Glimpses of Lambston 1100-1400
In truth, I don’t know a great deal of detail about life and land in Lambston before 1400. That doesn’t mean that nothing happened here. The parish was close to Haverfordwest. It may have hosted skirmishes between the Norman settlers and their supporters and the welsh natives. What it does mean is that either records were not made, or more likely they were not kept, or simply that I have not yet found them!
So what do we know about Lambston before 1400?
Well we know Sutton was a named place in the early 13th century (Mention in a —- in 1219) and we know that there was a church at Lambston by 1292. The name is mentioned in a tax record that year.
We know that it was in the Hundred of Rhos and that it is possible that the parish and hundred boundaries were related to earlier welsh administrative divisions. It seems to be assumed that parish boundaries were established around this time and didn’t change much, but I don’t see any local evidence to be certain of this.
Lambert the Fleming
The parish name seems to originate from Lambert Echiners who was a Fleming. We know that Flemish settlers were introduced into Pembrokeshire by Henry I in the tenth century to suppress or drive out the native welsh. Henry gave them grants of land. Their presence centred on the Hundred of Rhos and that they were very fierce and hated by the welsh. The absence of any early welsh-origin names in the parish suggests that they may indeed have driven out the original inhabitants. For a broader view of the Flemings in Pembrokeshire “Where are the Flemings?” by Mary John gives a really good context
In ‘Old Pembroke Families in the Ancient County of Pembroke” (Henry Owen 1902) this record appears.
“These Flemings took a large part in the conquest of Ireland, and it has been before observed that Fenton’s statement that the colony consisted of “the lower orders” cannot be accepted.; the men of rank among them speedily adopted the language and usages of their Norman allies.”
“Godebert, ‘a Fleming of Roose’, held lands in that district in 1131, formerly held by Lambert Echiners” (who may have given his name to Lambertston , now corrupted into Lambston)”…
The Manorial system
Bob Joyce has researched the progress of the manorial in Pembrokeshire in this period. he has has published a useful article giving a good deal of background on the changes which may have taken place in the Rhos Hundred in the 12th and 13th centuries. See “Ancient Lordships of Pembrokeshire”
Simply, records show that in the early 13th century Rhos was divided between three baronies. Lambston at that time would have been part of the barony of Roch. The others being Walwyn’s Castle and Haverford. Each Baron was required to contribute 11/3 knights to the sheriff. Joyce postulates that in the early 12th century the area was divided into four baronies. These being Camrose, Roch, Walwyn’s Castle and Haverford. In this model Lambston would have been part of Camrose barony.
Security
There are no records of any conflict in this time in the parish but with battles and sieges as close as Haverfordwest ( 1220) and (1405) , Wiston (1147 & 1190s) and Llawhaden (1190s and 1259), there must have been a degree of threat to the new settlers.
The Church
Those who have looked in detail at the church feel that it is likely to be a pre-existing Celtic sacred site. Perhaps because of the circular graveyard or because of the dedication to St Ismael. (a Celtic saint).
The first mention of the church by name is in 1291 in a tax document. This referred to Ecclesia Ville Lamberti (B G Charles Pembrokeshire Place Names). However the church was associated with the priory in Haverfordwest which itself was founded around 1200. (W L Bevan Diocesan Histories; St Davids1888 ).
“Haverfordwest. – A priory first mentioned about the year 1200: it was liberally endowed, and perhaps founded, by Robert de Haverford, and dedicated to St Mary and St Thomas the Martyr. It owned the three churches in Haverfordwest, Haroldston St Issels adjacent to it, Llanstadwell, Dale, Lambston, Camrose, Llanwynio, St Ishmaels (Milford Haven), Reynalton and a chapel, now extinct, named Christiwell…”
Farming
We can be pretty sure that it would have been a place where farming dominated the economy because there is no evidence of any other activity, and no record of long lasting woodland. The Flemings were known to be skilled in production of woollen cloth. We might then imagine that farming would have had a significant element of sheep grazing.
Language
It seems that the Flemings quite quickly assimilated with the Normans, although views differ on this. It is interesting to think that for a period at least the dominant speech of the area may have been Flemish. Quite a few early historians link words and phrases from Pembrokeshire dialect with similar phrases in Flemish.
Owners and Occupiers
We know that the other places named in the parish by the end of the fourteenth century included Walesland, Honey Hook, East Hook and West Hook (But we don’t know where that was) . Temperness (which at various times seems to have been in and out of Lambston parish) was first mentioned in 1300. (Dates from B G Charles Place Names of Pembrokeshire)
So if we look at the locations we know did exist that early what do we find?
We read that after 1131 Godebert took over lands formally held by Lambert Echiners. Godebert was born at Roch in 1094 and his children took on the de la Roch family name. So, by 1131, we have Godebert from Roch holding land in what was probably called some version of ‘Lamberteston’.
In 1396 records show that John de la Roch held a parcel of land in Lamberdeston. He acquired this in 1313 from Sir John Wogan of Picton. Wogan in turn had had the land from John’s father.
Suttone as a name existed from at least 1219. However we do not have any specific land-ownership or occupation information until much later.
In 1392 we know that Alice Brown held two carucates* of land at Honethoke and le Walles in 1392. le Walles may refer to what later became Walesland. (Francis Jones 1996 Historic Houses of Pembrokeshire P 93).
East and West Hook appear on a map of 14th century Wales produced by William Rees in the 1930s. Once again there is no record of ownership or occupancy. For West Hook we don’t even have a location. Is there a major house site out there waiting to be found?
* A carucate was what a team of oxen could plough in a year