Walking Through History - Pembrokshire

Hello!  Welcome to this blog and I hope this post finds you well and enjoying the summer.  Tony continues his walks across Britain in Walking Through History.  Today, Tony is walking around Pembrokeshire and learns about the Norman Conquest.  The run time for this episode is 46:51.  It is called the Normal Conquest of Pembrokeshire.

Tony Robinson takes a look at the Norman Conquest and uncovers its hidden history.  The conquest of the Pembrokeshire coast was long and fiercely fought.  Today, it is home to miles of coastal walking. The Normans would transform the Welsh coastline into an English Coastline through the building of castles, churches, and St. David’s Cathedral.  Castles would play an important role in both defense and as a means of inheritance.

Pembrokeshire is known for its spectacular landscape and beautiful walks.  It was home to the Welsh and boasted a kingdom that would have caught the eye of the Normans.  Unlike the Battle of Hastings, the conquest of Pembrokeshire was long and difficult.  The Welsh fought back hard.  Once the Normans conquered this area it would become known as “Little England.”

Tony begins his walk at St. David’s Cathedral and follows a trail along the Pembrokeshire Cliffs.  Eventually, Tony walks along the fortified border that the Normans created to keep the Welsh in check.  He follows the river on day three and learns how a Welsh princess seduced the Welsh and Normans alike.  He would eventually learn about the culture of Norman Pembrokeshire.

Tony begins his walk touring St. Davids, it is Britain’s smallest city and home to a grand cathedral.  William the Conqueror made a pilgrimage the St. Davids, with a large army.  However, this was not an invasion but a diplomatic endeavor.  William the Conqueror was meeting a new Welsh King.  These two men would have been eyeballing each other up.  Eventually, the two managed to make a deal respecting the borders between the two kingdoms.  Tony then makes his way up the Pembrokeshire coastal pathway.  The views are very inspiring in this section.  Tony talks about the Norman impact on this land.  Gerald of Wales was the grandson of the Welsh King and he wrote about Wales and its people.  They were a proud people who shared a common language and traditions.  They were also good fighters and had a history of repelling invaders.  The Welsh would have been seen as barbarians by the Normans.

William the Conqueror eventually made his way back to England, however, he had seen Wales.  Wales was a land that was going to be worth exploiting.  While William and Conqueror and the Welsh King were on their thrones there would be peace between the people.  However, things would change when William the Conqueror died.  The Norman Barons were looking for more land and William Rufus would let these barons have their way.  The Normans would invade Wales.

Tony flash forwards to twelve years into the future and the Normans were marching on Wales.  The peace between England and Wales has ended.  It was 1093, and a band of Barons were marching on Wales.  The Welsh King was determined to defend his lands from these invaders, however, he lost the battle and was killed.  However, the Welsh would regroup and fight back against these Norman invaders.  Tony makes his way to the borderlands between England and Wales.  It was here that Normans would put their mark on the landscape.  Tony tries to find a castle, does he manages to find a castle in a tangle of grass and forest.  Does Tony go into Time Team mode?  What else does Tony learn about the Norman invasion of Wales?  Where else does Tony go to learn about these invasions?  Tune into the rest of this episode to find out more.

Once 1066 and Hastings happened, I thought all of England was conquered.  I never really looked at the years since the conquest.  Eventually, Wales would be conquered in the years after Hastings.  I wish this episode was divided into chapters like several other episodes in this series.  Tony was really upbeat in this episode and was enjoying what he was learning.  I would consider showing this for a history classroom and now I am going to put this on my list for a geography class.