Newsletter 45 Spring 2019
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CYMDEITHAS PENFRO YR YMDDIRIEDOLAETH GENEDLAETHOL PEMBROKESHIRE NATIONAL TRUST ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER No. 45 MARCH 2019 FROM YOUR CHAIRMAN Margret Price has kindly acted as our Hello. As the mild winter turns to spring treasurer for several years, but has we can reflect on our well attended season indicated that she does not wish to of talks, featuring a variety of speakers. continue in the role from April 2020. Thanks to Arnold Williams for lining up Whilst I am happy to continue as the programme. Chairman, if that is the wish of the The Anniversary lunch, last November, Association, I need to flag up that I would was an enjoyable get together. It was good take a year out from organising a tour for to see past chairmen Dick Coggins and 2020. This decision does not affect the Martin Drew, and also to hear Jonathan tour to Bournemouth, in May 2019. There Hughes’ reflections on his recent are still a few places left. Please get in secondment to Wimpole Hall NT, in touch very soon, if you would like to add Cambridgeshire. your name for the trip. At our AGM, on 4th April, there will be a Following the business aspects of our proposal, from the committee, to introduce meeting on 4th April, Alan Kearsley-Evans a small fee of £2, for attending the talks. will tell us about developments at Gower There would be no extra charge for NT. refreshments. One of the main aims of Looking ahead, Tim Sims-Williams, has PNTA is to donate surplus funds to support been busy arranging our summer day trips. Pembrokeshire National Trust projects. In This year we will head to Llanelli, Cardiff, the early days most speakers would not plus another boat trip on the Cleddau, (this charge a fee for a presentation. It has now time downstream). become routine that a modest fee is Jim Price has organised summer evening expected. In addition there is the cost of strolls at Gupton, Southwood and Colby. room hire. Our annual membership fee has In addition we have been invited to Tenby remained small and stable since the Tudor Merchants House in September as a Association was formed, over 20 years thank you for last year’s donation. ago. The process of increasing the annual There will be a one off extra presentation fee, for standing orders, would be onerous, on a Saturday morning, October 12th, by or the switch to variable direct debit Paul Culyer of Natural Resources Wales. expensive. Hence the proposal for a small Our aim is to broaden the invite to this admission fee to cover costs. meeting, to increase awareness of PNTA, As the AGM approaches, I am pleased to and what we do. More details on these say that our existing committee members events can be found within. are offering to stand for re-election, but we My thanks to all the members of the would value extra members who are committee for their support. willing to help run the organisation. Andrew Weaver 1 PNTA GIFT TO PEMBROKESHIRE water ingress but pumps were used to NATIONAL TRUST control the water level in the pit. On February 14th 1844 58 miners, men The PNTA has been able to donate £2500 women and boys, were working to the Pembrokeshire NT this year. underground when the ceiling of the mine Colby has a Bee theme and is collapsed, with a catastrophic ingress of commissioning an artist to make/weave a water. Four men and 14 boys were able to giant willow bee in the walled garden escape. The other 40 were either drowned which will be a central piece for a series of or crushed by falling rock or clay. Many ‘busy bee’ activities this year. As part of of these bodies were never recovered. this, it wishes to acquire three bee hives Sadly Parliament in 1842 had passed an which will be managed by local bee Act forbidding the employment of women keepers. We will provide £750 to or boys, under 10 years of age, in pits. .purchase the hives. Health and Safety directions and At Stackpole there is a pressing need to inspections did not travel so quickly in replace some of the picnic benches around those days. The inquest decided that no the Estate. We will donate £750 for three individual could be held culpable for the benches at Stackpole Quay which has the disaster but in a community with many biggest need. intertwined families, there was much grief. At Southwood Farm the Trust wants to The memorial stone installed recently is a restore a series of wildflower meadows as reminder of that grief. it has at Colby. We will donate £1000, enough for 5 acres to be seeded. Thursday November 1st – ‘From South Africa to Namibia’- Julian Cremona REPORT ON WINTER Julian and his wife undertook the