from the height of which an admirable view may be attained; reach Dry
Burrows, a furzy moor, covered with tumuli. To the left stands
Orielton. Here, turn to the right, passing Castleton, still you will
observe various tumuli: from this height to the right, the navigation
from Pennarmouth to the town of Pembroke. The coast here is famous
for oysters of superior excellence, in inexhaustible quantities.
Descend by Hênllan, anciently inhabited by the descendants of
Gwynfard Dyfed: hence to Pwllcrochon church-yard, upon a small creek
of Milford Haven, in which a memorable skirmish took place between
the king’s and parliament’s forces. The parish church of
Rhôscrowther is dignified with a handsome tower, and the interior
contains some figures well sculptured: distant a quarter of a mile
stands Iestingtown, or vulgarly Iseston, long the residence of the
family of Meares; it appears to have been castellated. Not far from
the church is a well, called St. Degmen’s, to which great virtues
have been ascribed. Skirting the Bay of Nangle, reach the village of
that name, so called from being somewhat placed _in angulo_. It
bears marks of former consequence: in the church is a monument to
Brigadier Ferrars. To the north of a brook, running behind the
church-yard, are the remains of a considerable building, with a
square tower, called the castle, said to have been the principal
residence of the Sherbones, ancient Lords of the Vill; it is now an
inn. Hence along the coast is a block-house, a singular building,
reared upon the very edge of a horrid precipice overhanging the sea,
fronting another upon the dale side of Milford. The masonry of these
buildings is excellent; their origin is uncertain. Leaving Bangeston
on the left, after passing over a sandy tract, you reach the village
of Castle Martin, an ancient British post, part of the works of which
are still remaining. A little further is Merion Court, belonging to
Lord Cawdor; and, near to the village, to the north-east, a British
circular camp. The road now passes the extremity of Lord Cawdor’s
property at Brawnslade, farmed on the most improved principles.
Still further along the coast is Bully Bear, where are the remains of
a fortified camp. Hence to Linney Point, and the Head of Man, a
promontory of great height, awfully overhanging its base: near this,
a fine view of an insulated rock, called Pennyholt Stock, pass the
Wash to a Danish camp; in which is that wonderful chasm called the
Caldron: the entrance to the camp is by a winding ascent; it has been
of considerable extent and great strength; and, with the Caldron and
rock, most curious and worthy of observation. Bosherton Meer is
occasionally agitated to such an extent as to be heard at a
considerable distance—resembling thunder, and its foam rising many
feet above the mouth of the pit. At a short distance to the east, is
a fissure in the cliffs not discernible till nearly on its edge,
called Penny’s and Adam’s Leap, over which these hunters were
precipitated: thence you proceed to the Horse Block, and St. Govan’s
Chapel and Well, to the latter of which great virtues are ascribed.
The surrounding scenery is in the highest degree picturesque: the
larger bay is surrounded by cliffs, in the form of an amphitheatre;
that in which the hermitage is placed is truly romantic. In
proceeding to Stackpool Court, after again gaining the height, you
pass Buckspool, and from thence to Bosherton; below the village, pass
under a tongue of land, on which are the remains of a strong
encampment; near this is a small cavern, in the Limestone Rock, where
human bones have been found. Harold is said to have infested this
coast, and to have left marks of his predatory victories inscribed—
Hic Haroldus victor fuit.
Of three stones, the most east stands in Stackpool Park Warren,
pitched upon one end; the second, surmounting a carnedd, is in a
field called Horsestone Park, consisting of a great mass of
limestone, six feet above the ground, five in breadth, and a foot in
thickness; it is bedded in an almost circular mound of stones. The
third stone is upon the same line, but more west; it is the tallest,
almost incrusted with a minute lichen.”
