TENBY

Site Description

The site of Tenby shows evidence of settlement dating back to the Iron Age (NPRN 304240 & 304238), and has been in continuous occupation since the early medieval period, when it served as a Viking fishing village; ‘Tenby’ is an Anglicisation of ‘Dynbych y Pysgod’, little fortress of the fish. The town began to develop in earnest following the Norman Conquest, when Arnuf Montogomery arrived in the region in the late eleventh century and recognised the strategic potential of the site, which could be defended against any Welsh attack from land, and re-provisioned by the sea bordering the town on three sides. By the mid-twelfth century Tenby Castle (NPRN 92614) had been established on the promontory overlooking the town. The town suffered brief attacks at the hands of the Welsh in 1153 and 1187, but it was the near destruction of the town by Llewellyn ap Gruffyd in 1260 that lead to the provision of imposing town walls (NPRN 127).
The town was granted its first charter by William de Valance in the reign of Henry III, later extended in 1402. Under the Tudors Tenby became an important mercantile town, the harbour (NPRN 34354) facilitating an extensive trade network, most notably with the Flemish. The English Civil War lead to a temporary decline in Tenby’s fortunes, but by the Victorian period the town began to develop with renewed pace, as it became famed for the believed restorative powers of its waters and Assembly Rooms were established to cater for the visitors (NPRN 32059 & 32126). Today it is a popular seaside location frequented by tourists.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition

K Steele, RCAHMW, 8 January 2009

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TENBY

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Site Description