526 
PEMBROKESHIRE, 
regiftered burial for ten years, appears to have been as i 
to 70 of the exifting population. 
-At a very remote period this county formed part of 
the kingdom of Demetia, or Dyvet, which fubfifted as an 
independent monarchy till conquered by Ethelwolf king 
ofEngland. Brodhmael, king of Demetia, is mentioned 
as one of the princes who atfilted Caffibelanus in compel¬ 
ling Julius Csefar to evacuate Britain. How far this an¬ 
cient kingdom extended is uncertain ; fome fuppofing it 
to have comprifed the three counties of Cardigan, Caer- 
marthen, and Pembroke; and others, that it was con¬ 
fined to the laft-mentioned county only. In the time of 
the Danith incurfions, this county fuffered more injury 
than perhaps any other in the principality. Among the 
chieftains who commanded in thefe depredations were 
Hubba and Ivar, or Inguar, both of whom are defcribed 
by the old writers as men of the “ moll dreadful ferocity, 
and unheard-of courage.” 
The name of Pembrokefhire, or rather Pembrochfhire, 
was firft given to this county fhortly after the Norman 
conqueft, and was evidently derived from that of the 
town. In later times, Milford, a port in this county, is 
remarkable as having been the landing-place of Henry 
earl of Richmond, afterwaVds king Henry VII. when he 
came from Brittany to wreft the throne of England from 
the ufurpe'r Richard III. During the era of the civil 
wars in the reign of Charles I. feveral of its cattles, par¬ 
ticularly thofe of Pembroke and Roch, were garrifoned 
for the king, and withftood long and obftinate fieges in 
the royal caufe. Some tkirmithes likewife appear to have 
been fought within Pembrokefhire at the fame period, 
and with various luccefs. See Milford-haven, vol. xv. 
P. 370 . 
A confiderable trad of Pembrokefhire, confiding of the 
country which lies weft of Milford-haven, and between 
that bay and the Irifh Sea, is called by the Welch R/ios, 
which fignifies alarge green field. King Henry I. fettled 
in this diftriCl a colony of Flemings, who came over into 
England upon an inundation of the lea, which drowned a 
confiderable part of the Low Countries. Thefe Flemings, 
being a warlike people, and proving very faithful to the 
crown of England, were a great check upon the Welch, 
who often attempted to turn them out and recover their 
country, but without fuccefs; for the Flemings main¬ 
tained their ground, and Rhos is at this day inhabited 
by their defcendants, whofe language and cuftoms ftill 
differ from thofe of the Welch. 
The afpefl: of this county prefents an almoft continued 
fuccefiion of fwells, or eafy flopes; but there are no 
mountainous ridges, excepting one which runs from the 
coaft near Fifhguard to the borders of Caermarthenfhire. 
Thefe hills are locally denominated “ The Mountains,” 
and the inhabitants diftinguifh the country with refer¬ 
ence to them; the north fide being faid to be “above 
the mountains,” and the fouth fide “ below the moun¬ 
tains.” The central portion of this ridge is known by 
the name of Percelly, and its liigheft fummit by that of 
Cwmkerwyn : it commands a view over the whole county. 
Another high point is called Carn-Englie, as tradition 
fays, from a giant who occupied it as his place of habita¬ 
tion. Vrenny-Vawr, or Vryn-Vawr, is alfo of confider¬ 
able altitude and fize, as its name imports; the words 
Vryn Vawr fignifying in Englifh the Great Hill. The 
climate of Pembrokefhire is temperate. Rains are per¬ 
haps more frequent here than in any part ofEngland, and 
are particularly violent during wefterly winds. Frofts 
are neither intenfe nor of long continuance; nor does 
fnow ufually lie upon the ground more than two or three ' 
days. 
