Castlebythe
Encyclopedia
Castlebythe is a village
and parish
in Pembrokeshire
, Wales
. It is situated on the southern slopes of the Preseli Hills
, 10 km south-east of Fishguard
. The northern part of the parish is in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
. Together with the parishes of Henry's Moat, Little Newcastle, Morvil and Puncheston
, it constitutes the community
of Puncheston.
The Welsh placename (shortened from Castell Fuwch) means "Cow castle", and is perhaps a mocking name for an abandoned fortification, inhabited only by cows. The English placename form is a corruption of the Welsh. There is a prominent early-Norman
motte
close to the village. There are a few English placenames in the southern part of the parish, but there is no evidence to suggest large-scale English colonisation in the medieval period, and the parish has always been essentially Welsh-speaking.
The parish had an area of 1047 Ha
. Its census
populations were: 174 (1801): 266 (1851): 155 (1901): 102 (1951): 80 (1981).
The percentage of Welsh language
speakers was 100 (1891): 98 (1931): 75 (1971).
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It is situated on the southern slopes of the Preseli Hills
Preseli Hills
The Preseli Hills or Preseli Mountains are a range of hills in north Pembrokeshire, West Wales...
, 10 km south-east of Fishguard
Fishguard
Fishguard is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, with a population of 3,300 . The community of Fishguard and Goodwick had a population of 5043 at the 2001 census....
. The northern part of the parish is in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park is a national park along the Pembrokeshire coast in West Wales.It was established as a National Park in 1952, and is the only one in the United Kingdom to have been designated primarily because of its spectacular coastline...
. Together with the parishes of Henry's Moat, Little Newcastle, Morvil and Puncheston
Puncheston
Puncheston is a village in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales.Puncheston has a pub called the Drovers Arms serving locally sourced fresh produce from the area in their cosy restaurant. They also sell bread and cakes as there is no longer a shop or post office in the village itself.There is a nearby...
, it constitutes the community
Community (Wales)
A community is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest-tier of local government in Wales. Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England....
of Puncheston.
The Welsh placename (shortened from Castell Fuwch) means "Cow castle", and is perhaps a mocking name for an abandoned fortification, inhabited only by cows. The English placename form is a corruption of the Welsh. There is a prominent early-Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
motte
Motte-and-bailey
A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...
close to the village. There are a few English placenames in the southern part of the parish, but there is no evidence to suggest large-scale English colonisation in the medieval period, and the parish has always been essentially Welsh-speaking.
The parish had an area of 1047 Ha
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
. Its census
Census in the United Kingdom
Coincident full censuses have taken place in the different jurisdictions of the United Kingdom every ten years since 1801, with the exceptions of 1941 and in both Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State in 1921; simultaneous censuses were taken in the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, with...
populations were: 174 (1801): 266 (1851): 155 (1901): 102 (1951): 80 (1981).
The percentage of Welsh language
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
speakers was 100 (1891): 98 (1931): 75 (1971).