Nolton and Roch ( cy, Nolton a'r Garn) is a

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, ...

in the

Hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101. In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to des ...

Roose Roose or Roosecote is a suburb and ward of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. The word 'roose' is Celtic for "moor" or "heath" and the suffix 'cote' of Roosecote means "hut" or "huts" (the word 'cottage' is derived from 'cote'). Before the bui ...

, Pembrokeshire, Wales. The community consists essentially of the villages of Nolton and Roch and a number of hamlets including Cuffern and Druidston. The western part of the community is in 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 ...

. Its population (2001) was 746, increasing to 825 at the 2011 census.

Geography

The 5 miles (8 km) coastline of the community consists of picturesque cliffs and dunes, and is followed by the

Pembrokeshire Coast Path The Pembrokeshire Coast Path ( cy, Llwybr Arfordir Sir Benfro), often called the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path, is a designated National Trail in Pembrokeshire, southwest Wales. Established in 1970, it is a long-distance walking route, mostly a ...

. At the north end is the 2 mile (3 km) long Newgale beach, which is popular for bathing and surfing. The whole coast is underlain with

coal measure In lithostratigraphy, the coal measures are the coal-bearing part of the Upper Carboniferous System. In the United Kingdom, the Coal Measures Group consists of the Upper Coal Measures Formation, the Middle Coal Measures Formation and the Lower Coal ...

s and was a centre of industry from medieval times until 1905. Nolton Haven, on the border between the two parishes, was a port from which the local anthracite was shipped. The area is now a popular destination for holidaymakers and second-home owners. The community is on the linguistic boundary that existed along the northern edge of the community, which was particularly prominent here where it followed the Brandybrook valley: the community had been predominantly English-speaking for 900 years, but the adjoining parishes of

Brawdy Brawdy ( cy, Breudeth) is a village and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Etymology The Welsh language name appears to be an archaic form of "Bridget" and the parish may originally have been Llanfreudeth. The English name is a corruption of the ...

and Hayscastle to the north are more Welsh-speaking. Deep in the Brandybrook valley, Roch Mill is the last remaining of five water mills along little more than two miles of river. Adjacent to Roch Bridge it has been restored and includes a working water wheel. Starting at Roch Bridge a footpath follows the Brandybrook valley east through ancient Eweston Wood, past New Mill and Tucking (woollen) Mill, both now derelict with the buildings gradually submerging into the undergrowth. The water course (leat) that brought water to the two mills can clearly be seen and, joins the two in series; having been used by Tucking Mill the water then flowed on to New Mill before returning to the Brandybrook river. The path divides with the right path following and crossing the river and back to Roch Bridge via Woodhawk Farm. The left branch continues onto a minor lane and the ford at Stoopers Mill.

Local Government

Nolton and Roch has its own elected

community council A community council is a public representative body in Great Britain. In England they may be statutory parish councils by another name, under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, or they may be non-statutory bodies. In ...

and is part of the electoral ward of Camrose for the purposes of elections to

Pembrokeshire County Council Pembrokeshire County Council ( cy, Cyngor Sir Penfro) is the governing body for Pembrokeshire, one of the Principal Areas of Wales. Political control The first election to the council was held in 1995, initially operating as a shadow authori ...

Nolton

Nolton is a village and parish on the coast of St Brides Bay, 5.5 miles (9 km) west of

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 county, ...

. The name was originally ''old-tun'' and the dedication of the church to St

Madoc Madoc ab Owain Gwynedd (also spelled Madog) was, according to folklore, a Welsh prince who sailed to America in 1170, over three hundred years before Christopher Columbus's voyage in 1492. According to the story, he was a son of Owain Gwyned ...

suggests that the place was a pre-existing Welsh settlement appropriated by English immigrants around the time of the

Norman conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Con ...

. Census population of Nolton parish 186 (1801): 245 (1851): 160 (1901): 108 (1951): 176 (1981) % Welsh speakers 14 (1891): 5 (1931): 8 (1971)

Roch

Roch ( cy, Y Garn) is a village and parish 2 miles (3.5 km) northeast of Nolton and 5.5 miles (9 km) northwest of Haverfordwest. The name is a rare example of a purely Norman French name: it was ''la Roche'' in 1271, and means "the rock". The Welsh name has the same meaning. The village stands on a prominent ridge of Precambrian rhyolite.

Roch Castle Roch Castle ( cy, Castell y Garn) is a 12th-century castle, located at Roch near Haverfordwest, Wales. Built by Norman knight Adam de Rupe in the second half of the 12th century, probably on the site of an earlier wooden structure. ''Roche'' ...

stands on top of the most prominent outcrop of this, and is visible for miles around. The church of St Mary is 100 m southeast of the castle. Nearby is Cuffern Manor which is an historic house. Roch parish includes the hamlets of Cuffern and Druidston. Census population of Roch parish 538 (1801): 763 (1851): 471 (1901): 377 (1951): 684 (1981) In the 2011 census Roch village had a population of 463. % Welsh speakers 21 (1891): 22 (1931): 16 (1971)

References

External links

Nolton on Genuki

Roch on Genuki
{{authority control Villages in Pembrokeshire Communities in Pembrokeshire