Cylchgronau Cymru

Chwiliwch trwy dros 450 o deitlau a 1.2 miliwn o dudalennau

it part of Dyfed in the following year. The finished product is a substantial and worthy contribution to Pembrokeshire in the early modern period, extending from the Acts of Union down to the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The general editors were Dr. Elwyn Davies and Brian Howells, and it is a memorable testimony to Dr. Davies's enthusiasm and inspiration that the volume has appeared. It is deeply regretted that he did not see the day when the complete work was released from the press. Brian Howells, the editor of the present volume, is to be warmly congratulated for the manner in which he has executed his duties over the years, with his customary courtesy and meticulous scholarship. Compiling a broad-scale county history is no mean task in terms of structuring the work, supervising contributors and seeing the work through the press. The present volume is divided naturally into two chronological sections, the natural division being the restoration of monarchy in 1660. Most contributions in the earlier section are supplied by the editor who, in four chapters, expertly covered the physical, social, economic and administrative features of Pembrokeshire down to the Civil Wars. These chapters are remarkable for the detailed commentary and data they provide on the fundamental aspects of the social and governmental structure of the county, compared with others, in the period 1536-1642. The old marcher framework had, in the previous century, gradually been adapted to meet the needs and requirements of royal institutions and, after 1536, the new administrative and loyal patterns imposed by Tudor legislation. The author dwells on the social hierarchy in urban and rural communities, the economic features and climate as well as the landowning and agricultural practices set against the emergence of a new property structure. Dr. David Walker adds an equally erudite contribution on the pre- and post-Reformation church in the same period and dwells largely on the poverty-stricken ecclesiastical condition of the see of St. David's as reflected in Pembrokeshire parishes. The author makes use of the data reflecting the fundamental problems confronted by the Reformation prelates and the subordinates in that see. Two lengthy chapters are provided by Roland Mathias focusing on the Civil Wars and the Puritan era in order that those crucial decades might be placed in perspective. Again, these chapters are thorough and well-documented and cover themes which require balanced assessment and interpretation. The section devoted to the post-1660 period is equally lucid and follows much the same pattern. Dr. David Howell, with characteristic percipience, provides two substantial contributions on society and economy and reveals some particularly interesting facts about family fortunes in a period of growth and stability during what has been regarded as 'the golden age' of the ruling classes. Religion and educational developments, including the Charity School movements and the Methodist Revival, are examined quite thoroughly by Richard Brinkle. More space, however, could have been devoted to the impact of Methodism and the Sunday School movement at the end of this period. There are signs of over-compression here which allows little opportunity for a more extensive discussion of the Moravian influence. The role of the major gentry in politics, government and public life in general enables Roland