St Ishmaels or St Ishmael's ( cy, Llanismel) is a village,

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 or m ...

and

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...

close to the

Milford Haven Waterway Milford Haven Waterway (''Welsh: Dyfrffordd Aberdaugleddau'') is a natural harbour in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is a ria or drowned valley which was flooded at the end of the last ice age. The Daugleddau estuary winds west to the sea. As on ...

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 community comprises most of the parish of St Ishmaels and had a population of 478 at the 2011 census. The ward includes the communities of

Herbrandston Herbrandston is a village, parish and community on the north side of the River Cleddau, in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is located to the west of Milford Haven and Hakin and east of St Ishmael's. Before 1960 and the building of the ESSO oil refine ...

, Dale and Marloes and St. Brides. The community was subsequently merged with other communities and only the ward remained with the name St Ishmael's. This covers the entire peninsula with at total population at the 2011 census of 1,405. St Ishmael's Church - geograph

The parish church of Saint Ismael ( cy, Isfael) is below the village, hidden in a small valley near the Haven. In the Age of the Saints, it may have been the seat of the bishop of the

cantref A cantref ( ; ; plural cantrefi or cantrefs; also rendered as ''cantred'') was a medieval Welsh land division, particularly important in the administration of Welsh law. Description Land in medieval Wales was divided into ''cantrefi'', which were ...

of Rhos. Llanismael was considered one of the principal dioceses of

Dyfed Dyfed () is a preserved county in southwestern Wales. It is a mostly rural area with a coastline on the Irish Sea and the Bristol Channel. Between 1974 and 1996, Dyfed was also the name of the area's county council and the name remains in use f ...

under medieval

Welsh law Welsh law ( cy, Cyfraith Cymru) is an autonomous part of the English law system composed of legislation made by the Senedd.Law Society of England and Wales (2019)England and Wales: A World Jurisdiction of Choice eport(Link accessed: 16 March 2022 ...

, second only to

Menevia The Roman Catholic Diocese of Menevia is a diocese of the Catholic Church in Wales. It is one of two suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Cardiff and is subject to the Archdiocese of Cardiff. History On 12 May 1898, the Apost ...

(modern St Davids). With the

Norman conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conque ...

, St Ishmaels became part of the Lordship 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, ...

. The church is a grade II listed building The original Baptist Chapel at nearby Sandy Haven was established in 1812 later moving to Sandy Hill on the eastern approach to the village, in 1877. Aenon Baptist Church, Sandy Hill has a baptistry in the stream. Gravestones in the cemetery have links to family names in St Ishmaels. The chapel is in use for services, weddings and community meetings. The south, west and east of the parish is bordered by the Haven with numerous important bird and marine life within the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. The north is mainly farmland used for both grazing and arable. Prince Charles's first footsteps on Welsh soil were in 1955 to the south of the village on the beach at Lindsway Bay. The royal yacht was anchored in Dale Roads. The southern point of Lindsway Bay is marked by the Great Castle Head lighthouse now a private residence. The lighthouse was built in 1870, and along with the modern Little Castle Head beacon situated across Longoar Bay, serve as navigation beacons for the Rosslare-

Pembroke Dock Pembroke Dock ( cy, Doc Penfro) is a town and a community in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales, northwest of Pembroke on the banks of the River Cleddau. Originally Paterchurch, a small fishing village, Pembroke Dock town expanded rapidly following ...

shipping route.

References

External links

Historical information and sources on GENUKI
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Ishmaels (Pembrokeshire) Villages in Pembrokeshire Communities in Pembrokeshire Milford Haven