MILFORD, a market-town and sea-port and borough (newly created), in the parish of STEYNTON, union of HAVERFORDWEST,
hundred of RHOS, county of PEMBROKE, SOUTH WALES, 6 miles (N. W.) from Pembroke, 8 (S. S. W.) from Haverfordwest, and 256
(W.) from London: the population is returned with the parish. This place, which is celebrated for the spacious and
commodioui haven to which it gives name, is said to have derived its appellation from a stream that turned a mill
anciently belonging to a priory, about a mile from the present town, and over which there was a ford, previously to the
erection of a bridge at this place. It was in the famous haven of Milford that Henry II. embarked with the troops he had
assembled for the conquest of Ireland; and here also he landed on his return from that expedition. In the reign of Henry
IV., an army of twelve. thousand men, that had been sent from France to the assistance of Owain Glyndwr, in his
insurrection against the authority of that monarch, landed at this place, from which they marched to the siege of
Haverfordwest, and, subsequently, to that of Carmarthen. The Earl of Richmond, afterwards Henry VH., attended by a small
body of French retainers, ill- disciplined and scantily provided for the great design he had undertaken, also landed in
this haven, where he was received by Rh5s ab Thomas, with a numerous train of his dependents and followers, whose warlike
appearance encouraged him at once to proceed on his arduous enterprise. On this occasion it is said that Rhys, who had
previously, in his assurances of loyalty to Richard, declared that any person ill-affected to the state, daring to land in
those parts of Wales where he had any employment under the king, " must resolve to make his entrance and irruption over
his belly," laid himself on his back on the ground, that the earl, on landing, might pass over him: a tradition still
popular in the neighbourhood states that Rhys, in the evasive redemption of his pledge, remained under a small bridge,
while the earl passed over it. Immediately after his landing, Richmond, having despatched orders to his partisans in.
other parts of the country, to join him with their forces at Shrewsbury, set forward upon his march, forming his small
army into two divisions, one of which he commanded himself, taking his route through Cardiganshire, and the other he
placed under the conduct of Rhys, who, passing through Carmarthenshire, was to collect his followers on his march, and to
rejoin the earl at Shrewsbury. In the time of Henry VIII., although the present town of Milford was not then in existence,
the port of Llanelly, in Carmarthenshire, was esteemed a creek to the harbour; and in the reign of Elizabeth, when the
country was threatened with the Spanish invasion, an engineer named Ivy was sent hither, to survey the haven, and to
report on the means necesnary to be adopted for its defence against the enemy; but his conduct gave so much
dissatisfaction to the inhabitants of this part of the coast, that a spirited memorial was drawn up, signed by the Bishop
of St. David's and the principal gentlemen and magistrate.; of the county, and presented to the leading members of the
Privy Council. In this memorial they set forth the great importance to " her Majesty and the realm" of properly and
effectually fortifying the haven of Milford, and entreat that some engineer of experience should be sent down for that
purpose. In consequence either of this remonstrance, or of Mr. Ivy's report of the means necessary for the defence of the
place, orders were issued for the erection of two forts near the entrance of the haven, which were begun in situations
very ill chosen for the purpose, but were never finished; and their remains, called respectively the Dale and Nangle
blockhouses, are still visible. About the commencement of the American war, it was resolved by the government to form a
dockyard at Nayland, on the northern shore of the haven, and a little to the east of the present town; and some land in
the vicinity was purchased for the erection of forts and batteries for its defence; but, after two ships had been built
there by contract, viz., the Milford frigate, and the Prince of Wales of seventy-four guns, and when one of the
fortifications had been constructed to a considerable extent, the design was abandoned, after nearly £20,000 had been
expended. The late Admiral Lord N618031, who, after the battle of the Nile, visited this place in company with Sir William
Hamilton, then proprietor of it, regarded Milford Haven as the finest and most extensive harbour in the known world,
capable of floating more than the whole navy of England within its Limits in perfect safety. George IV, on his return from
Dublin in 1821, encountering a gale of wind near the Land's End, the royal squadron twice entered the haven; and his
Majesty, having landed at Milford, ultimately proceeded by land to London. In commemoration of this event, a tablet, about
six feet in height, ornamented in the centre with a large shell, and with wreaths of flowers down the aides, was placed at
