This Zoom presentation is part of the Welsh Voices project - a series of monthly free virtual seminars on Zoom, presented by experts on Welsh and Welsh North American culture and history.
This January 25, 2026 Welsh Voices event was organized by Susan Davies Sit, president of the Welsh Society of Western New England (WSWNE). It was hosted by WSWNE member Mark Lewis. The presentation was by Terry John, from Pembroke, Wales.
It details a pivotal moment in that town’s history using a combination of maps, drawings, current location photos, and video reenactments.
In 1648, during the English Civil Wars, the town of Pembroke, Wales endured a six week siege directed by Oliver Cromwell. He arrived in Pembroke, with an army of around 6,000 men to quash the rebellion, after the garrison of the castle changed allegiances from Parliament to the King.
The Castle had become a refuge for rebellious Parliamentarian soldiers after the end of the First English Civil War. Rowland Laugharne and Rice Powell, a Welsh Colonel, eventually surrendered.