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{{Short description|Village, parish and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox UK place
| country                     = Wales
| static_image_name           = NevernChurchSW.jpg
| static_image_caption        = St Brynach's Church
| coordinates                 = {{coord|52.02|-4.80|display=inline,title}}
| official_name               = Nevern
| welsh_name                  = Nanhyfer
| population                  = 865
| population_ref              = (2011)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11126861&c=SA42+0NU&d=16&e=62&g=6491905&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=0&s=1429622814819&enc=1|title=Constituency population 2011|access-date=21 April 2015}}</ref>
| community_wales             = Nevern
| unitary_wales               = [[Pembrokeshire]]
| constituency_westminster    = [[Preseli Pembrokeshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Preseli Pembrokeshire]]
| constituency_welsh_assembly = [[Preseli Pembrokeshire (Assembly constituency)|Preseli Pembrokeshire]]
| post_town                   = [[Newport, Pembrokeshire|Newport]]
| postcode_district           = SA42 0
| postcode_area               = SA
| dial_code                   = 01239
| os_grid_reference           = SN082400
| module= [[File:2024 Wales Pembrokeshire Community Nevern map.svg|240px]]<br />Map of the community
}}
'''Nevern''' ({{langx|cy|Nanhyfer}}) is both a [[parish]] and a [[Community (Wales)|community]] in [[Pembrokeshire]], [[Wales]]. The community includes the settlements of [[Felindre Farchog]], [[Monington, Pembrokeshire|Monington]], [[Moylgrove]] and [[Bayvil]]. The small village lies in the [[River Nevern|Nevern valley]] near the [[Preseli Hills]] of the [[Pembrokeshire Coast National Park]] {{convert|2|mi|km|sigfig=1}} east of [[Newport, Pembrokeshire|Newport]] on the B4582 road.

==History==
===Neolithic===
The area around Nevern has been occupied since at least [[neolithic]] times (about 4,000 years ago); evidence includes [[Tumulus|barrow]]s revealed in an aerial survey during the 2018 heatwave.<ref>{{cite news|work=BBC News|title=Heatwave crop marks reveal 200 ancient sites in Wales|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-46542523|date=28 December 2018|access-date=29 December 2018}}</ref>

===Norman rule===
When the ruler of [[Deheubarth]], [[Rhys ap Tewdwr]], died in battle and his lands were forfeited to the Normans, Martin de Turribus became the [[Marcher Lord]] of [[Cemais (Dyfed)|Kemes]], with his [[caput]] at Nevern, where he took over an existing fortification.<ref>''The history of Wales, descriptive of the government, wars, manners, religion, laws, druids, bards, pedigrees and language of the ancient Britons and modern Welsh, and of the remaining antiquities of the principality'', John Jones, 1824, London, p. 63-64</ref><ref name=Laws>{{cite book|last=Laws|first=Edward|title=The History of Little England Beyond Wales|publisher=Bell, London|date=1888|page=98|url=https://archive.org/details/b21781023|access-date=21 January 2019}}</ref><ref>''The ancient castles of England and Wales'', William Woolnoth, 1825, entry for ''Newport''</ref>

===Norman castle===
The early 12th century Nevern Castle stood on a spur of the hill northwest of the church.<ref>{{cite book|author=Lewis, S.|title=Topographical Dictionary of Wales|date=1833|url=https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/PEM/Nevern/Nevern1833|access-date=16 January 2019}}</ref> Under Martin's son, [[Robert fitz Martin]], it was the only Norman castle to successfully resist the forces of [[Rhys ap Gruffydd]]'s sons, who were trying to re-establish Deheubarth. Robert's son William later established peace with Rhys ap Gruffydd by marrying his daughter, Angharad. The castle changed hands several times over the following 80 years, and was eventually destroyed by Hywel Sais in 1195. In 1197, Robert and Angharad's son, William Fitz Martin founded [[Newport, Pembrokeshire|Newport]], and built a castle there, abandoning Nevern.<ref>{{cite book |title=Castles and Strongholds of Pembrokeshire |last=Edwards |first=Emily Hewlett |publisher=J. E. Arnett |year=1909 |page=12}}</ref> In modern times little remains of the castle, but the site has been extensively excavated. It was probably a square building with a bastion at each corner,<ref name=Laws /> and may have been one of the earliest stone castles built in Wales.<ref>{{Coflein|num=304392 |desc=Nevern Castle|access-date=29 September 2021}}</ref>

