Robeston Wathen is a rural village and

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 ...

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, west of Narberth, on the former Narberth to

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, ...

turnpike Turnpike often refers to: * A type of gate, another word for a turnstile * In the United States, a toll road Turnpike may also refer to: Roads United Kingdom * A turnpike road, a principal road maintained by a turnpike trust, a body with powers ...

subsequently designated the A40 which bypassed the village in 2011. Robeston Wathen is in 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, village, tow ...

Llawhaden Llawhaden ( cy, Llanhuadain) is a village, parish and community in the Hundred of Dungleddy ( cy, Daugleddyf), Pembrokeshire, West Wales. The community of Llawhaden includes the parish of Robeston Wathen, part of Narberth and the hamlet of Gell ...

. The village is mediaeval, and limestone was quarried there.

Name

The village was recorded as ''Villa Roberti'' in 1282, referring to an unknown Robert. It was referred to as Roberdeston ("Robert's Farm") in 1357 and as Robertson Wathen in 1545, though a 1578 map published in 1583 labels it Robeston. The suffix "Wathen" refers to the Wathen family, who occupied the manor from the 15th century; the surname ultimately derives from the personal name Gwaiddan.

History

The parish has evidence of

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

and

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

occupation, discovered during the building of the bypass (see below). In Norman times Robeston Wathen was in the ancient administrative area of

Narberth Hundred 200px, Pembrokeshire showing Narberth Hundred The Hundred of Narberth was a hundred in Pembrokeshire, Wales. An administrative and legal division, it was formed by the Act of Union of 1536 from parts of the pre-Norman cantrefs of Penfro (the c ...

. Robeston House (or Robeston Wathen House), of uncertain date but at least as early as 1800, is a Grade II listed building; it was a hotel from 1977 to 1999. In 1833 the parish had a population of 421. A school was started in the 1860s for 90 local children. It closed in 1971 and is now the village hall. Wilson's ''Gazetteer'' of 1872 describes the parish as covering with a population of 362 living in 92 houses. Limestone, sandstone and conglomerate was quarried at Robeston Wathen Quarries at least until 1931. It is now a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

, so designated in 1967 to protect its fragile geological elements: the limestone is extremely rich in corals, particularly halysitids, and contains rare brachiopods. The site covers 1.67 ha and is managed by

Natural Resources Wales Natural Resources Wales ( cy, Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru) is a Welsh Government sponsored body, which became operational from 1 April 2013, when it took over the management of the natural resources of Wales. It was formed from a merger of the Count ...

. Some of the houses in the village are built from stone quarried there. The Robeston Wathen Village Association was founded in 1989. Until 2011 the main A40 trunk road passed through the village, effectively cutting it in two. The bypass was completed at a cost of £41 million and opened in March 2011. Access to Robeston Wathen village is by roundabouts to the east and west of the village.

Amenities

The Bridge, and the bridge at Coxlake - geograph

The village has a petrol station and garage with an integral shop. To the west of the village is ''The Bush Inn'', formerly a small cottage inn, which has become a larger concern and to the southeast at Coxlake is ''The Bridge'', formerly ''Bridge End'', an inn (now closed) on the Robeston Wathen to Narberth road, now the B4314.

Church

The parish is in the

Diocese of St David's The Diocese of St Davids is a diocese of the Church in Wales, a church of the Anglican Communion. The diocese covers the historic extent of Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, together with a small part of western Glamorgan. The episcop ...

and the parish church is known as Holy Cross Church and is dedicated to St Andrew. It was rebuilt in the 19th century on its mediaeval foundations; the tower is 14th or 15th century. It is a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. In the churchyard is the war memorial to those who lost their lives in two world wars.

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Pembrokeshire