Dale | |
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View south down the Dale Valley over the village, towards Milford Haven and onwards to the Pembroke Refinery |
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Dale shown within Pembrokeshire | |
Population | 225 (2011) |
OS grid reference | SM809057 |
Principal area | |
Ceremonial county | |
Country | Wales |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | MILFORD HAVEN |
Postcode district | SA73 |
Dialling code | 01646 |
Police | Dyfed-Powys |
Fire | Mid and West Wales |
Ambulance | Welsh |
EU Parliament | Wales |
UK Parliament | |
Dale is a small village and community in Pembrokeshire, West Wales, located on the Dale Peninsula which forms the northern side of the entrance to Milford Haven estuary. The village has 205 inhabitants according to the 2001 census, increasing to 225 at the 2011 Census.
It was once a marcher borough, controlled by the Norman de Vale family from the 13th century Dale Castle. Owen, in 1603, described it as one of nine Pembrokeshire "boroughs in decay". Located in the hundred of Roose, it is part of Little England beyond Wales, and has been English-speaking since the 12th century. The name (Old Norse: Dalr = "valley") suggests prior occupation by Scandinavians.
Henry Tudor landed at Mill Bay near Dale in 1485 before the Battle of Bosworth, after which he became King Henry VII of England. Villagers mark the anniversary, the most spectacular commemoration having been in 1985 for the 500th anniversary of the landing.
On 15 February 1996, the oil tanker Sea Empress grounded at the Milford Haven entrance spilling 72,000 tonnes of crude oil.
Dale Fort is a Victorian era fort located on a rocky promontory that now houses a field studies centre, for study of local marine biology, biology, geology, geomorphology, and other related fields.