Milford, Lancashire
Historical Description
Milford, a town, a contributory parliamentary borough, and a chapelry in Steynton parish, Pembrokeshire. The town stands on the N side of Milford Haven, between two small creeks, 5½ miles ENE of the entrance to Milford Haven, and 7 SSW of Haverfordwest. It has a station, called Old Milford, at the terminus of a short branch of the South Wales section of the G.W.R. from Johnston Junction, and a head post office called Milford Haven. It originated with Sir William Hamilton, the British envoy at the court of Naples, who owned its site and obtained an Act of Parliament to construct quays, form docks, make streets, and establish a market, and it was commenced in 1790 by the Hon. C. F. Greville, who inherited Sir William's property. It was designed on a regular plan, with streets running parallel to the harbour, and with other streets crossing these at right angles; it became a royal dockyard and a packet station to Ireland, and appeared for a time to be rapidly prospering; it suffered a severe check in 1814 by the removal of the dockyard establishment to Paterchurch, now called Pembroke Dock, on the opposite side of the haven; it had been pronounced by Lord Nelson one of the finest stations possible for a British fleet, with command of safe and spacious anchorage for the entire British navy, but had been found incapable of acquiring sufficient defences against hostile attacks; it stood for many years after 1814 in a half-deserted state; it eventually re-acquired repute as an eminently eligible entrepot, became once more a place for trade, and was constituted a head port with jurisdiction over all the great sweep of coast from the neighbourhood of Laughame in Carmarthenshire to St David's Head; and now, in connection with new docks and harbour works, and with a great chain of railway communication eastward into all central and southern England, and northward through all Wales to the great seats of manufacture in Lancashire and Yorkshire, it promises to rise into high commercial importance. An important fishing trade has sprung up in recent years.
The town comprises three parallel streets ranged along a hillside, and commanding fine views of the harbour. It is governed by a board of improvement commissioners, and is separated by a bridge from a portion called Haken, which is in Hubberston parish. It has a market-house, a masonic hall, used for concerts, &c., a mechanics' institute, a fishermen's and seamen's institute, reading-room, and a police station, and is the seat of petty sessions. The church stands at the E end of the town, was erected and endowed in 1808 by the Hon. C. F. Greville, the foundation-stone being laid by Lord Nelson, is a handsome edifice, and contains a vase of Egyptian red porphyry, brought to England by Dr Pococke, and inscribed to the memory of Nelson. There are Baptist, Wesleyan, and Congregational chapels at Milford, and Wes-leyan and Calvinistic chapels at Hakin. The whale fishery was formerly carried on, but has entirely ceased. An oyster fishery has always been prominent. There are shipbuilding and engineering works. The number of vessels registered as belonging to the port in 1895 was 90 (7000 tons). The entries and clearances each average 1600 (360,000 tons) per annum. The town unites with Pembroke, Haverfordwest, Narberth, Fishguard, Tenby, and Wiston in sending a member to Parliament. Population, 3334. The chapelry has no specific limits, and bears the name of Old Milford. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of St David's; gross value, £110. Patron, the Vicar of Steynton. See MILFORD HAVEN.
Church Records
Ancestry.co.uk, in association with Lancashire Archives, have images of the Parish Registers for Lancashire online.
Land and Property
The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Lancashire is available to browse.
Newspapers and Periodicals
The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following Lancashire newspapers online: