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Pembrokeshire

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<b>Pembrokeshire</b>Posted by RiotGibbonCarn Meini © RiotGibbon
Also known as:
  • Sir Benfro

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Web searches for Pembrokeshire

Sites/Groups in this region:

7 posts
The Altar Burial Chamber
2 posts
Caerfai Camp Cliff Fort
2 posts
Carningli South Ancient Village / Settlement / Misc. Earthwork
Carn Enoch Carving
9 posts
Carn Gilfach Chambered Tomb
3 posts
Carn Llwyd 2 Ancient Village / Settlement / Misc. Earthwork
38 posts
Carreg Samson Dolmen / Quoit / Cromlech
2 posts
Castell Mawr Henge
Castell y Blaidd Round Barrow(s)
Castle Head Enclosure
Cerrig Y Derwyddon Standing Stone / Menhir
3 posts
Cliff Cottage Stone(s) Standing Stone / Menhir
3 posts
Cornel Bach Standing Stones
2 posts
Cot Llwyd Ancient Village / Settlement / Misc. Earthwork
2 posts
Crug Swllt Round Barrow(s)
2 posts
Deer Park Hillfort
2 posts
Devil's Quoit Standing Stone / Menhir
10 posts
Devil's Quoit Standing Stone / Menhir
14 posts
Devil's Quoit Burial Chamber
1 post
Dry Burrows Barrow Cemetery
4 posts
Eithbed Dolmen / Quoit / Cromlech
8 posts
Ffynnon Druidion Standing Stone / Menhir
3 posts
Ffynnon Druidion Burial Chamber Burial Chamber
8 posts
Ffyst Samson Chambered Tomb
13 posts
Garnwnda Burial Chamber
7 posts
Garn Fawr Hillfort
15 posts
Garn Turne Burial Chamber
11 posts
1 site
Garn Wen Burial Chamber
4 posts
Glandwr Churchyard Standing Stone / Menhir
2 posts
Grassholm Ancient Village / Settlement / Misc. Earthwork
1 post
Gumfreston Sacred Well
28 posts
The Hanging Stone Dolmen / Quoit / Cromlech
9 posts
Harold Stone Standing Stone / Menhir
9 posts
Harold Stone Standing Stone / Menhir
5 posts
Hoyle's Mouth Cave Cave / Rock Shelter
19 posts
Kings Quoit Dolmen / Quoit / Cromlech
1 post
Lady's Gate Standing Stone / Menhir
3 posts
Little Hoyle Cave Cave / Rock Shelter
1 post
Llain Garreg Hir Standing Stone / Menhir
3 posts
Llanfyrnach stone A Standing Stone / Menhir
5 posts
Llanfyrnach Stone B Standing Stone / Menhir
1 post
Llanfyrnach stone C Standing Stone / Menhir
2 posts
Llecha Cromlech Dolmen / Quoit / Cromlech
7 posts
The Longstone Standing Stone / Menhir
5 posts
The Long Stone Standing Stone / Menhir
6 posts
The Long Stone Standing Stone / Menhir
4 posts
Maen Dewi Standing Stone / Menhir
9 posts
The Nab Head Ancient Village / Settlement / Misc. Earthwork
2 posts
Nanna's Cave Cave / Rock Shelter
8 posts
Nevern Castle Hillfort
2 posts
Parc Hen Stone Standing Stone / Menhir
6 posts
Parc y Garreg Standing Stone / Menhir
2 posts
Parc y Llyn Burial Chamber
6 posts
Pen-Rhiw Wedge Tomb
1 post
Plumstone Mountain Round Barrow(s)
2 posts
64 sites
The Preseli Mountains
5 posts
Rhos y Clegyrn Standing Stone / Menhir
1 post
Rudbaxton Rath Hillfort
4 posts
1 site
Skomer Standing Stone / Menhir
5 posts
5 sites
St David's Head
10 posts
St Elvis Dolmen / Quoit / Cromlech
5 posts
St Nons Standing Stones
Tower Point Cliff Fort
6 posts
Trecenny Stone Standing Stone / Menhir
4 posts
Trefael Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art
6 posts
Treffynnon Burial Chamber
2 posts
Tremaenhir Standing Stones
6 posts
Tre Wallter Llwyd Burial Chamber
7 posts
White House, Llanhowell Cromlech Chambered Tomb
4 posts
The Wogan Cave / Rock Shelter
Sites of disputed antiquity:
2 posts
Llanrhian Standing Stone / Menhir
10 posts
St Govan's Well and Chapel Sacred Well
2 posts
Wiston Castle Rath

News

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Talk on "Beyond Stonehenge - Carn Meini and the Preseli Bluestones"


PEMBROKESHIRE ARCHAEOLOGY DAY-SCHOOL
SATURDAY 18TH NOVEMBER
PEMBROKESHIRE COLLEGE, HAVERFORDWEST

Stories behind the headlines...

