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The comprehensive gazetteer and bibliography of the medieval castles, fortifications and palaces of England, Wales, the Islands.
 
 
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Stow Hill Motte

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Newport; Casnewydd; Twyn Gwnlliw; Ywyn Gwynlliw; Castleton

In the community of Stow Hill.
In the historic county of Monmouthshire.
Modern authority of Newport.
Preserved county of Gwent.

OS Map Grid Reference: ST304874
Latitude 51.58135° Longitude -3.00573°

Stow Hill Motte has been described as a certain Timber Castle.

There are no visible remains.

Description

Motte, supposedly of 1100 buried in tunnel spoil in the 1840's. 'it was a circular mound with a flat top some 50 feet in diameter and surrounded by a ditch' (Banks quoted in Phillips)

Twyn Gwynlliw stood very near the church of St. Wollos; the extension of the town of Newport in that direction has, I believe, occasioned its removal. (Wakeman)

According to tradition, Newport developed following St. Gwynllyw’s foundation of a church at the top of Stow Hill in the late fifth or early sixth century, though there is no evidence to support this claim. It appears that there was a Welsh settlement, with some Saxon influences, on the site by the tenth century, and following the Norman Conquest of England Robert de Hay is believed to be responsible for the construction of the motte on Stow Hill around which the town grew at the lowest point on the River Usk. Newport Castle was completed in the mid- to late-fourteenth century, and a town charter of 1427 confirmed its status as a market town which controlled the river crossing. (Coflein)
Comments

Probably the original castle of Newport. Wakeman's comment "very near" suggests the given map reference may be inaccurate. St Wollos is now Newport Cathedral and is at ST308875 some 400m from the map reference given in the Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust HER. A location nearer the church (adjancent or with 100m) would be more usual.
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This record last updated before 1 February 2016


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