Wolvesnewton

Wolvesnewton (Welsh: Trenewydd Dan-y-Gaer, meaning "new town under the fort") is a small village in Monmouthshire, south east Wales, in the United Kingdom, located 6 miles north west of Chepstow between the villages of Devauden and Llangwm.

Contents

History

The parish takes its English name from the family of Wolf, who were lords of the manor in the 13th and 14th century, with their house at Cwrt-y-gaer. According to family tradition, they originated in Thuringia and came to the area with the Romans.[1]

Church of St. Thomas à Becket

The village is located on the northern slopes of what was then Wentwood, which covered a larger area than today. Forest clearances under the Normans led to the establishment of several other "new" villages in the area around the same time, and, as at Shirenewton about 4 miles to the south, the parish church is dedicated to St. Thomas à Becket who had been killed in 1170 and was canonised three years later. The church largely dates from the 13th century but was substantially restored in 1855-57. The war memorial in the churchyard incorporates part of a large mediaeval stone cross.[2]

Gaer Fawr hill fort

The Iron Age hill fort at Gaer Fawr (meaning in Welsh, "great fort"), about 1 mile south-west of Wolvesnewton, is the origin of the Welsh name of the village, and is one of the largest hill forts in Monmouthshire.

References

  1. ^ Sir Joseph Bradney, A History of Monmouthshire, vol.2 part 2, 1913
  2. ^ John Newman, The Buildings of Wales: Gwent/Monmouthshire, 2000, ISBN 0-14-071053-1

External links