Newchurch (, meaning "new church on the ridge") is an extensive rural

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

and small

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

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 ...

. It is located 6 miles south east of Usk and 6 miles north west of

Chepstow Chepstow () 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 end of the ...

, between the B4235 and B4293 roads.

History and amenities

Before the Norman conquest of south-east Wales, the area was heavily forested as part of

Wentwood Wentwood (), in Monmouthshire (historic), Monmouthshire, South Wales, is a forested area of hills, rising to above sea level. It is located to the northeast of, and partly within the boundaries of, the city of Newport, Wales, Newport. Geology ...

. There is a

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

dolmen A dolmen, () or portal tomb, is a type of single-chamber Megalith#Tombs, megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the Late Neolithic period (4000 ...

or burial chamber at Gaer-llwyd, 1 mile south west of the village close to the B4235. In the early 12th century the Newchurch area was known as Plataland and was given by the

Marcher lord 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 ...

of Striguil, or

, to

Tintern Abbey Tintern Abbey ( ) is a ruined medieval abbey situated adjacent to the village of Tintern in Monmouthshire, on the Welsh bank of the River Wye, which at this location forms the border between Monmouthshire in Wales and Gloucestershire in England. ...

. The monks cleared much of the land for farming, but in 1302 exchanged it with Roger Bigod, Earl of Norfolk, for land at Woolaston in what is now

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

. The parish still contains much of Wentwood and also, to the east, Chepstow Park Wood south of Devauden. Bigod built a church for the tenants of his land, which became known as Newchurch. The parish

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

is dedicated to St. Peter. It has some 14th-century features but was largely rebuilt around 1865.John Newman, ''The Buildings of Wales: Gwent/Monmouthshire'', 2000, The modern hamlet consists of little more than the church, three houses and a farm.

Cas Troggy

Cas (or Castell) Troggy is a small ruined fortified hunting lodge or manor house built by Roger Bigod around 1303. It is located within Newchurch parish, beside the Troggy (or Castrogi) Brook and the old road between Chepstow and Usk, on the northern slopes of Wentwood at Pen y cae-mawr. It was probably abandoned shortly after Bigod's death in 1306.Castell Troggy at CastleWales
/ref> The 16th century

antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts, archaeological and historic si ...

William Camden William Camden (2 May 1551 – 9 November 1623) was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and herald, best known as author of ''Britannia'', the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland that relates la ...

incorrectly referred to the ruins as Striguil, a mistake repeated on some later maps.

References

External links

Kelly's Directory of Monmouthshire from 1901

Geograph photos of the Newchurch area
Villages in Monmouthshire {{Monmouthshire-geo-stub