Steynton or Stainton is a
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 the county of
Pembrokeshire, Wales, formerly in the
hundred of Rhôs and now an area of
Milford Haven and in the Community of Tiers Cross. The parish includes the hamlet of Dreenhill, near
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 parish population is about 3,000.
Geography
Steynton has a crossroads from which roads lead to Milford Haven to the south, and from it toward Johnston and Haverfordwest in the north and Jordanston and
Pembroke,
Pembroke Dock and Neyland to the east. The road to the west leads to the hamlet of
Thornton. The parish includes the hamlet of Dreenhill, near Haverfordwest, as well as other settlements.
Steynton has a pub, the Horse and Jockey.
Dreenhill
While Steynton village is in the south of the parish, Dreenhill is a hamlet in the north (National Grid reference SM924134) on the B4327 road southwest 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, ...
.
[ Dreenhill has a Calvanistic Methodist Chapel, established in 1834.][ The hamlet has a garage, The Masons pub and restaurant (formerly the Masons Arms) and a few houses, and is surrounded by farmland.
]
History
The toponym
Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...
is likely derived from the Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th c ...
''tun'', meaning settlement or manor.
Steynton was once a medieval parish and village, with a parish church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...
dedicated to Saints Cewydd
Saint Cewydd was a pre-congregational saint of Wales in the Early Middle Ages (6th century). He is known as the Welsh 'Rain Saint', like Medard in France, Gildas in Brittany and Swithin in England. It would appear that a pre-Christian rain da ...
and Peter
Peter may refer to:
People
* List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Peter (given name)
** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church
* Peter (surname), a sur ...
. The oldest parts of the present church may be 14th or 15th century. The church may have had links with Pill Priory
Pill Priory is a Tironian house founded near Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, South West Wales in the late 12th century.
Pill Priory was founded as a daughter house of St Dogmaels Abbey (raised to Abbey status in 1120), near Cardigan, itself a p ...
, which is about to the south. The church tower was used as a musketry position in the English Civil War
The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...
action at Pill Fort
Pill Fort was a sconce fort located on the northern shore of Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire. It was built by Royalist forces in order to prevent Parliamentarian forces landing at Pembroke Castle
Pembroke Castle ( cy, Castell Penfro) is a me ...
in Milford Haven. The church is directly in line with St Katherine's church to the south and Johnston church to the north. The parish was about long from north to south, and up to wide from east to west. The ancient parish extended almost as far as Haverfordwest to the north.
Steynton was originally separate from Milford Haven, being about north-north-east of Milford, but Milford Haven has expanded and absorbed it. Steynton is part of the local government community of Miford Haven.
References
External links
{{authority control
Milford Haven
Villages in Pembrokeshire