Mathry (Welsh: Mathri) is a village,

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, villag ...

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 ...

in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The hilltop village is southwest 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 ...

, close to the A487 road between Fishguard and

St David's St Davids or St David's ( cy, Tyddewi, , "David's house”) is a city and a community (named St Davids and the Cathedral Close) with a cathedral in Pembrokeshire, Wales, lying on the River Alun. It is the resting place of Saint David, W ...

History

Mathry (formerly Mathrey or Merthyr) was in the hundred of

Dewisland 250px, The cantref of Pebidiog in ancient Dyfed The Hundred of Dewisland (often written "Dewsland") was a hundred in northwest Pembrokeshire, Wales. Formerly the pre- Norman cantref of Pebidiog, it included the city and the peninsula of St David ...

. A weekly market and annual fair were granted by letters patent in the reign of

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...

. The market had ceased by 1833 but the fair, on 10 October, still continued. Originally on the turnpike between Fishguard and St David's, it is now just north of the modern A487. There were 860 inhabitants in the parish in the early 1800s and a school for poor children was subsidised by Sir John Owen to the tune of £10 a year. The parish, prior to 1850, was one of scattered settlements, with slate quarrying employing local people.

Community

Mathry community includes the villages of

Abercastle Abercastle ( cy, Abercastell) is a village in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Abercastle has a working harbour which is managed by Abercastle Boat Owners Association. In 1876, The harbour was the landing-site of the first Atlantic Ocean single-handed sai ...

and

Castlemorris Castlemorris ( cy, Casmorys; also known as ''Castle Morris'' or ''Castle Maurice'') is a small village in the parish and community of Mathry, Pembrokeshire, Wales, south of the Western Cleddau river, on the B4331 road between Mathry and Letter ...

. Mathry Community Council meets once a month in Mathry Community Hall.

Parish

Mathry church and war memorial - geograph

The parish church of the Holy Martyrs, dedicated to ''seven sainted men of Mathry'', is in the centre of the village. It was built in 1869 on older foundations and restored in 1902.

Richard Fenton Richard Fenton (January 1747 – November 1821) was a Welsh lawyer, topographer and poet. Biography Fenton was born in January 1747 in St David's, Pembrokeshire, and was baptised in St David's Cathedral on 20 February 1747, "being then a month ...

wrote that the church of his day originally had a steeple which was blown down in a storm.

Notable people

A genealogical search in 2006 by a Pembrokeshire man found that a

Jemima Nicholas Jemima Nicholas (also spelt Niclas; c. 1750 – July 1832), also known as Jemima Fawr, was a Welsh heroine during the 1797 Battle of Fishguard (commonly known as the last invasion of Britain). Early life Jemima Nicholas was the daught ...

was baptised in the parish of Mathry on 2 March 1755.

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 count ...

Records Office thought this was likely to be the same Jemima Nicholas associated with the

Battle of Fishguard The Battle of Fishguard was a military invasion of Great Britain by Revolutionary France during the War of the First Coalition. The brief campaign, on 22–24 February 1797, is the most recent landing on British soil by a hostile foreign force ...

References

External links

Photos of Mathry and surrounding area on geograph.org.ukHistorical information and sources on GENUKI
{{authority control Villages in Pembrokeshire Communities in Pembrokeshire