Caerwent
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Caerwent (Welsh: Caer-went) is a village and community in the Monmouthshire, South Wales. It is famous for its Roman remains.
A former Royal Navy Propellant Factory, later Royal Air Force/USAF storage base is located in Caerwent.
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[edit] History
[edit] Roman times
It was founded by the Romans in 75 as Venta Silurum, a market town for the defeated Silures tribe. This is confirmed by inscriptions on the "Civitas Silurum" stone, now on display in the parish church. Caerwent is believed to have acted as a centre for Gwent before and probably after the Roman occupation. Large sections of the Roman town walls are still in place. The wall which surrounds the Roman site rises up to 5 metres in places. Excavations in 1971 dated the north-west polygonal angle-tower to the mid-300s. Modern houses are built on top of half the site of the old Roman market place. Other attractions in the village include the remains of a Roman temple
[edit] Early Christian times
It has been suggested[1] that Caerwent is in fact the location of the court of King Arthur, or in other words what is popularly known as Camelot. After Arthur's death at the Battle of Camlann, therefore, it would have been given to King Caradoc.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- War Memorial
- Monumental Inscriptions for St Stephan and St. Tathen Church
- Monumental Inscriptions for Caerwent Evangelical Baptist Church
- Parish Registers for Caerwent
- 1891 Census Transcript for Caerwent
- Plans, history, and information on the ancient Roman city