the end of a public building near Milford Quay, by the Hon. Robert Fulke Greville, on which is engraved a long inscription
detailing the circumstances of that occurrence. The present TOWN is of very recent date, and owes its rise and importance
to the Hon. Mr. Gre-. v,ille, nephew of the late Sir William Hamilton, and subsequently, after the death of his uncle,
proprietor of the estate. This gentleman, during the Lifetime of Sir William, perceiving the advantages that might be
derived from the situation of the property, pro, cured an act of parliament in 1790r enabling Sit, William Hamilton, his;
heirs and assigns, to make docks, construct quays,. establish markets, with roads, and Avenues to the port, to regulate
the police, and make the place a Station for conveying the mails to Waterford, which previously had been compelled to stop
at Haverfordwest, eight miles distant from the place of shipping. To this arrangement may be attributed the origin of the
town, which it was resolved to build opposite to the finest anchorage in that part of the haven called the Man of War
Roads. The first building erected on this site wan a large commodious inn, for the accommodation ofrt: passengers by the
mail coaches and packets; and the ground plan having been regularly laid out, the allotments were eagerly taken and built
upon, and a flourishing town soon arose. The earliest settlers In the new town were some families from the island of
Nantucket, on the coast of North America, of whom the Starbucks first, and afterwards the family of Rotcb, came by
invitation of government to establish the South Sea Whale fishery at this port, which trade was carried on successfully
for some years, but was afterwards entirely discontinued. The increased population soon caused the establishment of a
market, for which a good house has been built, and which is well and cheaply supplied for the inhabitants and the
shipping, this having been formerly a station for men-of-war; and the accession to the trade of the place procured, in a
short time, the erection of a custom-house, in 1823, to which that of Pembroke became subordinate. A very great addition
to the prosperity of the town was made by carrying into effect Lord Spencer's plan for establishing a royal dock-yard at
this port, which occurred about the commencement of the present century, when a frigate of forty guns, and a sloop of
thirty, were built here, and proved to be the best ships of their respective classes in the service. In 1809, the Milford
of seventy-four guns was launched; and in consequence of the design of government to fix the new dockyard and naval
arsenal here, a petition was presented to the House of Commons, in 1813, for leave to bring in a bill for the improvement
of the town, by building a bridge across one of the inlets of the haven to the village of flaking, to be constructed in
such a manner as to convert the inlet into a floating dock of sixty, acres. Under these favourable ch.. commences the
town, which had already become considerable in its extent and population, promised greatly to increase in importance; but
its further progress was arrested by the removal of the royal yard and arsenal to Peterchureb, or Pembroke Dock, which
took place in 1814. It still, however, retained its distinction as the station for the posb(Ace packet to Waterford, until
the recent removal of the establishment to Hobbs' Point, near Pembroke Dock, where a handsome pier has been built. The
town of Milford occupies a beautiful SITUAwow, five or six miles from the mouth of the haven, on a point of land sloping
down to the water, by which it is almost surrounded, being bounded on the east by Prix Pill, on the west by Priory Pill,
and en the south by the main haven, that here expands into a spacious reach, having the appearance of a large inland lake,
inclosed by rocky shares presenting rich and highly varied scenery. The present town, elevated upwards of sixty feet above
the level of the sea, consists of three parallel streets, intersected at right eagles by ethers leading down to the haven:
the lower street contains only one row of houses, overlooking the water, and having in front a fine terrace, at one
extremity of which stands the princi * hotel, a spaeioas and handsome pile of baikling. The houses, which are for the most
part of stone procured on the spot, are regularly, disposed, and many of them are of very good design. The approach to the
town from the sea is defended' by two batteries, mounting each seven guns, and erected on the opposite shame of the haven
'  and between the adjacent villages of Haking and Hubberston is an observatory, which, however, having, never been
finished, is now going to decay. The air is remarkably salubrious, and the surrounding scenery abormds with variety and
beauty, and in some places is highly picturesque. Milford Haven is one of the moat extensive and secure harbours iir the
kingdom, or perhaps in the world: it is formed, by the junction of the rivers called the Eastern. and Western Cleddy, from
the mouths of which it extends nearly ten miles in length, being from one to two miles in breadth, and has five bays, ten
