News

Saint’s ‘potential contemporaries’ unearthed

Published

8 years ago

July 26, 2016

DYFED ARCHAEOLOGICAL TRUST has revealed that skeletons buried at St Patrick’s Chapel in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park may have belonged to contemporaries of St David.

The Trust carried out a three-week dig as part of their third and final year of excavation at the chapel in Whitesands Bay in May.

The dig unearthed signs that the medieval religious site was used before it was a chapel, and the remains discovered underneath may date back to a time before written records.

A number of the Christian burials found during the excavation are dated back to the early sixth century AD, a time when the now patron saint of Wales, St David, was a bishop.

Supporting the excavation was the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority. Cultural Heritage Manager for the Authority, Phil Bennett, said: “Without doubt some of the people buried in St Patrick’s Chapel would have been contemporaries of St David – they might even have known him.

“They were not necessarily compatriots though. Research by the University of Sheffield on skeletons from similar sites in Pembrokeshire revealed that some of the people buried in them were not local but came from Ireland and continental Europe. Initial results from St Patrick’s Chapel suggest a similar pattern, making Whitesands Bay rather cosmopolitan.”

400 years ago, the chapel was in ruins, and nowadays there is no trace of it on the surface. However, harsh storms have regularly exposed graves containing human bones at the site for a number of decades.

In an attempt to make the erosion cease, over twelve years ago Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority placed boulders against the site. This proved a success until the boulders were washed away by massive storms in January 2014, leaving more burials exposed. An agreement was made that declared an excavation on the area of the site most vulnerable to erosion would be the best course of action; any further attempts to protect the site would simply prove futile.

In the relatively small area that has been excavated, nearly 100 skeletons have been unearthed. Some of these were laid in graves lined and capped with stone slabs, a traditional burial design in Western Britain between the sixth and 11th century AD. Christian tradition dictates that the head of a buried body should point to the west, and indeed the remains were found in this manner, aligned east to west.

The archaeologists made a particularly incredible discovery, as they found a stone cross fixed at the edge of one grave; a discovery that marks the first time in Britain that a stone-lined grave has been found in association with an upright cross.

A rather poignant discovery made by the archaeologists found that the majority of skeletons belonged to children.

Director of the Dyfed Archaeological Trust, Ken Murphy, said: “Many of the graves uncovered were those of children and were touchingly decorated with sea shells and shiny quartz pebbles. Two of the children’s grave stones had crosses scratched onto them. You can picture the tenderness felt by those involved with the burial.”

Acidic soil prevalent in most of Wales results in the quick decay of bone, but St Patrick’s Chapel is situated on top of wind-blown sand which has helped to preserve the bones.

Two skeletons were found buried face down, which raises the question if they were criminals or deviants of some sort. However, regardless of those questions, the remains were buried on sacred ground in a Christian cemetery.

Ken Murphy concluded: “This excavation has given us some really important information about the lives, beliefs and practices of people living in Wales over 1,000 years ago.”

Community

Officials announced for 2026 Eisteddfod in Pembrokeshire

Published

2 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE NATIONAL EISTEDDFOD returns to Pembrokeshire in 2026, and organisers have named the officials who will steer this major cultural event over the next year and a half.

With the artistic and local committees already established, meetings to finalise competitions and adjudicators are underway to ensure the List of Competitions is ready by spring. Committee members have also been voting over the past weeks to elect key officials for the Executive Committee.

John Davies, former leader of Pembrokeshire County Council, has been appointed Chair of the Executive Committee. Known for his deep connection to Pembrokeshire and extensive experience with national organisations, Davies aims to make the Eisteddfod a true community event, welcoming involvement from all corners of the region.

Tegryn Jones, Chief Executive of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, takes on the role of Deputy Chair (Strategy). With a strong passion for Welsh culture and language, Jones brings a wealth of experience working with local communities, visitors, and volunteers across three counties.

Deputy Chair (Culture) is Carys Ifan, Director of Canolfan Egin and a seasoned cultural organiser. Based in Llangrannog and originally from Llandudoch, Ifan has led numerous artistic and community projects across the region.

Cris Tomos, a community development veteran with over 30 years of experience, will lead the 2026 Eisteddfod Local Fund. Working with PLANED, a community development charity, Tomos has supported countless community enterprises and co-operatives in Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, and Carmarthenshire.

