Trefin ( Welsh standardised:), formerly anglicised as Trevine, is a village in 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 ...

, south-west

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. The village lies within the parish 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 ...

Llanrhian Llanrhian is a small village, community and parish in Pembrokeshire in west Wales, near the coast, south of Porthgain village. The community of Llanrhian includes the settlements of Llanhowell ( cy, Llanhywel), Croesgoch, Portheiddy, Porthgai ...

, which has a significant

Welsh-speaking Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language of the Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut Province, Argentina). Historically, it has als ...

population.

Etymology

The name "Trefin" possibly derives from "Tref" meaning

farmstead A homestead is an isolated dwelling, especially a farmhouse, and adjacent outbuildings, typically on a large agricultural holding such as a ranch or station. In North America the word "homestead" historically referred to land claimed by a settle ...

, and "Ddyn" meaning high ground.

History

Trefin was settled in the

medieval period In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, around the 12th–13th centuries, having an overall linear arrangement and faint traces of an

open-field system The open-field system was the prevalent agricultural system in much of Europe during the Middle Ages and lasted into the 20th century in Russia, Iran, and Turkey. Each manor or village had two or three large fields, usually several hundred acre ...

. Its earliest inhabitants were of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

origin. The settlement had links with the estate of the ecclesiastical lordship of St Davids. The

Archdruid Archdruid () is the title used by the presiding official of the Gorsedd. The Archdruid presides over the most important ceremonies at the National Eisteddfod of Wales including the Crowning of the Bard, the award of the and the Chairing of the ...

Crwys, who was born in

Craig Cefn Parc Craig-cefn-parc is a village near Clydach, outside Swansea, Wales. It falls within the Mawr 240px, Pre-2022 Mawr electoral ward Mawr is a community (and former electoral ward) of the City and County of Swansea, in south Wales, U.K. Mawr ha ...

Glamorganshire , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Motto ...

, had links to the village, with the historic mill at nearby Aberfelin being the subject of his poem ''Melin Trefin''. Some of Trefin's old village cottages and the old mill's remains date back to the 15th century. The medieval mill, built for use by the bishops in and located in a rocky cove, was used for roughly 500 years by the local populace until 1918 when it was closed due to cheaper wheat imports from abroad impacted the mill's production. When operating, the wheat at the mill was milled to produce flour for bread and

barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley pr ...

was ground into winter feed for livestock. From the 1800s, most of the village was rebuilt with a mix of early 1900s cottages and larger Victorian homes built for "sea captains". The other main industry during this period alongside farming and shipping, were the mechanised slate quarries near the coast, expanded in the 1860s, with its resources exported from Porthgain's port. Two chapels were built in the village. The first the Trefin Calvinistic Methodist Chapel built in 1786 (rebuilt in 1834), became a centre for the

Calvinistic Methodist Church The Presbyterian Church of Wales ( cy, Eglwys Bresbyteraidd Cymru), also known as Calvinistic Methodist Church (), is a denomination of Protestant Christianity in Wales. History The church was born out of the Welsh Methodist revival and the ...

in Wales and was restored in 1936. The other chapel, the Baptist Chapel was built in 1840, rebuilt in around 1870 and served as a branch of Croesgoch. By the 1900s cheap grain was being imported from overseas and milled in larger mills in towns and cities, leading to the closure of Aberfelin mill in 1918. The mill stones remain in the ruins of the roofless mill. The historic centre of the village was designated as a

Conservation Area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

in 1997.

Community

Trefin is surrounded by the

Irish Sea The Irish Sea or , gv, Y Keayn Yernagh, sco, Erse Sie, gd, Muir Èireann , Ulster-Scots: ''Airish Sea'', cy, Môr Iwerddon . is an extensive body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Ce ...

and on the

Pembrokeshire Coast Path The Pembrokeshire Coast Path ( cy, Llwybr Arfordir Sir Benfro), often called the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path, is a designated National Trail in Pembrokeshire, southwest Wales. Established in 1970, it is a long-distance walking route, mostly at ...

, between Porthgain and

Abercastle Abercastle ( cy, Abercastell) is a village in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Abercastle has a working harbour which is managed by Abercastle Boat Owners Association. In 1876, The harbour was the landing-site of the first Atlantic Ocean single-handed sa ...

. It is on the route of the Strumble Shuttle

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

service, part of the Pembrokeshire Greenways public transport service. Carreg Samson, a Neolithic burial chamber is located nearby, between the village and Abercastle. Trefin lies within the

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Pembrokeshire Coast National Park ( cy, Parc Cenedlaethol Arfordir Penfro) is a national park along the Pembrokeshire coast in west Wales. It was established as a National Park in 1952. It is one of three national parks in Wales, the others bei ...

, the only coastal area included in the

National parks of the United Kingdom National parks of the United Kingdom ( cy, parciau cenedlaethol; gd, pàircean nàiseanta) are areas of relatively undeveloped and scenic landscape across the country. Despite their name, they are quite different from national parks in many ot ...

. Trefin is a small village of around 130 people, and houses a weaving centre, The Mill cafe, two chapels (both now closed), a pub ''The Ship Inn'', a hostel 'Old School Hostel' as well as holiday accommodation. Nearby villages include

, Abercastle, Porthgain,

Mathry Mathry (Welsh: Mathri) is a village, community and parish in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The hilltop village is southwest of Fishguard, close to the A487 road between Fishguard and St David's. History Mathry (formerly Mathrey or Merthyr) was in the ...

, Square and Compass, Penparc and

Croesgoch Croes-goch (also spelled Croesgoch) is a village in North Pembrokeshire, West Wales. It is situated on the A487 between Fishguard and St David's. It lies some five miles northeast of St Davids on the junction of the A487 St Davids to Fishguard r ...

. The village is between

Fishguard Fishguard ( cy, Abergwaun, meaning "Mouth of the River Gwaun") is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, Wales, with a population of 3,419 in 2011; the community of Fishguard and Goodwick had a population of 5,407. Modern Fishguard consists of two pa ...

and St Davids.

Notable people

Edgar Phillips Edgar Phillips (8 October 1889 – 30 August 1962), known by the bardic name " Trefin", was a Welsh poet and served as Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales from 1960 until his death. Phillips took his bardic name from his birthplace, th ...

: Welsh poet and served as Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales *

Cerys Matthews Cerys Matthews (; born 11 April 1969) is a Welsh singer, songwriter, author, and broadcaster. She was a founding member of Welsh rock band Catatonia and a leading figure in the "Cool Cymru" movement of the late 1990s. Matthews programmes and ...

: singer, songwriter, author, and broadcaster

Notes

References

External links

Map2001 Census Data for TrefinPhotos of Trefin and surrounding area on geograph.org.uk
{{authority control Villages in Pembrokeshire