creeks, and thirteen roadsteads; the whole affording good anchorage and safil shelter for ships of the greatest burthen,
which, from the strength and depth of the tides, can put out to sea in any winds with more expedition than from any large
harbour on the coast of Britain: its total navigable length, from its mouth up the main haven and the Western Cleddy to
Haverfordwest, is twenty-one miles; from its mouth, ascending the haven and the Eastern Cleddy, to Canaston bridge, about
twenty miles. It has. been stated by a naval officer once resident at the place, to be capable of receiving, at one time,
a thousand ships of the line, and the same number of fifty-gun ships, of frigates, of sloops of war, and of tmnspornri
without the least danger of their being in each other's way; and that a hundred mil of the line might be brought to act
simultaneonsl against any ships, however numerous, that mightt attempt to enter the harbour. he trade and importance of
the town arise from its being a great resort of shipping, not only on account of the custom-house, but also of the
quarantine establishment, and the convenience of its situation as a port for vessels in distress and under circumstances
of peculiar destination. The principal business is that of ship-building, which, since the removal of the royal dockyard,
is still carried on upon a less extensive scale: there are several yards for the repairing of vessels, in which also yea-
eels of upwards of one hundred tens' burthen are built. American timber is imported for ship-building and domestic loses,
and also various articles of Baltic produce, but upon a mien male. The principal exports are, stone-coal, for drying malt,
of which great quantities me shipped for London and different ports on the Bristol and English channels, and limestone and
calm, that are sent coastwise. A large oyster fishery is carried on for the supply of distant markets, the oysters of this
coast being esteemed unrivalled in quality. The jurisdiction of the port extends over the whole haven, and along the coast
from near Laugharne, in Carrnarthenshire, to St. David's Head; the number of vessels of above 50 tons registered at the
port, amounts to 69, with an aggregate burthen of 7387 tons: Some good quays have been constructed, and there are large
warehouses for bonding stores, and two bonding yards for timber.. The customhouse it a neat and substantial building,
commodiously situated, and well adapted to its purpose; and here is now the establishment belonging to the light-horse
upon the " Smalls," having been transferred within the last few years from Solve, toltich see for a more minute account of
the light-house and rocks. A public brewery is conducted upon an extensive scale; and a considerable trade is carried. on
in ship-chandlery and other articles necessary for the supply of the shipping. The market days are Tuesday and Saturday,
and the markets, which are abundantly supplied and numerously attended, are held in  convenient and sheltered area for the
purpose. The lord of the manor holds courts leet, at which constables and other officers are appointed. By the act of.
parliament, passed in 1832, for "Amending the representation," Milford was made a contributory borough to Pembroke in
returning a member to parliament: the constituency consists entirely of the ten-pound householders, duly qualified and re
istered; and the number of houses of sufficient value to qualify their tenants is about:a' hundred, the limits marked out
for the franchise net only including the whole area between Prix Pill and Priory Pill, chiefly, occupied by the town, but
also the old village of Halting, on the opposite side of the latter inlet. A chapel of ease to the mother church,
dedicated to se. Catherine, is situated at the eastern extremity, of the street' fronting the haven; it was erected'
chiefly. at the expense of the Hon. Charles Francis Greville, lord of the manor, and' was consecrated for divine service
in the year 1808. It is an elegant structure in the later style of English architecture, with a lofty embattled tower, and
consists of a nave, chancel, and north and south aisles; the roof is. riehly groined; and the windows are embellished with
stained glass; the font, which is of very chaste design, is of Derbyshire marble, and opposite to it is a vase of red
porphyry, which was brought from Egypt, and in-. tended to be placed here, also the top-gallant mast of the French ship
'Orient, that was blown up in the battle of Aboukir. A little to the east of the present edifice are the remains of an
ancient chapel, which was also dedicated to St. Catherine, and after having been desecrated for many years, was converted
into a powder magazine: it consisted of a nave and chancel, with a finely vaulted roof, which is still entire; the western
end has fallen down, but the boundaries of the old cemetery may be distinctly traced. There are places of worship for
Baptists, the Society of Friends, Independents, and Wesleyan Methodists. Milford gave the title of baron, in the peerage
of Ireland, to the late Sir Richard Philips, Bart., of Picton Castle, who dying without issue, in 1823, that dignity
expired.