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Did You Know?...

• Henry Tudor:
was born in Pembroke Castle in 28th January 1457. Age 12, and was the last in line of the house of Lancaster. Due to the ongoing 'War of the Roses', in 1471 Henry fled to Brittany from Tenby.

Tenby’s most famous tunnel underneath Tudor Square is said to have played a key role in British history by helping the future Henry VII escape from his enemies. Underneath the town there is a labyrinth of fascinating tunnels linked from the harbourto the property of the mayor, local merchant and ship-owner Thomas White.

Behind Boots the chemist there is a door that leads to a chamber where Tudor merchants would stock wine, coal and other provisions, it is this dark tunnel which once, legend has it, there hid a fugitive future King. It is said that Henry Tudor and his uncle Jasper hid there from the soldiers of the English king, Richard III. It also forms part of a network of tunnels that lead down to the harbour.

The 14-year-old Henry Tudor was hidden below the bustling Pembrokeshire town’s streets before fleeing. It’s thought that he escaped via the cellars under Mayor Thomas White’s house in the high street where Boots the chemist now stands. The underground cavern runs in one direction towards the harbour. It was from this tunnel that he was said to have been spirited away to the harbour and on to one of Thomas White’s boats. Thomas White's tomb is still inside Tenby Church.

The Equals sign:

have you ever wondered where the mathematical (=) equals sign comes from? well it was invented by a Tenby-born man of affluent parents named Robert Recorde who lived from 1512 to 1558.

He was both a mathematician and physician, was educated at Oxford and Cambridge where he taught mathematics and he also was controller of the Royal Mint. Sadly, he was sued for defamation by a political enemy and later died in the Kings Bench Prison, Southwark in 1558.

He also introduced algebra together with the plus (+) sign which already existed in mathematics to english speaking people.

In St Mary's church in Tenby, there is a large plaque to celebrate his achievement which is in an alcove to the right of the altar.

Oranges:

In the 15th century, a portuguese cargo ship named "La Nossa Senora" landed the first cargo of oranges on Welsh shores to Tenby Harbour.

Tenby was at the time a busy and strategically important port for merchants. It is possibly not the main cargo of the vessel, but was a probably the result of an enterprising merchant captain to maximise the profits of his voyage and trading also attempting to create future trade with the arrival of fresh fruit to Pembrokeshire and Wales.

Landsker Line: During the 11th and 12th centuries the 'Landsker Line' emerged and was used for describing the language differnce between the largely Welsh-speaking and largely English-speaking areas in southwest Wales. The English-speaking part was known as "Little England beyond Wales".

During these centuries, a series of over 50 castles were built to defend the South and English-speakers area from the Welsh north during a complex period of conflict, effectively to re-enforce this line.

The main fortresses were built at Pembroke and Haverfordwest, others were built at Manorbier, Carew and Tenby. Although the line is no longer in use by local authorities etc., there is no doubt that locally it is still distinctly marked by the dominant languages of the two areas in use today.