Wiston (; ) is a village,

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

and

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and otherwise by the sea. Haverfordwest is the largest town and ...

, Wales, in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. It was once a

marcher borough The Welsh Marches () is an imprecisely defined area along the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods. The English term Welsh March (in Medieval Latin ''Marchia W ...

. George Owen, in 1603, described it as one of nine Pembrokeshire "boroughs in decay". It continued as a constituent parliamentary borough (voting as part of the borough seat of Pembroke) until the end of the 19th century. It is overlooked by

Wiston Castle Wiston Castle () is a motte and bailey castle in the Pembrokeshire village of Wiston, Pembrokeshire, Wiston in south west Wales and is one of the best examples of its type in Wales. The castle and village were founded by Wizo, a Flemish settlem ...

. The community of Wiston includes the village plus

Clarbeston Clarbeston () is a village and parish in Pembrokeshire, Wales, east of Haverfordwest. The parish, together with Wiston and Walton East, constitute the community of Wiston. The population was 318 at the 2011 census. Name The English placename ...

Clarbeston Road Clarbeston () is a village and parish in Pembrokeshire, Wales, east of Haverfordwest. The parish, together with Wiston and Walton East, constitute the community of Wiston. The population was 318 at the 2011 census. Name The English placename ...

and

Walton East Walton East () is a small rural village and parish established around a church at least as early as Norman times. It is southwest of Llys y Fran and north of Clarbeston Road and in Wiston community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. History Walton ...

History

Roman presence

In 2003 a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

road was reported to pass just north of village. The road originates from the major Roman town of

Carmarthen Carmarthen (, ; , 'Merlin's fort' or possibly 'Sea-town fort') is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community (Wales), community in Wales, lying on the River Towy north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. At the 2021 United Kingdom cen ...

, known as Moridunum during the Roman period. The destination of the road is uncertain and has only been traced beyond Wiston for a mile or two. In 2013 it was confirmed that about 500m north-east of Wiston near Churchill Farm, is located the first ever Roman fort discovered in Pembrokeshire. The site is shown on the Ordnance survey county series as a U-shaped quarry approximately 170m in length. This is a significant discovery that shows the Romans did indeed travel into Pembrokeshire. Dating appears to indicate that the fort is 1st century with possible 2nd century occupation. It remains to be seen whether there are further forts to the west, possibly at St Davids.

Medieval presence

The medieval presence at Wiston includes

and the church, St Mary Magdalene. There has been a church on this site at least since c1147. The current structure was founded by Wizo the Flemming (also responsible for the castle). The church is a typical Norman church with a square tower.

Governance

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected t ...

exists. This ward stretches beyond the confines of Wiston community. The total population of the ward at the 2011 election was 1,973.

References

External links

Historical information and sources on GENUKIPhotos of Wiston and surrounding area on geograph.org.uk
* {{authority control Villages in Pembrokeshire Communities in Pembrokeshire