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![Manorbier](images/manorbier1.jpg)
MANORBIER
GRID REFERENCE: SS 067979
AREA IN HECTARES: 52
Historic Background
A small area of modern Pembrokeshire, comprising the
built-up village of Manorbier. During the medieval period, it lay at the
head of the Anglo-Norman manor of Manorbier (and Penally) which was a
mesne lordship or honorial barony held, by the service of 5 knights, of
the Lordship and Earldom of Pembroke, a heavily Anglicised region that
was brought under Anglo-Norman control before 1100, re-organised along
English manorial lines and never retaken by the Welsh. The barony had
been held, since the very early 12th century, by the de Barris and, on
their extinction in 1392, was sold to the Dukes of Exeter before reverting
to the crown in 1461. From that point onwards it was leased to a succession
of individuals before being settled on the Philippses of Picton Castle,
with whom it remained until the 20th century. Manorbier is dominated by
its castle, which may have been the site of a pre-Norman aristocratic
centre or llys, which itself may overlie an iron age fort. Its separation
from the parish church, which lies on the opposite side of a silted inlet,
and indeed the distance between the church and the settlement, argue for
early medieval origins for both, perhaps as a ‘paired’ secular/ecclesiastical
site seen elsewhere in southwest Wales. There is some uncertainty as to
whether the Manor of Manorbier gave its name to, or derived its name from,
a pre-existing Welsh cwmwd of Maenor Pyr, but it has been argued that
the ‘manor’ element is not derived from the Anglo-Norman ‘manor’
but from a pre-Conquest ‘maenol’ element linked to the ?personal
name ‘Pyr’ also commemorated in the Welsh name for Caldey
Island, ‘Ynys Pyr’. It also has been suggested that it formed
part of a multiple estate – however, pre Anglo-Norman Conquest sources
do not mention the settlement. The earliest recorded history is represented
by the establishment of the castle, in c.1100. The de Barris lavished
considerable sums on its development. It has 12th century masonry buildings,
which are rare in Pembrokeshire. It is noted as being the birthplace,
in 1146, of the churchman and chronicler Gerald de Barri – or ‘Giraldus
Cambrensis’ – who provides an invaluable insight into the
nature of the late 12th century manor, and its Anglo-Norman arrangements
– ‘(the castle has) excellently well defended turrets and
bulwarks, and is situated on the summit of a hill extending on the western
side towards the seaport, having on the northern and southern sides a
fine fish-pond under its walls, as conspicuous for its grand appearance,
as for the depth of its waters, and a beautiful orchard on the same side,
enclosed on one part by a vineyard, and on the other by a wood, remarkable
for the projection of its rocks, and the height of its hazel trees. On
the right hand of the promontory, between the castle and the church, near
the site of a very large lake and mill, a rivulet of never-failing water
flows through a valley, rendered sandy by the violence of the winds. Towards
the west, the Severn sea, bending its course to Ireland, enters a hollow
bay at some distance from the castle; and the southern rocks, extended
a little further north, would render it a most excellent harbour for shipping...
This country is well supplied with corn, sea-fish, and imported wines;
and what is preferable to every other advantage, from its vicinity to
Ireland, it is tempered by a salubrious air...’. The castle had
become ruinous by the early 17th century but was refortified during the
Civil War when it was taken, without resistance, by Parliament. After
a period of slow decay it was partially restored in the late 19th century.
The church, also mentioned by Giraldus, was granted to the Benedictines
of Monkton Priory, Pembroke, in 1301. The park belonging to the castle
lay to the west (mainly in East Moor and West Moor character area) and
represented part of the manorial demesne; in the early 17th century it
was described as enclosed by a stone wall and containing 60-70 acres of
pasture. The development of a medieval settlement at the castle gate appears
to have been unplanned, and piecemeal. An agricultural vill, the settlement
was probably never very large and probably restricted to development along
the roadside east of the castle; it is not mentioned in contemporary accounts
and appears to have possessed neither market nor fair. Giraldus’
‘harbour’ was never exploited. Manorbier was recorded in some
detail in three later surveys of the Manor of Manorbier, in 1601, 1609
and 1618. It represented one of the three divisions of the manor, with
a reeve responsible for rent-collection, and from the late 17th century
was the scene of the manorial courts. Although it was the largest settlement
in the manor, there were only 22 dwellings comprising 8 substantial farms,
9 houses and 5 cottages. From the surveys it is clear that the process
of enclosure of the surrounding fields had already begun by the early
17th century. Corn-production in the village hinterland is confirmed by
the surveys, and there was a 56-acre increase in arable between 1609 and
1618. There were by this time no game or deer in the park, which had been
divided into three enclosures. Much of the demesne had been lost (becoming
censory holdings) although the surveys mention the Lord’s Meadow,
and the mill. The dovecot, which was ‘old and decayed’ in
1582, is not mentioned in later surveys. Tenants held land by freehold,
and by two forms of copyhold called ‘husbandry hold’ and ‘censory
hold’, which appear to be relics of an earlier, feudal tenure. At
Manorbier, one freehold tenant rendered payment in cash. Over the three
surveys 17 husbandry tenants are recorded possessing substantial farmsteads,
including a total of 6 barns, 5 haggards (corn hay barns) and 4 cowhouses.
