Caldicot, Monmouthshire
Encyclopedia
Caldicot is a small town
in Monmouthshire
, southeast Wales
, located between Chepstow
and Newport
, just off the busy M4
/ M48 motorway
corridor. The site adjoins the Caldicot Levels
, on the north side of the Severn
estuary
. Caldicot has easy access by motorway and rail to Cardiff
, and across the Second Severn Crossing
, old Severn Bridge
and railway tunnel
to Bristol
. The population of the town is now around 11,000. It has a large school, Caldicot Comprehensive School
, and is known for its medieval castle
.
. Excavations near the Nedern Brook beside the castle
revealed a plank from a boat and complex wooden structures in the former river bed. The boat probably traded across the Severn with the farmers and traders of Somerset
. Later, in Roman
times, it is likely that trading vessels sailed up the Nedern Brook to Caerwent
. The discovery of kilns also shows that coarse pottery was produced in the village during Roman times.
In 1074, following the Norman Conquest, the manor of Caldicot was given to Durand, the Sheriff
of Gloucester
. Caldicot is recorded in the Domesday Book
in 1086. Its entry reads, 'Durand the Sheriff holds of the King, one land, in Caerwent, called Caldicot. He has in demesne there 3 ploughs, and 15 half villeins, and 4 bondmen, and one knight. All these have twelve ploughs. There is a mill worth ten shillings.'
The name 'Caldicot' is usually stated to derive from the Old English phrase calde cot meaning 'cold hut'. A cold hut is an exposed shelter used by either humans or animals. The modern Welsh name, Cil-y-coed, means "corner of the wood", referring to Wentwood
, and is also considered by some sources to be the origin of the English name. However, this is disputed.
One of the oldest buildings in Caldicot, Llanthony Secunda Manor, was built around 1120 as a grange for monks from Llanthony Secunda
Priory in Gloucester.
In 1158 the manor of Caldicot passed to Humphrey II de Bohun
, who was responsible for building the stone keep and curtain walls of the present-day castle
. In 1376 it passed to Thomas Woodstock
, third son of King Edward III, when he married Alianore de Bohun. It began to fall into ruins around the 16th century.
The parish church of St. Mary was founded in the Norman period, but is mainly built in the Perpendicular style of the late 14th and 15th centuries.
By the mid-19th century, Caldicot was a small farming village. However, the opening of the South Wales Railway brought London and Cardiff within relatively easy reach (although Caldicot station itself was not opened until 1936). The railway attracted industry, and 1862 Henry Hughes of Tintern
opened a wireworks next to the railway, becoming the village's major employer and attracting many new workers. In 1880 it became a tinplate works for the canning industry. In 1879 work began on the Severn Tunnel
, which was opened in 1886. Its construction brought hundreds of workers to Caldicot, roughly doubling its population.
Court House was the home of baker Henry Jones
, the inventor of self-raising flour, from 1864 until his death in 1891. He is buried in the churchyard.
During the first half of the 20th century, Caldicot continued to grow steadily, but unspectacularly, reaching a population of 1,770 in 1951. Early in the 1950s, however, Chepstow Rural District Council decided that the village should be allowed to expand to approximately 3,000. Shortly after this decision, the government decided to build a new steelworks at Llanwern
. Caldicot was designated as a suitable home for the thousands of steelworkers, and expansion plans were revised upwards. Llanwern steelworks opened in 1962, and by the end of the decade Caldicot was occupied by over 7,000 people.
The growth of the community was furthered by the opening of the Severn Bridge
in 1966. With Caldicot now being part of the "M4
corridor" new industries such as Mitel Telecom came to the town, compensating for the contraction of the steel industry and the railways.
Caldicot is the location of Caldicot Castle
and lake. The area has popular waymarked footpaths along the Caldicot Level
and the coastal path can be walked. Nearby are Caerwent
and Wentwood
. To the north-west, Dewstow House dates from c.1804. Extensive gardens and grottoes built after 1895 have been undergoing restoration since 2000 and are now open to the public.
Caldicot is the nearest town to the Welsh side opening of the Severn (Railway) Tunnel
-- although not the nearest incorporated area, as the Tunnel actually opens just outside Rogiet
, an ancient village which was developed in modern times largely to service the railway.
