Pembroke parliamentary district, yet the town continued to dwindle until the settlement of the government dockyard and works on Milford Haven. At the outbreak of the Civil Wars the town and castle were garrisoned for parliament by the mayor, John Poyer a leading Presbyterian, who was later appointed governor, with Rowland Laugharne of St Brides for his lieutenant. But at the time of the Presbyterian defection in 1647, Poyer and his lieutenant-governors, Laugharne and Powell, declared for Charles and held the castle in the king’s name. In June 1648 Cromwell himself proceeded to invest Pembroke Castle, which resisted with great obstinacy. But after the water-supply of the garrison had been cut off, the besieged were forced to capitulate, on the 11th of July 1648, on the condition of surrendering up the three chief defenders of the castle. Poyer, Laugharne and Powell were accordingly brought to London, but finally only Poyer was executed. The magnificent ruin of Pembroke Castle is the nominal property of the Crown, but has been held on lease since the reign of James II. by the family of Pryse of Gogerddan in Cardiganshire.
PEMBROKESHIRE (Sir Benfro, Dyfed), the most westerly county of South Wales, bounded N.E. by Cardigan E. by Carmarthen, S. by the Bristol Channel and W. and N.W. by St Bride’s Bay and Cardigan Bay of St George’s Channel Area 615 sq. m. The whole coast is extremely indented, extending over 140 m. in
length The principal inlets are Milford Haven, St Bride’s Bay,
freshwater Bay, Fishguard Bay and Newport Bay. The chief
promontories are Cemmaes, Dinas, Strumble, St David’s, St Ann’s
and St Gowan’s Heads. Five islands of moderate size lie
off the coast, viz. Ramsey, Grassholm, Skomer and Skokholm
in St Bride’s Bay, and Caldy Island (Ynys Pyr) opposite Tenby,
the last named having a population of about 70 persons. Rare
birds, such as peregrine falcons, ravens and choughs are not
uncommon, while guillemots, puffins and other sea-fowl breed in
immense numbers on the Stack Rocks, on Ramsey Island and at
various points of the coast. Seals are plentiful in the caves of
St Bride’s Bay and Cardigan Bay. The county is undulating,
and large tracts are bare, but the valleys of the Cleddau, the
Nevern, the Teifi and the Gwaun are well-wooded. The
Preselley Mountains stretch from Fishguard to the border of
Carmarthen the principal heights being Preselley Top (1760 ft.)
and Carn Englyn (1022 ft.). Treffgarn Rock in the Plumstone
Mountains is popularly supposed to mark the northern limit of
the ancient settlement of the Flemings The principal rivers are
the Teifi, forming the northern boundary of the county from
Abercych to Cardigan Bay; the Nevern and the Gwaun, both
falling into Cardigan Bay, and the Eastern and Western Cleddau,
forming the Daugleddau after their junction below Haverfordwest
All these streams contain trout and salmon. There are
no lakes, but the broad tidal estuaries of the Daugleddau and
other rivers which fall into Milford Haven and are locally called
“pills” constitute a peculiar feature of south Pembrokeshire
scenery.
Geology.—Pembrokeshire is divisible into a northern portion occupied mainly by Ordovician and Silurian strata, which have been subjected to pressures from the north, the strike of the beds being south-west–north-east, and a southern portion, the westerly continuation of the South Wales coalfield, with associated Lower Carboniferous Old Red Sandstone and narrow belts of Silurian rocks, the whole having been considerably folded and faulted by pressure from the south, which has produced a general north-west–south-east strike In the neighbourhood of St Davids are the Pre-Cambrian granitic rocks (Dimetian) and volcanic rocks (Pebedian). These are surrounded by belts of unconformable Cambrian strata (Lingula Flags, Tremadoc beds), followed by Ordovician (Arenig, Llandeilo and Bala beds) with associated igneous rocks. These comprise gabbros and diabases of Strumble Head, Fishguard, Llanwnda, Prescelly; diorites north-west of St Davids, bostonites and porphyrites about Abercastle and the basaltic laccolite of Pen Caer besides various contemporaneous acid lavas and tuffs. The Ordovician and Silurian rocks extend southward to the neighbourhood of Narberth and Haverfordwest, where Arenig, Llandeilo and Bala beds (Slade and Red Hill beds; Sholeshook and Robeston Walthen Limestone) and Llandovery beds are recorded. The Coal Measures, highly inclined and anthracitic, stretch across from Carmarthen Bay to the shore of St Bride’s Bay; they are bordered on the north and south-east by the Millstone Grits, Carboniferous Limestone series and Old Red Sandstone. On account of the folding the limestone appears again farther south at Pembroke, Caldy Island and St Gowan’s Head; most of the remaining ground about Milford Haven being occupied by Old Red Sandstone with infolded strips of Silurian. A fairly large tract of blown-sand occurs in Freshwater Bay south of Milford Haven. Silver-bearing lead has been mined at Llanfyrnach.
