Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 16.djvu/784

Rh 754 M N M O U T H 500 to 700 feet. The Carboniferous rocks connected with the great coal-field of South Wales, which occupy the western half of the county, include (1) the Coal-measures, consisting of shales and ironstones, sandstones and coal-beds, of which there are about twenty-five beds more than 2 feet thick &quot;total thickness of the strata 11,650 feet; (2) Millstone Grit, thickness 330 feet; (3) Carboniferous Limestone surrounding the coal-field, thickness 1000 feet; (4) Old Red Sandstone, thickness 600 feet; and (5) Devonian beds, consisting of red and brown sandstone, marls, &c. , thickness about 6000 feet. The coal-field of Monmouth has an area of about 90,000 acres. The beds are very rich and easily wrought, the most common way of reaching them being by excavating pas sages in the sides of the hills instead of by perpendicular shafts. The number of collieries in operation in 1881 was 124, and the quantity of coal obtained 5,412,840 tons. The ironstone of Mon mouth occurs both in beds and in large detached masses, the yield of iron being 18 to 55 per cent. The ore is the common clay iron stone. The iron industry was prosecuted successfully at Polity- pool in the 16th century by a family of the name of Grant, who were succeeded by the Hanburys. In 1740 Monmouth contained, however, only two furnaces, which made together about 900 tons annually ; but during the present century they have increased with great rapidity. In 1881 the number of furnaces built was 52, of which 35 were in operation ; the amount of pig-iron made was 527,277 tons. The works are situated chiefly in the neighbourhood of Pontypool, and occupy the valleys running in the direction of Merthyr-Tydfil in Glamorganshire. The following were the Mon mouth ironworks in 1881 : Abersychan, Pontypool, Pontnewynydd, Ebbw Vale, Victoria, Blaenavon, Cwmbran, Nantyglo, Oakfields, Blaina, Rhymney, and Tredegar. In all, there were 258 puddling furnaces and 42 rolling mills in operation. The tinplate manufacture is extensively carried on, the number of mills in the Monmouth and Gloucester district in 1881 being 95, the majority of which are in Monmouth. Fireclay is extensively dug ; 57,680 tons were obtained in 1881. Soil and Agriculture. Along the seashore the soil is deep and loamy, and admirably suited for the growth of trees. The most fertile land is that resting on Red Sandstone, especially along the banks of the Usk, where wheat is raised of a very fine quality. In the more mountainous regions there is very little land that is cap able of cultivation, the soil being generally thin and peaty. More attention is paid to grazing than to the raising of crops. There are a considerable number of dairy-farms, but sheep-farming is much more largely followed. Of the 5241 holdings existing in 1880 the latest year in regard to which there is information 3661 were under 50 acres, 1521 between 50 and 300 acres, and only 59 above 300 acres. According to the agricultural returns for 1882 there were 243,063 acres, or almost exactly two-thirds of the total area, under cultivation. Of this, 176,137 acres were permanent pasture, and 14,729 rotation grasses. Of the 35,038 acres under corn crops, 16,151 were under wheat, 8596 under barley, and 8711 under oats. Turnips occupied 7486 acres, and potatoes only 1777. The area under woods was 29,856, and under orchards 3921. The total num ber of horses in 1882 was 11,631 ; of which the number used solely for agricultural purposes was 6449. Of the 44,168 cattle, 16,500 were cows and heifers in milk or in calf. Sheep numbered 134,682, and pigs 17,621. According to the latest return there were 7811 proprietors possessing 296,971 acres, with a gross annual rental of 837,254. Of the owners, 4970, or 63 per cent., possessed less than 1 acre, 17 possessed between 1000 and 2000 acres, and 15 between 2000 and 5000. The following four proprietors possessed over 5000 acres each : Lady Llanover, 6312 ; the executors of C. H. Leigh, 10,211 ; Lord Tredegar, 25,229; and the duke of Beaufort, 27,299. Puiilways. The South Wales Railway passes along the coast, and many branch lines cross the county in various directions, the majority of them being connected either with the Great Western Railway or with the London and North-Western. Administration and Foundation. Monmouth comprises six hun dreds, and the municipal boroughs of Monmouth (6111) and Newport (38,427). In addition to these two boroughs there are fifteen urban sanitary districts, viz., Abergavenny (6941), Abersychan (13,496), Abertillery (6003), Blaenavou (9451), Caerleon (1099), Chepstow (3591), Christchurch (3114), Ebbw Vale (14,700), Llanvrechva (4177), Panteg (3321), Pontypool (5244), Rhymney (8663), Risca (5540), Tredegar (18,771), Usk (1470). With the exception of Abergavenny, Caerleon, Chepstow, Pontypool, and Usk, these towns are all of modern growth, and owe their rise chiefly to the iron manufacture, some, however, being partly dependent on that of tinplate. The county returns two members to parliament ; and Monmouth, Newport, and Usk, with a united population in 1881 of 46,033, constitute the Monmouth district of boroughs, which returns one member. The county has one court of quarter sessions, and is divided into twelve petty sessional divisions. It is within the diocese of LlandafT, and