===Land ownership===
Although the local area is not mentioned, an allegorical poem in the 13th century [[Black Book of Carmarthen]]<ref>{{cite web|title=The Ode of Cyridwen|url=http://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/bbc04.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608225359/http://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/bbc04.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 June 2011|access-date=14 January 2019}}</ref> has been extrapolated by some writers to conclude that the area must have once been under the rule of {{ill|Cuhelyn the Bard|cy|Cuhelyn Fardd}},<ref>''A poem in praise of Cuhelyn Fardd in the Black Book of Carmarthen'', R.G. Gruffydd, in [[Studia Celtica]] 10/11, [[University of Wales Press]], 1975,</ref> a descendant of whom was later granted land in the nearby [[Preseli Hills]] by charter.<ref>''Baronia de Kemeys. From the original documents at Bronwydd.'', Sir Thomas Davies Lloyd (Bt.), London, 1862, p.48</ref><ref>''An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire'', Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, 1914, Volume 4, p 276</ref>

In 1603, the antiquarian [[George Owen of Henllys|George Owen, Lord of Cemais]], described Nevern as one of nine Pembrokeshire "boroughs in decay".<ref>Owen, George, ''The Description of Penbrokshire by George Owen of Henllys Lord of Kemes'', Henry Owen (Ed), London, 1892</ref>

==Nevern Bridge==
{{main|Nevern Bridge}}
[[Nevern Bridge]] spans the River Nevern in the centre of the village. The current bridge was built in the late 18th or early 19th century and is a Grade II [[Listed building|listed structure]]. It has two unequal arches, recessed with keystones.<ref>{{cite web|title=British Listed Buildings|url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/wa-12755-nevern-bridge-b4582-nevern|access-date=23 March 2016}}</ref>

==Parish==
[[Image:NevernQuarters.jpg|thumb|left|The parish of Nevern and its Quarters]]
[[File:NevernCross.jpg|thumb|Nevern's 10th century Celtic cross]]

The [[parish]] of Nevern was the largest in Pembrokeshire at {{convert|5963|ha|acre}}, and was divided into four "quarters": Crugiau, Morfa, Trewern and '''Cilgwyn'''. Cilgwyn extends to the south side of the Preseli Hills; a 1578 map in the British Library shows ''Kilgwin'' as a separate parish, and also ''Neverne'', but the other quarters are not shown.<ref>{{cite web|title=Penbrok comitat|publisher=British Library|url=http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/unvbrit/p/001map00000c7c1u00035000.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927183108/http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/unvbrit/p/001map00000c7c1u00035000.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2021-09-27|access-date=22 July 2024}}</ref> Before becoming a quarter of Nevern parish, Cilgwyn was reduced from a parish to a chapelry, dedicated to St Mary.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/PEM/Cilgwyn|title=GENUKI: Cilgwyn|access-date=22 August 2019}}</ref> Nevern parish church (see below) is in Crugiau Quarter.

In 1833 the population of the parish, at 1,558 inhabitants, was nearly twice that of 2011.<ref>{{cite web|title=GENUKI: Nevern|url=https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/PEM/Nevern/|access-date=23 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=GENUKI: Nevern parish maps 22 & 22a|url=https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/PEM/Clydey/ParishMap|access-date=29 July 2019}}</ref> Nevern is slightly more than {{convert|2|mi}} from [[Newport, Pembrokeshire]].

===Parish Church===
The Norman Church of St Brynach<ref>{{cite web|title=St Brynach, Nevern|url=http://www.nevern-church.org.uk/|access-date=17 January 2019}}</ref> is on the site of St Brynach's 6th century "clas", an important ecclesiastical centre. At the time when it is said that [[Dyfed]] had seven bishops, this was probably the seat of one. Except for the [[castellated]] tower, perilously undercut by the adjacent river Caman, most of the original Norman structure of the present building has been rebuilt. The church and churchyard are remarkable for the [[Celtic Cross]], several inscribed stones and an avenue of [[Taxus baccata|yew]] trees. The church is a Grade II* [[listed building]],<ref>{{National Historic Assets of Wales|num=12746 |desc=Church of St Brynach |grade=II* |access-date=29 July 2019 }}</ref> as are more than 60 other listed buildings in the community.<ref>{{cite web|title=British Listed Buildings: Nevern|url=https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/wales/nevern-pembrokeshire#.XEDmBc_7TfY|access-date=17 January 2019}}</ref> The churchyard is designated at Grade II on the [[Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales]].<ref>{{NHAW|uid=125|num=PGW(Dy)67(PEM)|desc=St Brynach's Churchyard, Nevern|class=HPG|access-date=6 February 2023}}</ref>

In the churchyard is a "bleeding [[Taxus baccata|yew]]" that leaks red sap at certain times of the year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pembrokeshirevirtualmuseum.co.uk/content.asp?nav=101,3530,3566,3569,3576|title=Pembrokeshire Virtual Museum: St Brynach's Church (Nevern)|access-date=23 March 2016}}</ref> George Owen is buried here, and is commemorated by a plaque in the Henllys Chapel behind the organ.