Stackpool Court (from the broad rock at the mouth of Broad Haven) is the
elegant seat of Lord Cawdor. It is on the west side of the pool, on a
fine eminence, at the edge of a bold declivity. It bore originally a
castellated form, but lost its ancient baronial character. In the civil
wars it was fortified and garrisoned for the king. The walls were so
strong, that the ordnance made little impression. The present mansion,
which occupies the same site, is of wrought limestone; its architecture
is heavy. Lady Cawdor has contributed to Mr. Fenton’s Tour, from her own
pencil, a charming view of this vicinity, taken near the bridge, in
crossing from the house to the park. The house has two fronts, the
principal one facing the pleasure-ground, the other opening to a fine
piece of water. You enter the latter front from a broad terrace,
extending to the whole length; and, after descending, it continues to the
extent of a spacious conservatory. The house is formed into many fine
apartments, and the library is large. In one room, containing family
pictures, is a whole length of Lord Cawdor, by Sir J. Reynolds, and
another of Lady Cawdor, by Sir W. Beechey. The offices are well
arranged, and the stables form a detached large quadrangular building.
Of Stackpool, says Mr. Fenton, without straining a compliment, there are
few places which display more magnificence without, or more sumptuous
hospitality and elegant comforts within. But, to sum up the importance
of this place, be it known that it stands in the midst of a property of
fifteen thousand acres of most valuable land! Opposite is the park, well
stocked with deer, deformed by some barren sand-banks, and at present
deficient in wood. The borders of the lake and the pleasure-grounds are,
however, richly wooded. Between the park and the sea there is a warren,
formed of mountains of sand, and consolidated by that valuable plant
môrhesg (juncus maritimus), sea or mat rushes. The lake is abundantly
stocked with wild fowl, which collect at a call, and consent to be fed
like barn-door poultry.
Passing along the park, enter the pleasant village of Stackpool, where
the ancient lords’ vassals resided: hence descend to a vale on the right,
where a private gate leads through a woody avenue to the church of
Chereton, or Stackpool Elidur, so named from its founder. It stands at
the head of a sequestered dell; is a plain building, with a tower;
consists of a nave and chancel, having two small aisles on the south
side. On the north side of the chancel, under a wrought canopy of stone,
lies a cross-legged knight, said to represent Elidur de Stackpool, the
first possessor of Stackpool; the same whom Giraldus mentions, who took
the cross at the time that Archbishop Baldwin made his transit through
the country. Ascend to St. Petroc’s, a rectory in the gift of Lord
Cawdor: the church is small, but very light and neat. The only
conspicuous monument is a handsome mural marble tablet, to a Lady Jane
Mansell, wife first of Sir Roger Lort, and afterwards Sir Edward Mansell,
of Muddlescombe, Bart. in the county of Caermarthen. The rectors of this
place have been observed to live to a great age.
At a short distance from Stackpool stands the chapel of St. Gowen,
situated in a fine amphitheatre of rocks, rising immediately over the
sea. In respect to this scene, the Author of the Beauties, Harmonies,
and Sublimities of Nature, thus expresses himself:—“As for you, my
Lelius, never shall I forget your enthusiasm, when we visited the chapel
of St. Gowen, situated among those stupendous rocks, which, forming a
semicircular area towards the sea, commands a noble prospect of the coast
of Devon. The language you employed on that interesting occasion, never
can I be so base as to forget! ‘If our prayers are at one time more
acceptable than at another, it must assuredly be in those moments when
our souls are elevated by such scenery as this! Often have I been awed
to devotion at Rome and at Loretto, in the presence of Canons, Bishops,
and Cardinals; but here, in the rude simplicity of nature, I feel my
spirit separate, as it were, from the tenement which has so long chained
it to the earth, and wing its course directly up to heaven! The
magnificent area, in which this small chapel is situated, is a temple
more sublimely grand and affecting than all the mosques of Turkey, and
all the cathedrals of France, Italy, or Spain.’”
At Pembroke we hired a boat, {80a} intending to sail round the extensive
Haven of Milford; and, as we retired from the shore, we took a retrospect
of the dilapidated walls of the castle, once the terror, and even in
ruins, the pride of the scene. It is most advisable to make this
excursion at high water, as it adds much to the picturesque scenery of
the _tout ensemble_.
