A Curious Name

This gateway will be familiar to travellers on the Dinas to Pontfaen road. Behind the tree lie the crumbled remains of a cottage and garden, abandoned between 1902-10. The two monolithic stones were erected more recently.

The 1841 census name “Rusha” is hard to explain. It has no meaning in Welsh, unless it was someone’s name, e.g. corruption of Roach. Subsequent records show “Russia”. The naming precedes the Crimean War of the 1850s which involved men from Haverfordwest, Slebech and elsewhere in the County. The name may have originated in the Napoleonic period, following the retreat from Moscow in 1812, which signalled the demise of the French Emperor.

Why, following the celebrations of Waterloo, would not returning foot-soldiers or others, name a farm after their great ally Rusha?

Census records show the following families at the farm:
1841. John Roach 35 farmer, Anne Roach 35, Sarah Roach 13, Anne roach 11, Hannah Owens 65. (Note that in this first census, ages over 15 were rounded down to the nearest 5, so such individuals might be up to four years older than stated).
1851. John Roach 44 farmer b Fishguard, Anne Roach 40 b Llanychlwydog, Sarah Roach 22 b Newport, Anne Roach 21 b Newport.
1861. William Evans 35 farmer b Nevern, Mary Evans 38 b Eglwyswrw, David Evans 9 b Nevern, Margaret Evans 9 b Nevern, William Evans 3 b Llanychlwydog.
1871. William Evans 45 farmer and agricultural worker, Mary Evans 48, William Evans 13, Martha Evans 9 b Llanychlwydog.
!881. Benjamin Harries 23 farmer of 30 acres b Morvil, Margaret Harries 33 b Nevern, Mary Harries 77 annuitant b Llanllawer.
1891. Benjamin Ladd 33 farmer and mason b Newport, Martha Ladd 34 b Llandissilio, Hannah Ladd 12 b Newport, Thomas Ladd 8 b Nevern, Lewis Ladd 2 nephew b Newport, Louise Ladd 1 b Newport.
1901. Martha Harries 40 single farmer b Dinas, David Harries 5 son b Newport.
1911. No mention of Russia; presumably uninhabited.