Land and Population in 19th Century Dinas.

Two items of national legislation which effectively “placed a magnifying glass” over the parish of Dinas were; the 1836 TITHE COMMUTATION ACT and the 1840 POPULATION ACT.

The former sought to have tithes payable to the Church in cash, rather than goods, as had been the tradition since Saxon times when one-tenth of all farm produce was “tithed”. This act led to the surveying of all land in the parish and the drafting of detailed maps by 1841. Six A2-size maps delineated and numbered every field and revealed every building. (See the map section for Pwllgwaelod-Cwmyreglwys). The thirty accompanying A3-size schedules listed the owners and occupiers of every plot, together with its description, cultivation and area. (See the list for John Thomas at Pant Dwr etc).The final summary states the tithes payable by each landowner to the Rev. William Watkin. The total land area measured within Dinas Parish was 2,328 acres, of which 1,600 were charged a total tithe of £140 per year; equivalent to 21 pence per acre.
These payments became controversial amongst nonconformists and, following the disestablishment of the Church in 1920, tithes were effectively abolished by 1936. However, the 1841 maps and schedules, now held in the National Library, have proved invaluable to people tracing their family history.

Whilst the period 1801-1831 had witnessed four national surveys of population, these had been effectively just “head-counts” with little personal detail. The 1840 Act brought about a detailed census of population for 1841. On 6 June every person present in every household was named, with age, family relationship and occupation. The population of Dinas was found to be 514, plus an unknown number of mariners away at sea. Like the tithe maps, this 1841 census is often the start of family history research.

In the 19th century, Dinas was amongst the smallest parishes in North Pembrokeshire, along with Llanllawer, Manorowen and others. To the west Trewrach and Ty Meini farms lay within Fishguard Parish. In 1894 secular parish councils replaced Church vestries, and in 1974 seventy-eight community councils replaced the 149 parish councils in the County. In April 1987 a major reorganisation of northern communities resulted in the western boundary of Dinas being extended over a mile westwards, enclosing Trewrach and Ty Meini, and virtually doubling its land area.

Welsh Tithe maps can be viewed online at Welsh Tithe maps