Haroldston St Issells is a former

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

in Pembrokeshire, Wales, on the upper reaches of the

Western Cleddau The River Cleddau ( cy, Afon Cleddau) consists of the Eastern and Western Cleddau rivers in Pembrokeshire, west Wales. They unite to form the Daugleddau estuary and the important harbour of Milford Haven. The name of the combined estuary – ...

, southeast of

Haverfordwest Haverfordwest (, ; cy, Hwlffordd ) 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, ...

. Its area is ; 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.

History

Manor

Haroldston Manor was the seat of firstly the Harold family and then the Perrot family, including

Sir John Perrot Sir John Perrot (7 November 1528 – 3 November 1592) served as Lord Deputy of Ireland, lord deputy to Queen Elizabeth I of England during the Tudor conquest of Ireland. It was formerly speculated that he was an illegitimate son of Henry VIII, t ...

, thought to be the illegitimate son of Henry VIII. It appears (as ''Harroldston'') on a 1578 parish map of Pembrokeshire. Upper and Lower Haroldston are two ancient farmhouses that were probably part of the Haroldston estate. Lower Haroldston is still a working farm, whilst Upper Haroldston is a domestic dwelling. Haroldstone House, described by

Coflein The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW; cy, Comisiwn Brenhinol Henebion Cymru; ), established in 1908, is a Welsh Government sponsored body concerned with some aspects of the archaeological, architectura ...

as "once one of the grandest houses in the county of Pembrokeshire" is now a ruin, but its origins are medieval, going back at least to the 12th century. The remnants of the gardens and grounds are designated Grade II on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales. In 1643, Haroldston was garrisoned by Royalist troops with the presumed support of Herbert Perrot. The following year he changed sides, risking the destruction of his property, but the King's cause faltered. By the restoration, he had changed sides again and was knighted.

Population

The population of the parish reported in 1833 was 304. In 1872, it was reported as 281, in 59 houses.

Mining

Ochre was mined at Greenhill Ochre Mine to the south south east of Merlins Bridge from 1911 until about 1915, then abandoned by 1919. In 1994 it was excavated to bedrock level for capping to safeguard Haverfordwest building expansion.

Records

The records of Haroldston, St Issell and Hamlet of St Thomas Parish Council are held by Pembrokeshire Archives and Local Studies. Dyfed Family History Society is the repository for the records of the parish church.

References

External links

Further historical information and sources on GENUKI
{{authority control Villages in Pembrokeshire Registered historic parks and gardens in Pembrokeshire