The town of Pembroke can trace its origins to 900 years ago when, in 1093,  Arnulf de Montgomery arrived with a force of conquering Normans and erected a wooden fortification on the spot where the castle now stands. He also founded the Benedictine Priory of Monkton in 1098 on the site of a much earlier Christian settlement.

However, below the castle there is evidence of  much earlier human habitation dating back some 12,000 years in Wogan's Cave and in Priory Farm Cave a short distance away above the Pembroke River. Later, the indications are that the existing castle would have been the site of a fortified Celtic settlement.

In 1102 Henry I exiled the treacherous Arnulf and appointed Gerald de Windsor as Castellan of Pembroke Castle. He also gave Gerald the Welsh Princess Nest’s hand in marriage and granted Pembroke its first charter. Pembroke stood strong against Welsh insurgency: South Pembrokeshire was colonized by English and Flemings which in effect made it culturally English, earning it the name Little England beyond Wales.

The Earldom of Pembroke was created in 1138. The first Earl, Gilbert de Clare was granted palatinate powers to further strengthen Pembroke against Welsh attack. He was succeeded by his son Earl Richard Strongbow, the man who led the conquest of Ireland in 1169. The invasion was launched from Pembroke where, in the autumn of 1171, Henry II ordered the 400 strong English fleet to assemble in the Haven, the largest ever gathering of warships there.

Strongbow’s daughter and heiress Isabel was married to the great William Marshal, who became Earl of Pembroke in 1189. He was responsible for the building of the Castle in stone, with its Norman Hall and distinctive, cylindrical Great Keep or Donjon. Pembroke  grew and prospered in the shadow of the castle. The historic core of the town was established then, of one long main street flanked by shops, businesses and houses constructed in burgage plots, protected on three sides by water and surrounded by walls. Charters granted by Henry I and Henry II bestowed privileges upon the town, awarding it the monopoly of sea trade in Milford Haven which brought great prosperity.

During the Wars of the Roses, town & castle wavered in support of warring Lancastrian & Yorkist factions. In 1447 Jasper Tudor (half brother to Henry IV) was appointed Earl of Pembroke and into his care was sent the young Margaret Beaufort who gave birth to a son in Pembroke Castle in 1457, a son destined to become Henry VII and founder of the Tudor dynasty. His son Henry VIII succeeded as Earl of Pembroke and bestowed the title of Marchioness to his wife Anne Boleyn in 1532. It was during this reign that Pembroke’s fortunes fell: the Act of Union 1536 took away Pembroke’s Palatine status and brought to an end the Earldom. The Second Act of Union 1543 gave Haverfordwest county status & effectively became the county town. The title of Earl of Pembroke became a title in name only. Monkton Priory too fell victim to the English Reformation and the Dissolution of the Monasteries. These were times of decline.

However, Pembroke rose again to national notice in the following century. John Poyer, a staunch parliamentarian, became Mayor in 1641 and in 1642 all of Wales declared for the king apart from Pembroke and Tenby. Unfortunately, Poyer later changed sides and, in what was to become the second civil war in 1648, subjected Pembroke to a lengthy siege which was conducted by Cromwell himself. Poyer surrendered and was executed, while much of the castle and walls of Pembroke were demolished.

These were bad times indeed but it would appear that Pembroke saw a revival of its fortunes in the 18th Century when Daniel Defoe described it as the richest and most flourishing town in South Wales. Pembroke was now the major port on Milford Haven and trade was booming. Many of the houses in the Main Street date from this time, built in the 18th and early 19th Centuries in a simple Georgian style. Many were rebuilt on medieval sites and still incorporate the earlier fabric including the undercroft.

Pembroke’s fortunes took a down turn in the 19th Century: much maritime trade was taken by Haverfordwest & Milford and the opening of the railway in 1866 resulted in the gradual decline of Pembroke’s shipping industry. The last trading vessel to sail up to the Pembroke Quay was the Kathleen and May in 1960.