MILFORD HAVEN,
is justly compared to “an immense lake; for, the mouth not being at any
distance visible, the whole haven seems land-locked. Though it is a mile
and three quarters wide, it could not be defended against an enemy, nor
is there a sufficiency of timber in the neighbourhood. {80b}
“This haven is formed by a great advance of the sea into the land, it
being above ten miles from the southernmost point at Nangle to Pembroke,
beyond which the tide comes up to and beyond Carew Castle. It is capable
of holding the whole navy of England; and the same is said of Cork
Harbour. {80c} The spring tides rise thirty-six feet, the neap above
twenty-six. Ships may be out of this haven in an hour’s time; and in
eight or ten hours over at Ireland, or the Land’s End; and this with
almost any wind, by day or night.”
“In surveying the estuary of Milford Haven,” says a writer, whom we shall
frequently have occasion to quote, “expanding into one of the finest
harbours in all Europe, and wearing the appearance of an immense lake,
sufficiently large to contain the entire navy of the British Crown,
secure from winds and tempests, and where a large fleet might manœuvre
with the greatest safety,—what ideas of power and magnificence are
awakened in the mind! Then by a magic glance we traverse the tempestuous
Channel to the Irish coast, and call to mind the various crimes and
injuries which that ill-fated country has committed and received.
Returning to the spot whence we had travelled, beholding the creeks and
bays, the woods, and various agreeable accompaniments, which embellish
this majestic estuary; who is there that does not derive the highest
satisfaction in recalling to memory the beautiful scene in Cymbeline,
where Imogen, in the character of Fidele, has flowers sprinkled over her
grave, and a solemn dirge performed in honour of her memory?”
Our reception at the miserable place of
HUBBERSTON
did not induce us to stay longer than was sufficient to recruit
ourselves. We found the dirty inn pre-occupied by unfortunate Irish
refugees: their situation was indeed melancholy; driven from their
country, their friends, and all most dear to them!—And wishing to forget
their past sufferings, the following lines seem applicable to their
situation:
“Oh! could oblivion’s friendly draught
Soothe all our sorrows to repose;
Nor that intruder, restless thought,
Renew our agonizing woes!
“Then, all unconscious of the past,
The present hour might calmly glide;
Keen retrospect no more be cast
O’er life’s tempestuous, changeful tide:
“Yet Heaven, to all its creatures kind,
With peace can gild the deepest gloom;
And, ’mid misfortune’s wrecks, the mind
May sweet serenity assume.”
Having refreshed ourselves, we walked to
MILFORD,
a small village, opposite Hubberston: several comfortable houses are
situated on the hill, commanding a delightful view of the haven. Such
was Milford when originally described in this work: but it now ranks as a
town of some consequence in Wales. The haven, from its extent and
safety, held forth such great inducements to improve the vicinity, and
gradually to raise it into consequence as a sea-port, that the Right Hon.
Charles Greville, whose property it became on the death of Sir W.
Hamilton, obtained an Act of Parliament for the building of the town, and
the privileges it was to enjoy. After having selected the situation,
which is one of the finest parts of the haven, Mr. G. laid down the
ground-plan of the streets: the principal ones run in parallel lines east
and west, and in the direction of the shore, with short streets of
communication intersecting them at right angles. The houses are
generally good, and many calculated for the residence of opulent
families.
The church is near the haven, at the east end of the lowest street. The
windows contain the arms of Hamilton, Barlow, and Greville. The tower,
at the west end of the edifice, is very conspicuous in sailing up the
haven. The custom-house is at the lower end of the town, by the water
side. The dock-yards are immediately in front of the town: they are
calculated for the building of line-of-battle ships, as well as frigates:
it was formed after a plan by Lord Spencer. Packets are stationed here
under excellent regulations, for the conveyance of the mails and
passengers to Waterford.
The mail from London arrives here every evening, and departs in the
morning. Markets are held on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
To the west of Milford is Priory Pill, on the opposite bank of which is
Haking, or Old Milford. Wet docks were about to be established on this
creek, but the design was abandoned. Between Haking and Hubberstone is
the observatory and mathematical school. Being satisfied with our day’s
excursion, we again returned to our comfortable quarters at Tenby, which
we left with regret a few days afterwards.
We again pursued the Pembroke road; and, about two miles from Tenby, the
neglected walls of
CAREW CASTLE
invited curiosity;—and,
“Deep struck with awe, we mark’d the dome o’erthrown,
Where once the beauty bloom’d, the warrior shone:
We saw the castle’s mouldering tow’rs decay’d,
The loose stone tott’ring o’er the trembling shade.”
