The Antiquarian Magazine & Bibliographer; Vol. 4, July-Dec 1884Various
History
The Antiquarian Magazine & Bibliographer; Vol. 4, July-Dec 1884
Various
Archaeology -- Periodicals; Great Britain -- Antiquities -- Periodicals
On Sunday the members of the Congress attended Divine service at the
parish church at Tenby, where the rector, the Rev. G. Huntington,
preached before them an eloquent sermon, most appropriate to the
occasion, from the words of Jeremiah (vi. 16), “Stand ye in the old
paths ... and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”[51]
In spite of a very wet morning on Monday, the members of the congress,
to the number of nearly forty, proceeded, according to their programme,
by special train to Pembroke, where Mr. E. Laws and Mr. Loftus Brock had
promised to conduct them over the ruined fabric of the castle. Its site
and exterior appearance need scarcely be described, so well are they
known to tourists; but it may be well to say that as at Manorbeer there
is no history, because there were no events in the existence of the
castle, here the castle has a long and varied history, figuring in the
early wars which ended in the reduction of Wales under the English yoke,
and also in the Great Rebellion, when it was held for the King, and was
captured by the Parliamentary leaders, Oliver Cromwell himself having a
hand in its reduction. The castle stands on a rocky peninsula, which is
formed by two creeks of Milford Haven, which wash it on the north and
west. It thus occupies a very strong position, and though there is no
actual proof of its having been occupied as a fortress by the Romans,
yet there is every probability that such was the case. Soon after the
Norman Conquest, however, it appears to have been fortified by Walter de
Montgomery, and from that time down to the early part of the fifteenth
century, when Henry VII. was born within its walls, it had a large share
in the making of Welsh history. The castle, it is needless to add,
though well fortified by nature, was still more strongly fortified by
art, and, indeed, was at one time regarded as almost impregnable. The
outer defence consisted of a double entrance, the inner one at right
angles to the former, in front of which was a drawbridge and a moat, now
no longer in existence. The first, or outer court, by far the larger of
the two, was divided from the inner court or “bailey” by a wall, which
can still be traced. Near the juncture of the two stands the Norman
keep, which, unlike that of most similar structures, is circular instead
of square. It is upwards of 70 ft. in height, and its walls at the base
are nearly 17 ft. thick; it has a stone roof or covering of a conical or
dome-like shape, reminding the visitor of the tower at the north-west
angle of Windsor Castle. It is of five stages, and a stone staircase in
the wall led up to the “first floor apartments;” but, alas! the floors
are all gone. Some fine, semi-Norman windows still remain _in situ_. In
the lower “bailey” is the old castle well, and near it a sally-port,
which would stand the besieged in good stead in case of being reduced to
their last shift within the walls. Near the central keep are the remains
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account