Narberth Hundred

51.798°N 4.743°W / 51.798; -4.743

Pembrokeshire showing Narberth Hundred

The Hundred of Narberth was a hundred in Pembrokeshire, Wales. An administrative and legal division, it was formed by the Act of Union of 1536 from parts of the pre-Norman cantrefs of Penfro (the commote of Coedrath) and Cantref Gwarthaf (the commote of Efelfre).[1]: 463 

Name

It derived its Welsh name, Arberth, from the town and district of the same name, which means "(district) by the wood" (i.e. the forest of Coedrath),[1]: 531  and which was the headquarters of the hundred.[2]

Region

The hundred spanned the linguistic boundary, with the parishes of Velfrey being identified by George Owen[3] as Welsh-speaking, and the southern coastal part being English-speaking, part of Little England beyond Wales. The area in 1887 was 55,813 acres (22,587 ha).[4]

Demographics

The hundred incorporated twenty two parishes.[5] The parliamentary election polling book for 1812 is held at the National Library of Wales.[6] The 1821 census provided detailed demographics for the hundred. The total population was 11,321, living in 2,249 properties.[7] At the 1831 census, the hundred had a population of 11,942 in 2,343 houses.[8] The population was quoted as 11,469 in an 1887 gazetteer.[4]

Land tax assessments for 1857 to 1949 are held at Pembrokeshire Archives.[9]

Discontinuation

The hundred courts declined from the 17th century, and most of their powers were extinguished with the establishment of county courts in 1867.[10] Until 1974 Wales was divided into civil parishes, which to some extent coincided with ecclesiastical parishes, and in 1975 it was divided into communities. [11] The jurisdiction of hundred courts was finally curtailed by the Administration of Justice Act 1977.[12]

References
  1. Charles, B. G. (1992). The Placenames of Pembrokeshire. Aberystwyth: National Library of Wales. ISBN 978-0907158585.
  2. "Narberth Town Council". Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  3. Owen, George, The Description of Pembrokeshire Dillwyn Miles (Ed), Gomer, 1994, ISBN 185902-120-4, p 51
  4. "Gazetteer of the British Isles". Bartholomew. 1887. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  5. "GENUKI:Narberth Hundred". Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  6. "Pembrokeshire parliamentary election polling book, 1812". Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  7. Census Office, Great Britain (1822). Population of Great Britain, 1821. pp. 479–480. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  8. The parliamentary gazetteer of England and Wales. Oxford University. 1840. p. 460. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  9. "National Archives: Narberth Hundred Land Tax". Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  10. County Courts Act 1867 (30 & 31 Vict. c. 142) s.28
  11. "Parishes and Communities". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  12. "Administration of Justice Act 1977, Schedule 4" (PDF). The National Archives. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
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