Join us for our first meeting of 2025 on Saturday morning, January 11th in Pembroke Town Hall.
Doors open at 10am for coffee and an opportunity to visit the Museum and Council Chamber, which are situated on the first floor of the Town Hall – a lift is available for disabled access.
Then, at 11am assemble in the George Lewis Hall for our talk which, this month, will focus on Carew Castle, once the home of a very important character in our Tudor history. This was Sir Rhys ap Thomas, who is famously credited with killing King Richard III in the Battle of Bosworth when the victorious Henry Tudor was crowned King Henry VII. Rhys was knighted for his services and was appointed Governor of South Wales.
Rhys remained a close ally and trusted friend to Henry and, in recognition for his loyalty, he was made a Knight of the Garter in 1505. To celebrate this honour Sir Rhys held a great tournament at Carew Castle in April 1507, the last tournament to be held in this country and on a scale never before seen in Wales.
To mark the 500th anniversary of this great tournament, in 2007 Pembrokeshire Coast National Park staged a re-enactment event at Carew with an array of medieval entertainments, attracting thousands to enjoy the colourful spectacle. There will be an opportunity to watch a film made of the event.