This castle, once the residence of the famous Sir Rhys ap Thomas, I
imagine, was intended more for a noble residence than a place of defence.
The walls of this building are very thick, and constructed with stones of
a large size, strongly cemented with mortar. It is situated on a branch
of Milford Haven, and consists of a range of apartments built round a
quadrangle, with a circular tower at each corner. The south wall is
entirely demolished; but the north consists of a spacious hall, measuring
one hundred and two feet by twenty, supposed to have been built by Sir
John Perrot: above and under this hall are noble apartments and extensive
offices. This castle appears to have been erected at different times, if
we may judge from the architecture. Every ledge of the walls of the
towers, denoting the different stories, was embossed with vegetation,
which seemed to grow from the solid stone. Over the gate-way, at the
west side, are the arms of England, Duke of Lancaster, and Carew; and
contiguous to this entrance is another spacious room, measuring eighty
feet by thirty.
The village of Carew is poor: there is, by the side of the road, a cross,
fashioned out of a single stone, fourteen feet high, and carved all over.
Leaving Carew, we crossed a small bridge over an arm of Milford Haven,
and continued our route across a barren and uninteresting heath; till,
descending to the village of
CRESSELEY,
the luxuriant plantation of firs, belonging to Sir William Hamilton,
attracted our attention. Small vessels constantly frequent this quay,
from whence a quantity of small coal is shipped to different parts. From
hence the road is extremely barren and unpicturesque; but, about three
miles from
LANDSHIPPING,
an arm of Milford Haven again burst upon our sight. Near it is situated
the uninhabited house of Sir William Owen. In crossing the ferry, Picton
Castle, the property of Lord Milford, formed a prominent feature in the
gay scene; and Slebitch, the seat of Mr. Philips, standing at the end of
the Haven, contributes considerably to this picturesque prospect. The
grounds of
PICTON,
through which we passed, about five miles in extent, seemed to be well
planned, and kept in excellent order. This castle has always been
inhabited; and, having escaped the fate of all other castles in Wales,
during the civil wars, it retained, till very late, much of its original
external form.
Mr. Fenton’s description of this noble spot is so correct and energetic,
that I shall, in justice to him, as well as to Picton, here insert it.
“Picton castle owes its beauties to circumstances that wealth cannot
supply, or titles confer; circumstances that age, and an unbroken line of
ancestry in its possessors, have given value to, and have made venerable;
an ancient structure, that nothing can so much disfigure as an attempt to
modernize, and make less so;—a castle (and I believe a solitary instance)
never forfeited, never deserted, never vacant; and that never knew a
melancholy blank in its want of a master; from whose walls hospitality
was never exiled, and whose governors might be said to have been
hereditary; a castle in the midst of possessions and forests coeval with
itself, and proudly looking down over a spacious domain, on woods of
every after-growth, to an inland sea, bounding its property and its
prospects beyond them; for such is Picton Castle.”
The ground plan occupies an oblong area, having three large projecting
bastions on each side. At the east end was the grand gate, with a
portcullis between two similar bastions: this, without any injury to the
general aspect, has yielded to a modern entrance, as have the moat and
drawbridge, to a terrace, with an open parapet: the additions at the west
end are not so fortunate: they injure the appearance, but add to the
comforts of the castle, as a modern residence; affording Lord Milford
more ample scope for that noble hospitality which he so liberally
exercises according to the usage of his ancestors.
Lord Milford possesses a fine cabinet of drawings by eminent masters,
collected in Italy by Sir Erasmus Phillips, his uncle. The park is well
wooded, but destitute of deer. The gardens, forcing-houses, &c. &c. are
very extensive, and in high order.
A beautiful walk, which passes near the old encampment, called Castle
Lake, leads to Slebech, an ancient commandery of the Knights of St. John
of Jerusalem, but neither trace nor vestige of the old commandery are now
to be found. The church is ancient and respectable, but not large; it
contains two figures in alabaster, believed to be of the Barlow family.
