Newport, Pembrokeshire
Encyclopedia
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
, south-west Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, lying on the River Nevern
Afon Nyfer
The Afon Nyfer is a river in North Pembrokeshire, West Wales which runs into the Irish Sea.The river rises at Blaencwm , just east of Crymych. It flows northward then westward, skirting the slopes of the Preseli Hills. It passes through Felindre Farchog and Nevern, and reaches the sea at Newport...
(Welsh: Afon Nyfer) in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park is a national park along the Pembrokeshire coast in West Wales.It was established as a National Park in 1952, and is the only one in the United Kingdom to have been designated primarily because of its spectacular coastline...
.
History
The town was founded by the NormanNormans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
William FitzMartin (c.1155-1209) about 1197. He was a son-in-law of The Lord Rhys, who nevertheless expelled him from his former base at nearby Nevern
Nevern
Nevern is a small village or hamlet, of just a few houses in Pembrokeshire, West Wales. It lies in the valley of the River Nevern close to the Preseli Hills of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park east of Newport.-Nevern Parish Church:...
, which had been established by his father Robert fitz Martin
Robert fitz Martin
Robert fitz Martin was a Norman knight and first Lord of Cemais, Wales.-Family background:Robert fitz Martin was born some time in the late 11th century to Geva de Burci, heiress of Serlo de Burci, and an otherwise unknown man called Martin.Geva de Burci's second husband was William de Falaise,...
. William founded Newport as the new capital of the Marcher Lords
Marcher Lords
A Marcher Lord was a strong and trusted noble appointed by the King of England to guard the border between England and Wales.A Marcher Lord is the English equivalent of a margrave...
hip of Cemais
Cemais (Dyfed cantref)
thumb|200px|right|Ancient Dyfed showing the cantref of Cemais and its commotesthumb|200px|right|Pembrokeshire showing the hundred of CemaisCemais was a cantref of Dyfed, and now part of Pembrokeshire, Wales...
and it was a busy port founded primarily on the growing medieval wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
trade. Despite seizure from the native Welsh, it would remain within the FitzMartin
FitzMartin
FitzMartin was the surname of a Norman family based in England and Wales between 1085 and 1342.-Family origins:The first known member of the family was an obscure man called Martin, who appears to have died prior to 1100. Little is known for certain of him; he was husband to Geva de Burci, and by...
family until the death of William, the 2nd Lord Martin, without male heir in 1326.
It is a marcher borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
. Owen, in 1603, described it as one of five Pembrokeshire boroughs overseen by a portreeve
Portreeve
A portreeve, or 'port warden' is a historical British political appointment with a fluctuating role which evolved over time.The origins of the position are in the reign of Edward the Elder, who, in order to ensure that taxes were correctly exacted, forbade the conducting of trades outside of a...
. It still retains some of the borough customs such as electing its own mayor, who beats the bounds
Beating the bounds
Beating the bounds is an ancient custom still observed in some English and Welsh parishes. A group of old and young members of the community would walk the boundaries of the parish, usually led by the parish priest and church officials, to share the knowledge of where they lay, and to pray for...
on horseback every August.
The castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
built by FitzMartin is situated on a spur of Carn Ingli
Mynydd Carningli
Mynydd Carningli is a small mountain or hill near the town of Newport in Pembrokeshire, southwest Wales.It is less than 400 m high, but it is close to the coast and dominates the surrounding countryside. It is easy to climb but has a rocky summit and a steep scree slope on its southern and...
and has a surpassing view of Newport and much of the surrounding countryside. Though in ruins since at least the 17th century, it is impressive due to its site, and a converted house incorporating the castle walls (facing west over the town, the bay and the Irish Sea
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
) is still inhabited.
The church of St. Mary's, sited below the castle though within the town, dates from the FitzMartin era, and the outside east apse bears their arms ("Argent, two bars gules").
In the 1880s the castle was associated with John Brett
John Brett
John Brett was an artist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite movement , mainly notable for his highly detailed landscapes. Brett was born near Reigate on 8 December 1831, the son of an army vet. In 1851 he began lessons in art with James Duffield Harding, a landscape painter...
