HISTOHIC^L. TRADITIONS AND FACTS RELATING TO ANCIENT GWENT OR SILQRIA. By W. N. Johns. SECOND EDITION, ENLARGED, PJ5.RT 1. PREHISTORIC AND ROMAN PERIODS. NEWPORT, MON. 3 AND POULT.SIIED BY W. N. JOHNS, " STAR " OFFICES. 1897. YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Bought with the income ofthe ALFRED E. PERKINS FUND Historic?*!* TRADITIONS AND FACTS RELATING TO ANCIENT GWENT OR SILURIA. By W. N. Johns. SECOND EDITION, ENLARGED. P7SFTT 1. PREHISTORIC AND ROMAN PERIODS. NEWPORT, MON. Printed and Pdbushed by W. N. Johns, "Star" Offices. 1897. < CONTENTS. t» Prehistoric Period Geoiogy of Monmouthshire Mountains of Monmouthshire Rivers of Monmouthshire ... Siluria or Gwent . Ancient British Trackways Mounds aud Tumuli Ancient Camps ... British Pruidism ... Stone Circles... Cromlechs The Buckstone Standing Stones City of Caerleon Founded... Roman Period — Julius Caesar... Capture of Caerleon ... Second Invasion of Siluria Roman Stations Roman Government at Caerleon Work of Roman Soldiers Roman Roads Introduction of Christianity ... The Diocletion Persecution Roman Reconstruction of Caerleon Roman Remains Effect of the Roman Occupation page. 13 8 13 15 21 26 40 7073778085 94 HISTORICAL TRADITIONS AND FACTS RELATING TO MONMOUTHSHIRE. PREHISTORIC PERIOD. Few literary tasks involve greater difficulties than those which are met with in the attempt to trace the history of a district from early times. The task requires in most cases much research, a careful reading of the old chroniclers, and a close examination of ancient records. The further the recesses of antiquity are penetrated the more per plexing does the work become, and the more labyrinthine the path appears. The progress of civilisation has effected many changes in the march of century after century ; names of places and persona get corrupted and altered ; written re cords are lost and destroyed ; and new places spring up and are confused with the old. When from these and similar obstacles a perfect se quence of historical memoranda is rendered im possible, and the writer falls back upon tradition, he meets with discrepancies innumerable, and finds names, and dates, and legends, so contradic tory upon their face, as to admit apparently of no reconcilement. These remarks espe cially apply to the work in hand. Where written testimony fails, the dim light afforded by tradition gives evidence to support the opinioffl that soon after the period when Britain first be came the habitation of man, the district of Gwent with the cities of Caerleon and Caerwent, rosa into comparative importance, for the earliest tra ditions of Britain refer to the shores of tha Severn and the Usk as the principal locations of dominion and government. In ages less distant many of the early inhabi tants of eastern Britain were driven into this dis trict by the invading and victorious Roman. Here too, were Roman legions stationed during the greater period of tlieir residence and rule in the British Isle. Subsequently, occurred those fre quent contentions between other hostile invadera -r-Saxon, Dane, and Norman, and the hardy and courageous natives, which for centuries desolated the district by carnage and rapine. It is generally admitted, too, that in this district the gospel of Christianity was preached in Apostolic days ; that here, the first Christian temple in Britain was erected, and here, when tlie Christian Church was well established, her bishops in the days of St. Augustine defended the primitive truths and practices she had preserved, and the freedom and privileges she enjoyed. In fact, so- numerous are the events crowded into period after period, that it becomes questionable whether any other dis trict in the kingdom possesses a more deeply in teresting past than that whose history it is pro posed to bring under consideration in these pages. GEOLOGICAL. At what time the district assumed its present ..geological conformation and physical aspect it would be useless, perhaps, to inquire. We are content to imagine a period when its general out lines, now so familiar, were first formed; when in the numerous rivers and streams with which the district is watered, fish disported themselves undisturbed, while on the banks grazed herds of wild cattle ; when the hills were covered with thick woods, and towering over all the exten sive and beautiful landscape, and wearing the ¦same barren aspect as to-day, rose Mount Twyn Barlwm in silent solitude. The geology of the district has been well and fully described by some of the best authorities, .and proved to be of a very interesting character. One of the best treatises published on the sub ject is a paper by Mr. Foster Brown, read at p. meeting of the South Wales Institute of Engi neers, and to whijh students should refer. At the present time a revision of the South Wales coalfield by the Government department of geology is in progress ; and in order to com plete the geology of the ordnance sheets within which the coal field is comprised, the portions of the surrounding older formations will be mapped out. Tlie survey of Monmouthshire will thus be rendered one of the most perfect of all the coun ties in the Kingdom. At first sight the geology of the district seems simple and easily under stood, comprising as it does chiefly the two great formations — the old red sandstone and the carboniferous strata, the latter being very com plete. A closer inspection, however, reveals in tervening strata of great variety, and many dis locations of a remarkable character worthy of the careful study of all geologists. Of the various formations found in the county there are none of the primary period such as granite or mica, and talc schists, or even the grauwacke, so prominent a feature to visitors at JQfracombe. The earliest formation known is an inlier of the Silurian which crops up in the centre of the county, on tolerably high ground, and forms an oval eight miles long and four miles wide. The southern extremity of this exposure is at Llandegvedd, and the eastern at Usk. This inlier is bounded by faults on the north west and and south east sides. That on the north west is an important line of dislocation having a general- N.N.E. direction. It passes a little south of Pontypool, and then runs for the river Usk about five and a half miles below Abergavenny. All the Silurian rocks are of marine origin, and con tain numerous remains of trilobites (genus Hola- lcnotus is common) and shells which must have lived in the sea. In this formation the Upper Ludlow beds have not been observed, and pro bably do not exist. The Lower Ludlow beds con tain in the lower part argillaceous shales which be come sandy in the upper. They contain calcareous bands such as Aymeslry Limestone at Llancayo, Hill Barn, and Llanbadoc. " Pentamerus Galea- tus " — a common fossil