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More History of Langstone
The area of Langstone is rich in history and for those interested in the subject there is much to discover

The first men that arrived in the area found themselves moving through a landscape bearing little resemblance to the region today. The last phase of glaciation in Britain lasted from 70,000 to 8,300 B.C and what they would have encountered in this region would have been bitterly cold tundra.

These early hunters would have come into the area pursing large animals, such as Mammoth, bison, cave lions and the woolly rhinoceros.

A visit to Newport Museum provides the evidence of these early hunters and the interesting collection ranges from animal bones found in an old quarry at Calidicot to footprints discovered in the mud at Goldcliffe of our earliest ancestors.

 

As the climate changed so did the vegetation and the way in which our ancestors lived, hunter gathers making way to the early farmers. There is little evidence of these people however a few years ago the remains of a hut were found down on the foreshore at Magor.

 

These early settlers in southern Gwent however did leave a number of stone monuments and burial mounds, the remains of one can be found in a field at the back of the New Inn pub.

 

Many standing stones can still be seen throughout the area with stone circles to be found Gray Hill, the exact purpose of these stones remain a mystery although there is popular belief that it had something to do with providing information about the seasons. Some historians believe that they had religious significance and like Christian churches played an important part in the life and death of the surrounding communities. It has been suggested that stones were placed in lines drawing people to the most sacred place at Gray Hill. It could be that the “Lang stone” which can be found in a field a few hundred yards to the east of Langstone Court was one.

 

The Iron Age period started around 900BC and there is much evidence of these people in the area the most prominent being the hill fort at Pen-toppen-ash which looks down on Langstone. The largest Iron Age Hill fort in the area can be found at Llanmellin traditionally thought to be the main base for the Silures who inhabited much of south Wales.

 

The Romans arrived in Britain around 45 AD but it was not until about 75 AD that they first established their military headquarters at Caerleon or Isca. The Roman Road that ran from the fortress to the civilian town of Caerwent ran along the ridge that looks down on Langstone and at the site of Kemmeys Folly a small outpost was constructed.

 

The Romans remained in the area for over 300 hundred years and as you would expect many retired soldiers decided to stay farm or carry out business, remains of Roman occupation has been found in and around Langstone.

 

With the Romans exit a new political system began to develop and by the sixth century a number of small kingdoms had been established, Saxon pressure was building up following a series of successful battles in the west of England.

They finally invaded South Wales around Tintern in the decade of the 570’s and were defeated by Tewdrig who had come out of retirement to assist his son in driving back the invaders.

During the battle Tewdrig was mortally wounded and afterwards was carried southward with the intention of being buried on Flat Holm, however he died at Mathern and a church was built on the site of his burial.

The Saxon invasion had been halted however tension remained along the border with both sides launching raiding parties, this was brought to a halt when King Offa of the Saxons constructed the dyke that stretched from the Bristol Channel to coast of North Wales.

 

Sir Joseph Bradney in his “History of Monmouthshire” states that the first recorded mention of Langstone can be found in the 10th century Book of Llandaff, in which it is recorded that a certain Asser killed Gwladgwyn by treachery and that to make amends he granted the village of Segan to the church at Llandaff.

The boundaries of the village are set out and appear to encompass what we still know as modern day Langstone including a reference to the long stone and the old Roman outpost at which Kemmeys Folly now stands.

 

On the 14th October 1066 William the Conqueror dramatically changed the direction of British history by defeating the Saxons near Hastings. William had enough on his hands with England, he therefore decided to entrust the control; of the Welsh border to three of his most loyal kinsman. In South Wales William Fitz Osbern became the overlord and he had the first stone keep constructed at Chepstow, this whole area as far as the Normans were concerned offered opportunities not too dissimilar to that of the frontier men of the wild west. Just like the frontier men advanced parties of soldiers pushed into lower Gwent heading towards Caerleon on which they were set on controlling, they travelled in parallel lines, roughly along what is now the railway line from London to Swansea and the high ground of Wentwood. They followed their normal methods of capturing and holding ground, or “smash and grab” as it is sometimes referred to. Having set off from Chepstow they would travel a few miles and throw up a motte and bailey, for it was here they could retreat if confronted by the hostile locals, two such fortification are believed to be the Caer Licyn motte and bailey and in the grounds of Langstone Court.

