Raglan (; ( cy, Rhaglan) is a village and

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...

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 ...

, south east Wales, United Kingdom. It is located some 9 miles south-west of Monmouth, midway between

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

Abergavenny Abergavenny (; cy, Y Fenni , archaically ''Abergafenni'' meaning "mouth of the River Gavenny") is a market town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales. Abergavenny is promoted as a ''Gateway to Wales''; it is approximately from the border wi ...

on the

A40 road A4 most often refers to: *A4 paper, a paper size defined by the ISO 216 standard, measuring 210 × 297 mm A4 and variants may also refer to: Science and mathematics * British NVC community A4 (''Hydrocharis morsus-ranae - Stratiotes aloide ...

very near to the junction with the

A449 road The A449 is a major road in the United Kingdom. It runs north from junction 24 of the M4 motorway at Newport in South Wales to Stafford in Staffordshire. The southern section of the road, between Ross on Wye and Newport forms part of the tru ...

. The fame of the village derives from

Raglan Castle Raglan Castle ( cy, Castell Rhaglan) is a late medieval castle located just north of the village of Raglan in the county of Monmouthshire in south east Wales. The modern castle dates from between the 15th and early 17th centuries, when the succ ...

, built for

William ap Thomas Sir William ap Thomas (died 1445) was a Welsh nobleman, politician, knight, and courtier. He was a member of the Welsh gentry family that came to be known as the Herbert family through his son William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (8th creati ...

and now maintained by

Cadw (, a Welsh verbal noun meaning "keeping/preserving") is the historic environment service of the Welsh Government and part of the Tourism and Culture group. works to protect the historic buildings and structures, the landscapes and heritage s ...

. The community includes the villages of

Llandenny Llandenny ( cy, Llandenni or, lesser used, Mathenni) is a village in Monmouthshire, south east Wales, United Kingdom. Llandenny is located three miles south of Raglan and three miles north of Usk. History and amenities The little village of ...

and Pen-y-clawdd. Raglan itself has a population of 1,183.

History and buildings

The village stands at the crossing point of two

Roman road Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...

s, that from

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

Usk Usk ( cy, Brynbuga) is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, northeast of Newport. It is located on the River Usk, which is spanned by an arched stone bridge at the western entrance to the town. Usk Castle, above the town, overlooks th ...

, and that from

Chepstow Chepstow ( cy, Cas-gwent) is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the tidal River Wye, about above its confluence with the River Severn, and adjoining the western ...

. Raglan was first mentioned in the will of Walter de Clare. The earliest market in Raglan was recorded in 1354. The

market cross A market cross, or in Scots, a mercat cross, is a structure used to mark a market square in market towns, where historically the right to hold a regular market or fair was granted by the monarch, a bishop or a baron. History Market crosse ...

in the town, which stands in the centre of the cross roads between the church and the Beaufort Arms Inn, consists now only of a massive base on which has been mounted a lamp post. In the large space around this stone the markets were held, the base of the cross forming the table on which bargains were struck. The agricultural roots of Raglan are illustrated by a 1397 account of discussions between the reeve Ieuan Hire and Ieuan ap Grono and

haywards Haywards is a small hillside suburb in the Hutt Valley near Wellington, New Zealand. It is notable for its large electrical substation, which is the main switching point for the Wellington region, and the home of the North Island converter sta ...

(hedge wardens) Iorwerth ap Gwillym and Hoe ap Gwillym Goch, held in the records depository at

Badminton House Badminton House is a large country house and Grade I Listed Building in Badminton, Gloucestershire, England, which has been the principal seat of the Dukes of Beaufort since the late 17th century. The house, which has given its name to th ...

. The earliest records of the manor of Raglan Court are found in 26 October – 28 July 1391 during the reign of

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father died ...

. At this time Raglan Castle was probably no more than a hill fort. After 1415 Raglan Castle was greatly expanded and by 1587 contemporary descriptions refer to Raglan as a town. For the court, 13 July 1587, the marginal heading reads ' and the caption becomes 'The Court of

William Somerset, 3rd Earl of Worcester William Somerset, 3rd Earl of Worcester, KG (c. 1526/1527 – 21 February 1589) was an English courtier, nobleman, and politician. He was the eldest son of Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester and his second wife Elizabeth Browne. Earl of Wo ...

of his said borough and the Court of the said Earl of his said manor with members'. From 1 June 1587 onwards most courts refer to the Borough of Ragland in the following manner: 'The Court of the said manor with the Court of the borough or the town of Ragland'.Badminton Records. 13 Oct. 1587 (MS 8); MS 7

National Library of Wales The National Library of Wales ( cy, Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru), Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales and is one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies. It is the biggest library in Wales, holding over 6.5 million boo ...

