Newcastle () is a small village in

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South East Wales, south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the s ...

, south east

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 ...

, United Kingdom. It is located in quiet rolling countryside north west 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 ...

and east of

Abergavenny Abergavenny (; , , archaically , ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales. Abergavenny is promoted as a "Gateway to Wales"; it is approximately from the England–Wales border, border with England and is loca ...

, on the B4347 road, within the

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

of Whitecastle.

History and amenities

Newcastle has 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 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...

motte-and-bailey castle 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, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy ...

site, from which it derives its name. Its history is obscure, but it is believed to have been founded by

Hugh de Lacy Hugh de Lacy or Hugh Lacy may refer to: *Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Lassy (c. 1020–1085), first recorded member of the Norman noble family de Lacy *Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath (died 1186), 4th Baron Lacy *Hugh de Lacy, Abbot of Shrewsbury (died c. 121 ...

, lord of

Ewyas Ewyas () was a possible early Welsh people, Welsh kingdom which may have been formed around the time of the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century. The name was later used for a much smaller commote or administrative sub-division, which ...

in the 12th century, and in the reign of

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...

it belonged to the Huntley family. The remains of the castle are on private land. The bailey is defended by a banked ditch, but the oval motte and surrounding wet ditch have been damaged by farm buildings. It commands extensive views to the west, towards the valley of the

River Trothy The River Trothy () is a river which flows through north Monmouthshire, in rural south east Wales. It is a tributary of the River Wye. The river rises on Campston Hill, northeast of Abergavenny. It flows southwards until Llanvapley, where it ...

. Pool Farm, nearby, is described as "one of the most completely surviving cruck-trussed hall houses in the county", and is a

Grade II listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

. British Listed Buildings: Pool Farm
Accessed 15 March 2012 About north of the village is the Victorian

Palladian Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

mansion of Hilston Park, now used as an

outdoor education Outdoor education is organized learning that takes place in the outdoors, such as during school camping trips. Outdoor education programs sometimes involve residential or quest, journey wilderness-based experiences which engage participants in a v ...

centre. An ancient oak with a girth of grew in the village, there was a well which had a reputation for holiness and remnants of an ancient fort. Another botanical highlight in the village was a

wisteria ''Wisteria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae (Leguminosae). The genus includes four species of woody twining vines that are native to China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, southern Canada, the Eastern United States, and nor ...

which was one of the oldest examples of this plant in Britain and grew on the inn in the village which was renamed as the "Wellington Arms" 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 ...

in 1815 when the wisteria was 150 years old.

References

{{authority control Villages in Monmouthshire