shell is found here. The beds sweep around Bettws- Newydd by Usk, Llan- gibby, Llandegvedd, and thence northward to Glasgoed Common, Pentwyn, and the Chain. Bridge. In the Upper Wenlock the Wenlock limestone is visible at Trostrey, Badyr, Glaes- cced, and Tynewyd. In the Lower Wenlock the Wenlock shales containing beds of sandstone oc cur at the Tucking Mill, Kilfigan, Prescoed, Cefn Mawr, Monkswood, and Kemeys Commander. The thickness of the Silurian beds are reckoned at 1,570ft., of which 270ft. is limestone, Wenlock and Ludlow beds 754ft. and only 4ft. of limestone. South of Llandegvedd the Silurian series is lost beneath the old red sandstone, but that they un interruptedly run beneath these rocks to Cardiff is proved by their cropping up around Llanfrechfa and again at Malpas, Penros (near Caerleon), Llanhennock, and Christchurch, all within a few miles. How far they extend eastwards is not- known. On the west after striking beneath the old red sandstone for some distance, they re appear on the surface near St. Mellons, from where they run uninterruptedly to Rumpney near Cardiff. Almost the whole of these rocks are/ stained a deep red by protoxide of iron, though in places as at Penylan bands of cherty limestone occur replete with bivalve shells. Old red sandstone forms more than half the sur-- face of the county from the Black Mountains in the north and north-west to the south, past Aber gavenny and Monmouth, encircling the Silurians in the district named, and extending south-west past Newport. The thickness of these rocks in the north is from 8,000 to 10,000ft, but thins in the south to 4,000ft. between Newport and Risca. The change from grey Silurian shales below to the red sandstone above, is rapid and striking. There is also a change of fossils. In the latter tliey are not so numerous, and many are of animals probab'.y living in a fresh water lake or estuary of a large river. On tlie east near the Wye the old red sandstone dips under the Forest of Dean coalfield. From bottom to top of the old red sandstone stratum succeeds stratum with perfect Tegularity. The " Cornstones " are irregular bands of red or yellow nodular or concretionary lime stone. They form a rich soil, and were formerly burnt into lime, and used for mending roads. Brown stones form the summit of the principal hills — the Sugar Loaf, Skyrrid Vawr, and also of Beacon Hill, overlooking the Wye. The Kyrnin at Monmouth is capped by quartz conglomerate. Fossils are not common, but enamelled scales and spines of a few species of fishes, and remains of Pterygotus (a large lobster like crustacean), and a few plants may be found by the diligent geolo gist. Next we come to the Carboniferous series found mainly in the west. The Carboniferous Limestone comprises grey or blue crystalline rocks, com posed of remainsofencrinites and shells, and occurs in two areas once connected. The Wye has cut a way through this rock which extends from the Forest of Dean beneath the Wye, and from thence west by Itton to Llanvair and Penhow, then south of Magor, and back east to Portskewett where it dips under the Bristol Channel. In tlie west mountain limestone forms a narrow fringe round the eastern part of the South Wales coal field by Machen, Risca, and Trevetliin, and curves round the north slope of the Blorenge. The westerly dip is from 20dg. to 60dg. This ro-k contains many caverns which are often lined with beautiful crystals of calcite and quartz. The Upper Coal Measures contain 26 seams of coal, of which nine are workable. Tlie coal in all the seams is chiefly bituminous. In the beds of shale on the top fossil plants, such as ferns,.. reeds (Calamites), gigantic specimens allied to club mosses Lepidodendron and Sigillaria are frequently found, and some fine specimens of which are to be seen in the Free Library Museum at Newport. Tlie Trias formation is found only in the Kouth-east near Cheplstow, Portskewett, and Undv. The Dolomite Conglomerate (Mag- nesian Limestone) at Undy, Llanfihangel Rog- giett, Mounton, and Claypit Farm, south of Chepstow. This is composed of lumps of car boniferous limestone, cemented together by car bonates of lime and magnesia, and probably was formed as a beach at the foot of the limestone- hills to the north of the upper division of the Triassic formation ; the Keuper Red Marl forms a narrow strip extending from Mathern to Ports- kewett, Caldicot, and Undy, also between Llan- martin and Christchurch. No fossils have been- found in these beds. Tlie Rhaetie Formation comprising grey marls and black shales may be found at the lower part of Goldcliff, and traced east, north, and west of the Lias at Bishton and Llanwern, . The blue limestones and shaly clays of this age form the capping of Goldcliff, and inland they occur at Langston, Bishton, Liswerry, Milton (Christchurch), and thence underneath tlie Usk to Maesglas, between New port and Tredegar Park. The beds, which at Liswerry are extensively worked, and the stone burnt for cement, consist of thin beds of blue or grey limestone, becoming, light brown when weathered. These are separated by dark coloured narrow argillaceous partings, so that the cuttings look ribbon like. Most of its fossils are marine. Small and imperfect specimens of Ichthyosaurus- and Plesiosaurus have been found here. The stone is sometimes called gryphite limestone from the abundance of oyster genus which flourished here. Some very perfect specimens of these are also deposited at the Newport Museum. Alluvial Deposits. — Thick beds of gravel occur in the valleys, and cover the low ground formed by the softer beds of the old red sandstone. They appear mainly of local origin, but glaciers may have contributed to tlieir formation, as there are to be noticed masses of rocks foreign to the dis trict, and probably brought by natural agencies. The rivers of the district have formed deposits of mud and gravel along their courses, more espe cially where they debouch into the Bristol Chan nel. These deposits now form a tract of low level land from one to four miles wide, extending from the Wye to the Taff, a distance of 24 miles. - It is protected by a stone embankment from the inroads of the sea, and is known as the Levels of Caldicot and Wenllwg. MOUNTAINS OF MONMOUTHSHIRE. The principal mountains or hills in the district are Mynydd Turvach (791ft.), Mynydd Llwyd or Grey Hill (901ft.), Wentwood with Penycae- mawr (950ft.), Wyndcliff (900ft.), Mynydd Maen (1,500ft.), the Blorenge (1,720ft,), Pen-y-val or Sugar Loaf (1,852ft.), Skyrrid Vawr or Holy iMountain (1,498ft.), and Llanwenarth Hills, in the neighbourhood of Abergavenny, the Graig, near Grosmont (1,389ft.), the hills in Blaenau Gwent, and, finally, the Black Mountains in the extreme north of the county. Mynydd Turvach and Mynydd Llwyd are generally regarded as twin