to Haverfordwest, the county town in the south, in an approximately southwesterly direction, crossing the Preseli Mountains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haroldston St. Issell's</span> Human settlement in Wales

Haroldston St Issells is a former parish in Pembrokeshire, Wales, on the upper reaches of the Western Cleddau, 1 mile (1.6 km) southeast of Haverfordwest. Its area is 1,104 acres (447 ha); Haroldston church is co-located with Lower Haroldston and is a small attractive building. Haroldston ruins and Lower Haroldston can both be viewed from a circular walk along the banks of the Cleddau. Haroldston and other places in the parish are preserved as historic place names by the Royal Commission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Granston</span> Parish in Pembrokeshire, Wales

Granston is a hamlet and parish in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The parish was in the Hundred of Dewisland and includes the settlements of Llangloffan and Tregwynt, with Tregwynt woollen mill. Granston is in the community of Pencaer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haroldston West</span> Parish in Pembrokeshire, Wales

Haroldston West is a rural coastal parish in west Pembrokeshire, Wales, 5.5 miles (8.9 km) west of Haverfordwest. It is in the community of Merlin's Bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gelli, Pembrokeshire</span> Village in Pembrokeshire, Wales

Gelli is a small settlement in the community and parish of Llawhaden, Pembrokeshire, Wales, at the confluence of the Syfynwy and Cleddau Ddu rivers. It is 3 miles (5 km) northwest of Narberth and 8 miles (13 km) east of Haverfordwest. The nearest railway station is at Clunderwen 2 miles (3 km) to the east. There was a woollen mill in Gelli that ceased production in 1938.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuisine of Pembrokeshire</span> Welsh regional cuisine

Pembrokeshire has been called "the cottage garden of Wales", due to its good soil and the beneficial effects of the Gulf Stream, which provide a mild climate and a longer growing season than other parts of the country. The good climate and soil meant that the south of the peninsula was coveted by the Norsemen and Normans because it had "great plentie" of corn and cattle The county has prime agricultural land, much of which is located at about 70m above sea level, while to the north, the Preseli Hills rise to 500m above sea level and form uplands that are made up of heather and bracken, which are used for grazing sheep. Consequently, Pembrokeshire is classed as one of the most fertile counties in Wales, with its 392,300 agricultural acres having 14% of its land classed as of good quality, 67% being classed as medium quality and 19% being classed as poor quality. However, agricultural production is subject to market forces and in the 1890s, as a result of the Panic of 1893, a deep agricultural depression led to the area under cultivation falling by a third. Many labourers and farmers had no option but to emigrate to the New World and many of the large farming estates were sold. World War I brought prosperity again, but by the 1930s, as a result of the Great Depression, there was another agricultural depression which lasted until World War II. During the Post-war period agriculture has benefited from marketing schemes and marketing boards, which have helped in the regulation, marketing and distribution of the county's agricultural production.

References

  1. ↑ "GENUKI: Parish map 85: Prendergast" . Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 "GENUKI: Prendergast" . Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  3. ↑ "Prendergast Family". Archaeologia Cambrensis. Series 3. National Library of Wales. 56: 67. 1865. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  4. ↑ Morgan, Thomas. Handbook of the Origin of Place-Names in Wales and Monmouthshire. ASIN   1150347619.
  5. ↑ "Archaeologia Cambrensis (1846-1899) | Third Series No. XLI January 1865 | 1865 | Welsh Journals - The National Library of Wales". journals.library.wales.
  6. ↑ "Penbrok comitat". British Library. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  7. ↑ Charles, B. G. (1992). The Placenames of Pembrokeshire. Aberystwyth: National Library of Wales. p. 395. ISBN   0-907158-58-7.
  8. 1 2 "A Vision of Britain through Time: GB Historical GIS / History of Prendergast in Pembrokeshire". University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  9. ↑ "A Vision of Britain through Time: GB Historical GIS / History of Prendergast in Pembrokeshire". University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  10. ↑ "A Vision of Britain through Time: GB Historical GIS / History of Prendergast in Pembrokeshire". University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  11. ↑ "The History of Parliament: Haverfordwest" . Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  12. ↑ Cadw. "Church of St David (Grade II) (12039)". National Historic Assets of Wales . Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Lloyd, Thomas; Orbach, Julian; Scourfield, Robert (2004). Pembrokeshire: The Buildings of Wales (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales) (First ed.). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. p. 369. ISBN   978-0-300-10178-2.
  14. ↑ "RCAHMW List of Historic Place Names: Prendergast Paper Mill" . Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  15. ↑ Cadw. "Bridge at Prendergast Mill (Grade II) (13038)". National Historic Assets of Wales . Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  16. ↑ "Prendergast Mill (41243)". Coflein. RCAHMW . Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  17. ↑ Evans, Henry Tobit (2010). Rebecca Riots!. David M Gross. p. 36. ISBN   9781451590869.
  18. ↑ "Rebecca and her daughters" . Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  19. ↑ Wightwick, Abbie (28 January 2019). "Nearly 200 schools have shut in Wales since 2013". Wales Online . Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  20. ↑ Expugnatio Hibernica:The Conquest of Ireland, p. 293, 294, 295, 296-97, 298, 299, 301, 302, 307, 308, 321, by Giraldus Cambrensis, ed. A.B. Scott and F. X. Martin, 1978. ISBN   0-901714-11-9
  21. ↑ Duffy, Seán (2005). Medieval Ireland An Encyclopedia. Routledge. ISBN   0-415-94052-4.
  22. ↑ Charles, B. G., (1959). "STEPNEY (or STEPNETH) family, of Prendergast, Pembrokeshire". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. Retrieved 10 August 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  23. ↑ "Diocese of St David's: Prendergast and Rudbaxton" . Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  24. ↑ Ordnance Survey Explorer Map OL36: South Pembrokeshire, 2009
  25. ↑ "British Listed buildings in SA62 4EF" . Retrieved 9 August 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.