This year has seen archaeology from Pembrokeshire featuring in our newspapers and on TV... continues...
moss Posted by moss
5th November 2006ce
Edited 21st November 2006ce

Pembrokeshire Archaeology Day

The third annual archaeology day will take place on November 18th, in Haverfordwest.

pcnpa web link
Posted by grumpyconnemara
1st November 2006ce
Edited 1st November 2006ce

Bronze Age Canoe Stops Pipeline


From an article published on the BBC News web site on 24th August 2006:
Archaeologists working on a gas pipeline near Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire have unearthed what they believe to be a 3,400-year-old canoe... continues...
Kammer Posted by Kammer
24th August 2006ce
Edited 24th August 2006ce

New report on Bronze age site at Fishguard


A fire last year? destroyed a large area of heather and scrub above Fishguard's ferry port in Pembrokeshire. The land is owned by the National Trust and by Stena Sealink, and is used by grazing stock, fishermen and walkers... continues...
Rhiannon Posted by Rhiannon
19th May 2005ce
Edited 7th February 2006ce

Pembrokeshire Archaeology Day School


An archaeology day-school is being held on Saturday 27th November 2004 at Pembrokeshire College in Haverfordwest... continues...
Kammer Posted by Kammer
23rd November 2004ce
Edited 7th February 2006ce

Links

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Welsh Journals Online


An article from 'The Pembrokeshire historian' of 1966 called 'The standing-stones of Pembrokeshire'. Lots of stoney information and a list with grid references for all you obsessive stone-trackers.
Rhiannon Posted by Rhiannon
17th December 2009ce

Latest posts for Pembrokeshire

Showing 1-10 of 1,001 posts. Most recent first | Next 10

Moel Drygarn (Cairn(s)) — Images (click to view fullsize)

<b>Moel Drygarn</b>Posted by GLADMAN GLADMAN Posted by GLADMAN
24th January 2010ce

Grassholm (Ancient Village / Settlement / Misc. Earthwork) — Folklore

Apparently Roger Sherman Loomis, an Arthurian scholar, thought that Grassholm (Gresholm) was the location of 'Gwales', the place where Bran's men stayed in the Mabinogion legend 'Branwen the daughter of Llyr'.I don't know how he came to this conclusion as I haven't been able to find his argument yet.
And Bendigeid Vran commanded them that they should cut off his head. "And take you my head," said he, "and bear it even unto the White Mount, in London, and bury it there, with the face towards France. And a long time will you be upon the road. In Harlech you will be feasting seven years, the birds of Rhiannon singing unto you the while. And all that time the head will be to you as pleasant company as it ever was when on my body. And at Gwales in Penvro you will be fourscore years, and you may remain there, and the head with you uncorrupted, until you open the door that looks towards Aber Henvelen, and towards Cornwall. And after you have opened that door, there you may no longer tarry, set forth then to London to bury the head, and go straight forward.
From the Lady Charlotte Guest translation, which you can see at the Sacred Texts Archive, for example.

Peculiar islandish goings-on are not unknown in the vicinity:
I venture to quote from the Pembroke County Guardian. Mr. Ferrar Fenton [..] writes in the issue of Nov. 1, 1896, giving a report which he had received one summer morning from Captain John Evans, since deceased. It is to the effect 'that once when trending up the Channel, and passing Grasholm Island, in what he had always known as deep water, he was surprised to see to windward of him a large tract of land covered with a beautiful green meadow. It was not, however, above water, but just a few feet below, say two or three, so that the grass waved and swam about as the ripple flowed over it, in a most delightful way to the eye, so that as watched it made one feel quite drowsy. You know, he continued, I have heard old people say there is a floating island off there, that sometimes rises to the surface, or nearly, and then sinks down again fathoms deep, so that no one sees it for years, and when nobody expects it comes up again for a while. How it may be, I do not know, but that is what they say.'
From 'Celtic Folklore' by John Rhys. A cynic might put it down to all the fertiliser coming off the island. But that's not terribly romantic.
Rhiannon Posted by Rhiannon
3rd January 2010ce

Grassholm (Ancient Village / Settlement / Misc. Earthwork) — Miscellaneous

Grassholm might be tiny but it has thousands of noisy stinky gannets on it: about 10% of the world's population (I can vouch for its impressiveness myself). Consequently you can't set foot on it, but it would seem intrepid solitude-seeking prehistoric people did, as Iron Age pottery has been found there. Presumeably under a pile of gannet poo. Perhaps the gannets hadn't taken up residence at the time. Or perhaps they had (what's for tea, mum? Omlette with gannet and fish. What, not Again??)The island is miles away from any others and about 10 from the mainland. Rhiannon Posted by Rhiannon
3rd January 2010ce

Pentre Ifan (Dolmen / Quoit / Cromlech) — Fieldnotes

Visited in May 2009, a very long time coming! Been trying to get to here for years, funny being in Wales, but sometimes you never look or visit some things nearer to you.

I found the site relatively easy to find considering I visited alone with no map reader. Parking is good for a few cars, and nice path with good gates down to the Monument itself. Seeing this in books over the years I had an image it was much bigger than it was, but the only gripe I have is that its fenced in, crap for us photographers not wanting posts and fence wire in the frame!

