Welsh Journals

Some account of the history of botanical exploration in Pembrokeshire by P. W. Carter (Prepared for publication by R. Gwynn Ellis) Price W. Carter (1898-1971) was for many years a lecturer in the Department of Botany at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth. He specialised on the lower plants, especially Algae, but had a wide knowledge of the plant kingdom in general. One of his special interests was the history of botanical exploration in Wales. He wrote detailed papers on this subject for all of the thirteen old Welsh counties; eleven of these were published but for some reason the accounts for Pembrokeshire and Monmouthshire were not (see Appendix). Several years ago Gwynn Ellis was asked by P. F. Wareing, then Professor of Botany at UCW, Aberystwyth, to undertake a revision of these articles and to explore the possibility of publishing them in one volume. He also passed on the two unpublished manuscripts for safe keeping. Publication of the series of papers in one volume has not yet proved possible. It is, however, appropriate to publish the accounts for Pembrokeshire and Monmouthshire in Nature in Wales in order to complete the series. The material has been prepared for publication by Gwynn Ellis. The present paper, the first of two to deal with Pembrokeshire, follows closely the wording and style of the original manuscript by P. W. Carter. The only liberties taken in preparing it for the press are: to give modern Latin and English plant names throughout, even in quotations (where they are enclosed by square brackets); and, to standardize the references to cited works, these are spelt out in full Part I. Up to the end of the 19th Century Gerald 'the Welshman' was born about 1145-47, in Manorbier, Pembrokeshire, the youngest son of William de Barri and Angharad. After his education at St. David's and in Paris, he became, in 1175, archdeacon of Brecon and hoped to be appointed bishop of St. David's. Gerald the Welshman by Thomas Jones (1947), reminds us of this interesting person of the twelfth century who travelled through when first mentioned and thereafter given in abbreviated form. A few words or phrases have been added to the original text when considered necessary to avoid ambiguity and these are enclosed by square brackets. Wales in 1188 and afterwards recorded his impressions. In his book Descrtptto Kambriae (the Description of Wales), as translated by Sir Richard Hoare (1806), Chapter six concerns 'the pleasantness and fertility of Wales' and states:- the southern part of Wales near Cardiganshire, but particularly Pembrokeshire, is pleasanter, on account of its plains and sea coast;