Pembrokeshire Sir Benfro
County
Flag
Pembrokeshire's location in Wales
Admin HQ	Haverfordwest
Largest town	Haverfordwest
Government
• Type	Pembrokeshire County Council
• Control	Independent
• MPs	Simon Hart (Con) Stephen Crabb (Con)
• AMs	Angela Burns (Con) Paul Davies (Con) (Constituency) Mid and West Wales (Regional)
• MEPs	Wales
Area
• Total	1,590 km2 (610 sq mi)
Area rank	5th largest Welsh county
Population (2017)
• Total	124,700
• Rank	Ranked 13th in Wales[1]
• Density	77/km2 (200/sq mi)
• Ethnicity	99.2% White
Geocode	00NS (ONS) W06000009 (GSS)
ISO 3166 code	GB-PEM

Pembrokeshire (/ˈpɛmbrʊkʃɪər/, /ˈpɛmbrʊkʃər/, or /ˈpɛmbroʊkʃɪər/; Welsh: Sir Benfro [ˈsiːr ˈbɛnvrɔ]) is a county in the southwest of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the sea everywhere else.

The county is home to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, the only national park in the United Kingdom established primarily because of the coastline; the Park occupies more than a third of the area of the county and includes the Preseli Hills in the north as well as the 186-mile (299 km) Pembrokeshire Coast Path.

Industry is nowadays focused on agriculture (86 per cent of land use), oil and gas, and tourism; Pembrokeshire's beaches have won many awards. Historically mining and fishing were important activities. The county has a diverse geography with a wide range of geological features, habitats and wildlife. Its prehistory and modern history have been extensively studied, from tribal occupation, through Roman times, to Welsh, Norman and Flemish influences.

Pembrokeshire County Council's headquarters are in the county town of Haverfordwest. The council has a majority of Independent members, but the county's representatives in both the Welsh and Westminster Parliaments are Conservative. Pembrokeshire's population was 122,439 at the 2011 census, an increase of 7.2 per cent from the 2001 figure of 114,131. Ethnically, the county is 99 per cent white and, for historical reasons, Welsh is more widely spoken in the north of the county than in the south.

Settlements[edit]

The county town is Haverfordwest. Other towns include Pembroke, Pembroke Dock, Milford Haven, Fishguard, Tenby, Narberth, Neyland and Newport. In the west of the county, St Davids is the United Kingdom's smallest city in terms of both size and population (1,841 in 2011).^[2]Saundersfoot is the most populous village (more than 2,500 inhabitants)^[3] in Pembrokeshire. Less than 4 per cent of the county, according to CORINE, is built-on or green urban.^[4]

See List of places in Pembrokeshire for a comprehensive list of settlements in Pembrokeshire.

Geography[edit]

Climate[edit]

There are three weather stations in Pembrokeshire: at Tenby, Milford Haven and Penycwm, all on the coast. Milford Haven enjoys a mild climate and Tenby shows a similar range of temperatures throughout the year,^[5] while at Penycwm, on the west coast and 100m above sea level, temperatures are slightly lower.^[6]

Pembrokeshire, though, featured twice in the 2016 wettest places in Wales at Whitechurch in the north of the county (1,390.4mm) and Scolton Country Park (1,284.8mm), near Haverfordwest. Orielton was the tenth driest place in Wales in 2016.^[7]

The county has on average the highest coastal winter temperatures in Wales due to its proximity to the relatively warm Atlantic Ocean. Inland, average temperatures tend to fall 0.5 °C for each 100 metres increase in height.^[8]

The air pollution rating of Pembrokeshire is "Good", the lowest rating.^[9]

Geology[edit]