Non Davies, recently elected as Executive Committee Secretary, brings extensive cultural management expertise as Ceredigion County Council’s Corporate Manager for Culture. Having chaired the Cardigan Local Fund Committee for the 2022 Ceredigion Eisteddfod, Davies is well-versed in managing cultural projects.

National Eisteddfod Chief Executive, Betsan Moses, said: “We’re looking forward to working with John and the team over the next few months as we prepare for the 2026 Eisteddfod.

“There’s almost a quarter of a century since the Eisteddfod was last held in Pembrokeshire, and we’re very much looking forward to returning to the area. 2026 is an important year for us as we celebrate 850 years since the first Eisteddfod was held in Cardigan Castle in 1176.

“We’re looking forward to working in a new way within a catchment area which includes parts of another two counties, which is, of course, a chance to work with local people in Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire again.”

Further announcements are expected in the coming weeks, including the sale of competition prizes and opportunities to donate the Crown and the Chair.

The National Eisteddfod will be held in Llantood from August 1–8, 2026.

News

Campaigners urge Welsh Government to adopt proportional representation for Local Elections

Published

2 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Tom Sinclair

CAMPAIGNERS are calling on the Welsh Government to introduce the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system for local elections, following moves by two councils to shift away from the First Past the Post (FPTP) system being blocked on technical grounds.

Yesterday (Nov 14), Ceredigion Council voted narrowly, with an 18 to 17 majority, in favor of adopting STV. This follows Gwynedd Council’s decision last month, where 65% of councillors backed the move. However, both councils have been prevented from implementing STV due to a requirement for a two-thirds majority under the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021.

In recent consultations, public support for STV has been overwhelming, with over 70% in Gwynedd and 67% in Ceredigion favoring the change. Only Powys Council rejected the proposal, despite 60.5% of its respondents supporting STV. Campaigners argue that the current system deprives voters of representation, citing that over 100,000 people were denied a vote in the 2022 elections due to uncontested seats.

The Electoral Reform Society Cymru (ERS Cymru) highlights the contrast with Scotland, where the introduction of STV for local elections in 2007 has significantly reduced uncontested seats. According to ERS Cymru, Scotland has had fewer uncontested seats in the last four elections combined than Gwynedd Council recorded alone in 2022.

Jess Blair, Director of ERS Cymru, said:

“Decisions made in council chambers affect everyone in those areas, so every vote should count. It’s absurd that councils choosing STV are blocked by a technicality, leaving them stuck with an outdated system that denies representation to thousands. The Welsh Government must act to avoid repeating the undemocratic outcomes of the last elections.”

Campaigners are now calling on the Welsh Government to introduce STV across all councils in Wales, ensuring representation that reflects the electorate’s wishes.

Business

Upgrades completed at Port of Milford Haven’s simulator suite

Published

3 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Tom Sinclair

UPGRADES have been completed to state-of-the-art equipment within the Port of Milford Haven’s navigation simulator suite at Milford Waterfront enabling marine professionals to receive bespoke specialist training. The virtual reality simulation system can safely replicate a range of scenarios that seafarers may experience in real world situations such as extreme weather conditions, emergency situations and escort tug work.

The upgrades provided by Netherlands-based company MARIN contain the latest hardware in terms of processing power and graphics, as well as upgrades to MARIN’s ‘Dolphin’ software, increasing the capability to create scenarios. These are complemented with new 4k visuals on 75” screens which increase the depth and field of vision, adding to the realism.

Recently, a training day was led by Training Pilot Captain Mark Johnson, assisted by ex-Pilot Andy Hillier, involving members of the Svitzer team as well as Pilots Matt Roberts and Ian Coombes. As part of the scenario, they were faced with a loss of engine power and steering along with worsening weather and sea conditions. The Pilots had to communicate with Svitzer in order to successfully instruct them on how to tow and direct a drifting tanker. While scenarios like these are uncommon within port operations, it is important to rehearse procedures that would be implemented if they are required and enhances participants’ skill sets.

Marine Pilot and Simulator Instructor, Captain Ewan McNicoll, said “This simulator suite has future proofed our training capabilities, both internally for Pilots and marine staff, but also externally for clients wishing to use the facility, be it for training purposes or research and development. We can create any type of scenario with any type of ship, ranging from practicing ship handling manoeuvres to emergency situations, it really is game changing! Working with our partners at MARIN has been a complete success and I am very proud of our new facility.”

For more information about training at the navigation simulation suite please contact the Port of Milford Haven at [email protected] or 01646 696100.