S O U T H P E M B R O K E S H I R E S OME OF ITS HISTORY AND REC ORDS B Y MARY B EATRICE MIREHOUSE L O N D O N DAVID N 7-59 L NG A E 5 CR W. UTT, O , C . 1910 P R E F AC E I T seems to me to be the duty of some in every age to l so co lect and preserve the records of the past , that the story of the ages may run on unbroken for those who to care read ; and this , in my case , has been a labour of love , and full of interest and instruction . To all who are interested in unravelling the story of the days that are gone I dedicate this book ; in which I not own nor have set down as facts any theories of my , made any attempt to fill in the pictures faintly outlined I by the facts recorded in the chronicles . For these am chiefly indebted to the following ’ ’ Camden s Britannia . ’ ’ Lewis Dwnn s Visitation of Pembrokeshire . ’ r Desc iption of Pembrokeshire . George Owen . ’ Historical Tour through Pembrokeshire . R . Fenton . ’ History of Little England beyond Wales . E . Laws . ’ Notes on the Sheriffs of Pembrokeshire . James M A Allen, , and Egerton Allen . f o . Private Letters the late Dean Allen , of G A Holme , ’ Esq . , and others . Chapter I . contains the General History ; in Chapter II . I have written chiefly of places too remote to have attracted may sizes vi PREFACE more than passing notice from most historians , but whose records nevertheless should not be forgotten Chapter III . deals with names, and the quaint provincialisms still I I existing , of which only mention those which have myself heard used . B . M. M. NGLE A ril 1 1 0 . A , p , 9 C O N T E N T S CHAPTER I HISTORY CHAPTER II R ECORDS OF PLACES AND OF FAMILIES CHAPTER II I R V M S USTOMS AND O N AL SMS . OF NA E , C , P I CI I S O UTH PE M B R O K E SH I R E S O ME O F IT S HIS T O RY AN D RECORD S CHAPTER I HI STORY I N 8 Rhodri son of 43 Mawr, Mervyn , the Freckled , King of Mona (Anglesey) , married Angharad , daughter and heiress of Meurig , King of Dyfed and Cardigan , and also inherited practically the whole of Wales but he did not bind it together into one kingdom , and the Kelts con ’ Rh dri a l . o tinu l y fought each other , after thirty years reign , was slain one Sunday in Anglesey by Saxons . His three sons fought against each other and devastated the land . 8 In 77 Hubba the Viking , one of three brothers who overran England from the East Coast , spent the Winter to Hubberstone on Milford Haven , giving his name and Hubberton ; his followers also left theirs behind at ’ ’ P o ton P ebba s Studd ock Studda s Dokk p ( ton) , ( or pit) , ’ Wo aston ll Hardin r g (Wogan) , Harding s Hi ( g ) , and many - others . Hubba sailed from Milford with twenty three was warships , met the Saxons in the Severn , defeated and slain . SOUTH PEMBROKESHIRE w e Dd a . B da of Rh odri Hy l Hywel the Good , or Hywel , grandson Ll warch a H faidd Mawr , married Elen , daughter of y p y , of King Dyfed, and so acquired it by marriage, as his l r h i 0 . L wa c grandfather had done before him y d ed in 9 5 , H faidd 8 his father y 92 . B da Hywel was King of all South Wales , he made to to di good laws , which he went Rome learn ; he ed in 8 94 , and his son Owain inherited Dyfed and Cardigan . In his time the Gaels were driven from Aberffraw in Anglesey it was destroyed, and they took refuge in Dyfed . ’ 8 I . In 9 the Danes landed and destroyed St David s , ’ Einion . but were beaten off by , Owain s son Owain died 8 8 Einion 82 his Mered dd 9 3 . 9 3 , and the year before , 9 brother y succeeded, but died 994 , leaving an only daughter, Ang barad . On his death the Glamorgan men , aided by Danes , ’ invaded Dyfed , and burnt Narberth and St . David s ; and the land was again torn with hideous strife and blood shed . 