In the late 1970s Richard Rose, retired London solicitor and antiquarian book collector, bought a diary on the Portobello Road by Matthew Campbell, the customs officer in Pembroke in the late 1700s/early 1800s.

Matthew inspected boats and their cargoes coming in and going out of the North and South Quays, plus other inlets and harbours around South Pembrokeshire.

After starting to research the background of Matthew (a relation of the then Lord Cawdor) and his time in the town of Pembroke, Richard planned to write the story of Matthew’s life.

However, as his research encompassed the people and workings of the town, some of whom Matthew had referred to in his diary, Richard decided instead to concentrate on compiling a record of each and every person living in and around the town parishes of St. Michaels and St. Mary’s between about 1790 and 1840.

St. Mary’s parish at that time extended to what we now know as Pembroke Dock and, therefore, a large section of the book covers Pembroke Dock, the Dockyard: the ships and its’ employees.

Published under the heading ‘Pembroke People’, it was agreed that Rosalie Lilwall, a member of the Pembroke Civic Trust, who met and became a friend of the author in the mid-1980s, should hold stock of the book locally.

Thus, her meeting with Pembroke Mayor Dennis Evans (in pic) to publicise this fantastic source of information.

Anyone interested in purchasing a copy can get in touch with Rosalie via Pembroke town hall or at the museum.