Haroldston St Issells is a former
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 ...
in
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, on the upper reaches of the
Western Cleddau
The River Cleddau () consists of the Eastern and Western Cleddau rivers in Pembrokeshire, west Wales. They unite to form the Daugleddau estuary and the harbour of Milford Haven Waterway.
The name of the combined estuary – the Daugleddau – ...
, southeast of
Haverfordwest
Haverfordwest ( , ; ) 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 (Wales), community consisting of 12,042 people, making it the secon ...
. Its area is ; Haroldston church is co-located with Lower Haroldston and is a small attractive building. Haroldston ruins and Lower Haroldston can both be viewed from a circular walk along the banks of the Cleddau. Haroldston and other places in the parish are preserved as historic place names by the
Royal Commission
A royal commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue in some monarchies. They have been held in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Malaysia, Mauritius and Saudi Arabia. In republics an equi ...
.
History
Manor
Haroldston Manor was the seat of firstly the Harold family and then the Perrot family, including
Sir John Perrot
Sir John Perrot (7 November 1528 – 3 November 1592) was a member of the Welsh people, Welsh gentry who served as Lord Deputy of Ireland under Queen Elizabeth I of England during the Tudor conquest of Ireland. It was formerly speculated that he ...
,
thought to be the illegitimate son of Henry VIII. It appears (as ''Harroldston'') on a 1578 parish map of Pembrokeshire. Upper and Lower Haroldston are two ancient farmhouses that were probably part of the Haroldston estate. Lower Haroldston is still a working farm, whilst Upper Haroldston is a domestic dwelling. Haroldstone House, described by
Coflein as "once one of the grandest houses in the county of Pembrokeshire" is now a ruin, but its origins are medieval, going back at least to the 12th century. The remnants of the gardens and grounds are designated Grade II on the
.
In 1643, Haroldston was garrisoned by Royalist troops with the presumed support of Herbert Perrot. The following year he changed sides, risking the destruction of his property, but the King's cause faltered. By the restoration, he had changed sides again and was knighted.
Population
The population of the parish reported in 1833 was 304.
In 1872, it was reported as 281, in 59 houses.
Mining
Ochre
Ochre ( ; , ), iron ochre, or ocher in American English, is a natural clay earth pigment, a mixture of ferric oxide and varying amounts of clay and sand. It ranges in colour from yellow to deep orange or brown. It is also the name of the colou ...
was mined at Greenhill Ochre Mine to the south south east of Merlins Bridge from 1911 until about 1915, then abandoned by 1919. In 1994 it was excavated to bedrock level for capping to safeguard Haverfordwest building expansion.
Records
The records of Haroldston, St Issell and Hamlet of St Thomas Parish Council are held by Pembrokeshire Archives and Local Studies. Dyfed Family History Society is the repository for the records of the parish church.
References
External links
Further historical information and sources on GENUKI
{{authority control
Villages in Pembrokeshire
Registered historic parks and gardens in Pembrokeshire