The rocks in the county were formed between 600 and 290 million years ago. More recent rock formations were eroded when sea levels rose 80 million years ago, at the end of the Cretaceous Period. Around 60 million years ago, the Pembrokeshire landmass emerged through a combination of uplift and falling sea levels; the youngest rocks, from the Carboniferous Period, contain the Pembrokeshire Coalfield.^[10] The landscape was subject to considerable change as a result of ice ages; about 20,000 years ago the area was scraped clean of soil and vegetation by the ice sheet; subsequently, meltwater deepened the existing river valleys.^[11][12] While Pembrokeshire is not usually a seismically active area, in August 1892 there was a series of pronounced activities (maximum intensity: 7) over a six-day period.^[13]

Coastline and landscape[edit]

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park shown in green

The Pembrokeshire coastline includes numerous bays and sandy beaches. The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, the only park in the UK established primarily because of its coastline, occupies more than a third of the county. The park contains the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, a near-continuous 186-mile (299 km) long-distance trail from Amroth, by the Carmarthenshire border in the southeast, to St Dogmaels just down the River Teifi estuary from Cardigan, Ceredigion, in the north.^[14] The National Trust owns 60 miles (97 km) of Pembrokeshire's coast.^[15] Nowhere in the county is more than 10 miles (16 km) from tidal water. A large estuary and natural harbour Milford Haven cuts deep into the coast; this inlet is formed by the confluence of the Western Cleddau (which flows through Haverfordwest), the Eastern Cleddau, and rivers Cresswell^[16] and Carew. Since 1975, the estuary has been bridged by the Cleddau Bridge,^[17] a toll bridge carrying the A477 between Neyland and Pembroke Dock. Large bays are Newport Bay, Fishguard Bay, St Bride's Bay and western Carmarthen Bay. There are several small islands off the Pembrokeshire coast, the largest of which are Ramsey, Grassholm, Skokholm, Skomer and Caldey.^[18]

There are many known shipwrecks off the Pembrokeshire coast with many more undiscovered.^[19][20] A Viking wreck off The Smalls has protected status.^[21] The county has six lifeboat stations, the earliest of which was established in 1822; in 2015 a quarter of all Royal National Lifeboat Institution Welsh rescues took place off the Pembrokeshire coast.^[22]

View from the bluestone quarry to other peaks in the Preseli Hills

Pembrokeshire's diverse range of geological features was a key factor in the establishment of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and a number of sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs).^[23] In the north of the county are the Preseli Hills, a wide stretch of high moorland supporting sheep farming and some forestry, with many prehistoric sites and the probable source of the bluestones used in the construction of the inner circle of Stonehenge in England.^[24] The highest point is Foel Cwmcerwyn at 1,759 feet (536 m), which is also the highest point in Pembrokeshire. Elsewhere in the county most of the land (86 per cent according to CORINE) is used for farming, compared with 60 per cent for Wales as a whole.^[4]

Wildlife[edit]

Pembrokeshire has a number of seasonal seabird breeding sites, including for razorbill, guillemot, puffin and Manx shearwater,^[25] and rare endemic species such as the red-billed chough.^[26] The county's wildlife is diverse, with marine, estuary, ancient woodland, moorland and farmland habitats all within the county.^[27][28] An appeal for otter sightings in 2014 yielded more than 100 responses.^[29] Seals,^[30] whales, dolphins and porpoises can be seen frequently off the Pembrokeshire coast.^[31]

History[edit]

Pentre Ifan neolithic burial chamber

Pembrokeshire has numerous prehistoric (such as Pentre Ifan) and historic places, including a number of almost-complete and ruined castles dating from Norman times. Human habitation of the region of Pembrokeshire extends back to between 125,000 and 70,000 BCE.^[32] By the late Roman Empire period between 350 and 400, an Irish tribe known as the Déisi settled in the region, with their realm known as Demetae. In the post-Roman period, the Irish Déisi merged with the local Welsh, with the regional name underlying Demetae evolving into Dyfed, which existed as an independent petty kingdom until its heiress, Elen, married Hywel Dda in 904.^[32] Hywel merged Dyfed with his own maternal inheritance of Seisyllwg, forming the new realm of Deheubarth ("southern district").^[32] The region suffered from devastating and relentless Viking raids during the Viking Age, with the Vikings establishing settlements and trading posts at Haverfordwest, Fishguard and Caldey Island.^[32]