trip 8 PROGRAMME TALKS years ago. They hired a motorhome in Cape Town and headed north to towards Thursday October 4th – ‘The the Orange River, 1500km away. Landshipping Mining Disaster’ – Dr. Campsites were few and were separated by Robert Davies deserted Tarmac or dirt roads. They were A seam of high quality anthracite lies too late in the season to see the wild flower across South Pembrokeshire from display north of Cape Town but as they Saundersfoot to Newgale. It was a moved north the vegetation changed every resource that could make landowners 100km as various microclimates came into wealthy. Mining started around 1612 and play. Initially they were driving through by the early 19th century there were many fynbos (protea shrub vegetation). Further small mines across the County. on in the Namaqua National Park large Landshipping had ten or so mines owned aloes were the substitute for trees, and the by Owen Family of Orielton. Mining area was rich in various succulents and offered work, even if it was in 12 hour pelargoniums. Sociable weaver birds took shifts, and Landshipping had a population any opportunity to colonise an aloe or of around 1000. There were 7 pubs to telegraph pole with up to 1000 untidy support them. The Garden Pit at nests. Landshipping was one of a number of the The sea was also a factor, with the cold mines that had been dug to get coal from Benguela ocean current sweeping up from under the River Cleddau. Some had the Antarctic, washing the coast and tunnels that extended up to a quarter of a meeting warm currents from the north. mile under the river. However they were This stirs up nutrients that provide a habitat quite deep and the Garden Pit was 67 yards rich in sea life which in turn feeds birds depth below the river. It was liable to and mammals along the coast. 2 Eventually they reached their goal, When Richard, the Lionheart, became Namibia, a desert land of coastal sand King, William was one of the Barons dunes. A major feature in the south is the appointed to the Council of Regency when Fish River Canyon which is over 100 miles Richard joined the third crusade. long, second only in length to the Grand Following Richard’s death, he supported Canyon. There is a small area of rocky the unpopular King John, becoming his coast where German Miners, looking for chief adviser and the guardian to John’s diamonds, built a port. In recent years son, the future Henry 3rd. William boats leave the port daily to dredge for remained loyal to King John throughout diamonds, with some success. the hostilities with his barons which Due east lay the Kalahari Desert, and in culminated with the signing of Magna between were, flamingos, meerkats. Carta on June 15th 1215 Springbok, and cheetahs. The vegetation In November 1216 John died, in the midst had changed again to camel grass, of a French invasion. William was mistletoes and bushes with sharp and appointed Protector of the nine year old unforgiving thorns. It caused them to cut King and Regent of the Kingdom. He short their stay and head back to Cape produced an improved Magna Carta and Town. declared he would rule under its terms. In his one hour talk, Julian showed us 260 Although William was aged 70, he slides of flora and fauna. prosecuted the war against the French with great energy. During the Battle of Lincoln Thursday December 6th – ‘William he charged at the head of the young King’s Marshal (The Greatest Knight and his army and gained a victory which caused building of Pembroke Castle) – Gareth the French to retire from England Mills In 1219, William was buried in the Temple William was born in France of an Anglo Church in London. Stephen Langton, Norman family in 1147. As the son of a Archbishop of Canterbury, stated ‘Behold minor nobleman he had no fortune to the remains of the best knight who ever inherit and had to make his own way in lived’. life. Aged 12 he went to Normandy to train as a knight and was knighted in 1166. Thursday January 3rd – ‘Effective In 1170 King Henry 2nd asked Marshal to Communications’ – Dave Padfield join his Court but allowed Marshall to go David regaled us with anecdotes of often on a crusade. On William’s return he amusing misinterpretations and rejoined the Court and served as a loyal misunderstandings he had come across captain through Henry’s final difficult over the course of his career as a teacher of years. French. He stressed how much speaking Henry rewarded William by arranging his and listening are intertwined but how, over marriage to Isabel de Clare, the daughter of the course of his life and having a Richard de Clare (Strongbow), the Earl of profoundly deaf son in law, he had come to Pembroke.