Rudbaxton parish was in the
hundred of
Dungleddy, a corruption of the Welsh for
two Cleddau, referring to the Eastern and Western Cleddau rivers, which form part of the parish boundary. The Haverfordwest to Fishguard turnpike (now the
A40) ran through the western half of the parish. It appeared as
Redbaxton on a 1578 parish map of Pembrokeshire. Once entirely rural and agricultural, the former parish now includes the northeastern part of the expanding county town of Haverfordwest, and is in the parish of Daugleddau in the
Diocese of St Davids. By 1708, efforts were being made by a
"neighbouring Gentleman" to clothe and educate the poor children of the parish. A school was established by the
SPCK and the philanthropist
Sir John Philipps. In 1833 the population of the parish was 621, and the school educated 11 pupils, partly funded by the Baptist movement. A National School was established in 1877 and the school's minutes and correspondence papers from 1877 to 1966 are held at Pembrokeshire Record Office. In 1831, about 75 per cent of males over 20 years were occupied in agriculture. The population in 1870 was 586, occupying 130 houses. The population had expanded from 472 in 1801 to 669 in 1851, and then fell to 405 by 1961. In 1942, a large area of the parish was taken over to build
RAF Haverfordwest, later becoming
Withybush Airport. ==Governance==