Husbandry tenants had harvest the hay in the lords meadow and carry it
to the castle, after which they had right of pasture in the meadow; they
also had to clean the mill leat and provide millstones. The 12 censory
tenants had 4 barns, 3 haggards and 3 cowhouses. Three tenants possessed
sheepcotes; the animals were presumably grazed on the unenclosed coastal
strip. The village appears to have developed little – and may have
contracted - by 1774-5 when a map of the ‘The Crofts’ estate
shows it as a few dispersed houses. On the tithe map of c. 1840, the village
is depicted as a few houses on a single street. There has been some 20th
century development, most of it to the east of the village where a housing
estate was erected to serve Manorbier Camp (see Manorbier Camp character
area). The camp was originally established as a World War 2 anti-aircraft
artillery school. Manorbier, and its beach and castle are a popular tourist
destination.
![Manorbier](images/manorbier2.jpg)
Description and essential historic landscape
components
Manorbier is a relatively small, yet complex historic
landscape character area containing many disparate components. It is essentially
a developed area, and contains good examples of medieval buildings, church,
castle and dovecote, as well a village of 19th century and later houses.
It is centred on the medieval, masonry castle situated on an inland promontory
at about 50m above sea level, but also includes steep-sided valleys, valley
bottoms close to the sea, the medieval church on the opposite valley side,
and modern housing on level ground inland from the castle. The castle,
with its dominating high stonewalls, is set apart from the village at
the end of a steep-sided promontory. Silted fish/mill ponds, a ruined
mill, a medieval dovecote and a sewage works lie in the valley to the
north of the castle. Car parks (for visitors to the beach) and rough ground
lie in the valley to the south. A fine early 20th century stone-built
village hall stands at the village core where three narrow streets meet.
Other, old village buildings are 19th century in date, number only about
20 or 30 and are clustered in an unplanned fashion along these three streets.
Cement rendered stone is the most common building material, under machine
cut slate roofs. The unplanned character of the settlement is further
reflected in the wide type and style of the buildings – there is
little architectural coherence to the village. Houses vary from single
storey, double fronted, vernacular cottages to two and three storey houses,
a public house, a shop and small hotel in the polite ‘Georgian’
tradition. Some houses contain late 19th century period detail such as
neo-gothic windows and door cases. Intermixed, and in an unplanned fashion,
with the older structures are modern house and bungalows. Stonewalls flanking
the narrow streets are a characteristic element of the village core. Ruined
cottages close to St James’s Church with its tall medieval tower
indicate a secondary village core, now reduced to a single dwelling. Larger
scale planned development in the form of two mid-to-late 20th century
housing estates lies on flat ground to the east of the historic village
core. Piecemeal recent housing is beginning to infill the gaps between
the village core and the housing estates. The unplanned nature of the
village has resulted in many small open areas, such as the rough valley
sides and valley bottoms. Sports fields are also present. Archaeological
sites other than those mentioned above are not numerous and do not strongly
characterise the area. They include prehistoric find spots and the site
of a windmill.
This is a distinct area. It contrasts with the neighbouring
areas of fields and farms.
Sources: Charles 1992; King and Perks 1970; Kissock 1993;
Ludlow 2000; Ludlow 2002; Manorbier Parish tithe map 1842; Milne 2001;
Pembrokeshire Record Office HDX/945/2; National Library of Wales NLW Vol
88; Owen 1892; Thomas 1994; Thorpe 1978; Walker 1992
Base map reproduced from the OS map with the permission
of Ordnance Survey on behalf of The Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery
Office, © Crown Copyright 2001.
All rights reserved. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown Copyright
and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. Licence Number: GD272221 |