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The Common Seal
The Common Seal of the Borough of the Town
and County of Haverfordwest is first known
to appear in Letters Patent dated 31st March
1315, granting water rights in Dew Street
to Walter Drinulle, chaplain. The obverse
of the seal bears the legend 'Sigillum Commune
De Haverfordia' (the Common Seal of Haverford)
surrounding a one-masted galley with its
sails furled and yard lowered, representing
the maritime association of the town. On
the forecastle a man stands in front of
a banner blowing a horn. In the stern, before
another banner a trumpeter appears.
On the reverse side is a fortified gatehouse
upon the central tower of which stands a
sentinel blowing a trumpet. From the side
towers banners fly in opposite directions.
On the right-hand of the tower is an eagle
and on the left, a lion, while at the base
is a wyvern. The legend on the surround
reads 'O Lector Salve Coeli Pateant Tibi
Valve' (O reader hail: may the gates of
Heaven stand open for thee).
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Armorial Bearings
Armorial Bearings were granted
to the borough in 1966 and were
based on the devices shown on
the Common Seal. The upper part
of the shield is green and bears
a castle flanked by ostrich
feathers in silver. The castle
indicates that it is a castled
town and the feather refers
to the grant of a charter to
the town by Edward, Prince of
Wales in 1479. The lower part
has a background of blue and
white waves, representing the
tidal waters of the River Cleddau
and in the foreground is a one-masted
galley in full sail with banners
and pennant flying, again indicating
maritime association.
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The crest consists of a tower upon
which stands a sentinel sounding a
bugle horn and wearing a jacket of
white and green, the colours worn
by the Prince of Wales' Welsh troops
fighting in the French campaigns.
The supporters on either side of the
shield are on the left the red dragon
of Wales, its raised wings emblazoned
with the arms of the see of St David
and on the right is the black lion
with gold collar and chain derived
from the Arms of Philipps of Picton,
a family closely associated with the
town. The motto is taken from the
Seal.
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The Insignia of the Mayor
The Mayor of Haverfordwest is
a splendid figure in sable trimmed
scarlet robes and a magnificent
badge and chain in gold, which
were presented to the borough
in 1887 to commemorate the Jubilee
of the reign of Queen Victoria
by George Leader Owen of Withybush
and his wife.
The mayoral chain consists of
a series of links of the letter
'H' signifying Haverfordwest,
which hold together small rectangles
on which are engraved the names
of those who have held the office
of Mayor since 1887. The enamelled
shields bear the arms of monarchs
who granted the borough its
charters. In the centre is a
medallion bearing a portrait
of Queen Victoria from which
the badge hangs.
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The badge consists of a round Celtic
shield with crossed mace and fasces,
an enamelled medallion and four roundels.
The medallion bears the fortified
gatehouse that appears on the reverse
of the Common Seal around which is
inscribed the words ' Borough of Haverfordwest'.
Beneath this is a ribbon scribed 'Cymru
Am Byth' (Wales Forever).
The roundel above the medallion bears
a Tudor rose, recalling that Henry
Tudor marched through Haverfordwest
on his way from Dale to Bosworth.
Since the abolition of mayors by the
Local Government Acts of 1972, Haverfordwest
as a Town Mayor who presides at meetings
of the council and whose duties are
otherwise largely ceremonial.
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The Sheriff - A Place in History
The status of a county, already conferred
on Haverfordwest by the charter of
its incorporation in 1479, was confirmed
by the statute of 1543, which gave
it the right to hold its own assize.
In 1545 it was granted the right to
have its own Custos Rotulorum, or
master of the rolls and its own Member
of Parliament. In 1761 it was granted
its own Lord Lieutenant. However these
privileges have disappeared with time.
As a county, Haverfordwest had its
own sheriff and that office continues,
as one of fifteen City and Town Sheriffs
in England and Wales and alone with
Carmarthen, in Wales.
In early times the Sheriff was involved
with the legal process, from the courts
to the goal. He was also instrumental
in conducting Parliamentary elections
in the Borough.
A well documented story dating back
from 1741 regarding the capacity of
the sheriff's powers involves a woman
called Dorothy Rees from Prendergast
who was caught stealing a flannel
petticoat worth sixpence. The Sheriff
had to arrange her transportation
to America for seven years and before
this she was stripped to the waist
and marched through the streets from
the goal near St Thomas Green to her
home in Prendergast. This punishment
had to be supervised by the Sheriff.
If there was no crime before the court,
the Sheriff presented the Assize Judge
with a pair of white gloves, a ceremony
last performed in 1995.
The Sheriff received £10 to provide
a breakfast on Whit Monday for important
citizens of the Town and would see
that donkeys and ponies were at hand
for them to ride later in the day
to Portfield for special races and
sports. At Cuckoo Lane novices went
through an initiation ceremony at
the Bumping Stone, where a fee was
demanded. They later rode back through
the streets of the town to a special
dinner provided by the Mayor.
Like the Mayor, the Sheriff received
200 apples from every cargo coming
into Haverfordwest.
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Sheriff's Chain
The Sheriff wears a silver-linked
chain inscribed with the names
of those who have held office
from the middle of the last
century onwards. From the chain
hangs a badge showing the reverse
of the Town Seal. There is a
representation of a fortified
gatehouse with side towers.
On the central tower is a trumpeter
flanked by flying banners and
on the base a slain wyvern.
On one side is a lion and on
the other an eagle. The badge
is suitable inscribed and bears
the town's motto. The badge
and chain were presented by
former Sheriffs in 1953 to commemorate
the Coronation of Her Majesty
the Queen.
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Many of the Sheriff's traditional
roles have developed into ceremonial
ones as their relevancy has altered
over the years. He appears with the
mayor on formal occasions. The National
Association of City and Town Sheriffs
of England and Wales held its annual
general meeting at Haverfordwest in
1995.
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