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

, located on the peninsula which forms the northern side of the entrance to the Milford Haven Waterway. The village has 205 inhabitants according to the 2001 census, increasing to 225 at the 2011 Census.

History

It was once a marcher borough, controlled by the Norman de Vale family from the 13th century Dale Castle. Owen, in 1603, described it as one of nine Pembrokeshire "boroughs in decay". Located in the

hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numerals, Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 (number), 99 and preceding 101 (number), 101. In mathematics 100 is the square of 10 (number), 10 (in scientific notation it is written as 102). The standar ...

of Roose, it is part of Little England beyond Wales and has been English-speaking since the 12th century. The name (Old Norse: ''Dalr'' = "valley") suggests prior occupation by Scandinavians. The nearby RAF Dale airfield was active from 1941 to 1948. Following cessation of activities in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, RAF Dale was decommissioned, and the site became occupied by the

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is the naval aviation component of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy (RN). The FAA is one of five :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, RN fighting arms. it is a primarily helicopter force, though also operating the Lockhee ...

as RNAS Dale (''HMS Goldcrest''), a satellite of HMS ''Goldcrest'' at RNAS Brawdy.

Henry Tudor

In 1485, Henry Tudor landed at Mill Bay near Dale before the Battle of Bosworth, after which he became King Henry VII. Villagers mark the anniversary; the most spectacular commemoration was for the 500th anniversary in 1985.

Sea Empress disaster

On 15 February 1996, the oil tanker '' Sea Empress'' grounded at the Milford Haven entrance, spilling 72,000 tonnes of crude oil.

Housing

There are many older Victorian homes towards the coastal shore area but away from the shore there are late 1940s council houses.

Present

Dale Fort is a

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...

fort located on a rocky promontory that now houses a field studies centre, for study of local

marine biology Marine biology is the scientific study of the biology of marine life, organisms that inhabit the sea. Given that in biology many scientific classification, phyla, family (biology), families and genera have some species that live in the sea and ...

biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...

geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...

geomorphology Geomorphology () is the scientific study of the origin and evolution of topographic and bathymetric features generated by physical, chemical or biological processes operating at or near Earth's surface. Geomorphologists seek to understand wh ...

, and other related fields. Dale is a local centre for

sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, Windsurfing, windsurfer, or Kitesurfing, kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (Land sa ...

, and

windsurfing Windsurfing is a wind-propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the Californian aerospace and surf culture. Windsurfing gain ...

is taught in the Dale bay, along with sailing and boat handling courses. Dale is also often the location of sailing galas. The Pembrokeshire Coast Path passes through the village and around the Dale peninsula. Dale beach has a Blue Flag award. The Dale Coronation Hall is used for many events in the community and is home to the D.A.D.S. (Dale Amateur Dramatic Society). The society performs a play or a pantomime in March. The 2011 census showed 5.9% of the population could speak Welsh, a fall from 11.0% in 2001. The community includes Skokholm Island.

Climate

References

External links

Dale village website
*
www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Dale and surrounding area
{{authority control Villages in Pembrokeshire Communities in Pembrokeshire