Turning to the right at the foot of the green, we fare along the village street until it terminates abruptly in a sort of cul-de-sac, where the majestic ruins of Llawhaden Castle seem to forbid our further progress.
The great Gatehouse, with its lofty drum towers flanking the boldly-arched portcullis, indicates the noble scale upon which the fortress was conceived. The eastern tower is still in a fair state of preservation, retaining the strong stone floors of its successive stages, though its fellow has been shorn of more than half its bulk. These towers are pierced with small but well-proportioned lancet-windows, apparently of Edwardian date, and the corbelled battlements are carried forward above the gateway, to form a couloir for pouring down molten lead upon the foe.
On passing beneath the lofty entrance archway, we are confronted by a well-proportioned Gothic doorway, with one small pointed window, little more than a loophole, in the wall beside it; these are the sole relics of the northern front, of which all else has fallen to decay. Near at hand rises a slender square tower, whose trefoil-headed windows and finely-worked mouldings point to a later period than that of the main structure. From its position and certain accessories, there is reason to suppose this tower contained the chapel of the castle, erected by Bishop Vaughan, who enlarged and beautified St. Davids Cathedral.
A group of flourishing ash-trees, which have sprung up wheresoever they listed, cast their chequered shade athwart the neglected courtyard; whilst pigs and poultry, from the adjacent farmstead, roam untended amidst the masses of fallen masonry, that cumber the ground in every direction.
Although perched on the brink of a steep declivity, the castle was protected by a moat which still remains intact, though sadly choked with tangled undergrowth and débris. This moat was supplied with water from a stream, which forms the large pond at the foot of the village.
Thomas Beck, Bishop of St. Davids, is said to have erected Llawhaden Castle, towards the close of the thirteenth century; but it is more than probable his building merely superseded a structure of earlier date.
This worthy prelate also founded, 'in his Villa de Llewhadyn, a little Hospitium, which he dedicated to the poor and needy;' devoting to its maintenance the revenues derived from his own lands. Thus Bishop Beck became the first Welsh patron of pilgrims, and supporter of the aged and infirm.
Of this very interesting foundation, all that has survived is a small building with vaulted roof, doorway, windows and a piscina, situated in a field on the outskirts of the village. This little edifice was in all probability the chapel of Beck's hospitium. A certain Friar William was entrusted with the charge of the establishment, both he and his brethren wearing a habit distinctive of their calling.
By the time of Owen Glyndwr, the castle appears already to have fallen into disrepair; as we read that the King gave orders for Llawhaden to be put into a state of defence, victualled, and furnished with a garrison.
Under the disastrous régime of Bishop Barlow, that rapacious prelate caused the lead to be stripped from off the castle roofs, even as he had done at the beautiful old palace of St. Davids. Thenceforth the stately fabric, exposed to the disintegrating forces of Nature, gradually succumbed to its misfortunes, and sank into the condition of an uninhabitable ruin.
At their castle of Llawhaden, the Bishops of St. Davids lived in true baronial style; the fortress constituting the Caput Baroniæ, by virtue of which they were entitled to representation in the Parliament of the realm.
Before taking leave of Llawhaden Castle, we secure the accompanying sketch of the great Gatehouse, whose hoary lichen-clad masonry, wreathed in clinging ivy, rises with bold and striking effect against the dark foliage of a neighbouring coppice.
Descending by a steep, hollow lane to the banks of Cleddau, we linger long about the old bridge and castle-mill to enjoy the placid beauty of the landscape, whose rich, subdued tints are enhanced by the radiance of a mellow autumn afternoon.
Looking upstream, the church forms the central feature of a pleasant, restful prospect; its picturesque tower reflected in the clear waters of the Cleddau, which rushes onward to tumble with refreshing roar over a weir close at hand. Amidst the hanging woodlands which clothe the castle hill, we catch a glimpse of that ancient fortalice; while the lowing of kine comes pleasantly to the ear from the deep water-meadows down the vale.
We now bend our steps towards the parish church, noticing a simple wooden cross beside the wicket-gate, whereon is hung a lantern to guide the footsteps of the benighted flock, during the long, dark evenings of winter.