Pembroke Castle, birthplace of Henry VII

Dyfed, the region of Pembrokeshire, remained an integral province of Deheubarth, but this was contested by invading Normans and Flemings who arrived between 1067 and 1111.^[32] The region became known as Pembroke (sometimes archaic "Penbroke"^[33]), after the Norman castle built in the cantref of Penfro. In 1136, Prince Owain Gwynedd at Crug Mawr near Cardigan met and destroyed a 3,000-strong Norman/Flemish army and incorporated Deheubarth into Gwynedd.^[34][35] Norman/Flemish influence never fully recovered in West Wales.^[36] In 1138, the county of Pembrokeshire was named as a county palatine. Rhys ap Gruffydd, Owain Gwynedd's daughter Gwenllian's son, re-established Welsh control over much of the region and threatened to retake all of Pembrokeshire, but died in 1197.^[32] After Deheubarth was split by a dynastic feud, Llywelyn the Great almost succeeded in retaking the region of Pembroke between 1216 and his death in 1240.^[32]

St David's Cathedral

In 1457, Henry Tudor was born at Pembroke Castle. He landed an army not far from his birthplace 28 years later in 1485; he rallied support, marched to Leicestershire and defeated the larger army of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field. As Henry VII of England, he founded the House of Tudor, a dynasty that ruled England until 1603.^[37] The Laws in Wales Act 1535 divided the county into hundreds, which followed with some modifications the boundaries of the cantrefi, ancient jurisdictions which went back to before the Norman conquest.^[38] The hundreds were (clockwise from the northeast): Cilgerran or Kilgerran, Cemais or Kemes, Dewisland or Dewsland, Roose, Castlemartin, Narberth and Dungleddy (Daugleddau). Each hundred was divided into a number of civil parishes.^[39] During the First English Civil War (1642–1646) the county gave strong support to the Roundheads (Parliamentarians), in contrast to the rest of Wales, which was staunchly Royalist. In spite of this an incident in Pembrokeshire triggered the opening shots of the Second English Civil War when local units of the New Model Army mutinied. Oliver Cromwell defeated the uprising at the Siege of Pembroke in July 1648.^[40] On 13 August 1649, the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland began when New Model Army forces sailed from Milford Haven.^[41]

In 1720, Emmanuel Bowen^[42] described Pembrokeshire as having five market towns, 45 parishes and about 4,329 houses, with an area of 420,000 acres (1,700 km²).
In 1791 a petition was presented to the House of Commons concerning the poor state of many of the county's roads, pointing out that repairs could not be made compulsory by the law as it stood. The petition was referred to committee.^[43] People applying for poor relief were often put to work mending roads. Workhouses were poorly documented. Under the Poor Laws, costs and provisions were kept to a minimum, but the emphasis was often on helping people to be self-employed. While the Poor Laws provided a significant means of support, there were many charitable and benefit societies.^[44] After the Battle of Fishguard, the failed French invasion of 1797, 500 French prisoners were held at Golden Hill Farm, Pembroke.^[45] From 1820 to 1878 one of the county's prisons, with a capacity of 86, was in the grounds of Haverfordwest Castle.^[46]

In 1831, the area of the county was calculated to be 345,600 acres (1,399 km²) with a population of 81,424.^[42] Throughout much of the 20th century (1911 to 1961) the population density in the county remained stable while it rose in England and Wales as a whole.^[47] There was considerable military activity in Pembrokeshire in the 20th century: for example, military exercises in the Preseli Hills and a number of former military airfields.^[48] Military and industrial targets in the county were subjected to bombing during World War II.^[49] After the end of the war, German prisoners of war were accommodated in Pembrokeshire, the largest prison being at Haverfordwest, housing 600.^[50]

Demography[edit]

Proportion of Welsh speakers (Wales 2011 census) in Pembrokeshire (county border shown by white line)