contains 147 civil parishes, townships, or places. The population, which in 1801 was 45,568, had increased in 1841 to 134,368, in 1871 to 195,448, and in 1881 to 211,267 (of whom 108,202 were males, and 103,005 females). History and Antiquities. At the time of the Romans, Mon mouthshire formed part of the territory of the Silures, whose princi pal seat was at Caerwent, and who were finally subdued by Julius Frontinus in the year 78. The old Roman road, the Via, Julia, leading from the mouth of the Severn to Caerwent, Caerleon, and onwards to Neath in Glamorgan, can still be traced. The Romans made Caerwent, under the name of Vcnta Silurum, one of their principal stations. Tesselated pavements, pottery, coins, and the remains of a Roman villa, have been found, and portions of the walls still exist. The great station of the Romans was, however, Isca Silurum, now Caerleon (Caer legionis), so called from the fact that it was the headquarters of the second imperial legion. By Richard of Cirencester it is called a colonia, being the only station of that dignity in Wales. The mound of the old fortress still remains, as well as portions of an amphitheatre. Other less important stations were those of Gobannium (Abergavenny), Blcstium (Mon mouth), and Burrium (probably Usk). Monmouthshire is closely associated with Arthurian legends. In one of the Welsh tales Arthur is represented as holding his court at Caerleon during Easter and Pentecost ; and an oval bank near the town is pointed out as Arthur s Round Table. When Wales was subdivided into three king doms on the death of Rhodri the Great, Monmouth and Glamorgan were placed under a separate government distinct from either of these. In the 9th and 10th centuries Monmouth was frequently invaded by the Danes. Edward the Confessor, after various vic tories in Wales, is said to have established a palace at Porth-is-coed (Portskewett). At the Norman Conquest the district was delivered over to certain Norman nobles called the &quot;Lords of the Marches,&quot; who held the lands which they conquered per baroniam, with the right of administering justice. Frequent contests took place between the lords of the marches and the Welsh princes, until, in 1535, the jurisdiction of the lords of the marches was abolished by Henry VIII., and Monmouth was included among the English counties. Monmouth was the scene of frequent contests during the Civil War. Of Norman fortresses in Monmouth, either built or taken possession of by the lords of the marches, there are remains of no less than twenty-five. The more interesting and important are : Caldicot, the- seat of the De Bohuns, still entire ; Chepstow, one of the finest examples of the old Norman fortress extant, built by Fitz Osborn in the llth century, in an imposing situation on a cliff above the AVye ; Newport, now used as a brewery ; Abergavenny, now partly occu pied as a private house ; the gateway and hall of Grosmont, once the residence of the dukes of Lancaster ; and Usk Castle, rebuilt by the Clares in the time of Edward IV. Raglan Castle, begun in the reign of Henry V., is a very extensive ruin, still in good preser vation, and contains examples of several styles of architecture. Charles I. resided in it after the battle of Naseby. In 1646 it was. delivered up to the parliament. At the Reformation there were in Monmouth two hospitals and fifteen other religious houses ; but of these there are now important remains of only two Llanthony Abbey and Tintern Abbey. Llan- thony Abbey in the Black mountains was founded by William de Lacy for Cistercians in 1103, and is one of the earliest examples in England of the Pointed style. The ruins consist of portions of the nave, transept, central tower, and choir. Tintern Abbey, belong ing to the same order, and founded by Walter de Clare in 1131, occupies a position of great beauty on the Wye. The building, which is Early English to Decorated, is almost entire, with the exception of the roof, and may be ranked as among the finest of the monastic ruins in England. Of the churches, those chiefly worthy of mention are Abergavenny, belonging to a Benedictine priory, and containing a number of old tombs ; Chepstow, partly Norman, and possessing a richly-moulded doorway ; St Woolos church, Newport, also Norman ; the Norman church of St Thomas, Monmouth ; Christ Church, principally Norman ; Matherne, Early English, with a tablet to Tewdris, king of Gwent ; and Usk, formerly attached to a Bene dictine priory. MONMOUTH (Welsh Mymvy], a parliamentary and muni cipal borougli of England, and the county town of Mon mouthshire, is picturesquely situated at the confluence of the Wye and Monnow, in a valley almost surrounded by hills, 18 miles south of Hereford, and 128 west of London. By means of the Wye it has water communication with Bristol and with Hereford, but the former trade by barges has now ceased. Portions of the old walls and of the four gates still remain ; but there are only insignificant ruins of the old castle in which Henry V. was born, and which was originally a Saxon fortress. After the Norman Conquest it was placed in the hands of William Fitz Osborn, whose descendant, John lord of Monmouth, rebuilt it on a more extensive scale. Subsequently it came into the possession of John of Gaunt, and thus became attached to the house of Lancaster. In 1646 it was taken by the parliamentary