Llawhaden Church stands somewhat remote from the village, in a sequestered nook where the castle hill and the Cleddau leave scarce sufficient room for the little church to stand; insomuch that its chancel gable well-nigh overhangs the stream. Dedicated to St. Hugo, the sacred edifice contains the mutilated effigy of an ecclesiastic, commonly supposed to represent the patron saint, but more probably intended for Adam Houghton, Bishop of St. Davids, and co-founder with John o' Gaunt of St. Mary's College in that 'city.'
Houghton distinguished himself by enacting a statute to regulate the scale of wages, and the price of beer, on behalf of his faithful 'subjects;' while tradition avers that, having been excommunicated by the Pope for some misdemeanour or other, this intrepid prelate retaliated by excommunicating the Holy Father himself!
Inside the church we notice several curiously-sculptured corbels; besides a two-three quaint epitaphs reciting, in rather questionable English, the virtues and graces of certain local worthies.
The semi-detached tower presents a picturesque appearance, having, attached to its southern face, a square-shaped turret which, curiously enough, looks older than the tower itself. The internal construction of this tower is somewhat peculiar, and its belfry contains a triplet of sweet-toned bells.
It is, perhaps, worthy of note that Llawhaden is supposed to derive its name from St. Aeddan, a Pembrokeshire man by birth, and a disciple of St. David himself.
Having inspected an ancient cross, built into the eastern gable of the church, we now retrace our footsteps to the bridge, where, after searching for some time in vain owing to intervening foliage, we at last pitch upon a suitable spot for a sketch of that time-worn structure.
This done, we reluctantly turn our backs upon pretty Llawhaden, and fare away in the direction of Narberth, playing hide-and-seek with our shadows as they lengthen under the westering sun. Groups of lads and little lasses, homeward bound from school, linger in twos and threes by the rough laneside, where the bramble brakes are thickest; purple lips and stained pocket-handkerchiefs showing the blackberry season is now in full swing.
Anon we clamber over a tall step-stile, near a widespreading ash-tree whose singular form at once arrests the eye. After growing for some feet in a horizontal direction, the massive Bole turns abruptly at a sharp right angle, and shooting skywards, straight as an arrow, branches out into a head of symmetrical foliage, like the trees in a Dutchman's garden.
Pushing on by a footpath that winds down towards a stream in the hollow of the vale, we presently stumble hot-foot upon a covey of partridges, who are up in a twinkling, and blustering away to the shelter of a neighbouring stubble-field; while the voice of an unseen threshing-machine, 'a-bummin' away like a buzzard clock,' palpitates through the drowsy air of the still, September afternoon.
Leaving St. Kennox away to our right, we now make for the village of Robeston Wathen; the choice lying between breasting the hill by a steep green field-path, or approaching in more leisurely fashion by way of the lane. The voting goes all in favour of the shorter route, which brings us out at a point near Robeston Church, whose tall, isolated tower is conspicuous for a long distance around. At the cross-roads near the village stands a group of wayside cottages, whose deep thatched roofs, and low porches embowered in honeysuckle and climbing plants, make a very charming picture.
Past the disestablished toll-gate, the road slants away down the bank to a bridge over a narrow streamlet. Thence ensues the long, steady ascent of Cock's Hill, which lands us eventually at a considerable altitude on the outskirts of Narberth; a place that, with the exception of its ruined castle, has little to commend it to wayfarers who, like ourselves, are 'in search of the picturesque.'
A town of some importance in bygone times, when its markets were resorted to by half the countryside, Narberth appears of late to have fallen upon degenerate days; the mail-coaches having deserted its grass-grown streets for ever, while the railway trains that have usurped their place give the unfortunate town the go-by, in favour of other and more enterprising communities.
Wending our way adown the long, featureless High Street, we pass on our left the broad front of the De Rutzen Arms, a large wayside posting-house, around whose weed-grown courtyard hang memories of the old coaching days. Then, leaving the parish church away to the right, and navigating some intricate lanes, we approach the outskirts of the town, and make the best of our way to the castle ruins.
Crowning the southward slope of the hill upon which the town is located, Narberth Castle occupies a position of considerable importance. The ruins of the fortress, though small, and devoid of striking features, are not without a certain picturesque appearance when seen from the Tenby road. It must, however, be confessed that 'distance lends enchantment to the view;' for the existing remains are of a very fragmentary nature, consisting of a few broken bastions, with some odds and ends of more or less dilapidated masonry.
