Portskewett
Portskewett
| |
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Location within Monmouthshire | |
Population | 2,133 (2011)[1] |
OS grid reference | ST499881 |
Principal area | |
Preserved county | |
Country | Wales |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | CALDICOT |
Postcode district | NP26 |
Dialling code | 01291 |
Police | Gwent |
Fire | South Wales |
Ambulance | Welsh |
UK Parliament | |
Portskewett (
History and prehistory
Heston Brake
At the eastern edge of the village, in a privately owned field opposite Black Rock Road, very near to the Leechpool turn, is evidence of a significant
The stones can be reached by following the public footpath accessed via the kissing gate which is situated on the left[3] about 150 metres (160 yd) from the main road toward Leechpool. In his 1954 Monmouthshire Sketch Book Hando writes: "Garn Llwyd, Gwern-y-Cleppa and Heston Brake are our three outstanding dolmens".[4]
Roman remains
There is some evidence of a Roman villa, with possible British Iron Age antecedents. There are also remains of a late Roman temple on Portskewett Hill, and many coins of the 3rd and 4th centuries have been found.[5]
Early Welsh history
The
According to tradition, in about the 6th century
Portskewett is mentioned in ancient Welsh stories as one of the three chief ports of
The tradition of "King Harold's Palace"
The uneven ground south of the village church is shown on some older maps as "Harold’s Field". According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, in 1065 Earl Harold of Wessex, having defeated Gruffydd ap Llywelyn and conquered areas around Hereford and down the Wye, and was in the process of constructing a building on the site which he could use as a base for hunting when it was attacked and destroyed by a force under Caradog ap Gruffydd, King of Gwent. Harold never had the opportunity to take his revenge; in January 1066 he became king of England, and later that year was killed at the Battle of Hastings.[7] Archaeologists consider it likely that the hunting lodge would have been built on the same site as Caradog Freichfras' earlier court.[6]
A geophysical survey carried out at the end of 2005 revealed extensive remains in the area. In May 2007, an excavation was carried out for the Channel 4 TV programme Time Team, broadcast on 30 March 2008. The excavation revealed that a Norman fortified tower house had existed on the site, probably contemporaneous with the nearby church, and reached by a creek off the Severn. However, no conclusive evidence was found of a Saxon building, which would have been built of wood.[8]
Later history
After the
From Norman times until 1919, the village was part of the
By the 19th century the village was in decline. Between 1801 and 1861 the population of the parish, which includes Sudbrook, fell from 216 to 175. However, it expanded rapidly later in the 19th century, as housing was built for workers on the Severn Tunnel and with industrial development at nearby Caldicot. At the turn of the 20th century the population was some 900, steadily rising to about 1,300 by the 1970s.
Black Rock
Black Rock, on the Severn Estuary immediately south east of the village, has been an important crossing point of the River Severn for many centuries. Numerous coins found in the mud show that it was in constant use throughout the Roman period, on the route between Aquae Sulis (Bath) and Venta Silurum (Caerwent).
New Passage Ferry
By the 18th century, a regular ferry service crossed the Severn estuary from Black Rock to New Passage on the Bristol side, carrying passengers, cattle and iron ore.[4] The Black Rock Hotel served travellers and became a popular local entertainment venue; it was later destroyed by fire. In 1863, the Bristol and South Wales Union Railway built a branch from the main line to Black Rock. Trains would travel out onto a wooden pier, where the passengers would get off before climbing aboard the ferries. The pier was severely damaged by fire in 1881 and demolished after the Severn Tunnel opened in 1886, but parts can still be seen at low tide.[11][12]
Lave net fishery
At Black Rock a traditional method of fishing for salmon with lave nets is practised. The fishermen, who come from local villages, are the last such in Wales. They actively promote the fishery as a tourist attraction, with the aim of maintaining its history and tradition. Demonstrations of the lave net fishing are given on certain days from the picnic site.[13]
The estuary has one of the highest tidal ranges in the world (traditionally reported as the second highest though more recently reckoned to be third highest[14][15]), which enables the fishermen to wade out at low tide with nets on shoulders to traditional fishing grounds, with the water up to their waists. The net is then opened and lowered into the outgoing tide which rushes through the net. With his fingers placed at the bottom meshes of the net, the fisherman then waits for the fish to hit the net. The net is made in a traditional way by means of a Y-shaped structure consisting of two arms called rimes which are made from locally cut willow that acts as a frame work to the loosely hung net. The handle is called the rock staff and is made of ash or willow and the arms are hinged to the rock staff and are kept in position while fishing with a wooden spreader called the headboard.
In 2020 the lave fishermen of Black Rock were featured on BBC One's Countryfile programme.[16] In 2021, the fishermen reduced their activities as a result of what they claimed to be unfair pressure from Natural Resources Wales to reduce their catch.[17][18][19]
Governance
Portskewett is also the name of the
References
- ^ "Community and ward population 2011". Retrieved 4 April 2015.
- ^ "Heston Brake". Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2007.
- ^ Map of Heston Brake
- ^ a b c Hando. F. J., 1954, Monmouthshire Sketch Book, Newport, R. H. Johns, Chapter VI - Black Rock and Heston Brake.
- ^ a b "South East Wales in the Early Medieval Period". Archived from the original on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 21 May 2008.
- ^ ISBN 0-7083-1826-6
- ^ a b c "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 10 December 2007.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Channel 4 Time Team site
- ^ Photo of St. Mary's Church
- ^ Population statistics
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 12 December 2007.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 August 2007. Retrieved 12 December 2007.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ index Archived 2009-07-10 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "NOAA Tides & Currents". Archived from the original on 18 March 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
- ^ About tides – Tides: questions and answers | National Tidal and Sea Level Facility
- ^ BBC Countryfile episode on Gwent Levels | South Wales Argus
- ^ Dan Barnes, "Natural Resources Wales rules threaten Severn Estuary fishery", The National, 17 May 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021
- ^ The Black Rock Lave Net Heritage Fishery. Retrieved 1 June 2021
- ^ "River Severn Net Limitation Order and Byelaws 2021", Environment Agency. Retrieved 1 June 2021
- ^ The County of Monmouthshire (Electoral Changes) Order 2002. Statutory Instruments. 6 December 2002. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
{{cite book}}
:|website=
ignored (help) - ^ "Monmouthshire County Council Election Results 1995-2012" (PDF). The Elections Centre. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
- ^ "County Councillor Peter Fox". Monmouthshire County Council. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
Bibliography
- Smith, Richard (2013). Portskewett Railways. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 978-1491294031.