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The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland - 1868

In 1868, the parish of Carew contained the following places:

"CAREW, (or Carey), a parish in the hundred of Narberth, in the county of Pembroke, South Wales, 4 miles to the E. of Pembroke. It is pleasantly situated near the eastern extremity of Milford Haven. A stately castle was erected here in the reign of Henry I., by Gerald de Windsor, which was enlarged by Rhys ab Thomas in the reign of Henry VII. It was in the form of a quadrangle, with round towers at the angles; the older part of the pile being in the Norman, the newer in the perpendicular style. The festival of St. George's Day was kept at this castle by Sir Rhys, who entertained a very large number of the nobility and gentry with great splendour and hospitality for a week. Among the extensive and beautiful ruins of the castle are the great hall about 100 feet long and 20 wide, several noble apartments, and the chapel. The towers command good views over the haven and the surrounding country. The estate is now held by the Carews of Crocombe, in Somersetshire. The parish contains abundance of good limestone and some coal. The living is a vicarage* in the diocese of St. David's, value £152, in the patronage of the bishop. The church is dedicated to St. John. It is a large ancient edifice in the early English style, with an embattled tower, and contains several old monuments, among which are an altar-tomb of Sir John Carew and his lady, of the year 1637, and figure's of a crusader and a priest, with a small infantine figure. An old building stands near the church, which was probably the rectory. Near the village is a stone cross, the shaft of which, 14 feet high, is adorned with sculpture. The ancient chapelry of Redbarth has now its own district church, the living of which is a perpetual curacy, value £56, in the gift of the bishop.

[Transcribed from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1868]
by Colin Hinson ©2018