There have been a number of incidents in and around Rosemarket over the centuries leading to trials in court. 

Anyone arrested for a serious offence in the 1800s would have been sent to the Gaol (Jail) in Haverfordwest at the castle and held there awaiting the convening of the Assize court at the Shire Hall.

Assize courts were held when travelling Judges from the higher courts in London visited. They were normally only held twice yearly and if someone was unlucky with the timing of the incident, they could spend up to 6 months in poor, cramped conditions in the Gaol awaiting trial. At the end of this period they then may have then been found not guilty and released.

Very little seems to have changed in the types of Court cases over the centuries; From neighbourly disputes to theft and murder, all still sadly occurring today. The punishments for these offences however were much more severe including the ultimate sentence of execution by hanging.

Much of the information about the Court cases has been obtained from newspaper articles written at the time within the Courtroom and obtained from historic editions in the National Library of Wales.

Local newspapers play a vital role in the capturing of news and events of interest to local communities. Today, archives  make it possible to look back through time and see how news was reported. Our research identified many incidents in the vicinity of Rosemarket, although we have chosen to focus on news with the strongest link to Rosemarket.

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