 

 

Within a short while the Norman invaders had established themselves at Caerleon and it even gets a mention in the Doomsday Book as does Caldicot and Dinham near Shirenewton.

 

Whilst William the Conqueror had no desire to wage war against the Welsh he was quite happy for his Barons on the border to push inland and take more territory. The land between Chepstow and Caerleon was in Norman hands at the time of the Doomsday Book but it was almost worthless unless it was producing a revenue and this meant the clearing of woods to produce goods that could be sold at market which in turn produced an income in which the Barons could profit from. It was brave people that took on this challenge, at the heart of the establishment of what was to become Langstone was the Motte and bailey. The motte ( mound) on which a small wooden fortification would have been erected can still be seen in the grounds of Langstone Court, the bailey, or enclosed area around the mound in which domestic dwellings would be found and animals and local people would have sought protection if under attack stretched out to the east of the mound. Surrounding the bailey would have been a timber wall, protected by a ditch, the outline of this can still be seen in the ground to the east of the mound and the entrance to the bailey leads up through what has become a small ravine.

Who the original inhabitant of Langstone’s first fortification was is unclear but in 1271 it is recorded that amongst the estates of Gilbert de Clare, earl of Gloucester and Hertford that Sir William Bluet held the manor of Langstone.

Although the final conquest of Wales was to take many centuries the area around Langstone was becoming anglicized.

 

Throughout history it is easier to find out about how the wealthy lived, however we are extremely lucky to have extensive writings of Giraldus Cambrensis or Gerald of Wales who was born at Manorbier in Pembrokeshire around 1147 into a Norman-Welsh family. Gerald was educated in Paris; he served as an administrator of the see of St. David's. In 1188 he travelled throughout Wales with Archbishop Baldwyn recruiting soldiers for the crusades, it was whilst he was doing this that he recorded his travels in a book entitled Itinerarium Cambriae (Itinerary of Wales).

During his journey he travelled through South East Wales and stopped at Caerleon. His observations about the local inhabitants are very interesting as they seem to reflect some traits we would recognise today.

 

“The Welsh are very sharp and intelligent. When they apply their minds to anything, they are quick to make progress, for they have great natural ability.”

”When they play their instruments they charm and delight the ear with the sweetness of their music. They play quickly and with subtle harmony. Their fingering is so rapid that they produce this harmony out of discord.”

“They play three instruments, the harp, the pipe and the crwth (fiddle).

”When they come together to make music, the Welsh sing their traditional songs, not in unison as is done elsewhere, but in parts, in many modes and modulations. When a choir gathers to sing, which happens often in this country, you will hear many different parts and voices as there are performers, all joining together in the end to produce a single organic harmony and melody in the soft sweetness of B flat.”

 

However on a negative side he goes onto explain.

”The Welsh people do not keep their promises, for their minds are as fickle as their bodies are agile. It is very easy to persuade them to do something wrong, and just as easy to stop them once they have started. They are always quick to take action, and they are particularly stubborn when what they are doing is reprehensible. The only thing they really persist in is changing their minds.”

But he extols their fighting ability.

“In war the Welsh are very ferocious when battle is first joined. They shout, glower fiercely at the enemy, and fill the air with fearsome clamour. In the first onslaught they are more than men, and the shower of javelins which they hurl, they seem most formidable opponents. If the enemy resists manfully and they are repulsed, they are immediately thrown into confusion, with further resistance they turn their backs, making no attempt at counter-attack, but seeking safety in flight.”

”Although beaten today and shamefully put to flight with much slaughter, tomorrow they march out again, no whit dejected by their defeat or their losses. They may not shine in open combat and in fixed formation, but they harass their enemy by ambushes and night-attacks. In a single battle they are easily beaten, but they are difficult to conquer in a long war, for they are not troubled by hunger or cold, fighting does not seem to tire them.”

 

And finally an interesting snippet of information about personal hygiene.