, who rented it as a base for his large family while he spent summers cruising the south and west coasts of Wales painting, sketching and photographing as he went. He was able to moor his 210 ton schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
, Viking (which had a crew of twelve) at Parrog
Parrog
Parrog is the harbour area of Newport, Pembrokeshire, Wales, a small town at the mouth of the River Nevern.It has two beaches, a golf course, an extremely active windsurfing and dinghy sailing club, many pubs and hotels and camping grounds.-External links:...
.
Newport is known today for its beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
es, for the Carreg Coetan Arthur
Carreg Coetan Arthur
Carreg Coetan Arthur is the name of a neolithic dolmen near Newport in North Pembrokeshire, Wales.Carreg Coetan Arthur dates from around 3000 BC and is the remains of a Neolithic burial chamber ....
burial chamber and for the West Wales Eco Centre.
The town also lies on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path
Pembrokeshire Coast Path
The Pembrokeshire Coast Path is a National Trail in southwest Wales. It was established in 1970, and is 186 miles long, mostly at cliff-top level, with 35,000 feet of ascent and descent. The northern end is at Poppit Sands, near St...
, has a youth hostel and is popular for walks in the Preseli Hills
Preseli Hills
The Preseli Hills or Preseli Mountains are a range of hills in north Pembrokeshire, West Wales...
. Carn Ingli hill, home to an Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
hillfort and some Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
hut circles lies just outside the town.
Newport is twinned
Town twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with the village of Plouguin
Plouguin
Plouguin is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.It lies northwest of Brest, about from the English Channel in the far west of the Leon peninsula.-Saint Winwaloe:...
in Finistère
Finistère
Finistère is a département of France, in the extreme west of Brittany.-History:The name Finistère derives from the Latin Finis Terræ, meaning end of the earth, and may be compared with Land's End on the opposite side of the English Channel...
, Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
, as well as Annapolis in Maryland in the USA
Notable people
- Robert FitzMartinRobert fitz MartinRobert fitz Martin was a Norman knight and first Lord of Cemais, Wales.-Family background:Robert fitz Martin was born some time in the late 11th century to Geva de Burci, heiress of Serlo de Burci, and an otherwise unknown man called Martin.Geva de Burci's second husband was William de Falaise,...
, (c. 10??-c. 1159), Norman knight and first Lord of Cemais, founded the Newport Castle. - John GronoJohn GronoJohn Grono was a settler, sailor, ship builder, ship captain, sealer, whaler and farmer who migrated to Australia in 1799 from Wales...
, (c.1767- 4 May 1847), settler, sailor, ship builder, ship captain, sealer, whaler and farmer, born in Newport, died in Australia. - James Bevan Bowen, of Llwyngwair, Newport, High Sheriff of PembrokeshireHigh Sheriff of PembrokeshireThis is a list of High Sheriffs of Pembrokeshire. Under the Local Government Act 1888, an elected county council was set up to take over the functions of the Pembrokeshire Quarter Sessions...
in 1862 - William Edward Cheverton, Saloon Steward on the Titanic.
- John SeymourJohn Seymour (author)John Seymour was an influential figure in the self-sufficiency movement. Precise categorisation is difficult: he was a writer, broadcaster, environmentalist, agrarian, smallholder and activist; a rebel against: consumerism, industrialisation, genetically modified organisms, cities, motor cars; and...
, (12 June 1914 – 14 September 2004), author, lived at a farm near Newport between 1963 and 1980. - The Incredible String Band, psychedelic folk band, formed in 1966, lived communally at a farmhouse near Newport 1969 - 1970.
Sources
The Lords of Cemais, Dillwyn Miles, Haverfordwest, 1996.Cemais, Dillwyn Miles, Haverfordwest, 1998.
External links
- Newport Pembrokeshire website
- www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Newport, Pembs and surrounding area
- wikitravel.org article on Trefdraeth (Newport Pembrokeshire)*
- wikitravel article on Newport Pembrokeshire*
- newportpembs.co.uk - Articles about Newport Pembrokeshire attractions*
- - Article about Newport Trefdraeth Pembrokeshire attractions*