- This is about the Welsh town of Monmouth. For other uses, see Monmouth
(disambiguation).
Coordinates: 51°′″N 2°′″W / 51.80893,
-2.71938
Monmouth (Welsh: Trefynwy = "town on the Monnow") is a town in southeast
Wales and traditional county town of the historic
county of Monmouthshire. It is situated where the River Monnow meets the River Wye.
Monmouth town centre, Agincourt Square
Character
Monmouth boasts a medieval 13th-century stone gated bridge, unique in Britain as it is the only preserved bridge of its design remaining. After centuries of
waiting a second bridge over the Monnow was finally opened on March 15, 2004, thus allowing the old bridge to become pedestrianised. This project
has, however, meant the demolition of the old cattle market, thus Monmouth is no longer the
market town it has traditionally been; however, a farmers' market selling local produce
is still held.
Monmouth is very much a town of schools. Apart from the comprehensive school with over 1600 pupils, there are two independent schools - Monmouth School (founded 1614) and
Haberdashers' Monmouth School for Girls (founded 1892). There are also several state primary schools, with most areas served by
both infants' and juniors' Schools.
The annual Monmouth Show has been held each year (traditionally on the last Thursday of
August) since 1919 (when it was called the Monmouthshire County Show), though its history can be traced back further, to May 30th
1857, when the eighth Duke of Beaufort and Sir Charles Morgan M.P. put up the funds for
a Monmouth Cattle Show, and even prior to that there had been an agricultural society in existence in the town dating back to the
1790s, which held ploughing competitions.
Nightlife in Monmouth is limited to a number of pubs (Old Nags Head, Queens, Punch House, The Gloucester, The Vinetree and The
Kings Head(J D Wetherspoons)). Some of these hold quizzes and live music throughout the
week. There is a small theatre which has many live shows and includes a cinema, but the films being shown have often been
available elsewhere for many weeks. The town also has a number of good restaurants and some takeaways.
Monmouth is twinned with Carbonne, France and Waldbronn,
Germany.
History
Spede's Map of Monmouth, 1610
Archaeological excavations undertaken by the Monmouth Archaeological Society on various sites along Monnow Street in recent
years have uncovered a wealth of information about the early history of the town. Indeed, the Council for British Archaeology
have designated Monmouth as one of the top ten towns in Britain for archaeology.[1]
Roman Times
-
Monmouth as an organised settlement dates back to the times of the Roman occupation of
Britain. The Romans called it Blestium, and it was part of a network of Roman forts
covering the region, linked to Abergavenny or Gobannium and Usk
known as Burrium and modern local archaeologists and historians have found items of pottery and
coinage that date from that period.
Middle Ages
The town appears in the Domesday Book, and for the eleventh and twelfth centuries the
town and surrounding areas were ruled by Norman French lords after the conquest of England by William the Conqueror in
1066. During this time, Monmouth Castle was built, in 1067 under William Fitz-Osbern of Breteuil,
Normandy, a significant castle-builder, holding commanding views over the surrounding area from
a sound defensive site. Initially it would have been a motte and bailey
castle, rebuilt in stone and later refortified and developed over time.
A Benedictine priory was also created in 1101,[2] and it was traditionally there that
Geoffrey of Monmouth - author of the Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain) - gained his education.
A fortified bridge was built during the thirteenth century.
The castle came into the possession of the House of Lancaster through the marriage
of John of Gaunt to Blanche, a Monmouth based heiress. John of
Gaunt strengthened the castle, adding the Great Hall.
In 1387, Henry V was born in Monmouth Castle in the Queens Chamber within the
gatehouse. The castle became a favourite residence of the House of Lancaster. Henry would win the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. Many parts of Monmouth, including the
town's main square, are named after this battle.
During the rebellion of Owain Glyndwr between 1400 and 1412 Monmouth Castle and town
was not attacked by Welsh forces, however skirmishes and battles were fought in the area, such as at Campston Hill when Prince
Henry's men followed a retreating force of Glyndwr's, capturing the Welsh standard and killing the standard bearer, Ellis ap
Richard ap Howell ap Morgan Llwyd. Other battles took place at nearby at Craig-y-Dorth, at Grosmont and Usk, such as the Battle of
Pwll Melyn. Grosmont town was razed and Abergavenny
and Crickhowell attacked.
Post-Medieval times
In 1605, James I granted Monmouth a town
charter by letters patent. The granting of the charter included the charge that
the town "at all perpetual future times ... be and remain a town and borough of Peace and Quiet, to the example and terror of the
wicked and reward of the good".[3]
The layout of the town as depicted in Speede's map of 1610 would be easily recognisable to present day inhabitants, with the
layout of the main axis from the castle via the main street, Monnow Street, to the bridge clearly visible. Monnow street is a
typical market street, in being wide in the middle (for those selling) and narrow at each end (to help prevent the animals
escaping).
Four railways were built to serve Monmouth between 1857 and 1883 - they were gradually closed between 1917 and 1964, since
when Monmouth has not had any rail services. One of them has now been replaced by a major road, built along the same route.
Famous people
Statue of Henry V in Monmouth
Famous people associated with Monmouth include:
- Geoffrey of Monmouth, born in 1090 and wrote Historia Regum Britanniae,
the 'History of British Kings'
- Henry V, born in Monmouth castle in
1387, who was immortalised in his victory at Agincourt and the
square in the centre of town is named after this battle.
- James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, leader of the Monmouth Rebellion of 1685
- William Jones, a liveryman of Worshipful Company of Haberdashers
and founder of the first of the town's grammar schools. (The second was founded late in the nineteenth century, directly by the
Haberdashers' Company.)
- Admiral Horatio Nelson, who paid two visits to the town and
approved a naval temple on the nearby Kymin Hill. Monmouth is home to one of the largest collections of Nelson material,
bequeathed to the town by Lady Llangattock (d. 1923). mother of Charles Rolls.
- Charles Rolls, who lived at The Hendre near Monmouth and was co-founder of the
Rolls-Royce company, was the first man to make a non-stop double crossing of the English
Channel by plane. There is a statue of Charles Rolls in Agincourt Square.
- Dave Edmunds, Rock musician who was instrumental in the conception of the nationally
famous Rockfield Studios, situated just outside the town, where Queen recorded their hit Bohemian Rhapsody.
- Among the famous ex-pupils of Monmouth School, are politicians Lord (Colin)
Moynihan(also an Olympic rowing cox), Mike Landers and Cliff
Tucker, international rugby players Eddie Butler, John Gwilliam (both captained Wales), Tony Jordan and Keith Jarrett, equestrian David Broome, Glamorgan
and England cricketer Steve James, actor Victor
Spinetti, and rock musician Grant Nicholas.
Etymology
It is generally believed Monmouth is a contraction of 'Monnow-Mouth', and is pronounced by those who live in the area as
'Mon-muth', much like Bournemouth.
Deeper into Wales the town is often pronounced as 'Mun-muth', in the same way as London is pronounced "Lun-dun" and is
arguably derived from Mynwy (Monnow) and Mydd (Mouth) (c.f.
myn-mydd).
References
- ^ See Keith Kissack, Monmouth and its Buildings, Logaston
Press, 2003
- ^ Monmouth Priory. Retrieved on 2006-02-01.
- ^ Monmouth Town Council. Retrieved on
2006-02-01.
External links
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