Llanwnda is a rural village 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 o ...

to the north of the Welsh county of Pembrokeshire and part of the

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, village, ...

Pencaer Pencaer is a community which covers an area of dispersed settlement in Pembrokeshire, Wales, on the peninsula of Pen Caer and comprises the village of Llanwnda and the smaller settlements of Granston, Llangloffan, St Nicholas (Tremarchog) and T ...

. It lies some two miles northwest of the port 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 p ...

and is inside the boundaries of the

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Pembrokeshire Coast National Park ( cy, Parc Cenedlaethol Arfordir Penfro) is a national park along the Pembrokeshire coast in west Wales. It was established as a National Park in 1952. It is one of three national parks in Wales, the others b ...

History

Ancient and ritualistic remains are scattered about the area of the parish, indicating occupation from prehistoric times. The hamlet of Trefasser, according to topographer Samuel Lewis, was stated to be the birthplace of

Asser Asser (; ; died 909) was a Welsh monk from St David's, Dyfed, who became Bishop of Sherborne in the 890s. About 885 he was asked by Alfred the Great to leave St David's and join the circle of learned men whom Alfred was recruiting for his ...

, the biographer of the 9th century king of Wessex, Alfred the Great. In about 1076, forces of north and south Wales met in battle, with the north Welsh victorious. Lewis also noted that

Gerald of Wales Gerald of Wales ( la, Giraldus Cambrensis; cy, Gerallt Gymro; french: Gerald de Barri; ) was a Cambro-Norman priest and historian. As a royal clerk to the king and two archbishops, he travelled widely and wrote extensively. He studied and taugh ...

was incumbent in the parish for a time in the 12th century. Still surviving

To the north of the village is the rocky outcrop of Garnwnda, which was the site of a French soldiers' camp during 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 fo ...

in 1797. A tattered

Welsh Bible Parts of the Bible have been translated into Welsh since at least the 15th century, but the most widely used translation of the Bible into Welsh for several centuries was the 1588 translation by William Morgan, '' Y Beibl cyssegr-lan sef Yr Hen ...

of 1620, in Llanwnda church, is said to have been rescued from the hands of the French invaders. On the north side of Garnwnda is a prominent

cromlech A cromlech (sometimes also spelled "cromleh" or "cromlêh"; cf Welsh ''crom'', "bent"; ''llech'', "slate") is a megalithic construction made of large stone blocks. The word applies to two different megalithic forms in English, the first being an ...

excavated by John Fenton in 1847.

Parish

The coastal parish of Llanwnda (as ''Llanunda'') appears on a 1578 parish map of Pembrokeshire. Included in the parish are numerous small settlements and the town of

Goodwick Goodwick (; cy, Wdig) is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, Wales, immediately west of its twin town of Fishguard. Fishguard and Goodwick form a community that wraps around Fishguard Bay. As well as the two towns, it consists of Dyffryn, Stop-and ...

as well as the village of Llanwnda. The most northerly point is

Strumble Head Strumble Head ( cy, Pen Caer,Trwyn-câr, Pen Strwmbl) is a rocky headland in the community of Pencaer in Pembrokeshire, Wales, within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. It marks the southern limit of Cardigan Bay. Three islands lie off the ...

Lewis Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * "Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohead ...

, in his 1833 ''Topographical Dictionary of Wales'', noted the population of the parish as 1,046. The parish church of St Gwyndaf, situated in a walled churchyard, has mediaeval origins and was extensively restored in the 19th century. It is a Grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

Governance

Llanwnda is the name of a community electoral ward to Pencaer Community Council, electing 3 of the 6 members of the council.Pencaer Community Council
Pembrokeshore Community Councils. Retrieved 14 June 2022.

In popular culture

Llanwnda came to a degree of national prominence in the summer of 2007 following the purchase of a semi-derelict farmhouse (''Trehilyn'') by the broadcaster

Griff Rhys Jones Griffith Rhys Jones (born 16 November 1953) is a Welsh comedian, writer, actor, and television presenter. He starred in a number of television series with his comedy partner, Mel Smith. Rhys Jones came to national attention in the 1980s for h ...

and the ensuing BBC television documentary, ''A Pembrokeshire Farm'', which recorded its restoration.

References

External links

Further historical information and sources on GENUKITV programme details
* {{authority control Villages in Pembrokeshire