Pembrokeshire Coast National Park: History

Pre-20th-Century History

Near Nevern in the park's north is 5500-year-old Pentre Ifan, one of the best-preserved Neolithic cromlechs (burial chambers) in Wales. What now looks like a huddle of stones turns out to be the skeleton of what was a huge enclosed Stone Age earthen mound, the soil blown and washed away by the immense passage of time.

Nearby at Newport, ongoing archaeological digs have enabled a faithful reconstruction of an important Iron Age settlement in situ .

During the Dark Ages a particularly powerful (possibly Welsh) leader came to prominence, whose name just may have been Arthur. Virtually nothing is known about this mythical figure, but King Arthur has nevertheless become the focus of many legends and inspired the epic Welsh tale Mabinogion , and Thomas Malory's masterpiece Morte d'Arthur . Numerous sites in Pembrokeshire claim Arthurian links.

A struggle between Welsh settlers and Irish raiders along the coast carried on for much of the Dark Ages, and Christian missionaries arrived from Ireland in the 6th and 7th centuries.

The castle and Church of St Brynach, 3.2km (2mi) east of Newport was consecrated for St Brynach, a 5th-century Irish holy man who lived in a hut on Carn Ingli, above Newport. Inside the church the Maglocunus Stone is considered to be from the 5th century and bears an inscription in ogham (an ancient Celtic script) and Latin.

Wales' patron saint, Dewi Sant, established the first monastic community at St David's in the 6th century. The holiest place in Wales - Pope Calixtus II declared in 1124 that two pilgrimages to St David's equalled one to Rome and three equalled one pilgrimage to the holy city of Jerusalem itself - St David's cathedral has received a stream of pilgrims and visitors ever since. The main grey granite building was constructed in the late 12th century on a site where a church had existed for 600 years. During that time, Norse pirates ransacked it at least seven times.

By the time the Normans arrived in England, the Welsh no longer needed anti-Viking protection and had returned to their independent ways. But William the Conqueror had other ideas. To secure his new kingdom, and keep the Welsh in theirs, William built castles - 50 along this stretch of coastline alone - giving Wales the dubious honour of being Europe's most densely fortified country.

Born in the new castle at Manorbier in the 12th century, Wales' great medieval scribe, Giraldus Cambrensis (Gerald of Wales), wrote: 'In all the broad lands of Wales, Manorbier is the best place by far.' The castles are certainly a treat for visitors - or if you were lucky enough to be born in one - but they're a sore point for the patriotic Welsh: the writer Thomas Pennant called them 'the magnificent badge of our subjection'.

Most were built in medieval times, first by William the Conqueror, then by other Anglo-Norman kings, to keep a lid on the Welsh. The castle on the promontory above the beaches at Tenby was built by the Normans, and the town was fortified in the 13th century after unsuccessful attempts at recapture by the Welsh.

Pembroke Castle, one of the most important Norman fortresses in Wales (which still retains its tidal moat) was home to the early Tudors. The stronghold was built between the 12th and 13th centuries, and 'Strongbow' Richard Fitz Gilbert, earl of Pembroke, made it his base during the Irish conquest.

A plaque here marks the 1456 birthplace of Henry, the first Tudor king and father to Henry VIII, the monarch who formalised the union of England and Wales. During the civil war, the fortress resisted Oliver Cromwell for 48 days until, it is said, he discovered and blocked the water source.

Modern History

Two hundred years ago Fishguard was the improbable setting for the last invasion of Britain.

In February 1797 a motley bunch of 1400 French mercenaries and convicts landed nearby with the intention of marching to Liverpool and diverting English troops, thereby allowing another French force to conquer Ireland. However, the invaders stumbled across stocks of Portuguese wine and, disarmed by its potency, were rounded up by the locals. Their surrender was signed in the Royal Oak Inn in the centre of town, which still provides a good pint.

The river ports along the coast were kept busy until the railway arrived in the mid-19th century. With warring finally forgotten and the arrival of the railway, Tenby was all the rage with Victorians enjoying new-fashioned holidays by the sea.

Recent History

Holiday-making continues to play a large role in Pembrokeshire's identity, particularly along the south coast, which is also known as 'Little England'. Many guesthouses are run by incomers, but the rugged north coast is more Welsh and has a delightfully remote shoreline accessible down dead-end roads and along the coast path.

Back to top ^