Fishguard, Wales

 

This morning we were greeted by the mayor of Fishguard and her welcoming committee. Fishguard is the site of the last invasion of Britain by the French on February 22^nd, 1797. The town created a 100-foot tapestry, like the Bayeux Tapestry to commemorate the story on its bicentennial anniversary. The French invaded with a newly conscripted army of 1400 soldiers (most former prisoners), led by Colonel William Tate. They had a poor start when the winds blew the ships north from their intended landing in Bristol. When the villagers spotted the ships, they fired their cannon to call up the local militia. Led by Jemima the women dressed up in their red traditional costumes with black hats in straightness down the hill. From a distance they looked like British soldiers. The French soldiers landed north of the town and attacked a nearby farmhouse which had an excellent liquor cellar. The French proceeded to get drunk. Jemima continued her heroics by capturing 14 soldiers with her pitchfork and locking them in the church. The drunk French soldiers believing that they had encountered a large British force surrendered three days later.

Jemima capturing 14 French soldiers

We had a lecture and photo showing of the history of Fishguard. The gulf current here makes for mild weather making an ideal location for Dairy farming. In the early 1900s they tore down the cliff face to create a harbor for transatlantic cruise ships and extended the railways to here. Eventually, the cruise ships went to other ports, but today the ferry to Ireland leaves here twice daily.

Parsonage House

We had a home hosted lunch with Adrian and Jean and their Italian exchange student. They retired here from Cambridge to escape the city life. Their home was a parsonage house built in 1901 and had been the home of seven ministers. The garden was beautiful.

In the afternoon we went to the smallest city in Britain, St. David, to see the cathedral there. It’s a city because it has a cathedral. On the way, we stopped to see a Celtics cross marking the pilgrimage route to the cathedral. In 1124 the Pope declared that doing a pilgrimage to St. David twice was equivalent to a pilgrimage to Rome. Originally a wooden church, the first stone was laid in 1130. Across from the cathedral are the ruins of the Bishop’s Palace where rich pilgrims would stay. As we entered the church, you immediately notice the sloped floor - 4 meters of slope from the front to the back. Built in a swamp, the back walls have fallen down several times. A window has obvious signs of being rebuilt at least three times. The arches within the church are asymmetric, each have a different design. St. David, a Celtic Saint is depicted with a dove on his shoulder and the ground rising beneath his feet. This miracle is said to have occurred while he was speaking at the Synod of Brefi. The church used to be quite colorful inside but was whitewashed under Henry VIIIth. Buried in the church is Henry VII, the Welchman who claimed the English thrown with the Dragon in his crest. Lady Maidstone Kent restored part of the Cathedral and has a chapel where she is buried.