hills, being similar in shape and of a like hue. They are within half a mile from each other, and stand about midway between Newport and Chepstow, a mile to the north of the main road and overlooking Caldicot Level. The names applied to these hills greatly vary, and there is much doubt as to their origin and meaning. Coxe states that the one is called Mynydd Llwyd or the Grey Hill, and the other Allt vr Arfaid. In the Ordnance Map the smaller hill is termed Mynydd Allt Tir Vach, and the other Grey Hill. To the one the English name is applied, to the other the Welsh. There seems to be no English name applied to Mynydd Allt Tirvach. It is frequently called Mynydd Turvey, however, which is evidently a corrup tion of Tirvach, a word which obviously has reference to the small size of the hill as com pared with its neighbour, Mynydd Llwyd. The name Grey Hill is a literal translation of the Welsh appellation, and is generally used by the English-speaking people. By old residents in the district it is sometimes called Allt y Blaidd. or the Wolves Hill, which preserves a tradition that it was once a resort of wolves, and which tradi tion Coxe applies to Allt Tirvach, and not Mynydd Llwyd. Mynydd Llwyd is notable for the numerous ancient stones upon it, which will probably be referred to when the antiquities of the district .are dealt with. Pencaemawr is tlie highest point in the ancient jforest of Wentwood. A road which passes over it, was in all probability an ancient British •trackway, and subsequently a Roman road from .Portskewett and Caerwent to Usk. Tlie Wyndcliffe, with its charming view of the ¦scenery of tlie River Wye, is too well known to need a description here. Mynydd Maen is the name given to the range .-of hills commencing five miles N.W. of New port, and running in a N.E. direction to Ponty pool. Its outline is fairly even, and on its sum mit is a large extent of table land. The most -prominent feature in the range is at the south western extremity, where a mound is formed from which this portion of the range takes its .name — Twm Barlwm, which has been said to mean the top of the bare hill. The Blorenge (Blaw renge — grey ridge) is the ,S.E. part of a chain of hills which runs from iPontypool in a north-westerly direction towards .the border of Breconshire, and forms one side of the valley of Afon Llwyd, a tributary of the Usk. On the .•¦ide opposite to Abergavenny the mountain, which is of old red sandstone, rises ;almost perpendicular to the height of a thousand feet, and is, therefore, practically inaccessible, but the summit may be easily approached, from the direction of Pontypool. The Sugar Loaf is the highest of the several •hills which rise in the neighbourhood of Aberga venny. It is called Mail Vannon in Liber Lan- davensis. In Welsh it is called Mynydd Pen-y- val, the meaning of which being uncertain is con jectured to be a corruption. The late Mr. Owen observes that " val" out of construction would be "bal," the "ommor term for a sugar loaf, but the name was used long before sugar loaves were known, and hence various conjectures have been made as to the original word. " Pen-y-foel," barren top, has been suggested, and also "Pen-y- valch," the superior eminence, which English people, unable to pronounce the guttural sound of the Welsh "ch," may have commuted into -"Pen-y-val." The Pen-y-val or Sugar Loaf , has no base, but is found to be enthroned on four 10 ether mountains, intersected only by narrow din- eles. down which small streams hurry their waters to the Usk. Tlie hills or mountains upon which the Sugar Loaf stands are variously called. Coir lectively they are known as the Llanwenarth , Hills, and separately as the Rholben, Deri, Graig, or Breast of Llanwenarth, and the Bryn Awr, or rugged hill. No mountain in Monmouthshire has a greater or more peculiar interest for the traveller the areh_eologist, or the general reader than the Skyrrid Va.wr. Like most Welsh names, both it. etymology and meaning are doubtful. It, is sometimes spelled with " c " instead of " k," as Scvrid, and sometimes " i " is substituted for "y." Some have supposed the name to be a cor- n-ption of the British word " ysgyrid " — rough,. and others from ysgyrraed — separation or fissure — fiom the verb ysgar, to separat., divide, etc. It is situated in the parish of Llanthewy Skyrrid, and it is not easy to determine whether the parish- gives its name to the mountain, or the mountain to the parish. The mountain is popularly known as St. Michael's Mount and the Holy Mountain,. from circumstances mentioned hereafter. It is a singular geological phenomenon. It is isolated frcm the surrounding eminences, nnd rises abruptly from the pluin, and presents a, variety of forms — a* seen from different points of view. From one it seems like _ large barrow, from another" almost globular, and from others like a trun cated cone. The pedestrian from Abergavenny to Monmouth is frequently puzzled at the different- aspects presented to him, and cannot -without re flection be convinced that it is the same moun tain unchanged in its position. The north-eastern side is a ridge of a barren russet hue ; towards the south tlie declivitv is less, and near the bot tom terminates in a gentle slope which is culti vated. Tlie base is ornamented with wood and enriched with dnrn fields and pais*. ires. The highest point is the north-eastern extremity, which rises 1.498ft. 7in. On this summit formerly stood a small chapel, the site of which is traceable in a circular hollow, but no vestige of the build ing remains. The chapel was dedicated to St. Michael, whence the hill is denominated St! Michael's Mount. It has been at times the scene- 11 of much superstition. Ignorant persons among the lower classes annually repaired there on Michaelmas Eve to pay their devoirs to the saint. It was formerly the custom of Welsh farmers snd peasants to obtain sacks full of earth from the fissure, which they sprinkled over their stables, pigstyes, and even houses, to avert evil, especially reserving portions to strew over the coffins and graves of themselves and tlieir relatives. The most remarkable circumstance attendant on this rrountain is the great rent or fracture from which it is alleged it derives its name Skyrrid. Bv some process of nature the mountain has been divided into two unequal parts. The fissure ap pears to the beholder from the west or the north west, like an enormous chasm' separating the mountain. Tlie bottom of the basin, which is nearly 300ft. in breadth, is strewed with large- fragments of rock, broken it is supposed by the, tremendous crash. Tlie side of the larger portion rises perpendicular to a great height, and the opposite portion is equally perpendicular, but less elevated. Various have been the conjectures respecting the cause of this yawning