Our next event - Saturday March 4th

We look forward to welcoming Father Gildas of Caldey Island to our next meeting on Saturday March 4th. Father Gildas has spoken to us on other occasions - this time he will be talking about women's much neglected role in history. Largely overshadowed by men, we do not hear much about her story: it's very much his story!

Rose Blackburn is awarded the BEM

At a ceremony at County Hall, Rose Blackburn, Pembroke & Monkton Local History Society Trustee and Vice Chairman, received her award of BEM from the Lord Lieutenant of Dyfed, Sara Edwards. The award was announced in the Queen’s Birthday Honours last year, the Queen's Platinum Jubilee year. Many congratulations from all of us in the Society – so well deserved. So many years of voluntary service to the community in many roles - from the youth justice board to animal welfare and the Pembrokeshire Community Health Council. Rose has been a Town Councillor for many years, a former Mayor and, as Town Crier, cut a colourful figure in Pembroke for 27 years!

Pembroke Stained Glass - a talk by Dr Martin Crampin

Saturday's meeting of the Society was a great success. Around 70 people assembled at Monkton Priory Church to hear Dr Martin Crampin talk about the church stained glass. We all then proceeded to St Mary's Church for the second half of the talk and were treated to coffee and homemade Welsh cakes by Church Warden Marcia James and her team of volunteers. A big thank you to them - catering for so many was a big undertaking! Dr Crampin also brought along his just published book 'Stained Glass from Welsh Churches' and was asked to sign a few. It was a lovely morning with so many joining us.

The Stained Glass of Pembroke - February 4th

We have a change to our usual programme on February 4th. Our next event will not take place in the Town Hall but in our two churches where we have a really interesting talk planned. We will meet in Monkton Priory Church at 10.30am where we will meet Dr Martin Crampin, who is travelling down from Aberystwyth to talk about the stained glass. Then we will make our way - either ride or walk - to St Mary's Church where refreshments will be served and the talk continue. I can promise you a really enjoyable morning. Martin Crampin is as an artist, photographer and designer based in Aberystwyth, where he is a Research Fellow at the University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies. Martin has been researching ecclesiastical art in Wales for around twenty years, and has contributed to a series of research projects exploring aspects of visual culture in Wales and the place of the saints in Wales. His acclaimed Stained Glass from Welsh Churches was published in 2014 and his Welsh Saints from Welsh Churches will be available in early 2023. Since 2019 he has been involved in the ‘Ports Past and Present’ project, funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Ireland Wales Co-operation Programme. The project has been exploring the culture and histories of the five port towns linking Wales and Ireland.

January 7th Meeting

Great start to the New Year with our meeting in Pembroke Town Hall yesterday. Jack Tree gave a fascinating talk entitled 'The History Beneath our Feet': describing his work as a metal detectorist . He brought along an exhibition of artefacts and coins, most of which he had unearthed in Pembrokeshire and which, with the assistance of David Williams, were passed around the audience to examine. We began the morning with a coffee morning - so nice to meet up with friends after a long Christmas break! We also opened up the museum and put on a display about Monkton in the Council Chamber to accompany the sale of our book 'Monkton: a Hidden History', which we published just before Christmas. Sales have been fantastic!

'The History Beneath our Feet' - Talk by Jack Tree on January 7th

Pembroke & Monkton Local History Society will begin the New Year with a Talk and Coffee Morning in Pembroke Town Hall on Saturday, January 7th 10am – 12pm. Doors will open from 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. There will be an opportunity to purchase our latest publication ‘Monkton: a Hidden History’ and an accompanying display can be viewed in the Council Chamber. Following this, at 11am, Jack Tree will give his talk ‘History Beneath our Feet' in the George Lewis Room. Jack Tree is well known for his work with the Pembrokeshire Prospector’s Society, of which he was a former Chairman, and he will be bringing along a display of artefacts discovered during his many years with the Society.

Christmas display in St Mary's Church

With Christmas upon us, time to change our display in St Mary's Church with something more seasonal. I chose the theme of Christmas traditions. First, a nostalgic look back to the time when St Michael's Hall was the scene of amateur dramatics, most memorably the Christmas panto. Sadly, the Hall fell into disuse and was sold. It has now been converted into a private dwelling. Second, the Pembroke Christmas card. George Lewis, sadly missed by us all, began another tradition - designing Pembroke's official Christmas card. Each year he painted a Pembroke snow scene for the Mayor's Christmas card, copies of which are on display. Dudley Jones is now carrying on this tradition - his 2022 card depicts the new William Marshal statue.