Penrydd (variously spelled Penrhydd, Penrhudd, Penrith, Penreth or Penrieth) is a former parish in the Hundred of Kilgerran, north

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The count ...

, Wales. The parish's history is closely linked with that of

Castellan A castellan is the title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory referred to as the castellany. The title of ''governor'' is retained in the English prison system, as a remnant o ...

, and included parts of the present villages of Blaenffos and Crymych.

History

Church

The parish, in the 1530s, was unique in Wales in furnishing the title of a suffragan see, namely Bishop of Penrydd, and an Inventory of Ancient Monuments explains how this may have come about. The parish is marked (as ''Penrith'') on a 1578 parish map of Pembrokeshire. Penrydd Parish Church - geograph

The parish church of St Cristiolus ( Church in Wales) existed at least as early as 1799, the earliest date from which parish register information has been garnered. From 1799 to 1858 the parish register is "Penrhydd with Castellan", Castellan being a chapelry at that time. The living in 1870 was described as ''"...a rectory in the diocese of St David's. Value £100. Patron, the Lord Chancellor"''. The church had been rebuilt in 1841 and restored in 1911; in 1914 it was described as "plain" and "whitewashed". A survey by Dyfed Archaeological Trust for

Cadw (, a Welsh verbal noun meaning "keeping/preserving") is the historic environment service of the Welsh Government and part of the Tourism and Culture group. works to protect the historic buildings and structures, the landscapes and heritage s ...

in 2011 describes the present churchyard as ''"...suboval/subrectangular, now poorly defined..."'' and the church as "''...small, comprising chancel, nave and west porch. It is now in private hands..."''. The church was described in about 2012 as abandoned.

Population and property

The annual value of the

Real property In English common law, real property, real estate, immovable property or, solely in the US and Canada, realty, is land which is the property of some person and all structures (also called improvements or fixtures) integrated with or affixe ...

of the parish, including Castellan, was £756 in 1815 when the joint population was 273. By 1821 and 1831 the population of Penrydd parish alone was 190 and 219 respectively. In 1831-33 the parish (including the chapelry of Castellan) was home to 346 inhabitants and included both enclosed arable land or pasture and unenclosed moorland. About 70% of males over 20 were involved in agriculture with the rest in retail or manufacturing trades. Of those in agriculture, the majority farmed in their own right, as opposed to labouring for others. Tithe apportionments of 1837 and tithe maps of 1844 are held at the National Archives. By 1881 the majority of males (about 60%) were still in agriculture, but there were more involved in other occupations such as quarrying. There is an Ordnance Survey-marked disused quarry close to Castellan Farm. Penrydd was included in the National Farm Survey of 1941-3 during World War 2, the records of which are held at the National Archives.

Today

Penrydd was absorbed in 1974 into the community of Boncath.

References

{{authority control Villages in Pembrokeshire