Caldicot is twinned
with Waghäusel
, Germany
and Morières-lès-Avignon
France
.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire is a county in south east Wales. The name derives from the historic county of Monmouthshire which covered a much larger area. The largest town is Abergavenny. There are many castles in Monmouthshire .-Historic county:...
, southeast Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, located between Chepstow
Chepstow
Chepstow is a town in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the River Wye, close to its confluence with the River Severn, and close to the western end of the Severn Bridge on the M48 motorway...
and Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
, just off the busy M4
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
/ M48 motorway
M48 motorway
The M48 is a motorway in Great Britain joining Gloucestershire and Monmouthshire over the original Severn Bridge. The M48 is anomalously numbered, as it is entirely to the west of the M5 motorway and its number should really therefore begin with 5.-Route:...
corridor. The site adjoins the Caldicot Levels
Caldicot and Wentloog Levels
The Caldicot and Wentloog Levels are two areas of low-lying estuarine alluvial wetland and intertidal mudflats adjoining the north bank of the Severn estuary, either side of the River Usk estuary near Newport in south east Wales...
, on the north side of the Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
estuary
Severn Estuary
The Severn Estuary is the estuary of the River Severn, the longest river in Great Britain. Its high tidal range means it has been at the centre of discussions in the UK regarding renewable energy.-Geography:...
. Caldicot has easy access by motorway and rail to Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, and across the Second Severn Crossing
Second Severn Crossing
The Second Severn Crossing is a bridge which carries the M4 motorway over the River Severn between England and Wales, inaugurated on 5 June 1996 by HRH The Prince of Wales to augment the traffic capacity of the original Severn Bridge built in 1966...
, old Severn Bridge
Severn Bridge
The Severn Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the River Severn between South Gloucestershire, just north of Bristol, England, and Monmouthshire in South Wales, via Beachley, a peninsula between the River Severn and River Wye estuary. It is the original Severn road crossing between England and...
and railway tunnel
Severn Tunnel
The Severn Tunnel is a railway tunnel in the United Kingdom, linking South Gloucestershire in the west of England to Monmouthshire in south Wales under the estuary of the River Severn....
to Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
. The population of the town is now around 11,000. It has a large school, Caldicot Comprehensive School
Caldicot Comprehensive School
Caldicot School is a coeducational and non-selective secondary school in the town of Caldicot, Monmouthshire in South Wales. Mrs. Gwyer-Roberts is headmistress and has been so since 2003. The school motto is 'Committed to achievement' as seen at the bottom of the school crest...
, and is known for its medieval castle
Caldicot Castle
Caldicot Castle is an extensive stone medieval castle in the town of Caldicot, Monmouthshire, in southeast Wales.It was at one time a possession of Thomas of Woodstock, a son of King Edward III of England.- The Caldicot Estate :...
.
History
There was considerable activity in the area during the Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
. Excavations near the Nedern Brook beside the castle
Caldicot Castle
Caldicot Castle is an extensive stone medieval castle in the town of Caldicot, Monmouthshire, in southeast Wales.It was at one time a possession of Thomas of Woodstock, a son of King Edward III of England.- The Caldicot Estate :...
revealed a plank from a boat and complex wooden structures in the former river bed. The boat probably traded across the Severn with the farmers and traders of Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
. Later, in Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
times, it is likely that trading vessels sailed up the Nedern Brook to Caerwent
Caerwent
Caerwent is a village and community in Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located about five miles west of Chepstow and eleven miles east of Newport, and was founded by the Romans as the market town of Venta Silurum, an important settlement of the Brythonic Silures tribe. The modern village is built...
. The discovery of kilns also shows that coarse pottery was produced in the village during Roman times.
In 1074, following the Norman Conquest, the manor of Caldicot was given to Durand, the Sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
. Caldicot is recorded in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
in 1086. Its entry reads, 'Durand the Sheriff holds of the King, one land, in Caerwent, called Caldicot. He has in demesne there 3 ploughs, and 15 half villeins, and 4 bondmen, and one knight. All these have twelve ploughs. There is a mill worth ten shillings.'