Do take the time to visit, I will be returning soon.
mort Posted by mort
2nd December 2009ce

Pentre Ifan (Dolmen / Quoit / Cromlech) — Images

<b>Pentre Ifan</b>Posted by mort mort Posted by mort
29th November 2009ce

Carreg Samson (Dolmen / Quoit / Cromlech) — Images

<b>Carreg Samson</b>Posted by milouvision milouvision Posted by milouvision
31st October 2009ce

St Nons (Standing Stones) — Fieldnotes

Spent a day in St David's last week and headed down the quiet lane to St Non's well. It sits, overlooking the sea, at the bottom of a short track next to the ruins of the original chapel. The well is housed in a small stone grotto shaped structure, the inside of which had recently been whitewashed - there were flakes of whitewash floating on the water which also looked brackish, so no impulse to drink from the well occured. However, in the adjacent field the spring runs away from the well towards the sea and has a far more natural sense of the elemental.
There is another whitewashed stone grotto nearby with a religious image inside it which I admit to recoiling from ... however, the ruined chapel, a small standing stone and the splendid walk along the cliff to Porth Clais (where there are some disused lime kilns) made the visit more than worth while.
tjj Posted by tjj
16th October 2009ce

Kings Quoit (Dolmen / Quoit / Cromlech) — Fieldnotes

Just returned from Pembrokeshire; this was the first ancient burial site I encountered and I went back to Manorbier twice. King's Quoit is built from red sandstone and sits in a sheltered spot just before the brow of the cliff. Directly behind it there were five or six large sandstones set into the bracken covered cliff. The other interesting thing is that apart from the path up from the beach there is a second cliff path that runs from the quoit directly to the village's Norman Church of St James - the leaflet about the church says "The foundation date of the church is unknown. However, the oval shape of the churchyard suggests a religious site of great antiquity".
It is not hard to imagine that in times when people believed we are spirit as well as flesh, this was a place to set the spirit free - into the wind, sky and sea.
tjj Posted by tjj
10th October 2009ce

Sometimes it's strange when life's eddies and currents conspire to bring you back to somewhere you last visited as a kid. Such a place is Manorbier, a stunningly attractive little town on the SW Pembrokeshire coast, one complete with castle and a most picturesque sandy cove. I was last here during the red-hot summer of 1983 to visit the virtually unaltered Norman fortress - yep, it's really that long ago.... . Didn't even notice the presence of a far older structure perched upon the headland overlooking the bay at the time. Why should I, seeing as I was in thrall to the brutal military architecture of the Normans? (still am to some extent, I suppose). Ancient stones don't have a portcullis, arrow slits or murder holes, do they? Boring.

So, 26 years later I arrive with the Mam Cymru to remedy the oversight, (arguably) wiser, certainly older and a little more obsessed with these islands of ours. Damn, that castle still looks as broodingly magnificent as ever, although in the interim the village has developed into one of those 'chocolate box' locations American tourists describe as 'quaint' in scribbled postcards to the 'folks back home'.

The chamber's name is apt. If there's a more fitting location for the final resting place of an important individual on the Pemrokeshire coastline, I've not yet seen it. But bring it on! Needless to say I don't clock the fantastic positioning at first, some clambering over rocks between the punters on the beach being required before we gain the headland path. Don't worry, the Mam's used to this by now. And there it is........ perched overlooking a frankly awe inspiring cove, the sea the colour of azure.

A simple structure, the tomb is, I believe, of sub-megalithic type, whereby the rear of the capstone rests directly on the ground without orthostat. We perch upon the impressive capstone and simply watch the world go by... there's a lot of it, too, walkers marching past in single file, none of whom even pause to glance at this ancient structure. Hell, at least I was only a kid! As is my wont I take a look inside the chamber, not the experience it should be due to the frankly disgusting habits of some of the walkers. And with a position like this the only real place to be is upon the top....

Worth the wait? You betcha!

Incidentally check out Moss's recent blog for info on sub-megalithic chambers in the area at:
http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/post/79254/weblog/submegalithics_in_west_wales_or_not.html
GLADMAN Posted by GLADMAN
1st October 2009ce

The Hanging Stone (Dolmen / Quoit / Cromlech) — Fieldnotes

Glad to relate that the farmer who owns the house opposite is an educated, interesting man who clearly relishes living in the near vicinity of such a fine cromlech - as they call these fabulous structures in these parts. Very refreshing.........

Apparently the field boundary upon which the chamber stands has remained unaltered due to the relatively poor soil of South Pembrokeshire negating the incentive to expand farm size - only the ubiquitous spud and low grade cereal thrives here. Bad for the farmer, but great news for those who cherish the survival of monuments of this quality. I really do rate this as one of the finest of Pembrokeshire, nay Wales.

It also seems that the public footpath is the original track linking adjacent farms. Right on!

N.B - note that it is possible to park a car on the verge beside the footpath sign. Please don't block the track as this is now very much in use.
GLADMAN Posted by GLADMAN
23rd September 2009ce
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