”They are constantly cleaning them with green hazel twigs, and then rubbing them with woollen cloths until they shine like ivory. To protect their teeth they never eat hot food, but only what is cold, tepid, or slightly warm.”

 

Having set up the headquarters of what was to become the manor house of Langstone, the gradual clearing of the woodlands took place, land was put to agricultural and pastoral purposes, produce would have been taken to local markets, taxes would have been paid and peoples lives whilst hard would have at least been fairly stable.

However during the later half of the 14th century all this was to change as the Black Death swept across the county of Gwent. It first made its appearance during the winter of 1348-49 when it ravaged the north of the county. It 1361 it was the turn of the south with Caldicot being hit particularly badly. During 1369 the whole of the county was to suffer and as a result of this the manorial system, which had been in place since the time of the first Norman invaders, began to crumble. Rents tumbled and landlords desperate to see the land put too use were forced to introduce a rental system that released the tenant from many of the old feudal obligations.

The parish church was built during the 14th century and its graveyard may contain some of the bodies of those struck down by the pestilence.

By the end of the century the manor had changed hands and it was now in the hands of the Morgans of Tredegar where it remained until the end of the 16th century.

 

On the 16th September 1400 Owain Glyn Dwyr was proclaimed Prince of Wales, and whilst the battles that ravaged the country his army did not appear to come any closer to Langstone than Newport. The county of Gwent was renown for its bowman and its hard to imagine that at least some of these would have come from around this area, but for whom they fought remains a mystery as its recorded that Henry IV had Welsh bowman fighting along side him against the Welsh.

 

In 1543 The Act of Union of England and Wales was introduced by Henry VII this came about in part to reduce the amount of lawlessness of the Marches, the county of Monmouthshire was born which set in motion the identity crisis which still exists today

The 30 year reign of Henry VIII, which began in 1509, witnessed greater changes in the government of the country and the conditions of the people than had been brought about during the previous centuries.

 

His dispute with the Catholic Church after being refused a divorce led directly to the reformation and the Act of Union that finally led to the break with Rome. This was completed in November 1534 with the Act of Supremacy which proclaimed Henry the “Supreme Head of the Church of England”.

Having completed the break he turned his attentions to the monasteries and the rich pickings they offered, his main interest being the huge estates which they had accumulated over the centuries. The Monasteries in Monmouthshire were already in decline, as they had never fully recovered from the ravages of the Black Death, most houses having a brotherhood of no more than six monks, the largest contingent being 12 at Tintern. The actual dissolution of the abbeys began in 1536 and by 1539 it was all over, most buildings being reduced to a pile of rubble after they had been sold off for salvage. Goldcliffe Priory was assessed at producing rents of £144 18s 1d with a gross value of £2,898 1s 8d met its fate after 400 years.

The religious unrest set in motion by Henry’s break with Rome carried on for many years after his death until Elizabeth I ascended the throne, her enlightened attitude towards religion which encouraged tolerance amongst her people.

Britain entered a golden age, and a fairly stable one as well, trade was increasing throughout the world as new markets opened up, Newport and Chepstow became busy ports with ships form all over Europe plying back and forth. Wire became an important export through Chepstow having been produced in Tintern, tin plate works were established in Pontypool and much of this ware came down by packhorse to Newport. The landscape of the county was changing as forests where being ripped down for wood that was needed for the charcoal that was to feed the furnaces to make the tin. However with all this increased shipping in the Bristol Channel a dark cloud appeared on the horizon in the form of pirates. There were rich pickings to be found and the channel became a dangerous place to sail with pirates coming up from as far away as Spain and Algeria. Shipping became such an important industry in this area and many locals took to the sea and the long tradition of seafaring from South Wales had begun.

Although the sea had helped to generate wealth for the area it was also to bring destruction.

On the morning of the 20th January 1607 a catastrophic wave, which some now believe was a tsunami swept across parts of the south Wales coast and the West Country taking the lives of hundreds of people and their animals. This incident is recorded on the walls of Goldcliff and Redwick Church. Whilst Langstone did not suffer the full horrors of the wave its effects stretched up beyond Llanwern and just into the parish of Langstone.