History of St.Ishmaels

As the name suggests, St.Ishmaels was an early Christian foundation. In pre-Christian times there is little evidence of a settlement, but Mabb Gate is the tallest standing stone in the county, one of three recorded in the parish and this dates from the Bronze Age, when copper mining in Ireland may have led to the need for coastal markers for shipping. The Iron Age produced the promotory fort of Great Head and it was probably near there that St.Ishmael, son of a refugee Cornish prince named Budic and nephew, through his mother, of St.Teilo, created a prayer house. He had been a disciple of St.David and was the patron of several churches in Dyfed. The cliff cemetary discovered in 2004 at Longour Bay has been dated back to about 750AD and one capstone bears a Christian cross. A later Welsh saint whochose ST.Ishmaels for his retreat was St. Caradoc of Llancarvan and perhaps in his time a modest church was built at Monkhaven and enlarged and altered at intervals until 1884, when a gallery at the west end was removed. Thus a parish for a Christian community was created. The Norman conquerers donated the church and land to English priories in Dorset and Gloucester, but at the reformation of 1536, St.Ishmaels belonged to Haverfordwest Priory and the parish was required to supply bread and rabbits from Skomer for Haverfordwest Castle. Subsequently, the Church was crown living. The list of vicars begins in 1497.

If anyone has any history informmation about St.Ishmaels, please let us know, also, if anyone has any old photos of St.Ishmaels, we would love to display them on the website.


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Coastlands History Website

Link to the family History of Rosemary May, whose family farmed Anchor Hoaten