The name 'Caldicot' is usually stated to derive from the Old English phrase calde cot meaning 'cold hut'. A cold hut is an exposed shelter used by either humans or animals. The modern Welsh name, Cil-y-coed, means "corner of the wood", referring to Wentwood
Wentwood
Wentwood is a forested area of hills, rising to 309 metres , in Monmouthshire, South Wales. It is located to the north east of, and partly within the boundaries of, the city of Newport.- Geology :...
, and is also considered by some sources to be the origin of the English name. However, this is disputed.
One of the oldest buildings in Caldicot, Llanthony Secunda Manor, was built around 1120 as a grange for monks from Llanthony Secunda
Llanthony Secunda
Llanthony Secunda Priory is a ruined former Augustinian priory in Hempsted, Gloucester, England. Miles de Gloucester, 1st Earl of Hereford, founded the priory for the monks of Llanthony Priory, Vale of Ewyas, in what is now Monmouthshire, Wales, in 1136....
Priory in Gloucester.
In 1158 the manor of Caldicot passed to Humphrey II de Bohun
Humphrey II de Bohun
Humphrey II de Bohun was an Anglo-Norman aristocrat, the third of his family after the Norman Conquest. He was the son and heir of Humphrey I and Maud, a daughter of Edward of Salisbury, an Anglo-Saxon landholder in Wiltshire...
, who was responsible for building the stone keep and curtain walls of the present-day castle
Caldicot Castle
Caldicot Castle is an extensive stone medieval castle in the town of Caldicot, Monmouthshire, in southeast Wales.It was at one time a possession of Thomas of Woodstock, a son of King Edward III of England.- The Caldicot Estate :...
. In 1376 it passed to Thomas Woodstock
Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester
Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester, 1st Earl of Buckingham, 1st Earl of Essex, Duke of Aumale, KG was the thirteenth and youngest child of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault...
, third son of King Edward III, when he married Alianore de Bohun. It began to fall into ruins around the 16th century.
The parish church of St. Mary was founded in the Norman period, but is mainly built in the Perpendicular style of the late 14th and 15th centuries.
By the mid-19th century, Caldicot was a small farming village. However, the opening of the South Wales Railway brought London and Cardiff within relatively easy reach (although Caldicot station itself was not opened until 1936). The railway attracted industry, and 1862 Henry Hughes of Tintern
Tintern
Tintern is a village on the west bank of the River Wye in Monmouthshire, Wales, close to the border with England, about 5 miles north of Chepstow...
opened a wireworks next to the railway, becoming the village's major employer and attracting many new workers. In 1880 it became a tinplate works for the canning industry. In 1879 work began on the Severn Tunnel
Severn Tunnel
The Severn Tunnel is a railway tunnel in the United Kingdom, linking South Gloucestershire in the west of England to Monmouthshire in south Wales under the estuary of the River Severn....
, which was opened in 1886. Its construction brought hundreds of workers to Caldicot, roughly doubling its population.
Court House was the home of baker Henry Jones
Henry Jones (baker)
Henry Jones was a baker in Bristol, England, who was responsible in 1845 for inventing self-raising flour.Jones was born in Monmouth, and established a bakery in Broadmead, Bristol. He was granted a patent for self-raising flour in 1845, and by the end of 1846 its runaway success led to him being...
, the inventor of self-raising flour, from 1864 until his death in 1891. He is buried in the churchyard.
During the first half of the 20th century, Caldicot continued to grow steadily, but unspectacularly, reaching a population of 1,770 in 1951. Early in the 1950s, however, Chepstow Rural District Council decided that the village should be allowed to expand to approximately 3,000. Shortly after this decision, the government decided to build a new steelworks at Llanwern
Llanwern
Llanwern is an electoral ward and community in the urban-rural fringe of the City of Newport, South Wales. Llanwern ward is bounded by the M4 and Langstone to the north, Ringland, Liswerry and the River Usk to the west, the River Severn to the south and the city boundary to the east...
. Caldicot was designated as a suitable home for the thousands of steelworkers, and expansion plans were revised upwards. Llanwern steelworks opened in 1962, and by the end of the decade Caldicot was occupied by over 7,000 people.
