Lancaut
Encyclopedia
Lancaut is a deserted village
in Gloucestershire, England
, located alongside the River Wye
, around two miles north of Chepstow
. It occupies a narrow-necked promontory formed by a curve of the river, which acts as the border between England and Wales
. Little remains of the village today, except for the roofless church of St. James.
.
The name of Lancaut is an anglicisation
of the , or 'Church of Saint Cewydd', an obscure Welsh saint of the 6th century. Offa's Dyke
, which was constructed in the late 8th century to define the area controlled by the Anglo-Saxon
kingdom of Mercia
and to deter incursions by the Welsh
from the west, passed to the east of Lancaut, and incorporated part of the defences of the Spital Meend hillfort. The peninsula and parish of Lancaut, though on the eastern bank of the river, remained under Welsh control until the 10th century; by 956 it had been incorporated within the English king's manor of Tidenham
.
The village was never large, but in 1306 contained 10 tenant households, and in 1551 had 19 adults. By 1750 the village had only two inhabited houses, and in 1848 the parish was recorded as having a mere 16 inhabitants. The civil parish was merged with Tidenham in 1935. Today there is little remaining of the village except for a still-working farm.
In early 1645, during the English Civil War
, the local Royalist
leader Sir John Wintour (or Winter) marched forces from Lydney
to Lancaut in an attempt to fortify a ford
across the Wye, but was defeated and forced to escape by boat. This gave rise to the local legend that he had leapt with his horse down the cliffs immediately below Lancaut to safety, the cliffs later becoming known as Wintour's Leap
.
refer to a religious establishment of lann ceuid probably at this location, which is likely to have been established by 625 AD. A monastery was recorded here by 703. However, the construction of the church dates from the 12th century, the arch remaining across the chancel dating from this period.
The theory has been put forward that the settlement was connected to the Cistercian monks who founded their substantial Abbey up-river at Tintern
in 1131. A cast lead font in the church, comparable to other local examples from the same mould, can be dated precisely to between 1120 and 1140. This font is now in the Lady Chapel of Gloucester cathedral. Another suggestion is that it may once have been the site of a leper colony
, and an unusual number of medicinal herbs
including the non-native elecampane
- once used to treat respiratory ailments - and green hellebore
have been found in and around the churchyard.
Until 1711 the church was an independent ecclesiastical parish. After this date it was merged with another local parish, the new living being the rectory of Woolaston
. Despite this, the church appears to have been substantially restored and rebuilt after this time. The double bell window still visible in the West wall was supplemented by a small bell turret in the roof above. In 1840 the antiquarian George Ormerod made drawings that record the church as having box pews and a pulpit fitted inside.
By the 1860s though, the parish congregation was reduced in number and services were only being held here during the summer months. In 1865, the Rector of Woolaston ordered that the church be abandoned. The roof and the interior fittings, together with the font, were removed. Church and village both declined after this time. In the 1980s the chancel arch partially collapsed, prompting some restoration and consolidation work, together with archaeological study. Repairs were undertaken to the churchyard wall in 2010.
, now managed by the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust
. It is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest
(SSSI) and is within the Wye Valley
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
(AONB).
The River Wye at Lancaut supports a range of wildlife including otter
s, porpoise
s, cormorant
s, goosanders and heron
s. The woodland contains dormice, the rare lapidary snail
, and uncommon plants such as narrow-leaved helleborine and the wild service tree. The narrow tidal banks are a rare example in Britain of a direct transition between natural saltmarsh
and woodland. Fishing was historically important in the area, and the river contains traces of several medieval weir
s, but salmon
numbers have fallen markedly in recent years.
Quarrying for limestone
was important from mediaeval times, and the remains of two adjoining limekilns may be seen on the hillside above the church. Although as of January 2011 these had partially collapsed making them unsafe to enter. It developed as a major industry after the building of Avonmouth Docks
in 1877, and jetties were built at Lancaut to allow the transport of stone down the river. The quarry at Woodcroft
, overlooking Lancaut, operated until the mid-twentieth century.
Road access to Lancaut is difficult, the only road being a narrow track to the farm. The church itself is below this, down a steep bank. It can also be accessed by foot from Woodcroft, along part of the route of a circular walk from Chepstow which takes around 4 miles, across the 1816 Wye bridge, along the lower banks of the Wye to the church, then climbing up and returning along much the same route, but atop the cliffs of Wintour's Leap. This walk passes through the distinctive woodland of the Wye valley
, including such rare and locally endemic species as the small-leaved lime. It crosses a scree
slope of large boulders, created when an illegal post-war stone quarry blasted some of the limestone
cliffs.