Population[edit]

Pembrokeshire's population was 122,439 at the 2011 census,^[51] an increase of 7.2 per cent from the 2001 figure of 114,131.^[52]

Language[edit]

As a result of differential immigration over hundreds of years, the south of the county has fewer Welsh-speaking inhabitants (about 15 per cent) than the north (about 50 per cent). The rough line that can be drawn between the two regions, illustrated by the map, is known as the Landsker Line. The first objective, statistically-based description of this demarcation was made in the 1960s,^[53] but the distinction was remarked upon as early as 1603 by George Owen of Henllys.^[54]

Religion[edit]

In 1851, a religious census of Pembrokeshire showed that of 70 per cent of the population, 53 per cent were nonconformists and 17 per cent Church of England (now Church in Wales).^[55] The 2001 census for Preseli Pembrokeshire constituency showed that 74 per cent were Christian and 25 per cent of no religion (or not stated), with other religions totalling less than 1 per cent. This approximates to the figures for the whole of Wales.^[56]

Ethnicity[edit]

In 2001, Preseli Pembrokeshire constituency was 99 per cent white European, marginally lower than in 1991, compared with 98 per cent for the whole of Wales. 71 per cent identified their place of birth as Wales and 26 per cent as from elsewhere in the UK.^[56]

Governance and politics[edit]

Under the Local Government Act 1888, an elected county council was set up to take over the functions of the Pembrokeshire Quarter Sessions. This and the administrative county of Pembrokeshire were abolished under the Local Government Act 1972, with Pembrokeshire forming two districts of the new county of Dyfed: South Pembrokeshire and Preseli – the split being made at the request of local authorities in the area.^[57] In 1996, under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, the county of Dyfed was broken up into its constituent parts, and Pembrokeshire has been a unitary authority since then.^[58] In 2017 Pembrokeshire County Council had 60 members and no political party in overall control; there were 34 independent councillors.^[59] In 2009, the question of county names and Royal Mail postal addresses was raised in the Westminster parliament; it was argued that Royal Mail's continued use of the county address Dyfed was causing concern and confusion in the Pembrokeshire business community.^[58] In 2018, Pembrokeshire County Council increased council tax by 12.5 per cent, the largest increase since 2004, but the county's council tax remains the lowest in Wales.^[60]

The Pembrokeshire (Communities) Order 2011 established the most recent arrangement of communities (the successors to civil parishes) in the county which have their own councils; see the foot of this page for a list of communities.^[61]

Since 2010, Pembrokeshire has returned two Conservative MPs to the Parliament of the United Kingdom at Westminster: Stephen Crabb for Preseli Pembrokeshire and Simon Hart for South Pembrokeshire which is represented jointly with West Carmarthenshire.^[62] The corresponding Assembly Members (AMs) returned to the National Assembly for Wales in Cardiff are Paul Davies and Angela Burns respectively, both Conservatives.^[63]

Transport[edit]

Cleddau Bridge

There are no motorways in Pembrokeshire; the nearest motorway is the M4 from London and South Wales, which terminates at the Pont Abraham services in Carmarthenshire some 46 miles (74 km) from Haverfordwest. The A40 crosses Pembrokeshire from the border with Carmarthenshire westwards to Haverfordwest, then northwards to Fishguard.^[64] Some improvements have been made since the 1990s but others were still the subject of discussion in 2014.^[65] The A477 from St. Clears to Pembroke Dock is 24 miles (39 km) long, of which only 2 miles (3.2 km) are dual carriageway. The Cleddau Bridge carries the A477, connecting South Pembrokeshire with North Pembrokeshire, across the Cleddau Estuary. The A478 traverses eastern Pembrokeshire from Tenby in the south to Cardigan, Ceredigion in the north, a distance of 30 miles (48 km). The A487 is the other major route, running northwest from Haverfordwest to St David's, then northeast following the coast, through Fishguard and Newport, to the boundary with Ceredigion at Cardigan.^[64] Owing to length restrictions in Fishguard, some freight vehicles are not permitted to travel northeast from Fishguard but must take a longer route via Haverfordwest and Narberth.^[66] The B4329 former turnpike runs from Eglwyswrw in the north to Haverfordwest across the Preseli Hills.^[67]

