Agincourt Square is an open space in the centre of

Monmouth Monmouth ( or ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated on where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. The population in the 2011 census was 10,508, rising from 8 ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, in front of the Shire Hall. The area has been used for public functions and markets over the centuries.

History

The

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

market place in Monmouth developed from the bailey of the castle, and originally covered a much larger area than the present square. The square was the venue of the town's market, both before and after the Shire Hall was built in 1724. It was known as the Market Place in 1804, according to the local publisher

Charles Heath Charles Theodosius Heath (1 March 1785 – 18 November 1848) was a British Engraving, engraver, currency and stamp printer, book publisher and illustrator. Life and career He was the illegitimate son of James Heath (engraver), James Heath, a su ...

. In the early part of the 19th century, the marketplace was given the name of Agincourt Square, to commemorate the victory in 1415 of

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (1216–1281 ...

, who had been born in the town, over the French. It was also intended to help promote local tourism, which had prospered through the growth of the "

Wye Tour The Wye Tour was an excursion past and through a series of scenic buildings, natural phenomena, and factories located along the River Wye. It was a popular destination for British travellers from 1782 to around 1850,, p. 86 and reached its p ...

". Sources differ as to whether the renaming took place in 1817 – that is, two years after the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium), marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The French Imperial Army (1804–1815), Frenc ...

and the defeat of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

– or in 1830.Monmouth Civic Society, ''Guide to the Monmouth Heritage Blue Plaque Trail'', n.d., p.7 During the 19th century, farmers drove their flocks of animals through the square on their way to the slaughter houses in Priory Street.Alan Sutton Publishing, ''Monmouth and the River Wye in Old Photographs'', Alan Sutton Publishing, 1989, The square was used as the meeting venue for

fox hunt Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase and, if caught, the killing of a fox, normally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds. A group of unarmed followers, led by a "master of foxhounds" (or "master of hounds" ...

s for many years. It has also been used to host open air public meetings. Many of the buildings around the square were once

public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...

s. There were 15 pubs in the square in 1835;Heather Hurley, ''The Pubs of Monmouth Chepstow and The Wye Valley'', Logaston Press, 2007, , page 66 this gave rise to a rhyme ''"A gin court here, a gin court there, no wonder they call it Agincourt Square"''.

Keith Kissack Keith Edward Kissack MBE (18 November 1913 – 31 March 2010) was a British schoolteacher and historian. He is notable for his many publications on the history of Monmouth and Monmouthshire. Life Kissack was born in Clun, Shropshire, to Rev. B ...

, ''Monmouth and its Buildings'', Logaston Press, 2003, , page 52 There are now just two pubs left: the Punch House and the Kings Head. In 1879 a young man advertised for a wife and received a photograph from an actress of the time and a letter making an appointment in Agincourt Square, Monmouth. The man turned up expecting to see his potential wife and stayed for three hours while being laughed at by a local crowd of people before returning home on the last train. Celebrations on 30 April 1890 for the birthday of

John Maclean Rolls John Maclean Rolls, 2nd Baron Llangattock (25 April 1870 – 31 October 1916) was a British barrister and army Major. Biography Rolls was son of John Rolls, 1st Baron Llangattock, and his wife Georgiana Marcia Maclean. He was born in London, b ...

, son of John Rolls, later Lord Llangattock of

The Hendre The Hendre, ( a farmer's winter residence; literally meaning old home) in Rockfield, is the only full-scale Victorian country house in the county of Monmouthshire, Wales. The ancestral estate of the Rolls family, it was the childhood home of Ch ...

, saw the public roasting of an ox in the square, as part of a full day of celebrations. Tea and cake were provided to local children in their schools at 3:30pm. Public hog roasts took place in 1887 and 1897 to celebrate

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

's Golden and

Diamond Jubilee A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th annivers ...

s. On 29 October 1900, the then Duke and Duchess of York stopped in the square on their way to visit the Llangattock and Rolls family at the Hendre. The visit was a private one and as such the official welcome in the square was very brief. The couple were in mourning at the time for Prince Christian Victor. The Duke and Duchess later became

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. George was born during the reign of his pa ...

and Queen Mary. The unveiling of the Rolls Memorial and Statue, to commemorate

Charles Rolls Charles Stewart Rolls (27 August 1877 – 12 July 1910) was a British motoring and aviation pioneer. With Henry Royce, he co-founded the Rolls-Royce Limited, Rolls-Royce car manufacturing firm. He was the first Briton to be killed in an aeron ...

, took place on 19 October 1911. On 18 July 1919 the square hosted a parade that was the start of two days of Peace celebrations following the end of the

Great War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Recent activities

A market is held under the arches of the Shire Hall on Fridays and Saturdays, with a

farmers market A farmers' market (or farmers market according to the AP stylebook, also farmer's market in the Cambridge Dictionary) is a physical retail marketplace intended to sell foods directly by farmers to consumers. Farmers' markets may be indoors or ...

on the second Wednesday of each month and occasional craft markets during the year. Monmouth Festival was held in the square from 1982 until 2008, when the venue was changed to the old cattle market at Blestium Street.

Notable buildings and structures

File:Shire Hall Monmouth.jpg, The Shire Hall, built in 1724, dominates Agincourt Square File:Agincourt House, Monmouth - geograph.org.uk - 1304384.jpg, No. 1 Agincourt Square, Agincourt House File:Rolls_Stat.JPG, Statue of Charles Rolls File:The Punch House, Monmouth - geograph.org.uk - 649062.jpg, The Punch House File:Kings Head Monmouth.jpg, Kings Head Hotel File:Beaufort Arms 1.JPG, The Beaufort Arms Hotel

Gallery

Shire Hall, Agincourt Square, Monmouth. (3375358).jpg, A street scene by R. Waugh; tinted lithograph; 1860 Royal Visit - Western Mail (Cardiff, Wales), Tuesday, October 30, 1900 Agincourt Square and Shire Hall.jpg, Sketch in ''Western Mail'', Tuesday, 30 October 1900, of Agincourt Square and Shire Hall Monmouth Agincourt Square 1910.jpg, Statue of Charles Rolls, Monmouth, 1910s Monmouth Agincourt Square -1941.jpg, The square in 1940, with Agincourt House on the left Monmouth, Agincourt Square - geograph.org.uk - 2183462.jpg, The square in 1958, looking towards the northeast Agincourt Square - geograph.org.uk - 1373858.jpg, Shops on the north side of Agincourt Square Choir singing in Agincourt Square, Monmouth as part of the Olympic torch relay 1.ogv, Choir singing in Agincourt Square as part of the 2012 Olympic torch relay

Notes

{{Streets in Monmouth Streets and squares in Monmouth, Wales Articles containing video clips Squares in Wales