This authoritative guide to the southwest corner of Wales by three local experts encompasses a wide sweep of history, from the rugged prehistoric remains that stud the distinctive windswept landscape overlooking the Atlantic to distinguished recent buildings that respond imaginatively to their natural setting. The comprehensive gazetteer encompasses the great cathedral of St David's and its Bishop's Palace, the numerous churches, and the magnificent Norman castles that reflect the turbulent medieval past. It gives attention also to the lesser-known delights of Welsh chapels--both simple rural and sophisticated Victorian examples--in all their wayward variety and provides detailed accounts of a rewarding range of towns, including the county town, Haverfordwest, the attractively unspoilt Regency resort of Tenby, and Milford Haven and Pembroke Dock, with their important naval history. An introduction with valuable specialist contributions sets the buildings in context.

This is the first book-length treatment of the ‘turncoat’ John Poyer, the man who initiated the Second Civil War through his rebellion in south Wales in 1648. The volume charts Poyer’s rise from a humble glover in Pembroke to become parliament’s most significant supporter in Wales during the First Civil War (1642–6), and argues that he was a more complex and significant individual than most commentators have realised. Poyer’s involvement in the poisonous factional politics of the post-war period (1646–8) is examined, and newly discovered material demonstrates how his career offers fresh insights into the relationship between national and local politics in the 1640s, the use of print and publicity by provincial interest groups, and the importance of local factionalism in understanding the course of the civil war in south Wales. The volume also offers a substantial analysis of Poyer’s posthumous reputation after his execution by firing squad in April 1649.