The main towns in the county are covered by regular bus and train services, and many villages by local bus services, or community or education transport.^[68]

Pembrokeshire is served by rail via the West Wales Lines from Swansea. Direct trains from Milford Haven run to Manchester Piccadilly. Branch lines terminate at Pembroke Dock, Milford Haven and Fishguard, linking with ferries to Ireland from Pembroke Dock and Fishguard.^[69] Seasonal ferry services operate from Tenby to Caldey Island,^[70] from St Justinians (St Davids) to Ramsey Island^[71] and Grassholm Island,^[72] and from Martin's Haven to Skomer Island.^[73]Haverfordwest (Withybush) Airport provides general aviation services.^[74]

Economy[edit]

Pembrokeshire's economy now relies heavily on tourism; agriculture, once its most important industry with associated activities such as milling, is still significant. Mining of slate and coal had largely ceased by the 20th century. Since the 1950s, petrochemical and liquid natural gas industries have developed along the Milford Haven Waterway and the county has attracted other major ventures. In 2016, the Rt. Hon. Stephen Crabb, then Welsh Secretary, commented in a government press release: "...with a buoyant local economy, Pembrokeshire is punching above its weight across the UK."^[75]

Agriculture[edit]

Until the 12th century, a great extent of Pembrokeshire was virgin woodland. Clearance in the lowland south began under Anglo-Flemish colonisation and under mediaeval tenancies in other areas. Such was the extent of development that by the 16th century there was a shortage of timber in the county. Little is known about mediaeval farming methods, but much arable land was continuously cropped and only occasionally ploughed. By the 18th century, many of the centuries-old open field systems had been enclosed, and much of the land was arable or rough pasture in a ratio of about 1:3.^[76]

Solva Woollen Mill

Kelly's Directory of 1910 gave a snapshot of the agriculture of Pembrokeshire: 57,343 acres were cropped (almost half under oats and a quarter barley), there were 37,535 acres of grass and clover and 213,387 acres of permanent pasture (of which a third was for hay). There were 128,865 acres of mountain or heathland used for grazing, with 10,000 acres of managed or unmanaged woodland. Estimates of livestock included 17,810 horses, 92,386 cattle, 157,973 sheep and 31,673 pigs. Of 5,981 agricultural holdings, more than half were between 5 and 50 acres.^[77]

Pembrokeshire had a flourishing wool industry.^[78] There are still working woollen mills at Solva and Tregwynt.^[79]

Pembrokeshire has good soil and benefits from the Gulf Stream, which provides a mild climate and a longer growing season than other parts of Wales.^[80] Pembrokeshire's mild climate means that crops such as its new potatoes (which have protected geographical status under European law)^[81] often arrive in British shops earlier in the year than produce from other parts of the UK. Other principal arable crops are oilseed rape, wheat and barley, while the main non-arable activities are dairy farming for milk and cheese, beef production and sheep farming.^[78]

The county lends its name to the Pembroke Welsh Corgi, a herding dog whose lineage can be traced back to the 12th century,^[82] but which in 2015 was designated as a "vulnerable" breed.^[83]

Since 2006, Pembrokeshire Local Action Network for Enterprise and Development (PLANED) has provided a forum to promote an integrated approach to rural development, in which communities, public sector and voluntary partners and specialist interest groups come together to influence policy and promote projects aimed at sustainable agriculture. Sub-groups include promoting food and farming in schools and shortening supply chains.^[84]

Fishing[edit]

