Saturday February 7th Coffee Morning and Talk

Despite the inclement weather, our Coffee Morning and Talk of February 7th was very well attended. John Brandwick was our speaker this month whose talk was ‘Whitland Abbey: 'The Foundation, Development and Decline of Whitland Abbey’. Many do not realise the importance of Whitland in the history of Wales. Whitland – Hendy-Gwyn in Welsh – is famous as the site where King Hywel Dda (Hywel the Good) called a great assembly of lawyers and leaders from all over his kingdom to draw up a unified legal code for Wales. Whitland Abbey, the subject of John’s talk, is a short distance away from the town and it, too, occupies an important place in Welsh history. Founded in 1151, the Abbey grew in importance to become the motherhouse of the Cistercian order of monks in Wales. Several daughter houses were established including Strata Florida, Strata Marcella and Cwmhir. It thrived during medieval Wales under the patronage of the Welsh princes, but gradually declined in later years until its dissolution by Henry VIII in 1539. John Brandrick is a retired Engineering Draughtsman, who puts his professional expertise to good use into illustrating and researching Whitland Abbey. He gave us a highly detailed and illustrated presentation, describing how the abbey was built how it fared with the upheavals of the period from its foundation in the 12th Century to its dissolution in the 16th Century. Little remains of this once great Abbey although the foundations have been excavated and there is more to come and, with it, hopes of discovering more of its underground structure. John is a member of the Friends of Whitland Abbey, a voluntary group that takes care of the Abbey site, which is open to the public at all times.

The Pembroke Murals

Mrs Jeanne Lewis and her daughter attended a special presentation at Pembroke Town Hall to mark the 20th anniversary of the Pembroke Murals which adorn the walls of the building. The benches, gifted by Pembroke Town Council, were presented in appreciation of the impressive artwork created by Jeanne and her late husband, George Lewis, whose contribution continues to enrich the Hall two decades on. The Mayor of Pembroke, Councillor Gareth Jones, joined by fellow councillors and volunteers from Pembroke Museum, presented Mrs Lewis with a Certificate of Appreciation and a bouquet of flowers in recognition of the couple’s lasting artistic legacy. Councillor Jones went on to say "Pembroke is extremely fortunate — and deeply privileged — to be the home of this collection. Visitors who step into the Town Hall often pause in admiration, struck by the scale, the detail, and the storytelling woven into every panel. Many have said that these murals are unlike anything they expected to find here. They leave with a greater appreciation not only of our history, but of the talent and dedication of them both who captured it so beautifully". George Lewis was President of Pembroke & Monkton Local History Society for many years and a founder member of Pembroke Museum.

Our next event - Febuary 7th

On Saturday February 7th we are pleased to welcome John Brandrick who will be speaking on ‘The Foundation, Development and decline of Whitland Abbey’. Whitland Abbey was an important Cistercian Abbey founded in 1151. It developed a strong Welsh cultural identity under the patronage of powerful Welsh princes and grew in importance to become the motherhouse of the Cistercian order of monks in Wales. Several daughter houses were established including Strata Florida, Strata Marcella, and Cwmhir. The Abbey thrived during medieval Wales but it gradually declined in its later years until its dissolution by Henry VIII in 1539. John Brandrick is a retired Engineering Draughtsman, whose main interest now is illustrating and researching Whitland Abbey as well drawing the machinery in wind and water mills throughout Wales and the rest of the world to provide a record for the future. His talk is a highly detailed and illustrated presentation, which covers who the Whitland Abbey monks were and where they came from; how the abbey was built and interfaced with the nobility and how it fared with the upheavals of the period from 1150 until the dissolution. Visibly lost over the course of subsequent centuries, John then tells of the Abbey’s rediscovery in the 1800s and of the excavations, which have taken place since then until now, and of its future. John is a member of the Friends of Whitland Abbey, a voluntary group that takes care of the Abbey site, which is open to the public at all times.

