Visit Haverfordwest Places

Welcome to Visit Haverfordwest Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Haverfordwest

  

Haverfordwest Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Haverfordwest

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Haverfordwest history

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South Pembrokeshire is known as ‘Little England Beyond Wales’ because the markets traded with Welsh farmers in the north and east. Prendergast seems to have originated as an extramural Welsh dormitory.

Origins

Iron Age and Roman coinage and artefact discoveries point to significant Roman penetration to this westernmost part of Wales. The strategic position of Haverfordwest with its defensive bluff overlooking the lowest fordable point on the western Cleddau would have required a Roman presence, probably modest in scale.

Medieval period

The ecclesiastical centre of the area (perhaps the seat of a bishop in the Age of the Saints) was probably one of the several churches of the local St Ismael, most probably St. Ishmael’s. This occurred around 1110. The proposition that Haverfordwest Castle was founded by Tancred, a Flemish Marcher Lord, is questionable. The Marcher Lords were not Flemish but Norman Barons originally along the Marches (Anglo-Welsh border). The castle is recorded as having been founded in 1100 by the Norman Gilbert de Clare. The Flemings, said to have arrived in three groups in 1107, 1111 and 1151, are likely to have participated in its later development for their own and the Normans’ protection from the Welsh warlords. It is recorded that the Constable of the castle in 1207 was Itohert, son of Richard Tancard, possibly a descendant of the first Tancred. The Flemish presence, reputed to result from floods in the Low Countries, was more likely to have consisted initially of Flemish mercenaries originally in the invading army of William the Conqueror, who in reward for their part in William’s victory were granted lands in parts of Northern Britain, and in Wales in the Gower, and Geraldus Cambrensis recorded their presence in the Hundred of Roose in Pembrokeshire. A Fleming, Wizo, who died in 1130 founded at Wiston a motte and bailey fortification, the forerunner of the stone castle, for protection against the Welsh warlords: the Flemings were reportedly unpopular wherever they settled. The precarious position of Normans and Flemings was demonstrated in 1136 when the Normans, having already lost 500 men in battle at Loughor, re-recruited from Lordships from all over South Wales and led by Robert fitz Martin at Crug Mawr near Cardigan attacked Owain Gwynedd and his army. Routed, they fled over the Teifi Bridge which collapsed; the retreating Normans drowning under the weight of their armour. Their leader Richard de Clare had previously been intercepted and killed by Iorwerth ab Owen. Wiston and the castle were overrun in 1147 by Hywel Sais, son of Lord Rhys. Ranulf Higden in his Polychronicus records the Flemings as extinct in Pembrokeshire by 1327 but Flemish mercenaries reappear in 1400 when at the behest of Henry IV they joined an army of 1,500 English settlers who marched north from Pembrokeshire to attack the army of Owain Glyndŵr at Mynydd Hyddgen. The attack was repulsed with heavy casualties and legend has it that English prisoners were spared but surviving Flemish mercenaries were massacred or sold into slavery. St Mary’s Church originated at the end of the 12th century and the current (Grade I listed) building was constructed between the 13th and 15th centuries and prominently visible at the top of the High Street. Haverfordwest rapidly grew, initially around the castle and St Martin’s Church (the settlement being called Castletown), then spreading into the High Street area. It immediately became the capital of the hundred of Roose (part of Little England beyond Wales), and because of its pivotal position, the commercial centre of western Dyfed, which it has remained to this day. In common with other British towns, its growth was rapid during the period up to 1300, and its extent by then was much the same as it was in the early 19th century. A large town by the standards of the time, its population was probably around 4,000–5,000. It received its first marcher charter from William Marshall, 1st Earl of Pembroke sometime between 1213 and 1219, and obtained the lucrative trading privileges of an English borough. It traded both by land and sea and had a busy tidal quay on the river below the “New” Bridge. At least ten guilds operated, and there was significant woollen cloth manufacture. On 30 April 1479, the town was designated a county corporate by a charter of Edward, Prince of Wales, with the aim of supporting a campaign against piracy in local waters. It shared this distinction only with Carmarthen and a few towns in England and remained officially “The Town and County of Haverfordwest” until the abolition of the borough in 1974. In common with other large towns in Europe, Haverfordwest was hit hard by the Black Death in 1348, suffering both depopulation (perhaps by more than 50%) and diminution of trade. Large parts of the town were abandoned, and it did not start to recover until the Tudor period. At the end of the 17th century, the town was still significantly smaller than in 1300. In 1405, the town was burned by the French allies of Owain Glyndwr, although in its early history Haverfordwest suffered less than most towns in Wales from such depredations.

Post-medieval

During the English Civil War, the burgesses of the borough supported Parliament, while the ruling gentry were Royalist. There followed a period of stagnation in which the comparative status of the town declined.

20th century

Some 1,200 men of Pembrokeshire lost their lives in World War I. Haverfordwest was bombed for the first time during World War II on 24 September 1940.

Haverfordwest toponymy

The name means “ford used by heifers” from Old English hæfer. “West” was added in the 15th century to distinguish the town from Hereford. Welsh name is said to be “merely a corruption of the English name”

You can visit Haverfordwest places with Walkfo Haverfordwest to hear history at Haverfordwest’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Haverfordwest has 19 places to visit in our interactive Haverfordwest map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Haverfordwest, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Haverfordwest places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Haverfordwest & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 19 audio facts unique to Haverfordwest places in an interactive Haverfordwest map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Haverfordwest Places Map
19 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Haverfordwest historic spots	Haverfordwest tourist destinations	Haverfordwest plaques	Haverfordwest geographic features
Walkfo Haverfordwest tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Haverfordwest

  

Best Haverfordwest places to visit

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Haverfordwest has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Haverfordwest’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Haverfordwest’s information audio spots:

Merlin’s Bridge Merlin’s Bridge (Welsh: Bont Myrddin) is a village and community south of, and contiguous with, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, on the A4076 to Milford Haven. The community had a population of 2,202 in the 2011 census.

Haverfordwest power station Haverfordwest power station was owned by West Cambrian Power Company Limited. It was owned and operated by the British Electricity Authority following nationalisation in 1948. It comprised diesel engines driving electricity alternators. It supplied electricity to the town and surrounding area from 1931 to the 1960s.

St Mary’s Church, Haverfordwest St Mary’s Church is an Anglican church in the centre of Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales. The church dates from the 12th century and is a Grade I listed building.

County of Pembroke War Memorial The County of Pembroke War Memorial was erected in 1921 to commemorate the county’s fallen of World War I. It is a Grade II listed structure.

Withybush General Hospital Withybush General Hospital is a district general hospital in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is managed by Hywel Dda University Health Board.

Visit Haverfordwest plaques