Milford Haven Docks & Marina

With much of Pembrokeshire being coastline or tidal river estuaries, fishing was an important industry at least from the 16th century, with many ports and villages dependent on the industry before it declined.^[85] The former large sea fishing industry around Milford Haven is now greatly reduced, although limited commercial fishing still takes place. At its peak, Milford was landing over 40,000 tons of fish a year.^[85] Pembrokeshire Fish Week is a biennial event^[86][87] which in 2014 attracted 31,000 visitors and generated £3 million for the local economy.^[88]

Mining[edit]

Slate quarrying was a significant industry in the 19th and early 20th centuries with quarrying taking place at about 100 locations throughout the county.^[89] Over 50 coal workings were in existence between the 14th and 20th centuries,^[90] with the last Pembrokeshire coal mine, at Kilgetty, closing in 1950.^[10]

Oil, gas and renewable energy[edit]

Pembroke Power Station in 2013

There are two oil refineries, two liquified natural gas (LNG) terminals and the 2000 MW gas-fired Pembroke Power Station (opened in 2012) at Milford Haven. The LNG terminals on the north side of the river, just outside Milford Haven were opened in 2008;^[91] a 196-mile (316 km) pipeline connecting Milford Haven to Tirley in Gloucestershire was completed in 2007.^[92] The two oil refineries are operated by Chevron (formerly Texaco) producing 214,000 bbl/d (34,000 m³/d) and Murco (formerly Amoco/Elf) producing 108,000 bbl/d (17,200 m³/d); the latter was sold to Puma Energy in 2015 with the intention of converting it to a storage facility.^[93] At the peak, there were a total of five refineries served from around the Haven: the Esso refinery operated from 1960 to 1983, was demolished in the late 1980s and the site converted into the South Hook LNG terminal; the Gulf Refinery operated from 1968 to 1997 and the site now incorporates the Dragon LNG terminal; BP had an oil terminal at Angle Bay which served its refinery at Llandarcy and operated between 1961 and 1985.^[94]

The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority has identified a number of areas in which renewable energy can be, and has been, generated in the county.^[95] Following several years of planning after the initial impact studies begun in 2011,^[96] the first submarine turbine of three was installed in Ramsey Sound in December 2015.^[97] The cumulative impact of single and multiple wind turbines is not without controversy^[98] and was the subject of a comprehensive assessment in 2013.^[99] In 2011 the first solar energy farm in Wales was installed at Rhosygilwen, Rhoshill with 10,000 panels in a field of 6 acres (2.4 ha).^[100]

Tourism[edit]

Barafundle Beach

Pembrokeshire's tourism portal is Visit Pembrokeshire, run by Pembrokeshire County Council.^[101] In 2015 4.3 million tourists visited the county, staying for an average of 5.24 days, spending £585 million; the tourism industry supported 11,834 jobs.^[102] Many of Pembrokeshire's beaches have won awards,^[103] including Poppit Sands and Newport Sands.^[104] In 2018, Pembrokeshire received the most coast awards in Wales, with 56 Blue Flag, Green Coast or Seaside Awards.^[105][106]

The Pembrokeshire coastline is a major draw to tourists; in 2011 National Geographic Traveller magazine voted the Pembrokeshire Coast the second best in the world and in 2015 the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park was listed among the top five parks in the world by a travel writer for the Huffington Post.^[107] Countryfile Magazine readers voted the Pembrokeshire Coast the top UK holiday destination in 2018.^[108] The many wrecks off the Pembrokeshire coast attract divers.^[20]

The county has a number of theme and animal parks (examples are Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo, Manor House Wildlife Park, Blue Lagoon Water Park and Oakwood Theme Park), museums and other visitor attractions including Castell Henllys reconstructed Iron age fort, Tenby Lifeboat Station and Milford Haven's Torch Theatre.^[101]

Culture[edit]

Flag[edit]

The flag of Pembrokeshire consists of a yellow cross on a blue field. In the centre of the cross is a green pentagon bearing a red and white Tudor rose. The rose is divided quarterly and counterchanged: the inner and outer roses have alternating red and white quarters.^[109][110]

Physical heritage[edit]

