Previous to 1922 the Ashburnham Estate controlled 3,300 Acres of Pembrey Parish comprising the greater part of Pembrey Village and consisted of :-

The sale of the Estate came about when the 6th Earl, Thomas Earl of Ashburnham who in 1922 was in his 67 year, and had no children to continue the line of the Ashburnhams after his death, obviously decided to sell his estate before his death. He died without issue on 12th May 1924 when the title became extinct, and long connection of Pembrey with the Ashburnham's came to an end.

Until 1677 the Lords of the Manor were the Vaughans, Walter Vaughan lived at Pembrey, in 1653 he married Alice Bond daughter of Thomas Bond and sister of George Bond of Ogbourn, Wiltshire, Walter died in 1660, of several children only one survived Bridget, Bridget sole heiress of Pembrey and last of the Vaughans, married John Ashburnham of Ashburnham, Sussex, in Westminster Abbey on the 14 July 1687, when the Manor of Pembrey became the Lordship of Ashburnham, they lived at the Sussex seat, with occasional visits to the Welsh estates, John Ashburnham died at Bloomsbury on 21st January 1709 aged 44, Bridget died at Ashburnham House, aged 59 on 12th May 1719.

John Ashburnham, first Earl of Asburnham, born at the family house of Chiswick on 15th January 1665 we have already noted he married Bridget sole heiress of the Vaughans of Pembrey. Lord Ashburnham left two sons and two daughters, the eldest son William bore the title of Earl for a period of six months for he died of smallpox on 16th June 1710, the title and estates then passed to his brother John, born 13th March 1687.

John Baron Ashburnham, was married three times, but only had one son by his third wife, Jemima, daughter of Coheiress of Henry (de Grey) 1st Duke of Kent. Lord Asburnham died on 10th March 1736 aged 49years, his only son, John, born on 30th October 1724, succeeded to the titles of the estates.

John, 2nd Earl, married Elizabeth daughter and coheiress of John Crowley, of Barking, Suffolk, on 28th June 1756, The Ashburnhams kept in touch with their Welsh estates, forwarding industrial development, in coal and iron at Pembrey, in 1778 the Earl bought the tithes of Pembrey from the Duke of Rutland. The 2nd Earl died on 8th April 1812 at the age of 87, although his wife Elizabeth had died on the 6th February 1781 aged 53.

The 3rd Earl George the only son of 2nd Earl John was born on 25 December 1761, he was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge. He married twice, firstly, to Sophia Thynne daughter of Thomas, Marquis of Bath, on 28th August 1784, they had one son, George who died in his fathers lifetime, unmarried, on 7th June 1813. His wife Sophia died on 9th April 1791.

His second wife whom he married on 25th July 1795, was Charlotte Percy, daughter of Algernon, Earl of Beverly, they had six sons and seven daughters. The 3rd Earl died on 27th October 1830, aged 69 years, his second wife died on 26th November 1862 aged 87 years. He was succeeded by Bertram, born on 23 November 1797, the eldest surviving son by his second wife, Charlotte.

The 4th Earl, Bertram Ashburnham, educated at, John's College, Cambridge, married Kathleen Charlotte Baillie, daughter of George Baillie of Jerviswood, and sister of the 10th Earl of Haddington, in 1840, they had seven sons and four daughters, the eldest being Bertram.

Bertram succeeded as the 5th Earl of Ashburnham, born 28th October 1840, and educated at Westminster School, he married Emily Chaplin daughter of Richard Chaplin, Gentleman, on 25th February 1888 at St.George Hanover Square, Registry Office. In 1883 the landed possessions of the Estate totalled 24,500 acres producing an annual rental of £24.000.

Military installations are not new to Pembrey, on 14th December 1883, the Earl granted part of his estate in Pembrey, to the Secretary of State for the War Department, the right to use part of the manor, for three months of the year, for 17 years, as a firing range for H.M. Forces, at an annual rent of £20.00.

The wife of the 5th Earl died on the 12th February 1900 of pleurisy, the Earl died in 1913, leaving an only child, Lady Mary Cathleen Charlotte Ashburnham, who was living in Pembrey House, unmarried, in 1923, accordingly the estates passed to his only surviving younger brother Thomas, who became the 6th and last Earl of Ashburnham.

The 6th Earl, Thomas married Maria Elizabeth Anderson daughter of W.H. Anderson of Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada on 10th June 1903.

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