Meline, Pembrokeshire

While there is no settlement called Meline, the name may refer to a mill on one of the rivers that run through the north of the parish, including the Nevern and Brynberian.[1] Meline (as Malenay) appears on a 1578 parish map of Pembrokeshire.[2] The parish was in the ancient Hundred of Cemais and in 1833 was described as including some ancient mansions as well as prehistoric features.[3] In 1835 the parish had a population of 492 of which 30 or 40 attended Sunday School in the summer months.[4] By the 1870s the population had fallen to 414 people, living in 108 houses and fell to below 300 in the mid-20th century.[5] At the turn of the 20th century Meline was sharing a Board School with Whitechurch (Eglwyswen).[6]

The parish, with an area of 4,523 acres (1,830 ha), includes the hamlet of Crosswell, a number of other minor settlements and farms, and extends southwards into the Preseli Mountains.[1] It is mostly within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.[7]

The former parish church, in the northern tip of the parish,[1] is dedicated to St Dogmael (or Dogfael) and is a Grade-II listed building. It was built in 1865, replacing an earlier structure, possibly 13th century, some of which was incorporated into the present church, including the font.[8][9]

In 2017, the church was vested in the care of Friends of Friendless Churches, a charity that rescues redundant churches across England and Wales.[10]

A carved pew back from the earlier church is preserved at Penbenglog nearby, bearing the inscription (in Latin) "The pew of Matilda, wife of George Perrott, of Penybenglog, gentleman, 1626".[11] Penbenglog is a Grade-II listed house dating from the early 17th century, with earlier origins, and one of the oldest continuously-occupied sites in north Pembrokeshire.[12][13]

Benjamin Evans (minister) (1740-1821) was born in the parish.[14]