Spittal is both a village, a

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 ...

and 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 Pembrokeshire,

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, on the A40 trunk road, approximately halfway between

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, ...

and

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 ...

. In the 2011 census, the population of the parish was 494.

Name

The village's name is a corruption of the word ' hospital' ( cy, Ysbyty), which is also the root of such names as Spitalfields, London,

Spital, Merseyside Spital () is a suburban area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England. It is located mid-way on the Wirral Peninsula, and is mostly incorporated into the town of Bebington and the most westerly point of Spital forms the most ...

, Spital-in-the-Street, Lincolnshire, etc.: the village possessed a hospitium (place of accommodation for pilgrims) belonging to the Cathedral of

St David's St Davids or St David's ( cy, Tyddewi, , "David's house”) is a city and a community (named St Davids and the Cathedral Close) with a cathedral in Pembrokeshire, Wales, lying on the River Alun. It is the resting place of Saint David, W ...

. No trace of this remains.

History

The parish was 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 ...

of Dungleddy, and in the early 19th century had a population of 452, including a number of smaller settlements. There are the remains of several ancient encampments in the parish.

Amenities

In 2004 a new

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

was built in the village to educate approximately 150 pupils from the village and surrounding area. Other amenities include a community hall, a village green and a pub, the ''Pump on the Green''. The parish church of St Mary 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 ...

of mediaeval origins, but restored in the 19th century. The font is 12th or 13th century.

Scolton Manor

Scolton Manor is a former Victorian country house converted into a museum of Pembrokeshire life. It is a grade II* listed building.

References

External links

Further historical information and sources on GENUKI
{{authority control Villages in Pembrokeshire Communities in Pembrokeshire