chasm. One legendary storv is that the mountain was rent asunder by the earthquake which happened at the crucifixion of our Saviour. Hence the ap pellation of Holy Mountain. The Graig, about midway between Monmouth and Abergavenny, is a conspicuous object, rising as it does abruptly from a wide expanse of level country. Its outline is regular, and its sides only partially covered with wood. On its sum mit, from which a most extensive view may be obtained of almost every part of Monmouthshire, three parishes join, viz., Grosmont, Scenfrith, and Llantilio Crossenny. In Blaerau Gwent, in the north-western part of the county, and lying between the rivers Afon Llwyd, Ebbw, and Sirhowy, are numerous hills, which except from the mineral nches ob tained from them, are considered of little general' interest. The Black Mountains and Hatteril Hills are situated in the extreme northern angle of the county. They are frequently spoken of as being: 12 cne and the same range, but they may be taken as two distinct ranges, forming a parallelogram vith a smaller range of hills running parallel be tween them. The Black Mountains form a boun dary between Monmouthshire and the county of Brecon, while the Hatteril Hills overlook tlie Golden Valley in Herefordshire. Between the two ranges are the Vale of Gronwy on the west and the Ewias Vale on the east. These two val- levs were known in ancient times as the two sleeves of Gwent Uchoed. Through the former runs the River Gronwy, and through the latter the River Hodeni or Honddu. Near the banks of this stream is situated the famous Abbey of Llanthony. Giraldus Cambrensis, in the 12th c.ntury, de scribed the banks of the Hodeni as precipitous and nigged, the rocks traversed by wild and swift- f or ted animals, and the tops of the hills covered by tall towering trees. Tlie mountains contained fruitful pastures and rich meadows for feeding cattle, compensating for Darrenness in other parts, and making amends for want of corn. Large and plentiful springs issued from tlie mountains, and fell with a plea sant murmur into a river abounding with fish. Prom mistranslation Giraldus has been made to say that the mountains are so high that the sun is not seen by the people in the valley until very late. It is a fact however, that upon the farm house called Cwm Buchan the sun never slimes for three months in the year, for six weeks before, and six weeks after the shortest day. The Hatteril hills rise in form like a chair, and hence the highest position is called Mynydd Cadair. Tlie summit, Pen Cadair, is about six miles from Llanthony, and is said to be about 2,000ft. high. The river Monnow rises at the head of a romantic Cwm in the Hatteril Hills near the Hay end. 13 RIVERS OF MONMOUTHSHIRE. Monmouthshire is well watered by three prin cipal rivers — the Wye which forms the eastern boundary of the County, the Rumney, which on the western side divides it from Glamorgan, and the Usk which runs from north to south through its centre. Tlie Wye rises on the south east side of Plinlimmon, two miles from the head of the Severn, and flowing through the counties of Montgomery, Radnor, and Hereford, enters Mon' rr.cuthshire at a point where the county joins Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, and falls into the Severn about two miles south of Chepstow.. Its tributaries in Monmouthshire are the Trothy and Monnow. The former rises near Grosmont Wood, two miles N.E. of the Skyrrid Vawr mountain, and augmented by several streams falls into the Wye about one mile from Mon mouth. The Monnow rises at the head of a romantic cwm in the Hatteral Hills, near the village of Dorston in Herefordshire, and enters Monmouthshire close to Oldcastle, after passing which place it receives the waters of the Honddu. This rises in the Black Mountains, passes down tlie vale of Cwmyoy and joins the Monnow as it changes its course eastward towards Grosmont. From this place it again changes its course in a, 30uth-east direction to Monmouth where It pours its collected vcters into the Wye. The total length of the Wye is 130 miles. That por tion of the river which divides Monmouthshire from Gloucestershire is of singular beauty, and is frequently visited for its exquisite scenery. Poets have sung its praises, and painters attempted to depict its unequalled charms. The river is navigable. for large vessels up to Chepstow. The Rumney (anciently called Afoh Eleirch — Swans river) ' has few tributaries. It rises at Blaen Rumney just within the borders of Brecon- shire, and along the western border of Monmouth shire divides the county from Glamorganshire, This river is mentioned by Drayton in his topo graphical poem Polyolbion, in connection witb, "the gallant nymphs of Gwent." 14 The principal river of Monmouthshire is the Usk. It rises in the Black Mountains, Brecon- shire, enters Monmouthshire at Llangruney, and after a course of 60 miles falls into the Severn four miles below Newport. Its principal tribu taries are tlie Gavenny, fed by the Kibby and otlier brooks, entering at Abergavenny ; the Olwy, rising near Trelech, and entering at Usk ; the Sor brook, emptying into the Usk above Caerleon ; Torfaen or Afon Llwyd, rising above Blaenavon and entering also at Caerleon. and the Ebbw, rising above Ebbw Vale, and joining the Usk near its confluence with the Severn. There are other tributaries of less importance — as the Scelti (Mal- pas brook) which enters the Usk at Newport, and the Candwr brook, entering above Caerleon ; the Ebbw Vawr augrnented by the Ebbw Vach at Aberbeeg, and the Sirhowy river at Risca. The latter receives the water of Trevil Du, Nanty- bwch, and Nant Melin ; and the Ebbw Vach Nantyglo, Istwith, and the Beeg brooks. Below these tlie Cam, Gwyddon, and Tilery brooks feed the Ebbw Vawr. Beside the rivers Wye, Usk, and Rumney, which enter the Severn on the southern side of Monmouthshire, the coast is indented by several "Pills." into which the waters of smaller streams enter. Thus three miles westward of the mouth of the Wye the Pwlmeyric brook empties itself. This rises at Newohurch, and runs a course of about seven miles. A little further west, ;_t Caldicot Pill, is the Neddern brook, which flows by Caerwent, above which place it is known as Castroggy brook, from its source being near Cas- treggy Castle. This brook is named in "Liber Landavensis " Taroc, and it is also mentioned in "Mabinogion" as the place where the sow Hen- wen landed. A small stream issues at Undy Pill, and a larger one which supplies the Rock and Fountain, St. Brides, and Magor runs into Magor Pill. A brook which rises at Bishton finds "its wav into tlie Severn at Whitson, and a mile fur ther west is the celebrated Monks' ditch, tlie source of which is at Catsash, five miles to the north. Westward of the Usk is Peterston Pill, into which a small stream runs, and which in olden days is said to have afforded accommoda tion for small trading vessels. 