==Historical remains==
[[Image:NevernStones.jpg|thumb|left|(''left'') the Maglocunus Stone, (''centre'') the Vitalianus Stone, (''right'') the braided cross]]
The Nevern Cross on the south side of the church dates from the 10th century or early 11th century.  It consists of two sections fitted together with a [[mortice and tenon]] joint, both cut from the local [[dolerite]] stone.  It has classic braided decorations and inscriptions reading "dns" on one side and "h.an.eh" on the other. Nearby is the Vitalianus Stone, dating from around 500 AD, inscribed in [[Latin]] "VITALIANI EMERTO" and in [[Ogham]] "vitaliani". In the Trewern Chapel in the south [[transept]], two inscribed stones are set into the window sills. The Maglocunus Stone is inscribed in Latin "MAGLOCUNI FILI CLUTORI" and in Ogham "maglicunas maqi clutar.." and is of the 5th century or early 6th century. The Braided Cross is of the early 10th century. There is a Pilgrim's Cross cut into the rock on the roadside between the village and the castle. Dyfed Archaeological Trust has carried out excavations at the castle site.<ref>{{cite web|title=Dyfed Archaeological Trust: Nevern Castle Project|url=http://www.dyfedarchaeology.org.uk/nevern/nevern.html|access-date=23 March 2016}}</ref> The [[Pentre Ifan]] [[dolmen]] and the [[Castell Henllys]] [[hillfort]] are in the parish, each about {{convert|2|mi}} from the village. The dolmen<ref name=coflein>{{Coflein|num=101450 |desc=Pentre Ifan Chambered Tomb, Near Nevern|access-date=29 September 2021|fewer-links=yes}}</ref> is under the care of [[Cadw]], the Welsh Historic Monuments Agency.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cadw: Pentre Ifan Burial Chamber|url=https://cadw.gov.wales/daysout/pentreifanburialchamber/?lang=en|access-date=17 January 2019}}</ref>

== Notable people ==
* [[George Owen of Henllys]] (1552–1613), a Welsh antiquarian, author, and naturalist; born in Henllys.<ref>{{cite DNB |wstitle= Owen, George (1552-1613) |volume= 42 |last= Thomas |first= Daniel Lleufer |author-link= Daniel Lleufer Thomas |page = 408-410 |short=1}}</ref>
* [[George Owen (herald)|George Owen]] (died 1665), a Welsh [[officer of arms]] and [[York herald]] from 1633; born at Henllys.<ref>{{cite DNB |wstitle= Owen, George (d.1665) |volume= 42 |last= Thomas |first= Daniel Lleufer |author-link= Daniel Lleufer Thomas |page = 410-412 |short=1}}</ref>
* [[Joshua Hughes (bishop)|Joshua Hughes]] (1807–1889), born in Nevern, [[Bishop of St Asaph]].<ref>{{Cite DNB |wstitle= Hughes, Joshua |volume= 28 |last= Buckland |first= Augustus  |author-link= Augustus Buckland |pages = 183-184 |short=1}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
Dillwyn Miles, ''A Book on Nevern'', Gomer, 1998, {{ISBN|1-85902-578-1}}

== External links ==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20111008171813/http://www.neverncastle.com/ Nevern Castle] - official site; [http://www.castlewales.com/nevern.html and further photographs]
*[http://www.nevern-church.org.uk St. Brynach Church] - Nevern Church
*[http://www.salutationcountryhotel.co.uk/attractions/nevern-village.php Article on Nevern Village, Church and Castle]
*{{oscoor gbx|SN082399}}
*[http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/PEM/Nevern/ Historical information and sources on GENUKI]
*[https://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=2730415 Photographs of Nevern and surrounding area on Geograph]

{{Communities of Pembrokeshire}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Villages in Pembrokeshire]]
[[Category:Communities in Pembrokeshire]]
[[Category:Registered historic parks and gardens in Pembrokeshire]]