At the time of the Norman Conquest, Narberth fell to the share of Sir Stephen Perrot, a follower of the redoubtable Arnulph de Montgomery. Although there is record of a castle here as long ago as the eleventh century, the present structure is certainly not of earlier date than the days of Sir Andrew Perrot, or, say, about the middle of the thirteenth century; indeed, the character of the existing work seems to point to its erection at an even later period.
In the reign of Edward III., Narberth Castle came into the possession of Roger Mortimer, the great Earl Marcher, and sometime favourite of Queen Isabella; passing subsequently under the direct control of the Crown. Eventually bluff King Hal presented the estate in his own freehanded way to our old acquaintance, Sir Rhys ap Thomas; and so when John Leland, the famous antiquary, travelled into South Wales upon his 'Laborious Journey, and Searche for England's Antiquities,' he duly described Narberth Castle as a 'praty pile of old Sir Rees.'
To the south of the town lies a broken, hilly district called Narberth Forest; whence were procured, in bygone days, large quantities of oak and other timber, for building the famous 'wooden walls' of the British navy. In olden times, this locality formed a favourite hunting-ground of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, whose custom it was to ride out from their headquarters at Slebech, and chase the wild deer that frequented its woodland glades.
The village of Templeton, (which doubtless derives its name from that martial fraternity), is now a mere rambling, skeleton of a place, with a few dwelling-houses of the better sort amongst the cottages that flank the highway. Once upon a time, it is said, Templeton could boast its village-cross and ancient wayside chapel; but of these not a solitary vestige has survived to give colour to the story.
We now approach the eastern confines of the County, and thus enter upon the beginning of the end of our Pembrokeshire peregrinations. From Templeton we set our faces towards the hamlet of Eglwysfair-glan-Tâf, better known, probably, to the Saesneg traveller as Whitland railway junction.
Laying our course adown the vale of the pretty Afon Marlas, we traverse the long village street of Lampeter Velfrey; and so, keeping rail and river upon our left flank, we presently strike the course of the infant Tâf near the old disused toll-gate at Pen-y-bont. At the little bridge that connects our County with its big neighbour of Carmarthen, we call a halt to lounge beside the low parapet, and transfer to the sketch-book an impression of St. Mary's Church, with the time-worn stonework of the old arches and cutwaters spanning the trout stream in the foreground.
Here, then, we bid farewell to quaint old Pembrokeshire, and conclude our sketching rambles amidst its secluded byways.
Not many localities, we take it, can boast, within so comparatively limited a compass, such varied attractions for the lover of old-world associations and time-worn architecture; attractions, withal, that to some minds are enhanced by a sense of remoteness and isolation from the ceaseless Sturm und Drang of modern city life.
Although far from exhausting the scope of such a many-sided subject, we venture to hope that these pages may enable our readers to participate in the unalloyed pleasure and interest we have ourselves derived, from these pen-and-pencil peregrinations amidst the Nooks and Corners of Pembrokeshire.
A.
Abercastell, 142
Abergwaen, 143
Afon Dûad, 152, 156
Afon Gwaen, 2, 143
Afon Marlas, 196
Afon Nevern, 152-154, 166
Afon Syvynvy, 171
Allan River, 3
Anchor at Hoaton, 194
Angle, 80, 81, 84
Angle Bay, 79
Angle Castle, 82
Anne's Head, St., 84, 123
B.
Bangeston House, 84
Barker, E. H. Lingen-, Esq., 179
Barlows of Slebech, 188, 189
Barri, Gerald de, 46
Bartholomew Roberts, 174
Bayvil, 159
Beavers in Wales, 171
Bedd-yr-Avangc, 170
Benton Castle, 184
Bishop-and-Clerks Islets, 138
Bishop's Palace, St. Davids, 135-137
Blockhouse at Angle, 83
Bonville's Court, 31
Bosheston, 68
Bosheston Meer, 71
Boulston, 179
Brestgarn, 144
Brides, St., 118
Brunt, 124
Bullibur, 73
Bullslaughter Bay, 72
Byrnach, St., 150, 174
C.