Pembrokeshire has more than 1,600 listed buildings, ranging from mud huts to castles, and including bridges and other ancient and modern structures, under the auspices of Cadw and the County Council.^[111] The National Monuments Record of Wales of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales identifies nearly 6,000 sites in Pembrokeshire as worthy of study, preservation and recording, including prehistoric and modern buildings, wrecks and natural features.^[112] There are 10 National Trust properties in Pembrokeshire.^[113]

The arts and media[edit]

Music festivals in Pembrokeshire include those at St David's, Fishguard (folk, jazz and the International Music Festival) and Tenby (Blues Festival).^[114] Milford Haven's Torch Theatre produces drama, screens films and holds exhibitions of art and crafts,^[115] and there is a theatre-cinema in Fishguard (Theatr Gwaun)^[116] and a cinema in Haverfordwest.^[117] There are museums and art galleries in several locations in the county, including Scolton Manor, Narberth, Tenby, Milford Haven and Fishguard;^[118] in Fishguard, the 100 feet (30 m) long Last Invasion Tapestry, commemorating the Battle of Fishguard in 1797, is on display.^[119]

Pembrokeshire's coastal landscape and wealth of historic buildings has made it a popular location choice for film and television, including Moby Dick at Fishguard, and the final two Harry Potter films at Freshwater West. Others include (click on "show" to see the full list):

There are seven local newspapers based in Pembrokeshire: the Western Telegraph (the largest in Pembrokeshire), The Milford Mercury, Tenby Observer, Pembroke Observer, County Echo and The Pembrokeshire Herald (founded 2013^[136]). The Milford Mercury (circulation 3,681) and Western Telegraph (circulation 19,582) are part of the Newsquest group. Radio Pembrokeshire, and several other West Wales radio stations, were broadcast from Narberth until 2016, when they were relocated to the Vale of Glamorgan, while retaining satellite offices at Narberth and Milford Marina.^[137][138]

Sport[edit]

As the national sport of Wales, rugby union is widely played throughout the county at both town and village level. Haverfordwest RFC, founded in 1875, is a feeder club for Llanelli Scarlets. Village team Crymych RFC in 2014 plays in WRU Division One West.^[139]

Triathlon event Ironman Wales has been held in Pembrokeshire since 2011, contributing £3.7 million to the local economy, and the county committed in 2017 to host the event for a further five years.^[140]Ras Beca, a mixed road, fell and cross country race attracting UK-wide competitors, has been held in the Preseli Hills annually since 1977. The record of 32 minutes 5 seconds has stood since 1995.^[141] Pembrokeshire Harriers athletics club was formed in 2001 by the amalgamation of Cleddau Athletic Club (established 1970) and Preseli Harriers (1989) and is based in Haverfordwest.^[142]

The annual Tour of Pembrokeshire^[143] road-cycling event takes place over 50, 75 or 100 miles. The 4th Tour, in April 2015, attracted 1,600 riders including Olympic gold medallist Chris Boardman^[144] and there were 1,500 entrants to the 2016 event.^[145] Part of Route 47 of the Celtic Trail cycle route is in Pembrokeshire. The Llys y Fran Hillclimb is an annual event run by Swansea Motor Club.^[146]

Abereiddy's Blue Lagoon was the venue for a round of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in 2012,^[147] 2013^[148] and 2016;^[149] the Welsh Surfing Federation has held the Welsh National Surfing Championships at Freshwater West for several years^[150] and Llys y Fran Country Park hosted the Welsh Dragonboat Championships from 2014 to 2017.^[151][152]

While not at major league level, cricket is played throughout the county and many villages such as Lamphey, Creselly, Llangwm, Llechryd and Crymych field teams in minor leagues under the umbrella of the Cricket Board of Wales.^[153]

Notable people[edit]

