Pembrokeshire Contents

RUDBAXTON

Parish based sketch map of the hundred

"RUDBAXTON, a parish in the hundred of DUNGLEDDY, county of PEMBROKE, SOUTH WALES, 4 miles (N.) from Haverfordwest, containing 621 inhabitants. This parish, which is situated on the turnpike road leading from Haverfordwest to Fishguard, is intersected by a stream which flows into the Western Cleddy, and is wholly enclosed and under cultivation. Its surface is enlivened by two gentlemen's seats of cheerful aspect, viz., Wythy Bush, the seat of the Rev. Thomas Martin, a good family mansion pleasantly situated; and Poyston, also the property of that gentleman. The petty sessions for the hundred were formerly held at this place, prior to their removal to Haverfordwest. The living is a rectory, in the archdeaconry and diocese of St. David's, rated in the king's books at £15. 4. 2., and in the patronage of the King, as Prince of Wales. The church, dedicated to St. Michael, is not remarkable for any striking architectural details: opposite to the entrance of the churchyard is one of those large mounds so frequently found in this part of the principality, but of which the use has not been clearly ascertained. There were formerly two chapels of ease, one dedicated to St. Margaret. and the other to St. Catherine, but both are now in ruins. There is a place of worship for Baptists. Thomas Howard, by deed, gave a rent-charge of £2, which is annually paid by the corporation of Haverfordwest to poor housekeepers of this parish not receiving parochial relief. About three miles to the north-east of Haverfordwest, within the limits of this parish, there is a hill on which is an encampment, called by the country people "the Rhâth". Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Picton, G.C.B., who fell in the battle of Waterloo, was born at Poyston. The poor are maintained by an average annual expenditure amounting to £245. 13." [From A Topographical Dictionary of Wales (S. Lewis, 1833).]

• Census
• Church History
• Church Records
• Description and Travel
• Genealogy
• Land and Property
• Maps

Census

The 1851 census for this parish has been indexed by Dyfed Family History Society.

Census Returns for this parish have the following LDS Call Numbers:

• 1841 Census - 0464343
• 1851 Census - 0104236
• 1861 Census - 0543244
• 1871 Census - 0850856
• 1881 Census - 1342305
• 1891 Census - 6099647

Church History

Some church and chapel data from The Religious census of 1851 : A Calendar of the returns relating to Wales, Vol 1, South Wales. Ed. by   I.G Jones, & D. Williams. UWP,   Cardiff, 1976. The names are those of the informants

• Rudbaxton Parish Church                      Restored from a state of ruin by the Present Rector, who was appointed by the Lord Chancellor in Nov 1844. Parsonage and school built since               "The 2 Congregations do not consist of the same individuals, the Church being 2 miles from the bulk of the population. The only church way being a very narrow long lane nearly impassable the greater part of the year"               William Meyler, Rector    [He is referring to the morning and afternoon congregations]
• Bethlehem    Particular Baptist             Erected in 1819                John Lewis of Ambleston, Deacon and Elder
• Cundale    Ind                 Henry Mathias, Minister, Wolfsdale

Parish entry from The Welsh Church Year Book, 1929 (Cd by Archive CD Books).

• St Michael
• Incumbent and Curates; A J Phillips
• Rural Deanery of Dungleddy
• Acreage 4,255 ; Population  421

Church Records

Parish registers: Christenings (1735-1950), Marriages (1736-1970) Banns (1755-1836), Burials (1735-1992) at Pem.RO

Copy ts PR [extracts] CMB (1735-1810) at NLW

Bishops' Transcripts, covering the period (1799-1807, 1809-50, 1852-86) are at the National Library of Wales, and have been microfilmed by the LDS - Call Number: 0105204.

See Bap/Mar/Bur data on  FreeReg

Nonconformist Chapels:

• Bethlehem, in Newton Pants [Baptists, 1820]         Rawlins shows cause starting in 1818, 100 members in 1840       Modern map shows a chapel near Newton SM989210         Not found on Coflein or Dyfed FHS sites
•  
• Crundale , in Crundale [Independents / UR, 1838].            Records ; See Bethel and Zion's Hill                             On Dyfed FHS
  Rees, Thomas & John Thomas. Hanes Eglwysi Annibynnol Cymru (History of the Welsh Independent Churches), 4 volumes (published 1871+). Here is the entry from this book for this chapel (in Welsh ) - with translation by Maureen Saycell (April 2008)
•  
• Quakers' Park Field, Rudbaxton                SM967217            Coflein   

Held at Pem Archives;

• Crundale United Reform Church, list of members (1906-1946) and other papers

Dyfed FHS have published a series of indexes of baptisms, marriages and burials from Pembrokeshire hundreds for various periods.

Description and Travel

Places, villages, farms etc within Rudbaxton parish  as shown on the online parish map from the CD of  Historic Parishes of England and Wales: an Electronic Map of Boundaries before 1850 with a Gazetteer and Metadata [computer file]. (Kain, R.J.P., Oliver, R.R.).  (Extracted by Barry Johnson)

• Rudbaxton (76); Cartlett Brook, Crundale, Crundale Ho., Flether Hill (Antiquity), Greenwell, Kilbarth, Leech Pool, Lower Haythog, Newton, Poyston, Poyston Cross,  Ram Wood, Rath, Rudbaxton, Rudbaxton Water, Withybush, Withy Hedge.

Genealogy

Pembrokeshire Families

Held at the NLW ;

• Records [deposited by Mrs J Roddick] of the Phillips family of Kilbarth, parish of Rudbaxton, co Pembroke, 1650-1892, and papers of John William Phillips, senior[1824-88] and junior [1864-1934], solicitors, Haverfordwest. Include antiquarian papers of Pembrokeshire interest, C19th-C20th, and other records relating to the Haverfordwest area, 1575-1913.

Land and Property

Details of extant records on Archives Network Wales for the following;

• Massy, H. R. S., Brigadier, papers relating to Rudbaxton and Prendergast   "Records collected by Brigadier H. R. S. Massy, 1805-1909, mainly relating to land in the Pembrokeshire parishes of Rudbaxton 1805-1845, and Prendergast, 1847-1873."

Maps

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[Gareth Hicks:  28 Dec 2012]

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