Return of St Mary's Bells January 21st

Big day for Pembroke on Wednesday 21st January - after a major renovation of the bells and replacement of three floors in the Norman tower, St Mary's bells came home at last! Apparently when bells first come into a church it is a tradition that they are blessed, or re-blessed if they return from a period of absence. Often the bells are decorated for the occasion and our Society was invited to decorate one of the bells, the 9th bell which was cast in 1765. Wow, imagine that – when it as cast, George III was King and America was a British colony! We were asked to choose a decoration which would symbolise our organisation so we chose a Tudor theme – a posy of red and white roses set in a golden crown. The renovation of the bells is an amazing achievement and congratulations to our wonderful St Mary’s Church, to Anne Bunker who has worked so tirelessly to bring this about and to all involved. Thank you from us all – and we look forward to once again hearing these wonderful bells ring out.

Saturday January 17th - Nathen Amin talk on Owain Glyndwr

On Saturday, we welcomed Nathen Amin – and what a great start to this year’s programme! Nathen spoke to a full house as illustrated in the photographs! Nathen is nationally know for his championing of Henry VII and gives talks all over the country as well as appearances in the media. He is an acclaimed historian and writer. Nathen has been a good friend to Pembroke in the support of our Henry VII statue campaign and has journeyed down to Pembroke on other occasions to speak at our events. This time the subject of his talk was Owain Glyndwr, the leader of the revolt against the oppressive English rule of Henry IV that began in 1400 and lasted 15 years; it was a revolt sparked by a land dispute that escalated into a national war for independence. Glyndwr was a great patriot who fought for an independent future for Wales. He held the first Welsh Parliament at Machynlleth where he was formally crowned as Prince of Wales and where he set out a bold future for Wales including the establishment of a separate church and two universities. This is commemorated by monument that stands in the grounds of Y Plas, Machynlleth. Sadly, after initial successes, the campaign ultimately failed due to the superior strength and resources of the English monarchy but Glyndŵr was never captured or betrayed by his followers. He disappeared around 1415, and his final resting place remains a mystery. Glyndwr remains an iconic symbol of Welsh nationalism and resistance and two statues can be found is Wales: one in City Hall, Cardiff and the other in Corwen.

Next event Saturday January 17th

Happy New Year to all our friends and supporters! Pembroke & Monkton Local History Society will meet again in the New Year on Saturday January 17th in Pembroke Town Hall, when we are pleased to welcome back Nathen Amin, Welsh historian and Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Please note: this is a week later than the date previously advertised due to the fact that the Town Hall is undergoing repairs and will not be available earlier. Nathen is nationally recognised for his work on the history of Henry Tudor and when he last spoke with us, introduced his latest book ‘Son of Prophesy: the Rise of Henry Tudor’. This time, however, he will turn his attention to another great Welsh hero in his talk ‘Owain Glyndwr: Rebel, Prince and Visionary’. There will be an opportunity to purchase Nathen’s books following the talk. Owain Glyndŵr is one of the most revered and misunderstood figures in Welsh and British history. A national hero to many and a rebel to others, Glyndŵr’s vision for an independent Wales sparked one of the most explosive uprisings against the English crown in the early 15th century. But who was the man behind the legend? In this brand new talk, Nathen delves into the remarkable story of a prince who dared to challenge an empire. With fresh insight and historical depth, he explores the life, ambition, and impact of Owain Glyndŵr—and asks: who was the real Owain Glyndŵr, and what does his legacy mean more than six hundred years later? Doors open at 10am for the Coffee Morning followed by the Talk at 11am. Open also for the event will be Pembroke Museum and Council Chamber, which are situated on the first floor of the Town Hall. A lift is available for disabled access. All are welcome to attend and entry is free. Any queries, contact pembrokehistory@live.co.uk

Pembroke Castle's Christmas Market

Another amazing Christmas Market at Pembroke Castle and great to take part with a stall selling our books and various Christmas items, the main attraction proving to be our bumper Christmas hamper. The draw for the Christmas hamper took place in Pembroke Town Hall and the winning ticket was kindly drawn by our Mayor, Cllr Gareth Jones. Pictured here also are Mrs Mary Willington and Mrs June Wilcocks who did a magnificent job in organising the hamper, bulging with lovely things to eat. It weighed a ton! The winning ticket was 138 on the blue and the lucky winner was Mr Waller of Abergavenny. Congratulations!