15 SILURIA OR GWENT. ¦ Of the several authors ui antiquity who, in itheir writings, make mention of Britain, none ¦earlier than Tacitus, who lived in the latter half of the first century, affords .my information re garding the district of Siluria or Gwent. Tacitus was a learned and tiustworthy writer, and held high office under several Roman Emperors. The .information he imparts was not improbably the result of his personal observation, as his state ments have in most cases been found to be per fectly accurate. He terms the district Siluria, and the inhabitants Silures. These names are the Latinised forms of the British words, Essyllwg and Essyllwr, which are found in ancient British authors. Tliey are derived, it is suggested, from the word syllt — view, aspect, look, to which root word is added the intensive prefix e, and the affix wg — place or country. Tlie termination " wg " meaning country, seems to have been not an uncommon one ; thus we have in addition to Syllwg or Essyllwg, the county of the Syllwr or Essyllwr ; Morganwg, the country of Morgan, niiW" Gwlad-morgan or Glamorgan ; Glewysig, probably Glewyswg, the country of Glewys, sub sequently called Gwynllywg, the country of Gwvnltyw, now Wentloog ; Fferyllwg, the country between the Wye and the Severn, as well as 'Deyrnllwg, a district in North Wales, and named after a British Prince of the fifth century, as other instances of the terminal " wg " being used in the same sense. It may be reasonably inferred, therefore that Essyllwg implies a country with a beautiful aspect, which is in accordance with its existing condition, and may have been equally as applicable in the early days of the Christian era. In Geoffrey of Monmouth (Book ii., chap, i.) is found a tradition that Essyllt was the name of a daughter of » king of Germany, with whom Locrine, eldest son of Brutus, fell in love. After the death of Brutus, Locrine divided Hie island of Britain between himself and iis two brothers, Camber and Albanactus, and after overthrowing Humyr (Humber), king of 16 the Huns, found in one of his ships three damsels- of celestial beauty, one of whom was Essylt (al Estrildis), "a daughter of the king of Ger many," who eventually became his queen. Locrine had previously married Gwendoline, but kept Estrildis in secret. He became divorced, and advanced Estrildis to be queen. Gwendoline. thereupon raised an army against Locrine, and' in a battle he was killed. Gwendoline then assumed command of the- kingdom, and had" Estrildis and her daughter Sabre thrown into the river, publishing an edict that the river- should bear lier name to perpetuate her memory, and by that the infamy of her husband. The-- river is, therefore, called Sabren or Sabrina, cor rupted or modernized into Severn. Milton thus puts this legend into flowing: verse : — There is a gentle nymph not, far from hence, That with moist curb sways the smooth Severn stream. - Sabrina is lier name, a virgin pure, Whilom she was the daughter cf Locrine, That hart the sceptre from his father Brute. She, guiltless damsel, flying from the mad pursuit Of her enraged stepdanie Gwendoline, Commended her fair innocence to the flood, That staid her flight, with his cross-flowing course. The water nymphs that, in the bottom played Held up her pearled wrists, and took her in Bearing her straight, to aged Nereus' hall ; Who piteous of her woes, reared her lank hefld, And gave her to his daughters to imbathe In nectared lavars, strewed with asphodel, And through the porch and inlet of each sense Dropt in ambrosial oils, till she revived, - And underwent a quick -immortal change, Made goddess of the river. There was another name by which the district- was familiarly known, and by which it is still called, that oi Gwent, a name said to be derived from the British word Gwen, the feminine form of Gwyn — fair. The addition to the word of " t " was a common method of converting an adjectiver in the British language into a substantive, and thus tlie word Gwen, converted to Gwent as now- used became descriptive of the general' aspect of the country. Whether this supposition is correct or otherwise, it is not improbable, but another derivation mentioned by the late Mr. Wakeman is not unworthy of consideration" (Notes on Wentwood, p. 6), namely, that the- earliest settlers gave the name to the country 17 when they took possession of it, and that these early settlers were a tribe of Wends, who came from the southern shores of the Baltic. Caesar (" Commentaries," bk. v., chap. 12) states that the maritime portion of Britain, inhabited by people who passed over from the- country of the Belga», were called by the names of the- states from which they sprung, and Mr. Wake- man argues that Gwent received its name from a tribe of Wends, and that it has ever since been known by the name thus given to it. There is still another derivation of Gwent given by John of Tinmouth, who asserts that the district was named after Went, a noble Briton, who wa„ the father of Machutus, and who governed in the Vale of Llancarvan. This suggestion may, however, be at once discarded as Machutus, a British saint, lived in the sixth century, the name Gwent having been recognised at a very much earlier period. It is impossible to ascertain when the word was first applied to the country, or whether Gwent or Essyllwg is the older. Both were in use in Roman times, Essyllwg being Latinised to Siluria, and applied to a wide district, the word Gwent being converted to Venta, and applied to particular cities. Thus we find Venta with the addition of Silurum applied to Caerwent, in order to distinguish it from other cities called Venta, as Venta Belgarum (Winchester) and Venta Ice- norum (Norwich). The Romans called Caerleon Isca Silurum. Llewelin Sion, who wrote a treatise on "Ancient British Bardism," contends that Gwent is the older word, but his authority for the statement is not given. That the name Gwent in early ages was in more general use than Siluria, by the native people, seems evident from the fact that the former is more frequently used than the latter in ancient British writing's. Siluria seems almost entirely confined to writers whose origin was not British. Caisar apparently knew nothing of one or the other. Tacitus writes of Siluria and its inhabitants, but not of Gwent. Nennius, one of the earliest chroniclers, mentions Gwent several times, but not Siluria. Asser, in his "Life of King Alfred," refers to Gwent, but not to Siluria. Gwent is recorded in "Au- IS nales Cambria.," and also in "Brut Tywysogion," "but no reference to Siluria is found. ' The writers of " Liber Landayensis " ignored the word Siluria, but it contains records making mention of