Caldey Island, 19-21
Campbell, Admiral Sir G., 67
Capel Stinian, 138
Carew Castle, 95-98
Carew Church, 94, 99, 100
Carew Cross, 94
Carmelite Nunnery, Tenby, 14
Carnedd Meibion Owen, 150, 152, 158
Carn Englyn, 1, 148, 150, 152
Carn Llidi, 2, 140
Carreg Gwastad Point, 147
Carswall, 29
Castell Conyn, 175
Castle Hill, Tenby, 15
Castle Malgwyn, 163, 164
Castle Martin, 89-91
Cathedral, St. Davids, 130-134
Cawdor, Lord, 66, 144
Cheriton, 64, 65
Church Plate, Gumfreston, 25
Cilmaenllwyd, 174
Clark, G. T., Esq., 56
Clawdd-y-Millwyr, 139
Cleddau River, 2, 168, 175, 182, 190
Cobb, J. R., Esq., 42, 56, 59
Coedmore, 161
Coracle, 161
Court, 157
Croes Mihangel, 168
Cromlechs, 48, 142, 151, 158
Crosses, 32, 94, 154, 155
Crowpoole, 77
Crugau Kemaes, 159
Crymmych Arms, 166, 168
Cwm Cerwyn, Foel, 169
D.
Dale, 122, 123
Dale Roads, 123
Daniels, St., 63
Davids, St., 128, 129
De Barri, Gerald, 46
De Barri Monument, Manorbere, 51
De la Roche Monument, 182
De Rutzen, Baron, 187
Dewisland, 2, 126
Dinas, 148
Dinas Head, 2, 143
Dogmaels, St., 165
Dogwell, St., 174
Dowrog Common, 141
Drudgeman's Hill, 109
Dûad Stream, 152, 156
E.
East Blockhouse, 83
Eastern Cleddau, 2, 168, 190
Eastington, 79, 85, 86
Eglwys Erw, 157
Eglwysfair Glan Tâf, 196
Eglwys Wen, 157
F.
Fishguard, 143, 145, 148
Fissures in Rock, Manorbere, 49
Flemings in Pembrokeshire, 181
Flether Hill, 177
Flimston, 73
Florence, St., 28, 29
Foel Cwm Cerwyn, 1, 169
Foel Trigarn, 168
Ford, 175
Fordd Fleming, 5, 142, 167, 170
French in Pembrokeshire, 143
Freshwater Bay, 79
Freystrop, 179
Fryn-y-Fawr, 167
G.
Garn Vawr, 147
Gateholm, 121
Giraldus Cambrensis, 46, 47
Glyndwr, Owen, 175
Glyn-y Mel, 143
Goodwic, 145
Govan's Chapel, St., 68
Gower, Bishop, 131
Grassholm, 121
Gulf Stream, 6
Gumfreston, 24, 25
Gwaen River, 2, 143
Gwahan Garreg, 138
Gwryd-bach, 141
H.
Haroldstone, 109, 179
Haverfordwest, 109-111, 178
Hayward Family, 177
Hean Castle, 31
Hênllan House, 78
Hênllys, 156
Hirlas Horn, 67
Hoaton, 124
Hobb's Point, 78, 106
Hodgeston, 39
Holyland, 104
Houghton, Bishop, 193
Howards of Rudbaxton, 175, 176
Howel Davies, 174
Hoyle's Mouth, 29
Hundleton, 74
Huntsman's Leap, 71
I.
Issells, St., 31
Ivy Tower, 31
J.
Jestynton, 85
Johnston, 108
Jordanston, 142
K.
Kemaes, 149
Kennox, St., 190
Kensington, Lord, 118
Kilgerran, 159, 160
King's Bridge, 104
L.
Lampeter Velfrey, 196
Lamphey, 36-38
Lamphey Park, 93
Landshipping, 184
Langwm, 180, 181
Laugharne Family, 119
Lawrenny, 183, 184
Letterston, 175
Little England beyond Wales, 6, 180
Little Haven, 117
Little Newcastle, 174
Llanbeudy, 174
Llandilo, 172, 173
Llangolman, 173
Llanhyvor Castle, 152
Llantood, 159
Llanvirnach, 173, 174
Llanwnda, 145, 146
Llawhaden, 190-193
Llechllafar, 135
Llechrhyd Bridge, 163
Llwyngwair, 2, 151
Longhouse, 142
Lord Kensington, 118
Lower Solva, 126
Lucy Walters, 107
Lydstep, 33
M.
Maenclochog, 171, 172
Malgwyn Castle, 163, 164
Manorbere, 48, 49
Manorbere Castle, 41-45
Manorbere Church, 50, 51
Marloes, 120, 121
Marteltewi, 182
Mathry, 142
Melchior Family, 173
Menapia, 5, 127, 139
Merlin's Bridge, 109
Mesur-y-Dorth, 142
Milford Haven, 3, 84, 104
Mill Bay, 123
Monachlogddu, 173
Monkton, 61-63
Moor Farm, 91
Mullock Bridge, 119
N.
