Roch, Keeston, Camrose and Hayscastle.

Roch

Roch is a little village just outside Nolton Haven. During our stay at Nolton Haven we used the little corner shop at Roch for our shopping. There is very little at Roch these days. Most of the housing is very modern. A friend told me, with a twinkle in his eye, that there used to be a small night club here. People from all over the district would congregate here on a Saturday night, then try to struggle back to their homes early on Sunday morning.

Roch is dominated by a large castle. These days it is used as a really exclusive hotel.

Folkestone Hill.

A strange name for a location in Pembrokeshire. Folkestone Hill is just outside Nolton Haven. Today, there is a farmhouse and a large caravan site there. In 1824 my great great great grandparents, Alexander Smith and his wife Ann, (Rebekha's first daughter) lived there. Alexander was a collier. His son, Thomas, my great great grandfather was baptised in Nolton in October, 1824.

Hayscastle.

Thomas really managed to improve his circumstances. By 1851, he had moved to Roch. He was now married and worked as an agricultural labourer.

By 1861 he had moved to Hermitage Farm, Hayscastle....not far from Roch. Records state that he was now a farmer of 105 acres. Maybe this was their home?

Some pictures of the church at Hayscastle.

By 1871 maybe things weren't going so well for Thomas. He'd moved to another farm, Timberhill; just 30 acres. Also, his first wife Mary had died. He had married again, this time to a lady ten years younger than Thomas, a lady called Jane.

These days, Timberhill is a holiday location. There are holiday cabins to rent there. 

Thomas was still at Timberhill in 1881. By now, my great grandfather William Smith was five years old.

Camrose.

My great grandparents, William and Martha Smith moved from Pembrokeshire some time between 1881 and 1891. William was Thomas Smith's sixth son from his first marriage. My grandmother Ann was born in 1883 so  lived in Pembrokeshire for a while. Whilst in Pembrokeshire they lived on the main road that runs from Newgale to Haverfordwest, at a farm called "Naples", close to Keeston and Camrose. Camrose church is close by. Today, Keeston and Camrose are a collection of modern and modernised houses and this church.

Naples today.

Ann Smith's birth certificate.

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