Trefasser (variations: Tref-Asser, or Trêf Asser, or Asserton; translation: "town" of "Asser") is a hamlet, located to the west of

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 p ...

in western

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. Historically, it is part of the parish of Llanwnda. It lies on the coast of St George's Channel 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 b ...

. A stream named Cledde Goch runs close by. Trefasser's farms, houses and cottages are the only settled area of Pen Caer. David Tress has painted the place in an abstract painting.

History

Trefasser was mentioned in the survey of episcopal lands in 1326. It at one time belonged to Major Thomas Askwith Jenkins (1809–1877) of Trevigin. In July 2009, the body of a 47-year-old man from

Stourbridge Stourbridge is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands, England, situated on the River Stour. Historically in Worcestershire, it was the centre of British glass making during the Industrial Revolution. The ...

in the

West Midlands West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

was found at the bottom of the cliffs of Trefasser.

Etymology

There are opposing views as to from whom the name derives. One possibility is that it is the namesake of Bishop

Asser Asser (; ; died 909) was a Welsh monk from St David's, Dyfed, who became Bishop of Sherborne in the 890s. About 885 he was asked by Alfred the Great to leave St David's and join the circle of learned men whom Alfred was recruiting for his ...

, a friend and biographer of

King Alfred Alfred the Great (alt. Ælfred 848/849 – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who ...

in the 9th century. Another possibility is that it is named for Asser's nephew, Asser Meneventsis, as Trefasser is said to be his birthplace. Meneventsis was a Benedictine monk, as well as scribe and chancellor to Asser. Panaramic-6

Castell Poeth

tumulus A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones bu ...

named Castell Poeth ("the Hot Castle") is located nearby. It is an exploratory castelet with an occasional

beacon A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location. A common example is the lighthouse, which draws attention to a fixed point that can be used to navigate around obstacles or into port. More mode ...

. Described as a ditched, raised enclosure, oval in shape, and measuring by across, it has an attached second oval measuring by .

References

{{authority control Villages in Pembrokeshire