CYMRAEG search COVID-19 (Coronavirus) For details on service changes visit our Coronavirus information and advice page. PLACE NAMES Home / About the National Park / Culture and Heritage / Place Names SHARE THIS How many years have you been driving past the signs on the outskirts of your town or village not knowing what the name means? Many of our Pembrokeshire place names have sprung from descriptive words of the area. The place names across the National Park broadly divide into Welsh names and Anglo-Norman English names. Llanrhian near St Davids, is a typical example of a Welsh name. Llan means church or enclosure and Rhian comes from the name of a 6th century saint, meaning ‘church or settlement of St Rhian’. Anglo-Norman settlements from the 11th century gave rise to many new places, often named after their founders and suffixed with ‘ton’ (town/farmstead). Thus Hodgeston actually means ‘Hodge’s Farm’ and was first mentioned in 1291. Many hybrid names survive, garbled by mispronunciation, anglicisation and consequent misspelling. Lawrenny, for example, is a corruption of the Welsh Llawer-enni, meaning ‘bed of the River Enni’. HERE IS A SELECTION OF LOCAL PLACE NAMES AND THEIR MEANINGS Place Name Meaning Abercastle Bay by the castle. Abereiddy Mouth of the River Eiddi (pronounced aber-eye-thee) Amroth Llanrath – Church near the Rath stream Angle Land in a corner or nook Bosherston Bosher’s Farm Boulston Bole’s Farm Broad Haven First mentioned 1602 Brynberian Orig Llyn-Berrian (Berrian’s pool) Caerfarchell Marchell’s Fort (pronounced Kya-far-cech) Caldey Island Scandinavian descent. ‘Cold Island’. Welsh alternative Ynys Byr – Island of Pyr, its first abbot Carew Welsh alternative Caeriw from Caerau – fort. Carew Newton Carew Newtown Castlemartin St Martin’s Castle Cresselly Croes- elli (pronounced cress-elly) Cresswell Quay Well where watercress grows Dale Place in the valley Dinas Cross Dinas – fort (pronounced deenas) Felindre Farchog Mill of the Lord (or knight) (pronounced velindra-varch-og) Haroldston West Harold’s Farm Hasguard Scandinavian ‘bus skar’ – house in the valley (pronounced haskerd) Herbrandston Herbrand’s Farm (locally pronounce harberston) Hodgeston Hodges Farm (locally pronounced hotson) Hook Angle of land Jameston James’ Farm Landshipping Long Shippon – cowhouse Lawrenny Llawr- enni – bed of the River Enni Little Haven First mentioned 1578 Llanrhian Church of St Rhian (pronounced llan-ryan) Llanwnda Gwyndaf’s church (pronounced llan-un-da) Lydstep Norse Lowde -hop – Lowde’s Bay Manorbier Maenor-pyr – manor of Pyr of Caldey Island) (pronounced manor-beer) Marloes Moel-Rhos (bare moor) Milton Mill Farm Middle Mill Felin ganol, belonging to the Bishop of St Davids by 1390 Minwear Obscure, possibly Welsh ‘Minwern – edge of the adder swamp (locally pronounced minner) Monington Mann’s Farm Moylegrove Orig Trwyddel – grove farm and by 1291 ‘Matilda’s Grove’ Mynachlogddu Black monastery (pronounced my-nach-log-thee) Nevern Nanhyfer – church by the River Nevern Newgale Obscure. Possible Irish name Neugwl, Gwynedd which has similar topography New Hedges First mentioned c 1773 Newport Welsh ‘Trefdaeth’ – beach town Nolton Old farm Pontfaen Stone bridge (pronounced pont-vine) Penally Penalun – Alun’s Headland (pronounced pen-alee) Penycwm Head of the valley (pronounced pen-eugh-coom) Pantglasier Glasier’s Bridge (pronounced pont glazier) Porthgain Bay of the river Cain (pronounced porth-gine) Roch Rock – on which castle stands (pronounced roach) Ramsey Island Either Hrafn’s Island after Norse person or Lramsa – Norse for wild garlic Rosebush From ‘Rhos’ (moor) and bush Sardis After the chapel name – Sardis was capital of the Lydian Empire Saundersfoot Foot of Alexander’s Hill Slebech Obscure Skokholm Island Norse – island in the sound Skomer Island Norse ‘Skalm’ and ‘ey’ – Cloven Island Solva Name taken from River Solfach St Brides Church of St Bridget St Davids After St David c 530-589 Welsh alternative Tyddewi from Welsh name Dewi Sant St Ishmaels Church of St Ishmael St Twynells Church of St Gwynog Stackpole Possible Norse. ‘Stakkr’ and ‘pollr’ – pool near the rockstack Talbenny Tal-y-benni – end of ridge Tenby Welsh alternative: Dinbych-y-pysgod fortress of the fish The Rhos Moor (locally pronounced the Ross) Trefin Possible Treddyn – farm on high ground (pronounced Treveen) Treteio Possibly derived from Tir-taenog – land assessed for tax (pronounced tre-tyo) Walton West Wale’s Farm Walwyn’s Castle Castle of Walwyn. Welsh alternative Castell Gwalchmai, named after a character from The Mabinogion Warren Possible corruption of Goteran – overflow of spring or well Whitchurch The white church Wisemans Bridge Associated with Medieval Wiseman family MORE ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK'S CULTURE AND HERITAGE LAND OF LEGENDS Discover some of the legendary tales that have links with Pembrokeshire READ MORE ON LAND OF LEGENDS STORIES FROM THE RIVER Listen to stories of how the Cleddau Rivers have helped shape the Pembrokeshire landscape and the lives of people who lived nearby. READ MORE ON STORIES FROM THE RIVER PEMBROKESHIRE SAINTS Pembrokeshire is blessed with a number of early saints such as St David, St Teilo, St Justinian, St Ishmael, St Brynach and St Caradog and with them c... READ MORE ON PEMBROKESHIRE SAINTS PEMBROKESHIRE ENGLISH While new settlers colonised South Pembrokeshire, plying their trades, setting up towns and villages and enclosing fields, the native Welsh remained i... 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