Pembroke, unlike Pembroke Dock, was left unscathed by the blitz of WWII. It was after the Second World War that Pembroke was to change dramatically: until then it was largely still confined within its walls and the medieval layout of burgage plots was almost intact. After the war Pembroke saw a huge expansion of housing and much of Monkton was destroyed to create a new social housing development.

In 1972 Pembroke was designated a Conservation Area in recognition of its national historic importance and architectural merit.

YESTERDAY’S HOME
A collection of artefacts from a 1940s home

STORY OF PEMBROKE
Pembroke has a great and prestigious history. Follow the story of Pembroke and meet the people who made Pembroke great, including the Princess Nest; the great Earl of Pembroke, William Marshal; Henry VII, founder of the Tudor dynasty and John Poyer who heroically held out against Cromwell in the siege of Pembroke.

ORAL HISTORY
Oral history recordings have featured strongly in the work of the History Society. This developed into digital story telling and the Society has published a history of Pembroke told through the experiences of 45 people. These stories can be seen in the Museum and is also available to purchase as a DVD with an accompanying book ‘Through My Eyes: a Community History of Pembroke & Monkton’.

MARITIME PEMBROKE
Pembroke was once a great port and maritime history features prominently in our collection. We have a collection of artefacts from West Wales Maritime Heritage Society including fine model ships of the Mary Fortune (Henry VII’s battleship) and the Kathleen & May made by David James. WWMHS has a museum in Hancock’s Yard, Pembroke Dock, http://www.westwalesmaritimeheritage.org.uk/

THE WELSH COLLECTION
The Museum has an important collection of 19th Century Welsh costume with accompanying artefacts.

HAGGAR’S WORLD OF SILENT MOVIES
The much loved Haggars cinema in Pembroke closed its doors in 1984. It was one of a number of cinemas founded by William Haggar, pioneer of movie making in this country and whose origins lay in the travelling theatres and bioscopes (travelling cinema) which travelled the fairgrounds, once a main attraction in Pembroke Michaelmas Fair. The museum holds a Haggar archive which includes the surviving Haggar silent movies which can be viewed. A book on the history of the Haggar family has been published by Pembroke & Monkton Local History Society and is on sale in the Museum.

CHILDREN’S TOYS
Our toy collection ranges from Victorian to the 1950s: from hoops, puzzles, board games and construction toys to puppets and toy trains.

PHOTOGRAPHIC ARCHIVE
The Museum has a large collection of  old picture postcards and a very large archive of digitalised photographs of Pembroke and surrounding area. We are always looking to increase this and welcome photographs to scan.

PRINTS OF PEMBROKE
Many of the great 18th and 19th Century artist, including Turner and Sandby, came to Pembroke to paint the castle and it picturesque surroundings. The Museum has a fine collection of prints, including the Buck’s brothers Pembroke Prospect 1747.

The Museum welcomes donations. Pembroke Museum literally started from scratch in 2013: everything we have has either been loaned or donated.

If you can help, please contact
Hon. Curator Linda Asman on 07584 429224 or email pembrokehistory@live.co.uk

WE ARE ALL VOLUNTEERS

Pembroke Museum is run entirely by volunteers and we welcome anyone who may wish to join us. The Museum is organised by the Pembroke & Monkton Local History Society, a registered charity which aims to promote the history of our historic town. Its charitable aims include raising funds for the museum.

Duties include manning the museum on a weekly rota as well as general housekeeping, administration, research and the preparation of displays. Training is provided. We run an annual programme of events and our talks are usually accompanied by a coffee morning to cover costs. We also have fundraising Quiz Nights every other month which include a buffet prepared by volunteers. Good cooks are especially welcome!

We are a friendly group and like to get together for outings and birthday celebrations. We also have a programme of visits to other museums and places of interest.

If you would like to join us, please contact us at pembrokehistory@live.co.uk Or you can leave a message at Pembroke Town Hall 01646 683092 and call in to see us in the Museum.