Gerald of Wales
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Gerald of Wales was a Cambro-Norman priest and historian. As a royal clerk to the king and two archbishops, he travelled widely and wrote extensively. He studied and taught in France and visited Rome several times, meeting the Pope. He was nominated for several bishoprics but turned them down in the hope of becoming Bishop of St Davids, but was unsuccessful despite considerable support. His final post was as Archdeacon of Brecon, from which he retired to academic study for the remainder of his life. Much of his writing survives.
Manorbier Castle, birthplace of Gerald of Wales
St Davids Cathedral today
A drawing of Gerald de Barri's uncle, Maurice FitzGerald, Lord of Llanstephan, from a manuscript of the Expugnatio Hibernica
Arnulf de Montgomery
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Arnulf de Montgomery was an Anglo-Norman magnate. He was a younger son of Roger de Montgomery and Mabel de Bellême. Arnulf's father was a leading magnate in Normandy and England, and played an active part in the Anglo-Norman invasion of Wales in the late eleventh century.
The Bayeux Tapestry's depiction of the Battle of Hastings. Although Arnulf's family did not participate in the invasion of England in 1066, it was richly rewarded with English lands soon afterwards.
The massive stone walls and towers of the castle of Pembroke bear little resemblance to Arnulf's earth and timber castle constructed in about 1093. Arnulf's fortress was replaced with this stone castle by William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, and further construction was continued by the latter's heirs and successors.
Seal of William Rufus. The device depicts the armament of a late eleventh-century mounted knight.
William Rufus as depicted on folio 5r of British Library Royal 14 B VI.