Deserted Village
The Feltville Historic District, located in the Watchung Reservation, Union County, New Jersey, is a historical part of this area which still stands to this day. It includes eight houses, a church, a carriage house and a general house. Over the years this "deserted village of Feltville" has become...
in Gloucestershire, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, located alongside the River Wye
River Wye
The River Wye is the fifth-longest river in the UK and for parts of its length forms part of the border between England and Wales. It is important for nature conservation and recreation.-Description:...
, around two miles north of 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...
. It occupies a narrow-necked promontory formed by a curve of the river, which acts as the border between England and 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...
. Little remains of the village today, except for the roofless church of St. James.
History
The peninsula forms a strong natural defensive position and the ramparts of an Iron Age fort, known as Spital Meend, across this neck may still be identified today. The site of the fort looks both north and south up and down the Wye, as well as eastwards towards the Severn estuarySevern 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:...
.
The name of Lancaut is an anglicisation
Anglicisation
Anglicisation, or anglicization , is the process of converting verbal or written elements of any other language into a form that is more comprehensible to an English speaker, or, more generally, of altering something such that it becomes English in form or character.The term most often refers to...
of the , or 'Church of Saint Cewydd', an obscure Welsh saint of the 6th century. Offa's Dyke
Offa's Dyke
Offa's Dyke is a massive linear earthwork, roughly followed by some of the current border between England and Wales. In places, it is up to wide and high. In the 8th century it formed some kind of delineation between the Anglian kingdom of Mercia and the Welsh kingdom of Powys...
, which was constructed in the late 8th century to define the area controlled by the Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
kingdom of Mercia
Mercia
Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands...
and to deter incursions by the Welsh
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
from the west, passed to the east of Lancaut, and incorporated part of the defences of the Spital Meend hillfort. The peninsula and parish of Lancaut, though on the eastern bank of the river, remained under Welsh control until the 10th century; by 956 it had been incorporated within the English king's manor of Tidenham
Tidenham
Tidenham is a village and civil parish in the Forest of Dean of west Gloucestershire, England, adjoining the Welsh border.The parish includes the villages of Tidenham, Beachley, Boughspring, Sedbury, Tutshill and Woodcroft, and according to the United Kingdom Census 2001 had a population of 5,316...
.
The village was never large, but in 1306 contained 10 tenant households, and in 1551 had 19 adults. By 1750 the village had only two inhabited houses, and in 1848 the parish was recorded as having a mere 16 inhabitants. The civil parish was merged with Tidenham in 1935. Today there is little remaining of the village except for a still-working farm.
In early 1645, during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, the local Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
leader Sir John Wintour (or Winter) marched forces from Lydney
Lydney
Lydney is a small town and civil parish in the English county of Gloucestershire. It is located on the west bank of the River Severn, close to the Forest of Dean. The town lies on the A48 road, next to the Lydney Park gardens with its Roman temple in honour of Nodens.-Transport:The Severn Railway...
to Lancaut in an attempt to fortify a ford
Ford (crossing)
A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading or in a vehicle. A ford is mostly a natural phenomenon, in contrast to a low water crossing, which is an artificial bridge that allows crossing a river or stream when water is low.The names of many towns...
across the Wye, but was defeated and forced to escape by boat. This gave rise to the local legend that he had leapt with his horse down the cliffs immediately below Lancaut to safety, the cliffs later becoming known as Wintour's Leap
Wintour's Leap
Wintour's Leap is a noted rock climbing location and viewpoint. It is located on the English side of the Wye Valley, north of Chepstow, near the village of Woodcroft in Gloucestershire.- History :...
.
St James' Church
Today the only significant trace of the village above ground is the church of St James, which is a Grade II listed building within the site of a scheduled monument. Ecclesiastical records in the Book of LlandaffBook of Llandaff
The Book of Llandaff is a 12th century compilation of documents relating to the history of the diocese of Llandaff in Wales...
refer to a religious establishment of lann ceuid probably at this location, which is likely to have been established by 625 AD. A monastery was recorded here by 703. However, the construction of the church dates from the 12th century, the arch remaining across the chancel dating from this period.
The theory has been put forward that the settlement was connected to the Cistercian monks who founded their substantial Abbey up-river at 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...
in 1131. A cast lead font in the church, comparable to other local examples from the same mould, can be dated precisely to between 1120 and 1140. This font is now in the Lady Chapel of Gloucester cathedral. Another suggestion is that it may once have been the site of a leper colony
Leper colony
A leper colony, leprosarium, or lazar house is a place to quarantine leprous people.-History:Leper colonies or houses became widespread in the Middle Ages, particularly in Europe and India, and often run by monastic orders...
