Roch Castle
During the summer of 1642, as the likelihood of Civil War became more certain, Roch Castle was occupied in the King's name. Its garrison was probably small, most likely consisting of a handful of musketeers commanded by an officer.
Much of the military action in Pembrokeshire was concentrated in the south of the county and it was not until February 1644 that the castle faced its first real challenge. Following the capture of Pill Fort and the occupation of Haverfordwest by Parliamentary forces, Colonel Rowland Laugharne began mopping up the isolated Royalist garrisons dotted about the county.
He arrived at Roch probably on 27 February and the castle soon surrendered. Thereafter, Laugharne used it as a collection point for cattle and sheep intended to feed his troops. As the tide of fighting swept across south Wales, Roch was retaken by the Royalist Colonel Charles Gerard, who captured not only the castle, but also the 300 cattle and 1,500 sheep that had been corralled nearby. Gerard may well have attacked Roch in order to cut off the Parliamentary food supply, as he was known to be practising a scorched earth policy as he marched through Wales.
During the next fifteen months or so, Roch may have changed hands several times, as Gerard and Laugharne vied for supremacy in south Wales, but details are sparse. With the final Parliamentary victory at Colby Moor on 1 August 1645, Roch was probably abandoned by any troops that still garrisoned it and the castle began its slide into dereliction. It has since been restored and is now a private house.