Gwent. Another circumstance may be mentioned as giv- ine a preference to the name Gwent. The earliest inhabitants of this district of whom we read seem to have inherited from ancestors peculiar customs such as the Bardic institutions ; but in connec- •fcion with them the name Siluria does not seem to have ever been correlated. On the other hand we have the bards of Gwent, a Gwentian Code of Laws, and a Gwentian dialect, which forms one of the principal dialects of Wales. The name is also preserved in the ancient divisions of Mon mouthshire as Wentwood, Gwent Iscoed (Gwent below the wood), Gwent Uchoed (Gwent above the wood) and Blaenau Gwent, a term applied to the mountainous parts of Monmouthshire. The term "Silurian" is applied to the rocks characteristic of the district, but this term is a modern one, liaving been introduced about a century ago by the late Sir R. J. Murchison, the eminent geologist. It seems conclusive, therefore, that the Gwentian people, if ever they generally recognised the word Siluria or Essvllwg, discarded it at an early period and clung to Gwent, which in all probability, whatever may have been its origin, is the older name of the district. At the present day Siluria has almost become obsolete, and is referred to only in rela tion to matters of history, while the name Gwent calls to the mind of every Welshman a, thousand memories, and evokes a feeling of veneration for its past. The extent of the district designated Siluria is variously defined. Williams, in his "History of Monmouthshire," states that the Romans, when they passed the Severn, included the inhabitants in the general appellation of Syllwyr or Esyllwyr and that they occupied the district now consti tuting the counties of Glamorganshire, Mon mouthshire, Hereford, and Gloucester. Coxe states that the territory of the Silures, be sides Monmouthshire, comprehended the coun ties of Glamorgan, Brecknock, Radnor, Hereford, and such parts of Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, and Carmarthenshire as lay between the Severn, Teme, and the Towy. On the north of this 19 rterritory were the Ordovices ; to the west the Dimeta.. Dr. Thomas Nicholas, in addition to the above, includes a portion at least of the •county of Salop. Mr. G. T. Clarke says the Silurian territory included all the country between the Nedd and the Wye. It seems clear then the exact limits of Siluria are not known, and no modern writer has defined :them, except in a general manner. In all prob ability the boundaries of each tribe or nation were as well recognised as was Offa's Dyke when • constructed, but no Offa's Dyke was in existence until centuries after Siluria was conquered by the Romans. Territorial boundaries were often some prominent physical and natural featur. as a river or chain of mountains, and if the reader, with map in hand, will note the position of the ¦ counties above, named and their relation to eaeh other, they may reasonably surmise the River .Severn on the -north and east marked the limit of Siluria, while the Towy on the west, and the Bristol Channel on the south, were its other i boundaries. Equally indefinite are the alleged boundaries of ancient Gwent. From some modern writers it is to be inferred that Siluria and Gwent are svnonvmous words describing a district or eountry the boundaries of which were coterminous ; but a close examination fails to show that the boun daries of Gwent were so extensive as tkose of Siluria,. Mr. Edward Williams in the appendix to Williams's History of Monmouthshire quotes Llewelin Sion (John) whose writings were formerly preserved at Raglan Castle, to tlie effect tliat •Gwent included all Glamorgan as well as parts of Hereford and Brecon ; but no reference is made to the wider area of Gloucester, Worcester, Salop and Radnor, which are said to have been in the occupation of. the Silures. Of Gwent, in the pre historic ages little or nothing can be said with ¦certainty, but undoubtedly after the Roman in- -vasion the name came into greater prominence, while the word Siluria fell out of use in a cor responding manner. Particulars of Gwent, there fore must be deferred till a later period of history is dealt with. Of the people who inhabited Siluria in prehis toric times, our knowledge is very limited. C_esar 20 in speaking of the Britons generally, said " the population is numerous, beyond all counting, and very numerous are the houses. They have great numbers of cattle, etc." These general statements were doubtless equally as true of Siluria as of any other part of Britain, because going beyond written authorities and bringing up traditions it is found that all the more ancient make reference- to this district as the seat of active government. 21 ANCIENT BRITISH TRACKWAYS. Of ancient remains which are undoubtedly the work of man, there are in Monmouthshire some which afford evidence that they are older than the date of the Roman occupation. Though there are no Bone Caverns, or Pit Dwellings traceable, such as are found in other districts, yet in the more remote parts of the county, which are not easily accessible, and where the surface of the earth has never yet been disturbed by lie plough. there are many enduring monuments , such as tumuli or sepulchral mounds, relics of Druidic worship, and hill camps or places of defence, con structed in all probability by the primitive in habitants of the country in pre-historic ages. These matters necessarily claim some attention before proceeding with others based upon data of greater certainty. On the banks of the Bristol Avon pit dwellings may be traced, and on the •Somerset hills, as at Banwell, bone caverns, in which evidence of occupation in past ages exist may still be seen. It is reasonable to presume that the earlier inhabitants of Gwtnt would occupy abodes similar to those in wliieli the people of neighbouring districts dwelt, and some slight indications have been observed leading to the supposition that Mynydd Llwyd wns occu pied by a people who dwelt in pits or caves "Thcie are upon the summit of the hill numer.uia •expressions or shallow pits whichvean hardly be .admitted to be large enough to .ifford accommo dation for a family during either day or night. and are more probably the result of modern exca vations for stone, than the remains of places of habitation of our early forefathers. Wentwood is certainly a locality, the umbrageous seclusion of which in pre-historic days would be likely to tempt the early pit and cave dweller, but no re mains have been preserved to' warrant the sugges tion that the forest was ever so occupied. The non- -existence in the present day of such remains is not, however, to be taken as conclusive that the inhabitants of ancient Gwent and their habits and customs differed from those of surrounding peoples. Such primitive