PRESELI PEMBROKESHIRE

district, Dyfed county, southwestern Wales. Created in 1974, it covers an area of 403 square miles (1,044 square km) on the westernmost tip of the South Wales peninsula. About 150 miles (240 km) of convoluted coastline, often comprising smaller peninsulas separated by inlets, makes up the northern, western, and southern borders of the district; to the east, Preseli Pembrokeshire borders the districts of Ceredigion, Carmarthen, and South Pembrokeshire. Prehistoric earthworks known as Warrior's Dyke have been discovered amidst the high cliffs of St. David's Head, the most westerly point in Wales. The town of St. David's, named for the special saint of Wales born in the 6th century, has been a place of pilgrimage since the Middle Ages, attracting those with hopes of miraculous cures for their ailments to a holy well at St. Non's Chapel. Haverfordwest, now a market town and the administrative seat of Preseli Pembrokeshire district, grew up as a walled borough around a castle (c. 1120). The town's maritime prosperity declined rapidly after the English Civil War, and during the 19th century Milford Haven (chartered 1793), situated on the northern shore of a deep natural harbour in southern Preseli Pembrokeshire, grew significantly to become the district's major port. Since 1960, when three major oil refineries were located there, Milford Haven has been one of Europe's leading oil ports. Other major economic activities include agriculture (mainly dairy farming) and tourism. Nearly all the district's coastal area lies within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Fishguard and Goodwick, both located at the head of Fishguard Bay in northern Preseli Pembrokeshire, are popular resort areas, and there is regular ferry service between Fishguard and Rosslare, Ire. A highway and a railway extend northward from Milford Haven through Haverfordwest and Fishguard, and a civil airport is at Withybush, outside Haverfordwest. Pop. (1991 prelim.) 69,600.