CYMRAEG search COVID-19 (Coronavirus) For details on service changes visit our Coronavirus information and advice page. MANORBIER PEMBROKESHIRE: LAND OF LEGENDS Home / About the National Park / Culture and Heritage / Land of Legends / Manorbier SHARE THIS With history, nature, and spectacular views, Manorbier has something for everyone. Potter on the beach, rummage in the rockpools, walk the spectacular Coast Path and explore the historic castle, church and burial chamber. JACK FURZE OF MANORBIER Captain Jack Furze, a wily smuggler has a close encounter with the tax ships! Accept Advertisement cookies to view the content. Audio Player 00:00 00:00 Use Up/Down Arrow keys to increase or decrease volume. The south coast is lined with sweeping sandy beaches, sheer cliffs, and small, sheltered coves and bays. These little coves and bays were once very busy places – not in daylight hours with people playing on the sand and rummaging in rockpools, but under the cover of darkness… As early as the 17th century smugglers used these little bays to smuggle goods such as wine and brandy in to Pembrokeshire. There is a very famous story set here, at Manorbier Castle. In the early 1800s, a sailor called Captain Jack Furze or Jolly Jack Furze, came ashore. He told the locals that he’d saved a bit of money and quite fancied having a change. He decided to lease some of the castle land and have a go at farming and coal mining. He was friendly with the villagers, and they all seemed to enjoy each other’s company. However, he didn’t completely swap life on the sea for life on the land. He had a little sailing brig, which he kept going along the coast stopping in at Swanlake bay and Freshwater East, and it turned out this was his main job. He had a roaring trade going, using the castle cellars as his storage place, and his farming and mining were just a simple cover up. All was well, until one day, when he was heading out in his boat towards the coast, the King’s revenue ships appeared on the horizon. There followed a duel – one little brig versus the King’s ships. The King’s ships chased him, firing shots, attacking relentlessly. Jolly Jack zigged and zagged in his bullet-ridden ship. The story goes that he sent his men below deck, and handled the boat himself. His excellent seamanship and maybe a bit of luck, meant that he held off his attackers until darkness fell and he could escape. This was a very close call for him and the end of his smuggling career and his time farming at Manorbier. DOWNLOAD JACK FURZE OF MANORBIER AUDIO FILE DOWNLOAD MANORBIER SHORT WALKS MAP DOWNLOAD MANORBIER/SWANLAKE BAY SHORT WALK MAP DOWNLOAD MANORBIER SHORT WALK MAP DISCOVER MORE MYTHS AND LEGENDS ST GOVAN'S CHAPEL Tucked into the cliffs on the Castlemartin Range, St Govan’s Chapel is a great place to explore. READ MORE ON ST GOVAN'S CHAPEL CAREW CASTLE Once a home to lords and ladies, princesses and warriors, Carew is now home to ghost stories and rare bats. READ MORE ON CAREW CASTLE ST DAVIDS St Davids, the smallest city in Britain, and birthplace of the patron saint of Wales, has the perfect mix of history, culture, coast and countryside. READ MORE ON ST DAVIDS ROCH CASTLE Roch Castle, built by Norman knight Adam de Rupe, has historic royal connections. READ MORE ON ROCH CASTLE MILL BAY Mill Bay, a quiet cove on the Dale Peninsula, is a site of huge historical significance. READ MORE ON MILL BAY MILFORD HAVEN WATERWAY Explore the secret waterways of the Daugleddau Estuary, wooded valleys and rugged Preseli Hills. READ MORE ON MILFORD HAVEN WATERWAY FISHGUARD Fishguard was the site of the ‘Last Invasion of Britain’ more than 200 years ago. READ MORE ON FISHGUARD PRESELI HILLS Enjoy the sense of freedom and the vast views from the heights of the Preseli Hills. READ MORE ON PRESELI HILLS BEDD MORRIS Enjoy the spectacular views from up on the common and decide why you think this standing stone was placed here. READ MORE ON BEDD MORRIS BRYNBERIAN Burial chambers, ancient woodland and stone cairns make this area of North Pembrokeshire a place of myth and mystery. READ MORE ON BRYNBERIAN GET IN TOUCH Contact us and register your details to get the latest updates on what's happening in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. 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