FISHGUARD and Goodwick’s rich and fascinating history is to feature in a new television series on things you never knew about Britain.

The eight part series ‘I Never Knew That About Britain’, anchored by Paul Martin, is due to air on ITV1 on Monday, March 3 at 8pm.

The programme explores Britain’s history, unearthing eccentric characters and stories from the past and celebrating some of the greatest technological, artistic, scientific and political achievements of the British people.

The first episode celebrates the unsung heroes of Britain. People who, for one reason or another, have not received the global recognition they rightly deserve.

Many people think that Britain’s last invasion was the Battle of Hastings in 1066. However, in 1797 Fishguard fended off the advances of Napoleon’s soldiers hoping to stir up an uprising, who had inadvertently landed there after being blown off course from their intended destination of Bristol.

Local historian and Fishguard and Goodwick Town Councillor Chris John tells how “a local heroine, Jemima Nicholas, advanced from Fishguard with a pitchfork and singlehandedly captured 12 Frenchmen, and led them by the point of her pitchfork back to Fishguard.”

She then organised the women of the town to dress up in their traditional Welsh costume of black hats and red shawls, and line up along the hill so that the Frenchmen, who had been drinking all the booze from the abandoned farmhouses, would think they were the British army. The soldiers then surrendered at the Royal Oak pub.

This bizarre and little known story across Britain had widespread repercussions both at the time and through to the present. The uncertainty caused by the invasion meant that people removed their money from the Bank of England, causing them to issue IOUs in the form of paper money with the statement 'I promise to pay the bearer on demand the sum of...” which is still on our bank notes today.

Jemima died at the age of 82, and there is a memorial stone dedicated to her memory at St Mary’s churchyard.