Dingestow (pronounced , cy, Llanddingad) is a small village in

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, with ...

, Wales. It is located south-west of

Monmouth Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. I ...

and approximately the same distance north-east of Raglan in

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are describ ...

Monmouthshire. The

River Trothy The River Trothy ( cy, Afon Troddi) is a river which flows through north Monmouthshire, in rural south east Wales. The river rises on Campston Hill, northeast of Abergavenny. It flows southwards until Llanvapley, where it turns east. About so ...

passes through the village.

History

The village was once the site of a

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

motte and bailey A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or Bailey (castle), bailey, surrounded by a protective Rampart (fortification ...

sited to control this part of the

Welsh Marches The Welsh Marches ( cy, Y Mers) is an imprecisely defined area along the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods. The English term Welsh March (in Medieval Latin ...

by the incoming

Marcher Lords A Marcher lord () was a noble appointed by the king of England to guard the border (known as the Welsh Marches) between England and Wales. A Marcher lord was the English equivalent of a margrave (in the Holy Roman Empire) or a marquis (in Fra ...

.It was later replaced by a larger, stone-built one, the site of which is the large rectangular mound to the west of the church. This was under construction in 1182 by Ranulf Poer,

Sheriff of Herefordshire This is a list of Sheriffs and, since 1998, High Sheriffs of Herefordshire The position of Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in each county, but over the centurie ...

, when it was attacked by Hywel ap Iorwerth, the Welsh lord of

Caerleon Caerleon (; cy, Caerllion) is a town and community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies northeast of Newport city centre, and southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable Roman ...

, as part of his retaliation for the murder of Seisyll ap Dyfnwal at

Abergavenny Castle Abergavenny Castle ( cy, Castell y Fenni) is a ruined castle in the market town of Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales, established by the Norman lord Hamelin de Balun . It was the site of a massacre of Welsh noblemen in 1175, and was attacked d ...

on Christmas Day in 1175 by William de Braose. The sheriff himself was killed in the action. The village has a

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

, dedicated to Saint Dingad or Dingat. The church was rebuilt in several stages in the nineteenth century. Dingestow Court has been described as "one of the county's major houses."John Newman, ''The Buildings of Wales: Gwent/Monmouthshire'', page 212 The 17th century gentry house of Treowen, now a venue for conferences and weddings, is located just north-east of the village. The village was served, from 1857 to 1955, by the

Coleford, Monmouth, Usk and Pontypool Railway The Coleford, Monmouth, Usk & Pontypool Railway (CMU&PR) was a standard gauge railway of which ran from Monmouth to Little Mill, near Pontypool in Monmouthshire, Wales. It was intended to convey the mineral products of the Forest of Dean to th ...

which had a railway station at Dingestow.Stanley C Jenkins, ''The Ross, Monmouth and Pontypool Road Line'', revised second edition 2009,

Amenities

The area is popular with campers and caravanners in season and is close to the

Wye Valley The Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; cy, Dyffryn Gwy) is an internationally important protected landscape straddling the border between England and Wales. The River Wye ( cy, Afon Gwy) is the fourth-longest river in th ...

. The community is served by a

Village Hall A village hall is a public building in a village used for various things such as: United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building which contains at least one large room (plus kitchen and toilets), is owned by a local ...

and a general store with a sub

Post Office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

. The Somerset Arms is the local

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

. Seddon House, in the village, is the base for

Gwent Wildlife Trust Gwent Wildlife Trust ( cy, Ymddiriedolaeth Natur Gwent) (GWT) is a The Wildlife Trusts, wildlife trust covering the area between the lower River Wye, Wye and Rhymney River, Rhymney rivers which forms the Watsonian vice-counties, vice county of Mo ...

."Gwent Wildlife Trust/ Ymddiriedolaeth Natur Gwent"
/ref>

References

External links

www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Dingestow and surrounding area
*
Dingestow Church

Dingestow Village Hall
Villages in Monmouthshire {{Monmouthshire-geo-stub