HAVERFORDWEST (Welsh Hwlffordd), chief town of Pembrokeshire, South Wales, municipal borough and a county of itself with its own lord lieutenant. Pop. (1931) 6,113. Situated at the highest navigable point on the western Cleddau where the river is also bridgeable, it is also a focus of routes from St. Davids, Fishguard, Cardigan, Narberth, Pembroke and Milford Haven. The streets are steep because the houses cluster around the castle on a hillock. The site is undoubtedly older than the Norman in trusion as the district abounds in place names of Scandinavian origin. Large numbers of Flemings were permitted by Henry I. to settle in the hundred of Roose or Rhos in the years IIo6—o8, III1, 1156. The castle, though first mentioned in 1214, is be lieved to have been built in 1120 by Gilbert de Clare, first Earl of Pembroke, with the object of keeping an important road to Ireland open as well as of protecting the English and Flemish colonists. The church of St. Mary has an elaborate carved 15th century oak ceiling as well as many interesting memorials. To the west of the church is a curious vaulted building (perhaps late I2th century) once the record office, but now a market hall. Other churches are St. Thomas' century) and St. Martin's (14th century) . There are also ruins of an I I th century Augustinian priory. The old walls and fortifications of the mediaeval town have almost disappeared. The earliest charter known is one from Henry II. Further charters were presented by King John, William Marshall II., and Edward V. In 1536, under Henry VIII. Haverfordwest was declared to be a town and county of itself and was further empowered to send representative burgers to parlia ment. The castle was garrisoned for the king in the Civil War but was captured by Parliament in 1644-45 and afterwards demolished. The town remained prosperous through maritime commerce during the 17th and i8th centuries, but with the rise of Milford Haven the trade of Haverfordwest declined. The town, today, relies on the marketing of agricultural produce, but still retains an importance out of proportion to its modern significance. A special feature of such towns is the large number of charities. In Haverfordwest these include John Perrot's bequest 79) yielding about £35o annually for the improvement of the town and Tasker's charity school founded in 1684.