constructions for dwel- 22 lings as pits or caves may at one time have ob tained, and all traces of them obliterated during- the period — more than three centuries — during which the Romans occupied and governed the dis trict on the west of the River Severn. The occupation of the district was very com plete. Military stations were established at dis tances of not more than a dozen miles from each. other ; villas, in which the Roman officials dwelt, were built in widely extended suburbs, and numerous roads traversed the district in various directions.. Coins have been found not alone ins the vicinity of the stations, but in valleys and on hills, in meadows and in woods, so that it might- be said that not a spot of ground was beyond the purview of the Roman people. They were a highly civilised people, and despising the habits of primeval man, erected dwellings well constructed of timber and' masonry, the latter of which was of such dura bility that much of their work remains even to the present day. The example of the Romans commanding and mingling with the native people must have had a very beneficial effect upon the mode of living of the latter, and no surprise, therefore, need be experienced that all traces of" their rude dwellings have been "swept away. Tliere are other remains which may be fairly rea-arded as the work of the ancient inhabitants of the district, and which the Romans would have- no object in destroying, viz., the Trackways, the sepulchral tumuli, marking tlie restiug place of ancient warriors and princes, and the stone monu ments which are generally regarded as indicative of Druidic worship. Trackways are naturally and of necessity also,. the first work of a people in any country. They could not advance or shift from their first loca tion without leaving marks of their footsteps, and a, common pathway would in time become developed and established as a recognised Track- wav. Even the most barbarous nations are known to have found means of conmiunicating- with various parts of tlie country they inhabit, and as Britain prior to the Roman period was a. 23 country of extended commerce, it must be con cluded that its people possessed roads or track ways leading from one part to another. The earliest tradition extant relating to. the construc tion of roadways attributes tlie work to one Belinus a British King of whom more hereafter. It is said of him that after the wars he finished what his father began — four great highways in the Kingdom, first from Cornwall to Lincoln, second from Dover to Worcester and Cardigan, third from Southampton to St. Davids, - and fourth from Worcester to Tynemouth. Here and there on the line of these trackways a few rude dwellings were ag gregated together and called a town. Rude as they were some protection or defence of the dwellings was attempted by the occupants, and Caesar gives evidence of this when (Bk. v. ch. 21) he says "When the Britons have fortified the intricate w-oods (in which they are wont to assemble for the purpose of avoiding the incursios.. of an emeny) with an entrenchment and a rain- Dart, call them a town." Of such towns the old Chronicler Nennius gives a list, the number varying in the several M.SS. of the author, from 21 to 33. Among these enumerated are Caer Ceri (Cirencester), Caer Gloui (Gloucester), Caer Gwent - (Caerwent), Caer Leon (Caer leon). and Caer Merddin (Caermarthen). The iden tification of the towns named, leads also to the identification of the route of the ancient track ways, for it must be assumed that they afforded means of communication between one town and another. In addition to the four great highways said to have been constructed by Belinus, there were doubtless, subsequently many subsidiary track ways provided. Several roads from N., E., anil S. appear to have converged at Cirencester, and proceeded towards the west by two. branches. One branch called Akeman-street ran to Ausfc on the Severn shore, crossed to Beachley, passed through Chepstow and on to Caerwent. The other branch from Cirencester proceeded to Caer Gloui (Gloucester) and the.nce either by Monmouth or bv the side of the Severn through Lydney to Caerwent where it met the branch of the Akeman- street first named. From Caerwent the road agair. diverged, one branch passing over Wentwood to 24 Usk thence to Abergavenny, Crickhowell, Brecon, and Carmarthen, where also the other branch from Caerwent arrived after passing through New port. Cardiff, and Neath. Tlie united roads then proceeded on to Menapia (St. Davids). No British town is mentioned between Caer went and Carmarthen on the line of road which ran via Abergavenny and Brecon ; but Caerleon is included in that which ran along the coast on the south, though it is hardly to be gathered from this that one road was of more importance than the other. That Newport was on the line of the Akeman-street may be deduced from the fact thai in a document of the time of Henry VI. , 15th century, a certain house in Newport is described as being at tlie corner of Akeman-street. In tracing this road from Caerwent westward it will be found to pass along the coast line from hill top to hill top. After leaving Caerwent, it passes over a few miles of the present road, and then up a sli^it incline on the right to Cats Ash,; keeping the "ridge until it reaches the top of Christchurch Hill. Leaving Caerleon in the valley on the right,' it keeps along the hill until it de- iscends to the left bank of the Usk at Newport. The river was here crossed by a natural ford still •existing beneath the present bridge. The road -within the distance of a stone's throw then com menced to ascend Stow-hill, and went on towards Bassalleg, St. Mellon's, Cardiff, and by way of Neath to Carmarthen. It may be noticed that the roads on the east and west of the river Usk are similar in charac ter. From the ford in the river, the roads strike for the nearest rising ground, and at once proceed to the highest point as straight as the contour of the ground allows. The supposition that on the east the road ran in the direction indicated is strengthened by the fact that until recent times no other road on the east side of the river approached Newport from any direction. The read now known as the Chepstow-road which meets the ancient road at Llanbedr as it de scends from Catsash was made in 1817 ; and the road to Caerleon by St. Julians was commenced in 1823, the year in which the Turnpike Act was 25 passed, and opened in 1825. It cannot but be interesting therefore to reflect that the ancient read over Christchurch hill on tlie one side of Newport and over Stow-hill on the other existed .ages before the town was built, and that over its surface native warriors and princes had passed, -ere Caractacus and his spearmen — who may have been as familiar with it as many of