The growth of the community was furthered by the opening of the Severn Bridge
Severn Bridge
The Severn Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the River Severn between South Gloucestershire, just north of Bristol, England, and Monmouthshire in South Wales, via Beachley, a peninsula between the River Severn and River Wye estuary. It is the original Severn road crossing between England and...
in 1966. With Caldicot now being part of the "M4
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
corridor" new industries such as Mitel Telecom came to the town, compensating for the contraction of the steel industry and the railways.
Attractions
Caldicot Castle
Caldicot Castle is an extensive stone medieval castle in the town of Caldicot, Monmouthshire, in southeast Wales.It was at one time a possession of Thomas of Woodstock, a son of King Edward III of England.- The Caldicot Estate :...
and lake. The area has popular waymarked footpaths along the Caldicot Level
Caldicot and Wentloog Levels
The Caldicot and Wentloog Levels are two areas of low-lying estuarine alluvial wetland and intertidal mudflats adjoining the north bank of the Severn estuary, either side of the River Usk estuary near Newport in south east Wales...
and the coastal path can be walked. Nearby are Caerwent
Caerwent
Caerwent is a village and community in Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located about five miles west of Chepstow and eleven miles east of Newport, and was founded by the Romans as the market town of Venta Silurum, an important settlement of the Brythonic Silures tribe. The modern village is built...
and Wentwood
Wentwood
Wentwood is a forested area of hills, rising to 309 metres , in Monmouthshire, South Wales. It is located to the north east of, and partly within the boundaries of, the city of Newport.- Geology :...
. To the north-west, Dewstow House dates from c.1804. Extensive gardens and grottoes built after 1895 have been undergoing restoration since 2000 and are now open to the public.
Caldicot is the nearest town to the Welsh side opening of the Severn (Railway) Tunnel
Severn Tunnel
The Severn Tunnel is a railway tunnel in the United Kingdom, linking South Gloucestershire in the west of England to Monmouthshire in south Wales under the estuary of the River Severn....
-- although not the nearest incorporated area, as the Tunnel actually opens just outside Rogiet
Rogiet
Rogiet is a village and community in Monmouthshire, south east Wales, located between Caldicot and Magor, some 8 miles west of Chepstow and 11 miles east of Newport. It lies close to the M4 and M48 motorways, and the Second Severn Crossing. It is also the location of Severn Tunnel Junction railway...
, an ancient village which was developed in modern times largely to service the railway.
Caldicot is twinned
Town twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with Waghäusel
Waghäusel
Waghäusel is a German town located in the Rhine valley in the south-western state of Baden-Württemberg. Waghäusel consists of 3 townships which are the core city , Kirrlach , and Wiesental [as of March 31, 2006]...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Morières-lès-Avignon
Morières-lès-Avignon
Morières-lès-Avignon is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-References:*...
France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
See also
- Caldicot Comprehensive SchoolCaldicot Comprehensive SchoolCaldicot School is a coeducational and non-selective secondary school in the town of Caldicot, Monmouthshire in South Wales. Mrs. Gwyer-Roberts is headmistress and has been so since 2003. The school motto is 'Committed to achievement' as seen at the bottom of the school crest...
- Caldicot CastleCaldicot CastleCaldicot Castle is an extensive stone medieval castle in the town of Caldicot, Monmouthshire, in southeast Wales.It was at one time a possession of Thomas of Woodstock, a son of King Edward III of England.- The Caldicot Estate :...
- Caldicot (hundred)Caldicot (hundred)Caldicot was an ancient hundred of Monmouthshire, Wales.It was situated in the south-eastern part of the county, bounded on the north by the hundreds of Usk and Raglan; on the east by Gloucestershire; on the south by the Bristol Channel, and on the west by the hundred of Wentloog.It contained the...
- Caldicot and Wentloog LevelsCaldicot and Wentloog LevelsThe Caldicot and Wentloog Levels are two areas of low-lying estuarine alluvial wetland and intertidal mudflats adjoining the north bank of the Severn estuary, either side of the River Usk estuary near Newport in south east Wales...
- Caldicot railway stationCaldicot railway stationCaldicot railway station is a part of the British railway system owned by Network Rail and is operated by Arriva Trains Wales. Caldicot is a small town in Monmouthshire, south Wales...