Upton, Pembrokeshire

Upton, Pembrokeshire is a small, rural parish[1] in Pembrokeshire, Wales, in which Upton Castle and Upton Chapel are significant buildings dating back to Norman times.[2]

Upton
Upton is located in Pembrokeshire
Upton
Upton
Location within Pembrokeshire
Community
Principal area
CountryWales
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
PoliceDyfed-Powys
FireMid and West Wales
AmbulanceWelsh
C19 engraving of Upton Castle
Tomb in Upton Chapel

History

An early mention of the parish was about 1200, when Gerald of Wales recorded a chapel there, subordinate to Nash parish. The Manor of Upton merged with that of Nash under the 14th century Malefants, who had built the castle probably in the 13th century.[3] By the 16th century, the Bowen family owned the manor.[4] The parish is marked on a 1578 parish map of the county.[5]

In the second half of the 18th century, Captain John Tasker of the East India Company purchased Upton Castle; among the eventual beneficiaries after his death were members of the Evans family.[6] In 1833, Lewis, in his Topographical Dictionary of Wales, recorded that the parish was occupied by a single family of six inhabitants. At that time Nash-cum-Upton was a rectory in the non-adjoining Nash parish, to the south. Lewis described the former inhabitants of the castle and its dependencies as Maliphant (sic), then Bowen, then Evans.[2] In 1872, Upton was described as a hamlet in Nash parish, with a population of 24 in three houses. It covered an area of 435 acres (176 ha), 105 acres (42 ha) of which were water.[7]

Tasker Evans sold to Stanley Neale in 1927. The asking price was £9,100.[8]

In 2004, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park said they would discontinue the upkeep of the gardens. In 2006 the estate was sold.[8] In 2012, Channel 4's Time Team carried out an archaeological evaluation of the castle and chapel. Their evidence suggested the chapel was 11th or 12th century, subsequently altered.[3]

Modern maps show only Upton Farm, Upton Castle Gardens and the ruins of Upton Castle and Chapel.[9]

Upton Castle
Main article: Upton Castle

Upton Castle was the home of the Malefant family, and later of John Tasker (1742–1800), a Welsh sea captain and from 1867 of Sir Henry Halford Vaughan, (1811–1885), an English historian.[10] It is still a private home.[11] Its gardens are open to the public.[12]

Upton Chapel
Main article: Upton Chapel

The chapel is dedicated to St. Giles, and is open to the public. It contains several important features including effigies of the Anglo-Norman Malefant family dating from the 13th to 15th centuries.[11]

References
  1. "GENUKI: Cosheston Parish Map (147)". Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  2. "GENUKI: Upton". Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  3. "Time Team: Upton Castle". Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  4. "Dyfed Archaeological Trust: Carew, Milton and Nash". Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  5. "Penbrok comitat". British Library.
  6. "Pembrokeshire Archives and Local Studies: Papers of John Tasker and the Evans, later Tasker-Evans, family of Upton Castle". Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  7. "History of Upton in Pembrokeshire: A Vision of Britain through Time". University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  8. Cadw Register: Upton Castle (PDF). CADW. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  9. "Ordnance Survey". Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  10. "Vaughan, Henry Halford" . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 58. 1899. pp. 166–167.
  11. "Pembrokeshire Coast National Park: Upton". Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  12. "Visit Pembrokeshire: Upton Castle and Gardens". Retrieved 5 July 2020.


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