Wolvesnewton

Church of St. Thomas à Becket

Wolvesnewton (Welsh: Trenewydd Dan-y-Gaer, meaning "new town under the fort") is a small village in the community of Devauden, Monmouthshire, south east Wales, United Kingdom. It is located 6 miles (9.7 km) north west of Chepstow between the villages of Devauden and Llangwm.

History

The parish takes its English name from the family of Lupus (Wolf) or Lovel, 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] The village is located to the north of Wentwood, which in Norman times 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, such as Shirenewton about 4 miles (6.4 km) to the south.

From the 1970s the village was the home of the Model Farm Folk Museum and Craft Centre.[2]

Church of St Thomas à Becket

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.[3]

Gaer Fawr hill fort

The Iron Age hill fort at Gaer Fawr (meaning in Welsh, "great fort"), about 1 mile (1.6 km) 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. ↑ "Visitors, Model Farm Folk Museum and Craft Centre, Wolvesnewton". photolibrarywales.com. 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  3. ↑ John Newman, The Buildings of Wales: Gwent/Monmouthshire, 2000, ISBN 0-14-071053-1

Coordinates: 51°41′36″N 2°47′29″W / 51.69338°N 2.79133°W / 51.69338; -2.79133

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.