Hubberston

Hubberston is a coastal village in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It belongs to the parish of Hubberston in the historical hundred of Roose. It is located directly to the west of the larger town of Milford Haven, and is a district of the community of Milford Haven. It is adjacent to the village of Hakin. It had a population of 2,390 inhabitants in 2001. It is mainly residential in nature. Vikings regularly used the haven as shelter during campaigns around the western and southerly coasts of Britain. In 854, the Viking chieftain Ubbe overwintered here with 23 ships and lent his name to the local village of Hubberston.

The name Milford is a reminder of this Viking heritage. It is an Anglicisation of Melrfjordr, a name made from the Old Norse words: melr – sandbank and fiordr - fiord or inlet.

Etymology
There is no evidence for the assertion that the village of Hubberston is named after the ninth-century Viking Ubba, and that he overwintered in nearby Milford Haven. The name itself does not have Scandinavian roots; it was first recorded in the thirteenth century as Hobertiston and Villa Huberti, meaning "Hubert's Farm" and "Hubert's manor" respectively, and has only been known as Huberston since the late fifteenth century. The earliest forms of the place name reveal that the town's eponym bore a Norman-French personal name.

History
The village was built around the 15th century church, St David's, a Grade I listed building. By 1800, a mail coach was operating between London and Hubberston, arriving in the evening and returning the following day. Fort Hubberstone is a large battery located in the village. The fort was abandoned after World War I, but during World War II was in use once again as an air raid shelter and army camp for American military personnel.

Transport
Hubberston is separated from Milford Haven by Hubberston Pill, a once tidal estuary. Access is via Victoria Bridge, which is reached via the A4076 through Milford Haven. A circular bus service operates, providing access to Milford Haven. The village is served by Milford Haven railway station.