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Welcome to the Visitor section ...
 Pembrokeshire
is the most western county in Wales and at the heart
of this unique corner of the Principality is Haverfordwest,
the county town and centre of the county’s commercial,
social and cultural life.
Picture courtesy of Castle Photography www.castlephotography.co.uk
Haverfordwest owes its existence to its location on
the River Cleddau which today flows through the centre
of this bustling market town. It was the first  place
on the river which afforded a safe opportunity to ford
the Western Cleddau, hence its name which is derived
from the Old English word haefer, meaning buck or he-goat.
It was the place where goats crossed the river.
It was at this point that Henry Tudor crossed with
his army after landing at Dale in August 1485 on his
way to Bosworth Field, where he defeated Richard III
and became King Henry VII, the founder of the Tudor
dynasty.
It was also the highest tidal point of the river and
in later years became a thriving port with coastal and
foreign vessels sailing right into the centre of town
to deal in such cargoes as salt, iron, wines and apples
from the orchards of the Forest of Dean. Exports, which
contributed to Haverfordwest being regarded during the
reign of Elizabeth I as the second largest port in Wales,
included coal, slates, butter, oats, wheat, barley,
hides and wool.
 There
are two surviving fairs in the town, both held on the
open space at St Thomas Green. The May Fair was granted
by the charter of James 1, but the larger fair is the
October event, known locally as Portfield Fair, as it
was formerly held on Portfield Common. Its origin date
back to 1659 and it was the occasion of the hiring of
farm servants.
The Town and County of Haverfordwest
On 30th April 1479 the town was incorporated by a charter
of Edward, the nine-year old Prince of Wales and Lord
of Haverfordwest. The charter decreed that the town should
have a Mayor, Sheriff, two Bailiffs and Burgesses and
conferred upon it the status of a county, designated
as ‘the county and town of Haverfordwest‘.
The town had its own Lord Lieutenant until it was merged
with the county of Pembroke in 1888 and its own Member
of Parliament until 1885.
Mayor and Admiral of the Port
The charter of 1479, incorporated the town of a mayor,
sheriff, two bailiffs and burgesses and in 1545, Henry
VIII gave Haverfordwest county status. From the time
of James 1 the Mayor of Haverfordwest has carried the
title of Admiral of the Port of Haverfordwest.
The Mayor, who was appointed annually, was also a magistrate,
coroner, escheater, clerk of the market, a deputy lieutenant
and admiral of the port. The sheriff, bailiffs, sword-bearer
and sergeants at mace had to attend upon him whenever
necessary.
He had a salary of £30.00 and the rights of public
fishery within the borough. He was given six shillings
and eight pence at Christmas out of public funds to
buy a kechyn, a sort of brawn and he was also allowed
200 apples from every cargo coming into the town’s
Quay from the Forest of Dean.
As Admiral of the Port the Mayor travels in a water-borne
procession to the White Stone at the town’s riverside
boundary to exercise his rights of fishery.
The town’s prominence as a principal west Wales
port seriously declined with the advent of the railway
in 1853, which signalled the end of the centuries old
river trade.
For details of the current Mayor and Town Council please
click here
 
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