Nottage () is a small village part of

Porthcawl Porthcawl (, ) is a town and community on the south coast of Wales in the county borough of Bridgend, west of the capital city, Cardiff and southeast of Swansea. Historically part of Glamorgan and situated on a low limestone headland on the So ...

Bridgend County Borough Bridgend County Borough ( cy, Bwrdeistref Sirol Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr) is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. The county borough has a total population of 139,200 people, and contains the town of Bridgend, after which it is named. It ...

, Wales. It is also the name of an

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...

to the town and county councils.

History

The original ancient village of Nottage, built in a defensive position from the outset, was sited on a small hill near an

inlet An inlet is a (usually long and narrow) indentation of a shoreline, such as a small arm, bay, sound, fjord, lagoon or marsh, that leads to an enclosed larger body of water such as a lake, estuary, gulf or marginal sea. Overview In marine geogra ...

leading to the sea. The location is speculated to have been chosen to reduce the risks of attacks by Vikings. Artifacts found in and near Nottage hint the presence in the area of the

Beaker culture The Bell Beaker culture, also known as the Bell Beaker complex or Bell Beaker phenomenon, is an archaeological culture named after the Inverted bell, inverted-bell beaker (archaeology), beaker drinking vessel used at the very beginning of the E ...

, Celts and Romans. In the 12th Century,

William Fitz Robert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester William FitzRobert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester (23 November 1116 – 23 November 1183) was the son and heir of Sir Robert de Caen, 1st Earl of Gloucester, and Mabel FitzRobert of Gloucester, daughter of Robert Fitzhamon, and nephew of Empress M ...

gave 'New Town in Margam' to his supporter Richard of Cardiff. Nottage lay just outside it. Already the location of a Celtic church, Norman influence grew in the area, and the Parish of Newton-Nottage was formed in around 1300. Nottage Court (also known as 'The Grange' and 'Noche Court', later 'Ty Mawr') were administered by

Margam Abbey Margam Abbey ( cy, Abaty Margam) was a Cistercian monastery, located in the village of Margam, a suburb of modern Port Talbot in Wales. History The abbey was founded in 1147 as a daughter house of Clairvaux by Robert, Earl of Gloucester, an ...

. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries, it was sold to the Lougher family in 1545 and rebuilt in around 1570, though parts of the pre-1570 structure remain, despite another extensive renovation in 1855. The ancient church of Nottage was located beside the present Rose and Crown pub. A manorial survey of 1630 shows that there was already a church in the village which was associated with

Saint David Saint David ( cy, Dewi Sant; la, Davidus; ) was a Welsh bishop of Mynyw (now St Davids) during the 6th century. He is the patron saint of Wales. David was a native of Wales, and tradition has preserved a relatively large amount of detail ab ...

(though the present church dates only from the 1940s). Nottage became the site of some of the earliest

Nonconformist Nonconformity or nonconformism may refer to: Culture and society * Insubordination, the act of willfully disobeying an order of one's superior *Dissent, a sentiment or philosophy of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or entity ** ...

activity in Wales. John Myles had preached there in 1657. After the

Royal Declaration of Indulgence The Royal Declaration of Indulgence was Charles II of England's attempt to extend religious liberty to Protestant Nonconformist (Protestantism), nonconformists and Roman Catholics in his realms, by suspending the execution of the British penal l ...

in 1672,

Walter Cradock Walter Cradock (Craddock, Cradoc) (c. 1606 – 1659) was a Welsh Anglican clergyman, who became a travelling evangelical preacher. He was a founder of the first Independent church in Wales in 1638, at Llanvaches, with William Wroth and Willi ...

and Howell Thomas were authorised to preach there. Methodist and Baptist presences in Nottage were formalised in 1743 and 1789 respectively. In 1849, ''A Topographical Dictionary of Wales'' recorded that Nottage had a population of 467. It had risen to 1,082 by 1861 as recorded in the original ''

Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales The ''Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales'' is a substantial topographical dictionary first published between 1870 and 1872, edited by the Reverend John Marius Wilson. It contains a detailed description of England and Wales. Its six volumes h ...

'', which described Nottage as 'a decayed watering-place'. Nottage was formerly served by

Nottage Halt railway station Nottage Halt railway station was a small halt on the Porthcawl branch line, serving the village of Nottage in South Wales. It first opened around 1900 as an unadvertised halt named Porthcawl Golfers Platform (or Golf Platform). In 1924 it was ...

on the Porthcawl branch-line, which closed in 1965. West Park Primary School was opened in 1971.

Facilities

Nottage has a convenience store, a hair salon named salon Amici, a primary school and a few public houses and bed and breakfast establishments. The village is the location of the

Royal Porthcawl Golf Club Royal Porthcawl Golf Club is a golf club in Wales in the United Kingdom, located north of Porthcawl and bordering the Bristol Channel. The club has hosted many prestigious tournaments including The Amateur Championship on six occasions, the Wal ...

, founded in 1891. There are two places of worship in Nottage: *

St David's St Davids or St David's ( cy, Tyddewi, , "David's house”) is a city and a community (named St Davids and the Cathedral Close) with a cathedral in Pembrokeshire, Wales, lying on the River Alun. It is the resting place of Saint David, Wa ...

, operated by the

Church in Wales The Church in Wales ( cy, Yr Eglwys yng Nghymru) is an Anglicanism, Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses. The Archbishop of Wales does not have a fixed archiepiscopal see, but serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishop ...

. *

Nottage General Baptist & Unitarian Church Nottage General Baptist & Unitarian Chapel is a nonconformist chapel in Nottage, Bridgend, Wales. It is shared by General Baptists and Unitarians. History The church is the oldest nonconformist place of worship in the area, tracing its roots t ...

, shared by Unitarians and Baptists.

Governance

Nottage is an

Porthcawl Town Council Porthcawl (, ) is a town and community on the south coast of Wales in the county borough of Bridgend, west of the capital city, Cardiff and southeast of Swansea. Historically part of Glamorgan and situated on a low limestone headland on the ...

, electing four of the 19 town councillors. The electoral ward has also elected a county councillor to

Bridgend County Borough Council Bridgend County Borough Council ( cy, Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr) is the governing body for Bridgend County Borough, one of the Principal Areas of Wales. History Bridgend County Borough and Bridgend County Borough Council came ...

since 1999. The ward has generally elected a

Liberal Democrat Several political party, political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties usually follow a liberal democracy, liberal democratic ideology. Active parties Former parties ...

councillor with the exception of the 2004 council elections.

References

{{authority control Villages in Bridgend County Borough Wards of Bridgend County Borough