Henry VII, portrait of 1505

See also Category:People from Pembrokeshire

From mediaeval times, Rhys ap Gruffydd (c. 1132-1197), ruler of the kingdom of Deheubarth, was buried in St David's Cathedral.^[154] and Gerald of Wales was born c. 1146 at Manorbier Castle.^[155] Henry Tudor (later Henry VII) was born in 1457 at Pembroke Castle.^[156]

In later military history, Jemima Nicholas, heroine of the so-called "last invasion of Britain" in 1797, was from Fishguard,^[157] Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Picton GCB, born in Haverfordwest, was killed at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815^[158] and Private Thomas Collins was the only Pembrokeshire man that fought in the Battle of Rorke's Drift in 1879.^[159]

In the arts, siblings Gwen and Augustus John were both born in Pembrokeshire,^[160] as was the novelist Sarah Waters;^[161] singer Connie Fisher grew up in Pembrokeshire.^[162]

Stephen Crabb, former Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Secretary of State for Wales, was brought up in Pembrokeshire and represents the county as one of its two Members of Parliament.^[163]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to People of Pembrokeshire.

Education and health[edit]

Withybush General Hospital, Haverfordwest

A comprehensive review of education in Pembrokeshire was carried out in 2014 with a number of options for discussion in 2015.^[164] In 2018 there were 58 primary schools, 8 secondary schools (two are age 3-16) and one special school in Pembrokeshire, providing education for more than 18,300 pupils. These include 15 Welsh medium primary schools in the county, three dual stream schools and two transition schools; four primary schools are classified as English Welsh schools (English medium schools with significant use of Welsh). In 2017/18, 22 per cent of seven-year-old pupils were educated through the medium of Welsh. This figure is expected to rise to 25 per cent by 2019/20.^[165]

The Preseli Branch of the University of the Third Age (U3A) provides musical appreciation as a subject.^[166]

Health services in the county are provided by Hywel Dda Local Health Board which also provides for Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire. The county's principal hospital is Withybush General Hospital in Haverfordwest,^[167] and there are local hospitals in Tenby^[168] and Pembroke Dock.^[169]

See also[edit]

• List of national parks of England and Wales


• List of castles in Pembrokeshire


• List of Lord Lieutenants of Pembrokeshire


• List of Custodes Rotulorum of Pembrokeshire


• List of High Sheriffs of Pembrokeshire


• List of MPs for the former county of Pembrokeshire


• Cuisine of Pembrokeshire

References[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• Dillon, Myles, The Irish settlements in Wales, Celtica 12, 1977, pp. 1–11


• Downes, John, Folds, faults and fossils: Exploring geology in Pembrokeshire. Llygad Gwalch Cyf, 2011. ISBN 978-1-84524-172-8
  


• 
  Fenton, Richard, A historical tour through Pembrokeshire. Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme &Co, 1811


• Fudge, Pam, Through the lens of Harry Squibbs: Pembrokeshire. Amberley Publishing, 2014. ISBN 978-1-4456-3441-8. (Early 1900s photographs)


• James, J. Ivor, Molleston Baptist Church-Reflections on the Founders' Tercentenary, V.G. Lodwick & Sons Ltd., Carmarthen, 1968


• John, Brian, The geology of Pembrokeshire. Abercastle Publications, 1998. ISBN 978-1-872887-20-3
  


• Lloyd, Thomas; Orbach, Julian and Scourfield, Robert, Pembrokeshire - The buildings of Wales, Yale University Press, 2004. ISBN 978-0-300-10178-2
  


• 
  Owen, George of Henllys, A History of Pembrokeshire. Reprinted in Cambrian Register, Volume 2, 1799. 1603.

External links[edit]

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Pembrokeshire.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pembrokeshire.

• Historical information about Pembrokeshire on GENUKI


• Pembrokeshire County Council


• 
  Visit Pembrokeshire (official council tourism website)


• Pembrokeshire Cultural Services (archives, libraries, museums)


• Pembrokeshire County Council's Tourism Industry Website

Coordinates: 51°50′42″N 4°50′32″W / 51.84500°N 4.84222°W / 51.84500; -4.84222