, and an unusual number of medicinal herbs
Herbalism
Herbalism is a traditional medicinal or folk medicine practice based on the use of plants and plant extracts. Herbalism is also known as botanical medicine, medical herbalism, herbal medicine, herbology, herblore, and phytotherapy...
including the non-native elecampane
Elecampane
Elecampane, also called Horse-heal or Marchalan , is a perennial composite plant common in many parts of Great Britain, and ranges throughout central and Southern Europe, and in Asia as far eastwards as the Himalayas....
- once used to treat respiratory ailments - and green hellebore
Hellebore
Commonly known as hellebores, members of the genus Helleborus comprise approximately 20 species of herbaceous perennial flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae, within which it gave its name to the tribe of Helleboreae...
have been found in and around the churchyard.
Until 1711 the church was an independent ecclesiastical parish. After this date it was merged with another local parish, the new living being the rectory of Woolaston
Woolaston
Woolaston is a village and civil parish in the Forest of Dean district of Gloucestershire in South West England. It lies on the north side of the Severn Estuary approximately 5 miles from the Welsh border at Chepstow and is surrounded by woodland and agricultural land.-The Village and its...
. Despite this, the church appears to have been substantially restored and rebuilt after this time. The double bell window still visible in the West wall was supplemented by a small bell turret in the roof above. In 1840 the antiquarian George Ormerod made drawings that record the church as having box pews and a pulpit fitted inside.
By the 1860s though, the parish congregation was reduced in number and services were only being held here during the summer months. In 1865, the Rector of Woolaston ordered that the church be abandoned. The roof and the interior fittings, together with the font, were removed. Church and village both declined after this time. In the 1980s the chancel arch partially collapsed, prompting some restoration and consolidation work, together with archaeological study. Repairs were undertaken to the churchyard wall in 2010.
Environment
Lancaut, together with the adjacent woodland at Ban-y-Gor immediately to the north, was established in 1971 as a nature reserveNature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
, now managed by the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust
Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust
The Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust is the Gloucestershire local partner in a conservation network of 47 Wildlife Trusts. The Wildlife Trusts are local charities with the specific aim of protecting the United Kingdom's natural heritage...
. It is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
(SSSI) and is within the Wye Valley
Wye Valley
The Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an internationally important protected landscape straddling the border between England and Wales. It is one of the most dramatic and scenic landscape areas in southern Britain....
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...
(AONB).
The River Wye at Lancaut supports a range of wildlife including otter
Otter
The Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....
s, porpoise
Porpoise
Porpoises are small cetaceans of the family Phocoenidae; they are related to whales and dolphins. They are distinct from dolphins, although the word "porpoise" has been used to refer to any small dolphin, especially by sailors and fishermen...
s, cormorant
Cormorant
The bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 species of cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed.- Names :...
s, goosanders and heron
Heron
The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....
s. The woodland contains dormice, the rare lapidary snail
Helicigona lapicida
Helicigona lapicida is a species of medium-sized, air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Helicidae, the typical snails.-Anatomy:This species of snail makes and uses love darts during mating....
, and uncommon plants such as narrow-leaved helleborine and the wild service tree. The narrow tidal banks are a rare example in Britain of a direct transition between natural saltmarsh
Saltmarsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
and woodland. Fishing was historically important in the area, and the river contains traces of several medieval weir
Weir
A weir is a small overflow dam used to alter the flow characteristics of a river or stream. In most cases weirs take the form of a barrier across the river that causes water to pool behind the structure , but allows water to flow over the top...
s, but salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
numbers have fallen markedly in recent years.
Quarrying for limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
was important from mediaeval times, and the remains of two adjoining limekilns may be seen on the hillside above the church. Although as of January 2011 these had partially collapsed making them unsafe to enter. It developed as a major industry after the building of Avonmouth Docks
Avonmouth Docks
The Avonmouth Docks are part of the Port of Bristol, in England. They are situated on the northern side of the mouth of the River Avon, opposite the Royal Portbury Dock on the southern side, where the river joins the Severn estuary, within Avonmouth....
in 1877, and jetties were built at Lancaut to allow the transport of stone down the river. The quarry at Woodcroft
Woodcroft, Gloucestershire
Woodcroft is a small village in the Forest of Dean district of Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the eastern bank of the River Wye, opposite Piercefield House, two miles north of the Welsh town of Chepstow...
, overlooking Lancaut, operated until the mid-twentieth century.
Access
Wye Valley
The Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an internationally important protected landscape straddling the border between England and Wales. It is one of the most dramatic and scenic landscape areas in southern Britain....
, including such rare and locally endemic species as the small-leaved lime. It crosses a scree
Scree
Scree, also called talus, is a term given to an accumulation of broken rock fragments at the base of crags, mountain cliffs, or valley shoulders. Landforms associated with these materials are sometimes called scree slopes or talus piles...
slope of large boulders, created when an illegal post-war stone quarry blasted some of the limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
cliffs.