NEWTON CHURCH

Origin of the Parish of Newton Nottage.

The locality abounds in early historical associations. At various points along the coast, between the Ogmore and Afan rivers, relics are still found of early tribal settlements. The classic road-building of Rome has left a noble trace in the famous Via Maritime of Julius Caesar, which probably threaded its way from Ewenny along the Burrows, to the south of Newton Church, thence pursuing the line of Newton-Nottage road to Pwll-yWaun; its remaining route would be the Marlpit road, that, turning northwards, skirted St. David's Well, to Park Newydd Farm, and continued perhaps through Pen-y-Mynydd Farm, in the direction of Maudlam and Water Street. St. David himself might have journeyed this way, on his itinerary from Llantwit to West Wales, and may have quenched his thirst at the crystal spring of the well that bears his name.

With the coming of the Normans, the neighbourhood of Newton gains some historic importance. Robert Fitz-Hamon extended his sway over Glamorgan, advancing westwards to Neath, and retaining, as his special domain, the area between the rivers Ogmore and Afan; castles were built at Kenfig, Newcastle (Bridgend), and possibly Llangynwyd. The process of subjugating the Welsh was continued during the lifetime of Robert, an illegitimate son of Henry I; the former, on his marriage to Fitzhamon's daughter and heiress, became Lord of Glamorgan and Earl of Gloucester. Part of his barony, the area wedged between Ogmore and Afan rivers, and extending inland to a line connecting the present Abergwynfi to Garw Valley, was given the specific title of Tir Iarll. To aid in the quelling of Welsh opposition, a policy was adopted of sub-dividing territory among vassal chieftains; to this end, land at Margam was bestowed on Monks in 1147 ; and the successor of Earl Robert, his son William, apportioned parts of Tir Iarll among certain families; Llangywydd was entrusted to the Scurlage household, the present Merthyr Mawr given probably to a member of the St. Quintin's family, while he retained for himself the central strip attached to Newcastle. Now, westwards of this joint boundary line, extending from Baiden southwards to the coast, stretched the manor of Newton (Nova Villa), and, as is testified by the copy of a charter still preserved at Margam Abbey, this tract was awarded to a certain Sir Richard de Cardiff. The title deed, copied from Clark's Cartae, reads as follows :-

"WILLELMUS" comes GLOUCESTRIE dapifero suo et vicecomiti suo de GLAMORGAN, et omnibus baronibus suis et hominibus FRANCIS et ANGLIS, atque WALENSIBUS salutem.

"Sciatis me dedisse RICARDO de KARDIF pro servicio suo NOVAM VILLAM in MARGAN. cum omnibus ad eandem VILLAM pertinentibus. in bosco. in plano, in pratis et pasturis et in acquis, et in omnibus alias ad ipsam VILLAM pertinentibus juxta quod subscripte divide distinguunt, scilicet per antiquum fossatum quod incipit a litore maris et durat et tendit per DEWISCUMBE usque ad fossatum desuper sanctum TUDOCUM, deinde usque ALWEISCNAPPE, et ab ALWEISCNAPPE ad quendam lapidem inter ALWEISCNAPPE et BALLUCHESBRUHE, et inde usque ad Vallem de CORNELI inde usque ad Vallem DANORUM et inde usque ad CATTESHOLE et inde directe usque ad mare per fundum vallis ad BAEIAN, que est in Sabluno. Et divise pratorum pertinentium ad ipsam NOVAM VILLAM extra suprascriptas divisas scilicet a vado de BAITHAN, usque ad altar viam que tendit de LANGEWY usque ad TREIKIC. Hanc NOVAM VILLAM In MARGAN cum omnibus ad illam pertinentibus juxta quod suprascripte divise distinquunt. dedi ego RICARDO de CARDIF tenendam ipsi et heredibus suis de me et de heredibus meis liberi, et. quieti. honorifice.per quartam partem servicii unius militis.

"Testibus his HAWISIA Comitisse uxore mea ROBERTO de MEISI. SYMONE de SANCTO LAUDO, et multis alus."

