Uzmaston is a small

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 ...

in Pembrokeshire, Wales, about 2 kilometres south-east 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 count ...

. The village, to the northwest of

Boulston Boulston is a small settlement and former parish on the left bank of the Western Cleddau river in Pembrokeshire, Wales, in the community of Uzmaston, Boulston and Slebech. History Boulston Manor The parish was in the ancient hundred of Dungle ...

, forms part of the

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, villag ...

Uzmaston, Boulston and Slebech Uzmaston, Boulston and Slebech is a community in Pembrokeshire, Wales, which includes the villages of Uzmaston, Boulston and Slebech, and the Haverfordwest suburb of Cartlett (an area in the western part of Haverfordwest, no longer marked on m ...

, and lies near the bank of the

Western Cleddau The River Cleddau ( cy, Afon Cleddau) consists of the Eastern and Western Cleddau rivers in Pembrokeshire, west Wales. They unite to form the Daugleddau estuary and the important harbour of Milford Haven. The name of the combined estuary – ...

. It contains the Grade II listed St. Ismael's Parish Church which has existed since at least 1230, and was extensively rebuilt in 1870-73 and restored in the 1990s.

History

Historically, Uzmaston and the surrounding parish belonged to the Hundred of

Dungleddy 200px, Ancient Dyfed showing Deugleddyf Cantref and its "commotes" 200px, Pembrokeshire showing Dungleddy Hundred The Hundred of Dungleddy was a hundred in the centre of Pembrokeshire, Wales. It had its origins in the pre-Norman cantref of Deug ...

. Its name is a compound word meaning "Osmund's farm". In 1993, five Roman coins were unearthed behind the church at Uzmaston. At the time of the 1851 census, Uzmaston belonged to a parish comprising an area of 2,070 acres with a population of 683 people, 307 male and 376 female. Originally a farming village, the dwellings sit nestled between two farms.

Landmarks

Its parish church is dedicated to the 6th-century Breton prince and Welsh saint

Isfael Isfael or Ismael ( owl, Ysmail), often anglicized as Ishmael, was a 6th-century medieval Welsh bishop of Rhos and saint. He was allegedly also a Breton prince of Armorica. Although his anglicized name invites association with the Biblical Ishma ...

. In 1230 it was granted to Wizo the Fleming. It was extensively rebuilt in 1870-73 and renovated in 1991–92. It was further restored in 1999 by Hereford architect Lingen Barker. It became a Grade II listed building on 16 July 2004. There is a house on the edge of Uzmaston along the lane from Boulston named "The Cottage". There are the ruins of a cottage between the main lane (known locally as "Nans Lane") and the Cleddau, just to the southwest of the village. The village is the start of the frolic, a public footpath that starts at the church gates, through the churchyard, across the field and then follows the River Cleddau into Haverfordwest. From the churchyard looking down river is white rock, a single chalk rock on the edge of the river.

Land

Samuel Lewis, writing in his ''A Topographical Dictionary of Wales'', stated that Uzmaston "comprises a moderate extent of enclosed and cultivated land: the soil is generally fertile, and the inhabitants are chiefly employed in agriculture. The western part of it, containing the straggling extemity of a suburb of Haverfordwest, called Cartlett, is included within the new electoral limits of that borough. Geologically, the area is known for the yellow-grey Uzmaston Beds, dated to the

Silurian The Silurian ( ) is a geologic period and system spanning 24.6 million years from the end of the Ordovician Period, at million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Devonian Period, Mya. The Silurian is the shortest period of the Paleozoi ...

period, which are unfossiliferous in the lower parts.

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Pembrokeshire