us at the Diesent day — defied the legions of the Roman army. There were doubtless other British track ways one of which appears to have gone from •Catsash up the hill and through Wentwood. On this road, within a mile, and on the edge of Wentwood, are no less than three camps. Two of them bear British names, and between them is one of distinctly Roman origin. But as doubtless all or most of the British trackways were used by "the Romans it is now impossible to decide by whom they were first made, and therefore it is rot wise to speculate upon their origin without ¦evidence. "<£_X 26 ANCIENT MOUNDS AND TUMULI. What may be regarded as among the oldest and certainly not the least interesting remains of the prehistoric people of Britain are the Tumuli, which exist in great numbers throughout the country, and especially in Monmouthshire. The Welsh people call them twyn or tumps. In more Saxon districts they are termed mounds and barrows, and not infrequently cairns. Though their origin and purpose have not been satis- factorilv determined, local tradition and oircum- ttences, as well as the terms applied to them give some indication. Although many of the larger mounds now existing were, it is believed, of a military character, the chief purpose was un doubtedly sepulchral — to mark the spot where lie the illustrious dead, or to commemorate the slain dn a, battle field. This has been found to be a common purpose not only in Britain but in Europe, Asia, and America. Mr. Hepworth Dixon in " New America " speaks of mounds which he had seen rifled by Indians in the Fax West. Suoh mounds exist in Wales where no Romans. Saxons, or Danes, were ever located, and therefore may be taken as the work probably of pre-Roman Britons. One great point of interest in them is that their contents when examined have furnished pretty well all the knowledge now possessed of tlie people of the remote past. It is not intended to give here a long dis sertation on tumuli, mounds, or ihe various anoient modes of interment, but simply to preface by a few remarks a, description of the most interesting- which may be discerned in this district. Teliesin, the Welsh bard refers in his poems to Carned Ian., and his, own cairn or mound is said to exist in the neighbourhood of Aberyst- with. Ab Ithel states that in Druidic times "tlie raim was a speoies of monument awarded only to persons of distinction, and was of gradual growth, inasmuch^ as it was the custom for every passer by to fling an additional stone upon the heap out of reverence to the person who was interred 27 tirdemeath. The warrior or the bard fell, and the cairn rose upon his grave to point out his resting place for ever. This practice still pre vails, for it is but a few years- since when form ing one of a party ascending the Sugar Loaf tliat eiaoli member was desired to aarry up a, stone and add to the heap at the summit. Whe_ the practice of burying; in churchyards bocrune general, the cairn was _ condemned as fit only for great criminals. In this case travellers threw stones out detestation. ... It is therefore now imposr sible from mere outward appearance to con- lecture the character of the person whom it covers. But the position of the body or form of cist vaen, when the tumulus has been opened, would afford a clue to solution. In the opinion of Lord Lytton the practice of raising cairns to departed worth had not become obsolete in the latter days of the Saxon regime, as in his work " Harold " a conversation between Gryffith and) the bard is introduced thus : — Gryffith < This cairn shall be my tomb. Bard (to Gryffith) : In this cairn what tliou- lovest best shall be buried by thy side. . . Over the graves of two, shall a new mound arise, and we will let the mound speak to others in the' far davs to come. , Among the many mounds in this district and not the least interesting, is that known as the Tump in the Castle grounds at Caerleon. It is a very- ancient one, but a difference of opinion exists ;n regard to the question whether the date of the' mound is pre-Roman or post-Roman. Its site is- just outside the walls enclosing the city. Giral dus refers to it in his ' 'Itinerary," and terms it a "gigantic tower." Churchyard speaks of it as " a castle very old, which may not be forgot. It- stands upon a forced hill, not far from flowing flood." It is of considerable height, and not lessr than 300 yards in circumference at the base, and 30 yards at -the summit. That it is of artificial construction there can be no doubt. Archdeacon- Cox gives an account of a, Roman sarcophagus- having been found and taken from the side of the mound, a few feet above the base, but it is sug gested that this might have been deposited there- 28 -during the Roman occupation of the city, and that the Mound was in existence before the inter ment took place. There is evidence to show that in later times the Mound was utilised as a place of defence. Of sepulchral mounds, one at Langstone may be mentioned. Close beside the house, between it and the parish road which leads over the hill to the church, is a mound or tump, surrounded by a, foss, and liaving » flat summit. This tump is neitlier vtiy high nor large. The present house .stands just without the foss, on one side, and the road cuts it through on the other. This road is .evidently one of the very early primitive hollow ways or horse tracks, with which Monmouthshire abounds, and is, therefore of later date than the mound and foss. In 1860, the hill being very steep, the road was lowered, and in cutting through the moat, where the bank ia evidently made ground, some bones were discovered. There was no trace of stone work on the mound, and if ever a building was erected upon it, it was most probably con- .structed of timber. Hence the need of house-bote from Wentwood for repairs, as well as fuel, which it appears by an early charter the occupant of Langstone was entitled to. At St. Bride's (Netherwent) there are the re mains of a very early British tumulus. It is close to the south side of the road which runs to St Bride's by Carrow Hill to Five Lanes and Caer went. The field in which it is situate is still .called the Barrow field. The tumulus was cut through by the Caerleon Antiquarian Society in 1860, and, although its date could not be accu rately judged from the objects found therein, it was considered to be of pre-historio times. Flakes of chalk flint were found foreign to the locality, and two blades of bronze daggers, seem ing to show that the use of stone implements had not altogether been abandoned, though bronze weapons were in use at the time of the interment. 'The following account of the " opening " is thus recorded in the "Merlin" of August 25, 1860: " On the previous day and on the morning of the meeting the ground had been cleared, so that the .