Tenby Observer: [30th November 2012] Manorbier Parish - A History was successfully launched in October this year [2012]. The book traces the evolution of four villages: Jameston, Lydstep, Manorbier and Newton, which together with outlying farms make up the Parish of St. James Church, Manorbier.
The history of the parish is recorded, beginning at the Stone Age and continuing to the present day. Romans, Medieval Knights, a King's Mistress, the Home Guard and sewerage systems all played their part in the development of "the pleasantest spot in Wales".
The author, Gerald Codd, traces the story of the de Barri family, the first owners of Manorbier Castle, through to their succession by the Bowens and then to the Philippses of Picton Castle, whose descendants still own the castle today.
The book also looks at some of the most important families, including the Adams family, who built Lydstep House, John Tudor, of Tudor Lodge, Viscount St. Davids and his wife, Lady Nora, who lived at Lydstep from 1893 onwards.
Entrepreneurs, tanners, blacksmiths, builders, vicars, poets and writers all feature and much is written about the two world wars and their individual tragedies. Gerald has selected information which shows not just the stories of the movers and shakers, but of the schoolteachers, preachers, craftsmen, postmen and publicans.
Manorbier Parish - A History took a total of four years to complete and developed out of Gerald's research into the Medieval Fishponds below Manorbier Castle. He has been delighted with the initial response from fellow parishioners and is already compiling another notebook of snippets and photos entitled 'What They Didn't Tell Me' for his next volume.