. By 1632, a Court House was established in Raglan. "The jury to meet at the Court House at Ragland the 25th March next by ten of the clock under peyn of xls. apeece to have a view and inquire of lands in Landenny (

) and Ragland late of Philip David Morris", (Dec. 1632). Subsequent leet courts refer to the

liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

of Raglan and in 1682 the

hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101. In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to de ...

of Ragland is mentioned. Court Roll excerpts reflect the issues of the day: In 1680, ‘The bridge called Pontleecke upon the highway leading from Raglan towards Chepstow to be out of repair. Moses Morgan fined for not spending 14s of the parish money towards repairing the

stocks Stocks are feet restraining devices that were used as a form of corporal punishment and public humiliation. The use of stocks is seen as early as Ancient Greece, where they are described as being in use in Solon's law code. The law describing ...

and

whipping post The pillory is a device made of a wooden or metal framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, formerly used for punishment by public humiliation and often further physical abuse. The pillory is related to the stock ...

in the parish of Raglan’. In 1695 the repair of bridges are still under discussion, ‘The bridge called Pont y bonehouse in the town of Raglan, 1695. John Curre, gent., steward’. There is no longer a direct train service to the village, the local railway station having closed in 1955. The railway station buildings have been removed to St Fagans. The village continued to be an important thoroughfare in the 18th and 19th centuries, which explains its three substantial

coaching inns The coaching inn (also coaching house or staging inn) was a vital part of Europe's inland transport infrastructure until the development of the railway, providing a resting point ( layover) for people and horses. The inn served the needs of tra ...

the ''Beaufort Arms'', the ''Ship'' and the ''Crown'' where the

mail coach A mail coach is a stagecoach that is used to deliver mail. In Great Britain, Ireland, and Australia, they were built to a General Post Office-approved design operated by an independent contractor to carry long-distance mail for the Post Office. M ...

es would stop. Castle Street runs north from the village to the castle, although it is now bisected by the A449. The village end of the street contains six

listed buildings In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

; Castell Coch, Exmoor House, and The Malthouse, which form a continuous terrace on the eastern side, and 7, and 8, Castle Street and The Old Post Office, which form a run on the western side. Other listed buildings in the village include the Baptist Chapel, the Post Office, and village store, Elm Cottages on the Chepstow Road, and the telephone box in the centre of the village which is to the K6 design and dates from the reign of

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952. ...

Raglan Castle

The

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

had disastrous consequences both for Raglan Castle as well as for Raglan village. The castle was under

siege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition warfare, attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity con ...

for two months from 3 June to 19 August 1646 by Parliamentarian forces, finally surrendering to Thomas Morgan. It was then

slighted Slighting is the deliberate damage of high-status buildings to reduce their value as military, administrative or social structures. This destruction of property sometimes extended to the contents of buildings and the surrounding landscape. It is ...

to prevent refortification. In the 18th century the ruins were neglected and were used as a quarry for those needing stone to repair their houses: dressed and moulded stones can be seen in farmhouses and cottages in the area. The castle is now maintained by

, although the

Duke of Beaufort Duke of Beaufort (), a title in the Peerage of England, was created by Charles II in 1682 for Henry Somerset, 3rd Marquess of Worcester, a descendant of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester, legitimised son of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of So ...

remains its hereditary keeper.

St Cadoc's Church

St Cadoc's is a substantial

mediaeval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire 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 * C ...

, extensively restored in the 19th century by

Thomas Henry Wyatt Thomas Henry Wyatt (9 May 1807 – 5 August 1880) was an Anglo-Irish architect. He had a prolific and distinguished career, being elected President of the Royal Institute of British Architects 1870–73 and being awarded its Royal Gold Medal for A ...

. It houses some much-defaced tombs of the Lords of Raglan. The base of a fine pilgrim's cross can be seen in the churchyard. The first part of the church was built during the 14th century. The church is a

Grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

Cross at Croes Llwyd Farm

On Broom Lane, to the east of Broom House, stands a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

stone cross, high, with an octagonal shaft. The cross is a Grade I listed structure and a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

Governance

Raglan elects a

community council A community council is a public representative body in Great Britain. In England they may be statutory parish councils by another name, under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, or they may be non-statutory bodies. In ...

of eleven community councillors. Raglan is also a county electoral ward for elections to

Monmouthshire County Council Monmouthshire County Council (or simply Monmouthshire Council) ( cy, Cyngor Sir Fynwy) is the governing body for the Monmouthshire principal area – one of the unitary authorities of Wales. The current unitary authority was created in 1996 a ...

, represented by one county councillor.

Gallery

St. Cadog's church Raglan - geograph.org.uk - 1385702.jpg, St Cadoc's Church, at a crossroads in the centre of the village Baptist Chapel, Raglan (geograph 4422703).jpg, The Baptist Chapel The Beaufort Arms, coaching inn and restaurant - geograph.org.uk - 1754100.jpg, The Beaufort Arms, a 17th-century coaching inn Old anchor on the wall of the Ship Inn, Raglan (geograph 6351347).jpg, The Ship Inn on the High Street The Crown Inn, Raglan - geograph.org.uk - 1753993.jpg, The Crown public house The High Street, Raglan - geograph.org.uk - 2483960.jpg, The High Street

Notes

References

* * *

External links

Old Raglan Village Photo's Slideshowwww.geograph.co.uk : photos of Raglan and surrounding areaFrancis Frith Photo's
{{authority control Villages in Monmouthshire Monmouthshire electoral wards Communities in Monmouthshire