Climate and Industries.—The climate is everywhere mild, and in the sheltered valleys near the coast sub-tropical vegetation flourishes in the open air. In the south the rainfall is small, and the districts round Pembroke suffer from occasional droughts. The chief industry is agriculture, wherein stock-raising is preferred to the growing of cereals. Of cattle the long-horned, jet-black Castlemartin breed is everywhere conspicuous. South Pembroke has long been celebrated for its horses, which are bred in great numbers by the farmers. The deep-sea fisheries of Tenby and Milford are valuable, and fresh fish of good quality is exported by rail to the large towns. Oysters are found at Langwm and near Tenby; lobsters and crabs abound on the western coast. The South Wales coalfield extends into south Pembroke, and coal is worked at Saundersfoot, Begelly, Templeton, Kilgetty and other places. There are slate quarries at Glogue, Cilgerran and elsewhere; copper has been worked near St Davids, and lead at Llanfyrnach.
Communications.—The South Wales branch of the Great Western railway enters Pembrokeshire from the east near Clynderwen junction, whence the main line leads to Fishguard Harbour with its important Irish traffic. Other lines proceed to Neyland and Milford Haven by way of Haverfordwest, and a branch line from Clynderwen to Goodwick joins the main line at Letterston. The Whitland-Cardigan branch traverses the north-east by way of Crymmych and Cilgerran. Another line running south-west from Whitland proceeds by way of Narberth and Tenby to Pembroke Dock.
Population and Administration.—The area of Pembrokeshire is 395,151 acres with a population in 1891 of 89,138 and 1901 of 88,732, showing a slight decrease. The municipal boroughs are Pembroke (pop. 15,853); Haverfordwest (6007), and Tenby (4400). The hamlet of Bridgend and a part of St Dogmell’s parish are included within the municipal limits of Cardigan. Newport (Trêfdraeth) (1222), the chief town of the barony of Kemes, or Cemmaes, still possesses a mayor and corporation under a charter granted in 1215 by Sir Nicholas Marteine, lord of Kemes, whose hereditary representative still nominates the mayor and aldermen, but its surviving municipal privileges are practically honorary. Milford Haven (5102), Narberth (1070) and Fishguard (2002) are urban districts. Other towns are St Davids (1710), St Dogmells (Llandudoch) (1286); and Cilgerran (1038). Pembrokeshire lies in the South Wales circuit, and assizes are held at Haverfordwest. Two members are returned to parliament; one for the county, and one for the united boroughs of Pembroke, Haverfordwest, Tenby, Fishguard, Narberth, Neyland, Milford and Wiston (Castell Gwys). Ecclesiastically, the county contains 153 parishes and lies wholly in the diocese of St Davids.
History.—Pembrokeshire, anciently known to the Welsh as Dyfed, was originally comprised in the territory of the Dimetae, conquered by the Romans. During the 6th century St David, or Dewi Sant, moved the chief seat of South Welsh monastic and ecclesiastical life from Caerleon-on-Usk to his native place Menevia, which, known in consequence as Tyddewi, or St Davids, continued a centre of religious and educational activity until the Reformation, a period of 1000 years. On the death of Rhodri Mawr in 877, Dyfed fell nominally under the sway of the princes of Deheubarth, or South Wales; but their hold was never very secure, nor were they able to protect the coast towns from the Scandinavian pirates In 1081 William the Conqueror penetrated west as far as St Davids, where he is said to have visited St David’s shrine as a devout pilgrim. In 1092 Arnulf de Montgomeri, son of Roger, earl of Shrewsbury, did homage to the king for the Welsh lands of Dyfed. With the building of Pembroke Castle, of which Gerald de Windsor was appointed castellan, the Normans began to spread over southern Dyfed; whilst Martin de Tours, landing in Fishguard
