April 11th - Coffee Morning and Talk

Saturday was really cold - hailstones and all! Nevertheless many brave souls ventured out to our coffee morning and talk in Pembroke Town Hall which was, I must add, lovely and warm. Our speaker this time was Rose Blackburn who is President of our Society and is well know in Pembroke as Town Crier, a role she has performed for many years - although she will be passing the bell over to Mayor Gareth Jones in May when his term as Mayor will end. He came along to the event and can be pictured here with Rose at the end of her talk 'Romancing the Stones - stories behind personal adornment through the ages'. Rose is a lady of many parts and it was a surprise to many to discover that she is a qualified gemmologist - as well as councillor, community worker etc (work for which she was awarded the BEM). She is also a miniaturist and her lovely displays can be seen in Pembroke Museum.

APRIL EVENTS

Saturday March 7th talk - the life and times of Tudor women

Saturday’s event was a great success. We were honoured to welcome the eminent Tudor historian and author, Melita Thomas. She received a great response - the Town Hall was full with over a hundred people attending. Dressed for the occasion in Tudor costume, Melita gave a most interesting talk on Tudor women, a topic I had requested as, with our latest statue project, we really want to celebrate women’s role in history, a role that is so much neglected. Following the talk, Melita was available for a book signing. Among the books she brought along with her, was her latest title ‘1000 Tudor People’. Three years in the making, it is a compendium of biographies of one thousand people who lived during the Tudor period 1485 to 1603: as well as individuals famous and infamous, it includes lesser-known people drawn from all sectors of society. The book is a great reference source for anyone interested in the Tudor era – academics and teachers as well as generalist history lovers. A copy was purchased for the museum library. Melita helped found the website www.tudortimes.co.uk and regularly writes content for the site. To find out more – visit the site! She also contributes articles to magazines such as BBC History Extra.

Our next talk - Saturday March 7th

In March we welcome Historian and Author, Melita Thomas whose talk is about 'The Life and Times of Tudor Women'. In it Melita delves into her acclaimed book, 1000 Tudor People, to reveal fascinating insights into the lives of Tudor women. What were the social, legal, political, and economic problems that they had to deal with? Were their lives really as constrained as we are led to believe? Join Melita to discover more about the joys and perils of sixteenth century life. And how intrepid women could forge their own path, in trade, in literature, and even in warfare. Melita is passionate about all things Tudor, and is the founder of the Tudor Times as well as being a member of the acclaimed Tudor Players. As well as researching and writing books, she is also currently working on a PhD at University College London.

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.