Pembrokeshire Contents

SPITTAL

Parish based sketch map of the hundred

"SPITTAL, a parish in the hundred of DUNGLEDDY, county of PEMBROKE, SOUTH WALES, 5 miles (N. by E.) from Haverfordwest, containing 452 inhabitants. This parish, situated on the Western Cleddy, which forms its boundary on the west, and intersected by the turnpike roads leading from Haverfordwest to Cardigan and Fishguard respectively, comprises a considerable portion of arable and pasture land, which is enclosed and cultivated. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the archdeaconry and diocese of St. David's, endowed with £800 royal bounty, and £200 parliamentary grant, and in the patronage of John Lort Philipps, Esq., and William Edwards Tucker, Esq., the former of whom has two turns, and the latter one. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, is not distinguished by any architectural details of importance. There are places of worship for Baptists, Wesleyan Methodists, and Presbyterians. There are several remains of ancient encampments in the parish, which are here called "Rhâths:" of these, one occupies the summit of a conical hill which rises abruptly in the vale: the area, which is nearly circular, is enclosed by a single rampart. Near it was a chapel, dedicated to St. Leonard, which, together with the church of Rudbaxton, was granted by Alexander Rudebac to the commandery of the knights of St. John of Jerusalem, at Slebech. The average annual expenditure for the maintenance of the poor amounts to £122.15." [From A Topographical Dictionary of Wales (S. Lewis, 1833).]

• Cemeteries
• Census
• Church History
• Church Records
• Description and Travel
• Land and Property
• Maps
• Social Life and Customs

Cemeteries

Monumental Inscriptions for this parish are available from the Dyfed Family History Society.

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 - 0104238
• 1861 Census - 0543245
• 1871 Census - 0850858
• 1881 Census - 1342306
• 1891 Census - 6099651

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

• Spittal Parish Church                Thomas Jenkins, Incumbent, Haverfordwest
• Wesleyan chapel, Spittal Green                Erected in 1826             George Llewellinm Trustee, Spittal
• Salem       Baptist                     Erected in 1827                     Essex Lewis, Elder, Treffgarn Bridge, Spittal
• Zion's Hill, Spittal        Ind           Erected in 1823           Daniel Davies, Minister, Ambleston          

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

• St Mary
• &
• Parish Church (Treffgarne)
• Incumbent and Curates; W H A Walters
• Rural Deanery of Dungleddy
• Acreage 2,803 & 1,213 ; Population  341 & 70

Church Records

Parish registers: Christenings (1754-1991), Marriages (1783-1971) Banns (1806-79), Burials (1754-1992) at Pem.RO

Bishops' Transcripts, covering the period (1803, 1813-16, 1818-19, 1823-7, 1849-66) are at the National Library of Wales, and have been microfilmed by the LDS - Call Number: 0105210.

See Bap/Mar/Bur data on  FreeReg

Nonconformist Chapels:

• Salem, in Treffgarne Bridge [Baptists, 1827]                         On Dyfed FHS
• Bethlehem Baptist chapel, Spittal                                   On Dyfed FHS
•  
• Zions Hill [Independents, 1823]. Records ; See Penybont/Hayscastle parish          See Bap/Mar/Bur data on  FreeReg               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 (Jan 2009)
•  
• Spittal Green , in Spittal village [Wesleyan Methodists, c 1790-1800]. Records ; Haverfordwest and Milford Haven Circuits ; baptismal registers 1842-1934, circuit schedule and plans, quarterly minutes, accounts 1889-1980, at Pem RO [DFC/M/9]. See Wesleyan Chapel, Haverfordwest/St Martins parish       SM97012317   Built 1826, rebuilt 1864      Coflein            On Dyfed FHS

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 Spittal 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)

• Spittal (53); Churchland, Froghall, Golden Hill, Haver Hill, North Court, Scolton, Spittal, Spittal Common, Spittal Cross, The Kell, Triffleton, Upper Haythog, Upper Scolton, West Gate, Zions Hill.

Spittal - on Wikipedia

Land and Property

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

• Higgon family deeds and estate papers    1549-1945 (predominantly 19th century)
• Higgon family of Scolton Manor and Fernhill, records   1709-1968    "The Higgon family had lived in Scolton Manor, Spittal, Pembrokeshire, since the 16th century. The mansion was destroyed by lightning in the mid-18th century and the family resided in Haverfordwest until 1841........................."

Maps

Social Life and Customs

Cule, John. Some Early Hospitals in Wales and the Border. National Library of Wales journal. 1977, Winter Volume XX/2. Here is an extract relating to this parish;
"The village of Spittal, near Haverfordwest, contains one of the earliest known grants to the Hospitallers in Wales. The Church of St. Leonard and the Castle of Ros was given to them by Alexander Rudepac, lord of Rudbaxton, before 1148."

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[Gareth Hicks:  27 Dec 2012]

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