Narberth, 195
Narberth Forest, 196
Nevern, 152-154
Nevern River, 2, 151, 166
Newgale Brook, 2, 126
New Milford, 106
Newport, 149-151
Newton, 89
Nightingales in Pembrokeshire, 77
Non's Chapel, 138
Normans in Pembrokeshire, 5, 149
O.
Octopitarum, 127
Ogham Stones, 20, 159
Old Hall, Monkton, 61
Old Rectory, Carew, 100
Orielton, 74
Orlandon, 119
Owen Glyndwr, 175
Owen of Hênllys, 156
P.
Parc-y-Marw, 148
Parrog, 2, 151
Pembroke, 54, 55, 60, 61
Pembroke Castle, 56-60
Pembroke Dock, 104-106
Penally, 31
Pen-beri, 2, 142
Pencaer, 147
Pennar River, 77
Pentre-Evan Cromlech, 158
Pen-y-Bont, 197
Philipps of Picton, 186, 187
Picton, 185-187
Picton Family, 186
Pilgrims' Cross at Nevern, 155
Plumstone Mountain, 2
Poll-tax Inn, 174
Pont-y-Baldwyn, 156
Precelly Hills, 1, 168, 169
Prendergast, 177
Pwllcroghan, 78
R.
Rambler's Folly, 93
Ramsey Island, 3, 138
Rees Pritchard, 190
Rhôs, 2
Rhôscrowther, 87
Rhys Monument, 13
Ridgeway, 35
Risam Monument, 12
Ritec Stream, 31
Robeston Wathen, 194
Roch Castle, 2, 126
Roman Roads, 5, 127, 174
Romans in Pembrokeshire, 5
Rosebush, 171
Rosemarket, 107
Rudbaxton, 175, 176
Rutzen, Baron de, 187
S.
Saundersfoot, 30
Scotsborough, 24
Sealyham, 175
Sergeant's Inn, 157
Skokholm, 121
Skomer, 3
Slebech, 188, 189
Solva, 126, 127
Solva River, 2
Stackpole, 6, 54, 65, 68
Stackpole Court, 66, 67
Stack Rocks, 72
St. Anne's Head, 84
St. Brides, 118
St. Bride's Bay, 3
St. Byrnach, 150, 174
St. Daniels, 63
St. Davids, 128, 129
St. Davids Cathedral, 130-134
St. David's Head, 139
St. Dogmaels, 165
St. Dogwells, 174
St. Florence, 28, 29
St. George's Bastion, Tenby, 18
St. Govan's Chapel, 68, 69
St. Issells, 31
St. Kennox, 190
St. Mary's College, 137
St. Non's Chapel, 138
St. Teilo, 33, 173
Sunken Wood, 71
Syvynvy River, 171
T.
Tafarn-Bwlch, 170, 171
Talbenny, 118
Teilo, St., 33, 173
Teivy River, 162
Temple-Druid, 172
Templeton, 196
Tenby, 8-11, 21
Tenby Church, 11, 12
Toad of Trellyfan, 156
Trefgarn, 2, 175
Trefloyne, 30
Trehowel, 147
Trellyfan, 155
Trevine, 142
U.
Upper Solva, 127
Upton Castle, 101
Upton Chapel, 102, 103
Uzmaston, 179
V.
Vaughan, Bishop, 134, 191
Vaughans of Dunraven, 13
Via Julia, 5, 127, 174
View from Foel Cwm-Cerwyn, 169, 170
Vrenny-Vawr, 167
W.
Wallaston Cross, 78
Walls of Tenby, 17-19
Walters, Lucy, 107
Walton-West, 114
Walwyn's Castle, 115
Warren, 73, 89, 92
Waterwinch, 30
Wells, 26, 30, 48, 69, 91, 138, 172, 173
West Angle Bay, 84
Western Cleddau, 2, 175
West Gate, Pembroke, 61
White's Monument, 11, 12
Whitland, 196
Williams, Clement, Esq., 32
Williamstown, 184
Wiston, 189, 190
Withybush, 177
Wogan Cavern, Pembroke, 59
Wogan Family, 179, 190