DESCENDANTS of Gerald de Barri from all over the world will be holding their first ever family reunion in Manorbier this weekend.
Gerald de Barri - better known as Giraldus Cambrensis, or Gerald of Wales - was born at Manorbier Castle in 1146 and is hailed as one of Wales' greatest scholars.
Educated at St. Davids, Gloucester Abbey and the University of Paris, Gerald was author of 17 books, including Itinerary through Wales and Description Through Wales, which are two of the most comprehensive portraits on life in Wales in the latter half of the 12th century.
For a time, he was also tutor to Henry II's sons, Richard and John - later Richard the Lionheart and the infamous King John of Magna Carta - and died in 1233.
Organised by Marquette de Barri, of New York - who has written a book on his famous ancestor's life - this weekend will see De Barri's from around the globe, including France, Belgium, Germany, Argentina, South Africa and the United States visiting his birthplace - many for the first time.
Tomorrow (Saturday), the descendants - around 100 of them - will visit Manorbier Castle and the village's 12th century St. James Church - where other members of the de Barri family are buried - where they will be treated to coffee and traditional Welsh cakes before moving on to Tenby's Giltar Hotel for dinner.
Their visit to St. James' Church will also coincide with the launch of a new fund to help raise an anticipated £300,000 required for refurbishment and renovation work on the historic church.