St Athan
St Athan
| |
|---|---|
 The Four Bells, St Athan | |
  St Athan Location within the Vale of Glamorgan | |
| Population | 4,495 (community and ward 2011)[1] |
| OS grid reference | ST017680 |
| Principal area | |
| Preserved county | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Barry |
| Postcode district | CF62 |
| Dialling code | 01446 |
| Police | South Wales |
| Fire | South Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| UK Parliament | |
| Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament | |
St Athan (Welsh: Sain Tathan) is a village and community in the Vale of Glamorgan in South Wales. The village and its parish church are dedicated to Saint Tathan. The church dates to the 13th–14th century, though an earlier church was dated to the Norman period. The village and the adjacent dormitory village of Eglwys Brewis are known primarily for the MOD St Athan RAF base. There are two pubs in the village, as well as a football team at St Athan Football Club and the St Athan Golf Club.[2] The community includes West Aberthaw.
Geography
[edit]Located in the Vale of Glamorgan, St Athan lies off the B4265 road, roughly 8 miles (13 km) by road northwest of downtown Barry. A 1632 survey defined the boundaries of the manor of St Athan by Eglwys Brewis and Castleton to the north; South Orchard, West Orchard and Llantwit Major to the west, Gileston and the Bristol Channel to the south; and East Orchard and the River Thaw to the east.[3]
Climate
[edit]| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record high °C (°F) | 14.5 (58.1) |
16.8 (62.2) |
20.0 (68.0) |
24.7 (76.5) |
30.5 (86.9) |
34.6 (94.3) |
32.9 (91.2) |
33.5 (92.3) |
28.8 (83.8) |
26.3 (79.3) |
18.0 (64.4) |
16.7 (62.1) |
34.6 (94.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 8.2 (46.8) |
8.4 (47.1) |
10.2 (50.4) |
12.9 (55.2) |
15.9 (60.6) |
18.5 (65.3) |
20.2 (68.4) |
20.0 (68.0) |
18.1 (64.6) |
14.7 (58.5) |
11.2 (52.2) |
8.7 (47.7) |
13.9 (57.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 5.7 (42.3) |
5.7 (42.3) |
7.2 (45.0) |
9.4 (48.9) |
12.2 (54.0) |
15.0 (59.0) |
16.8 (62.2) |
16.7 (62.1) |
14.8 (58.6) |
11.8 (53.2) |
8.6 (47.5) |
6.2 (43.2) |
10.9 (51.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 3.1 (37.6) |
3.0 (37.4) |
4.2 (39.6) |
5.8 (42.4) |
8.6 (47.5) |
11.5 (52.7) |
13.4 (56.1) |
13.5 (56.3) |
11.5 (52.7) |
9.0 (48.2) |
5.9 (42.6) |
3.7 (38.7) |
7.8 (46.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −8.5 (16.7) |
−6.3 (20.7) |
−5.8 (21.6) |
−2.7 (27.1) |
1.5 (34.7) |
4.9 (40.8) |
6.6 (43.9) |
6.4 (43.5) |
3.7 (38.7) |
−1.7 (28.9) |
−8.4 (16.9) |
−9.6 (14.7) |
−9.6 (14.7) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 100.5 (3.96) |
76.3 (3.00) |
70.7 (2.78) |
63.0 (2.48) |
64.1 (2.52) |
66.2 (2.61) |
80.6 (3.17) |
97.7 (3.85) |
81.5 (3.21) |
112.8 (4.44) |
111.1 (4.37) |
118.8 (4.68) |
1,043.2 (41.07) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 15.2 | 12.1 | 11.9 | 10.8 | 10.6 | 10.1 | 11.2 | 13.2 | 11.7 | 15.1 | 15.9 | 15.7 | 153.4 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 56.0 | 85.0 | 128.0 | 181.8 | 226.3 | 217.1 | 220.2 | 189.8 | 160.5 | 108.8 | 66.3 | 52.1 | 1,691.8 |
| Source 1: Met Office[4] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Starlings Roost Weather[5] | |||||||||||||
History
[edit]
Origins
[edit]Legend holds that Tathan was an Irish monk who was in a boat which ran aground at Portskewett, after being blown across the Bristol Channel, around 540 AD.[6][7] He founded a monastery and school and is said to have been buried in the orchard of the vicarage at Caerwent. However, somewhat confusingly, a Tathan the Younger is said to be buried at St Athan Parish Church, although the exact location of the grave is unknown.[6] Others say the village obtained its name from Tathana, granddaughter of Meuric ap Tewdric of Trebeferad (Boverton), who lived a humble life as a nun in a mud hut on the River Thaw, near the Old Mill; she was associated with the monastic school of nearby Llantwit Major, and was buried at the church.[6]
Early history
[edit]Historical records indicate that in the Taxatio (1291) and Valor Ecclesiasticus (1535) the village was named Llandathan and the parish church named simply Tathana's.[6] St Athan's comprised three sub-manors: Castleton, East Orchard, and West Orchard.[8] The early history of the parish of Eglwys Brewis records that it was situated in the manor of St Athan and was held by the same lordship as that of Castleton.[8] Roman coins have been discovered in the vicinity including a find in 1798 in a field between St Athan and Eglwys Brewis.[9] The Castleton manor existed in St Athan from the Norman period under the lordship of the Nerber family. Norman castles were later constructed in West Orchard and East Orchard as manorial residences. In 1320, a Richard de Nerber was said to have "retained only half a knight's fee at St Athan."[10] However, from around 1240, the Berkerolles family appear to have received entitlements to the manorial estates of West and East Orchard and built a new manor house in West Orchard and later at East Orchard in 1377.[3] The earlier Norman castles appear to have been destroyed by Ifor Bach. The Berkerolles family's influence grew stronger in the 14th century. Sir Roger Berkerolles died in 1351; a tomb is dedicated to him in the parish church, which also contains his parents' remains. The current church is mainly dated to the 14th century and it is thought the Norman church originally here was ordered to be rebuilt by the Berkerolles.[11] Later, the manor fell under the Stradling family.[11]
Modern history
[edit]
In 1811, A Topographical Dictionary of the Dominion of Wales by Nicholas Carlisle included the following entry on St Athan:
ATHAN, ST., in the Cwmwd of Maenor Glynn Ogwr, Cantref of Cron Nedd (now called the Hundred of Ogmore), County of GLAMORGAN, South Wales: a Rectory, valued in the King's Books at £15..9..7: Patron, Robert Jones, Esq.: Church dedicated to St. Athanasius. The Resident Population of this Parish, in 1801, was 264. The Money raised by the Parish Rates, in 1803, was £125..17..1, at 1s..8d. in the pound. It is 6 1/2 m. S. from