Few counties are better watered with rivers, or are more 
abundantly fupplied with excellent fprings. The names 
of the chief rivers are the Tivy, the Clethy, and the 
Dougledye'. The Tivy is more properly a river of Caer- 
unarthenfhire. The name of the Clethy is a corruption 
,if the ancient Britifh name gledheu, “ a fword.” This 
river rifes at the foot of the hill called Vrenny Vawr, 
fome miles eaft of Newport; and, running fouth, falls 
into the mouth of the Dougledye, and its conflux with 
a bay of the fea near Pembroke, called by the Englifh 
Milford-haven, but by the Welch Aber dau Gledheu, or 
the Haven of Two Swords. The name of the Dougledye 
is alfo a corruption of the original Britifh name Dau 
Gledheu, two fwords. It rifes fome miles north-eaft of 
the city of St. David’s, and, running fouth-eaft, and paf- 
fing by Haverfordweft, falls with the river Clethy into 
Milford-Haven, as mentioned already. The lefs confi¬ 
derable rivers of this county are the Cvvch, which di¬ 
vides Pembrokefhire from Cardiganfhire ; the Nevern, 
which flows by Newport; and the Gwain, which falls 
into the fea at Fifhguard. 
The mineralogical produ&s of Pembrokefhire are coal, 
limeftone, freeltone, and that “ fpecics of marble called 
pudding-ftone.” No metallic ores, except iron, we believe, 
have yet been difcovered here ; at leaft none of any con- 
fequence in a commercial eftimate. Some mineral fprings, 
particularly one in the parifh of Fifhguard, however, 
are ftrongly tinftured with that metal; and on the Trefin 
are feveral works of iron and tin. The foil is various, 
but in general tolerably fertile. The ftate of agriculture, 
however, is defective; and, though much improved 
within the laft few years, it is ftill fufceptible of great ame¬ 
lioration. Woods are rather fcarce in this county, par¬ 
ticularly towards the weftern coaft, where, being much 
expofed to the winds blowing from the fea, they are 
fhorn in a very curious manner. Cattle are reared in 
confiderable numbers, and a large quantity of butter is 
made, both for home-confumption and for exportation. 
Pembrokefhire cannot boaft of being either a manufac¬ 
turing or a trading county ; though it poflefles manifeft 
advantages, for commerce at leaft, in its numerous na¬ 
tural harbours and great extent of coaft. Haverfordweft 
is the only town within its limits which has a cotton-ma- 
nufaCtory of any confequence; and all the attempts hi¬ 
therto made for the introduction of the linen-bufinefs 
have completely failed. Milford and Fifhguard alone can 
juftly claim the appellation of trading-ports; and even in 
thefe towns the exports and imports are extremely limited; 
but they are certainly fufceptible of great augmentation, 
with a very little exertion and expenfe. Indeed we have 
no doubt, but that, if the fpirit of manufacturing and 
commercial enterprife were once properly excited and fof- 
tered, Pembrokefhire would, from its natural advantages 
of fituation, foon become the trading emporium of Wales. 
At Milford has lately been eftabliftied a South-Sea whale- 
fifliery, which is in a flourifhing condition ; and we are 
happy to obferve, that the fame thing may be affirmed of 
the herring-fifhery of Fifhguard, though it might be im¬ 
proved to an almoft unlimited extent. 
There is a peculiarity in the drefs of the Pembrokefhire 
women, who, even in the midft of fummer, wear a heavy 
cloth gown ; and, inftead of a cap, a large handkerchief 
wrapt over their heads, and tied under their chin. This 
cuftom is certainly peculiar to Pembrokefhire ; for in the 
other parts of Wales the women as well as the men, 
wear large beaver hats, with broad brims flapping over 
their fhoulders. 
Pembrokefhire was formerly a county palatine within 
Wales, and its earl was comes palatinus, and had jura re¬ 
galia. Its jurifdiCtion was taken away by the llatute 27 
Henry VIII. which enabled it to fend one knight of the 
fhire, and two burgefles, one for Pembroke, &c. and one 
for Haverfordweft. The political intereft in this county 
has been difputed between lord Cawdor and fir John 
Owen. At the general election in 1812, there was acon- 
teft between fir John Owen and the hon. Mr. Campbell, 
eldeft fon of lord Cawdor, which terminated in favour of 
the former,who has maintained his feat ever fince, although 
lord Milford had repref’ented the county in the eight pre¬ 
ceding parliaments, and was always chofen in cppofition 
to the Owen intereft. 
Pembrokefhire 