Returning again to Picton, at the extremity of the park, a good turnpike
road soon conducted us to
HAVERFORDWEST,
which is considered as one of the largest towns in South Wales. It is
very irregularly built, on the declivity of a hill, which is in some
parts so very steep, that the ground-rooms frequently overlook the
neighbouring roofs; yet there are some good houses. It is considered as
a county of itself, and sends one member to parliament. The town was
formerly fortified by a strong wall, or rampart, on the western summit;
the shell of a once extensive castle is still remaining; this is now
converted into a gaol.
The parade, commanding a cheerful view of the neighbouring country, and
the ruins of an ancient abbey, extends for a considerable way by the side
of a hill. At the extremity of this walk stand the ruins of an ancient
priory of black canons; the remains are now very inconsiderable, but we
easily traced the chapel, over one end of which is an arch, still in good
preservation, and beautifully enwreathed with a rich drapery of ivy.
The castle, which was built by Gilbert de Clare, first Earl of Pembroke,
was a strong edifice; but the keep now only remains; and that has been
converted into a gaol. From its elevated situation, it has a commanding
appearance, and an air of ruined grandeur, more interesting than the
proudest modern edifice can boast.
Haverford is called by the Welsh Hwlfordh. {88a} Having finished our
survey of Haverford, we started early the next morning, proposing to
breakfast at
NEWGIN BRIDGE,
where we understood we should meet with every thing comfortable; but, to
our disappointment, we found a most miserable, dirty pot-house, destitute
of even the common comforts of life. I recollected Shenstone’s
complimentary lines on an inn, but could not apply them on the present
occasion:
“Whoe’er has travell’d life’s dull round,
Where’er his stages may have been,
May sigh to think that he has found
The warmest welcome at an inn.” {88b}
The road from Haverford to Newgin we found very uninteresting; and the
shell of
ROACH CASTLE.
did not detain us long. It stands on a rocky eminence, now completely in
ruins, with only one tower remaining. “Roach Castle,” says Leland, “in
Rouseland, to the right of the road to St. David’s, shews a round and
some double out-works, visible at a great distance. It belonged to the
Lords Ferrars, and old Langeville, Knt. of Bucks.”
In descending the hill to Newgin, the dark lowering rocks, which form
that fine bay, called St. Bride’s, exhibited a grand prospect. In the
centre of this bay is situated Newgin, bounded on the south by the island
of Skomar, and on the north by Ramsay. The fields adjacent to this place
have been frequently inundated by extraordinary overflowings of the sea:
at the reflux of the tide, the sands admit of most excellent walking.
The saunter from hence to the city of
ST. DAVID’S,
now properly deserving the name of a village, was rather more captivating
than our walk before breakfast: it was occasionally enlivened by the
prospect of the wide ocean, boundless to our view on one side, whilst
before us the fantastic shapes of the rocks off St. David’s Head
exhibited Nature in her most awful and striking attitudes. Above the
rest, Caern Thydy lifted its bold promontory, as if to give effect to the
true landscape. About half way between Newgin and St. David’s, the
beautiful little village of Solva unexpectedly burst upon our view,
studded with neat white-washed cottages, and enclosed on each side with
lofty rocks, which here form a picturesque and interesting chasm. These
rocks, indeed, I could almost imagine were torn asunder by some
convulsive rent of the earth. The cathedral, and dilapidated ruins of
the episcopal palace, are situated at the bottom of a steep hill, and
scarcely visible in the town: these, and the prebendal houses, were
formerly enclosed by a strong stone wall, with four gates, computed at
eleven hundred yards in circuit. David, {90} the national saint of
Wales, with the consent of King Arthur, is said to have removed the
metropolitan see from Caerleon to Menevia, which has ever since been
called Ty Dewi by the Welsh, and St. David by the English. What were the
condition and extent of this town formerly it is difficult to say, having
been so frequently destroyed. At present it is a very small city, and
has nothing to boast but its ruined palace and old cathedral, dedicated
to St. Andrew and St. David, which has often been demolished; but
rebuilt, in its present form, by Bishop Peter, according to Giraldus, in
the reign of King Henry II.; or, as Willis, in the year 1110, in Rhos
Vale, below the town. It is still esteemed a noble pile, consisting of
two transepts, measuring in length, from east to west, three hundred
feet; and the body, with the aisles, seventy-six feet broad.