The following translation is offered :

"William, Earl of Gloucester, to his steward and his sheriff of Glamorgan and to all his barons and men, French and English, and Welsh, greeting.

"Know ye that I have given to Richard of Cardiff for his services, New Town In Margam. With all that belongs to the same town, in wood, plain, meadow and pastures, and in waters, and in all other things belonging to the town itself, according as the underwritten boundaries mark out, namely, along the ancient ditch which begins at the shore of the sea and continues and extends through Dewiscumbe as far as the ditch from above Saint Tudocus, and thence as far as Alweiscnappe. And from Alweiscnappe to a certain stone between Alwelscnappe and Balluchesbruhe. And from there as far as the valley of Cornelly, thence as far as the valley of the Danes, from there to Catteshole, thence in a straight line as far as the river and along the bottom of the valley to Baeian which is on Gravel. And the boundaries of meadows for lands belonging to the said New Town, besides the above written boundaries are : from the ford of Baithen to the high road which runs from Langewy to Treikic.

"Such New Town in Margam, with all its possessions according to what the above-written boundaries define, I have given to Richard of Cardiff to be held for himself and his heirs, of me and of my heirs, freely and undisturbed and honourably, for the fourth part of the service of one knight.

These are witnesses . Countess Hawisia my wife; Robert de Meisi Symone de St. Laude ; and many others."

The source of the above Latin text, the manuscripts at Margam Castle, is itself a monk's copy of the original charta, which apparently is not in existence. Guided by this ancient document, we may now define the boundaries of this manor of Newton. Beginning at what are now the Porthcawl Docks, the line of demarcation would follow David's Valley (marked by St David's Well), along Moor Road to Park Newydd Farm, thence pursue the existing boundary to a stone near Twmpath-y-Ddaear on the line from South Cornelly; its course would then be maintained along a line to North Cornelly, thread the valley to a point near Marlas Farm, Pyle, and continue to Pwll-y-Garth Farm ; hence it would follow a straight line to the River Kenfig, and finally strike through the valley to Baiden, linking up with the afore-mentioned common frontier of the Llangewydd-Newcastle-Merthyr Mawr sectors What is now Kenfig Hill, together with a portion of Pyle, was thus under the jurisdictlon of the Manor of Newton; but encroachments were made by the grasping monks of Margam until, before the end of the 13th century, the manor was reduced to its present area.

THE ORIGIN OF NOTTAGE is of intriguing Interest. It was probably antecedent to Newton, and, in Pre-Norman days, referred to a district of considerable size. Newton attains documentary evidence in the Margam Charter, the prefix, "New", being intended to differentiate it from the pre-existing neighbour hood, the hamlet in which was probably named Llandewi, and later, Nottage; ''Tre-Newydd yn Nattais'', survives to the present day. The roads, Including Heol Tre-Newydd, are specified as going outwards from Nottage, the one significant exception being Heol-y-Capel (Chapel Road), which was the pilgrim way from St. David's Well to the village church.

A guiding principle of Norman strategy, in suppressing the Welsh, was to erase all such place-names as would tend to revitalise Welsh patriotic sentiment. Accordingly, any religious shrine commemorating a bygone saint, especially one hallowed by the memory of St. David, was certain to engage Norman disapproval. The national Welsh Church was further suspect, in that it did not conform to Roman Catholic Church Polity. New churches were thus consecrated by such names as would not foster the flame of nationalism. Such an edifice existed in the Nottage area, on a site to the north of the existing Nottage-Pyle road, now marked by a house named "Ashcott", by the grant of the manor of Newton to the Norman, Sir Richard de Cardiff, its parish was reduced to the area between the sea and the line Porthcawl Docks-David's Well-Parc Newydd Farm-the boundary stone at the south-west corner of the Royal Porthcawl Golf Grounds, at Rest Bay, that is, to the west of the Manor of Newton. By about 1300 the parish of Nottage was amalgamated with the shrunken parish of Newton, and hence forward was termed Newton-Nottage, a parish with an approximate area of about 3,313 acres.

[Last Updated : 11 Nov 2002 by Gareth Hicks]