1 0 2 1 of 1 0 2 1 . In Olaf Haroldson , King Norway , invaded ’ ll . i . Olaf of Nor Dyfed , and again pi aged St Dav d s Many of his wa y . Vikings settled afterwards along the coast , giving their names to places such as Skokholm and Grasholm On ull Islands , Caldy , g or Angel (a hook) , Fishguard, ’ Has uard - bi g h Tenby (Dane , Dane s house) ; some , again , e - - derive Tenby from the W lsh Dinbych y Pysgod, t Denbigh of the fishes , thus dis inguished from the Hakin northern Denbigh) , (Haakon) , Haroldston , Her brandston E , Thorney (Thorn y or Island) , Haverford ’ - S courfield (Havard s Fiord) , Orielton (Oriel ton) , (Sker Sk rm e Skroem i of fel , rock , fell) , y ( , name a giant) ; HISTORY 3 to n in use also Danish and Norse names thi gs common , such as Laekr . Lake , running water Krili . Creel , a basket .Grip Grip , a ditch . - Miskin Myki , muck heap . - Ha uard . Haggard y g , hay store 1 0 Tewdwr In 77 Rhys at , descended from Cadell , ’ Rh odri s son eldest , came from Brittany , was j oined by ’ Grufudd a Anarawd Rhodri s p Kynan , descended from , son second , and between them they conquered and divided South Wales . In 1 0 8 1 William the Conqueror came to South Wales with William I his Normans he was descended also from the Norsemen , of as were the men Pembrokeshire , they therefore welcomed off m . w as them , and threw allegiance to the Ky ri William ’ li i Su en . entertained at St . Dav d s by Bishop William died 1 0 8 a Tewdwr in 7 , and shortly afterwards Rhys p was driven to away Ireland but he collected an army and returned, and reconquered the land in a great battle at Llechryd ’ and another at St . Dogmael s . The Normans , however, prevailed in the long run , and he was defeated and beheaded son Grufudd near Brecon , leaving a , , and a daughter , Nesta . 1 0 n Turribus le In 94 Marti de , or Martin Tours , a d Norman baron , lan ed at Fishguard, and established h himself as Lord Marc er of Cemaes , making it a march , al . Marteine with Newp ort as the capit Sir Lloyd , the n le present ow er , traces his descent direct from Martin ’ Tours . Some trace Castlemartin and Martin s Haven ’ le Mord n or also to Martin Tours , others to y , the seaman , B 2 4 SOUTH PEMBROKESHIRE ll as the guardian of the coast in ancient days was ca ed, and ll or his habitation Gaste M dy n . of Roger de Montgomery, Earl Shrewsbury, had a wicked wife, Mabel , and five wicked sons . He had taken son l B elesm e Montgomery , and his Robert (cal ed de ) Kilgerran , trying to drive out the Welsh . For this purpose ph d e son Arnul h i figiql another , p de Montgomery , landed in M lford o er . g m y Haven , and fortified the site of the present Pembroke Castle , though his fortification was but a very simple one 0 0 . 1 9 . of earthworks and green turf Pembroke is derived ’ - Ar vro . nul h William I . from Pen , the High Rock p de Montgomery s ( 1 w as 1 0 0 fortress built in 9 , and was handed over to the 3553120 ? of l command Gerald de Windsor , formerly Caste lan of 1 0 2 Windsor . In 9 the Welsh again overran Dyfed and 1 1 of besieged Pembroke , the garrison were hard pressed, with 11533 5: only four pigs left these Gerald de Windsor cut up and l to threw contemptuously over the wal s , show that food w as ul more plentif within than without , but the Welsh c were not de eived however , a letter he caused to be found ’ Lanfe near the Bishop s Palace at Lamphey ( y , the Bishop , l n Arnul h was his enemy) , tel i g p de Montgomery he needed for neither stores nor reinforcements four months, tricked them successfully , and the siege was raised . 1 0 1 0 i 9 4 . In 94 the Welsh again rose , and this brought W lliam ia 1 1 n 1 0 Will m . Rufus to Wales , and agai in 95 William met his death ’ by Tyrrell s arrow shortly afterwards , and was succeeded A l I . rnu h by Henry , Beauclerc p de Montgomery and his B elesm e brother Robert de conspired against Henry, and Arnul h p strengthened Pembroke , and sent Gerald de Windsor to ask help of the Irish he j oined with his old enemies the Grufudd son Tewdwr Welsh (among them , of Rhys at ) , HISTORY 5 and this Norman - Keltic- Kymric host grievously harried Arnulph d e Montgomery B l l . e esm e the Mid ands Henry besieged de at Shrewsbury , B elesm e Arnul h took it , and banished de and p , the latter to . Gera d e Ireland Gerald de Windsor, of course , also lost the ld Windsor’ Castellanship of Pembroke (a knight named Saer taking his place , but not for long) he married Nesta , the beautiful ’ a Tewdwr daughter of Rhys p , who had been Henry s mistress ; and, for her sake , Henry forgave Gerald and reinstated him at Pembroke giving him also Carew as his ’ l wife s dowry, where Gera d built the castle , also the early Castle of Manorbier .