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Raglan, Monmouthshire

Historical Description

Raglan, a village, a parish, and the head of a petty sessional division in Monmouthshire. The village stands on a small affluent of the river Usk, 6 miles N of Usk, and 8 WSW of Monmouth. It gives the title of Baron to the Duke of Beaufort, and has a station on the Pontypool Road, Monmouth, and Ross branch of the G.W.R., and a post, money order, and telegraph office under Newport. The parish comprises 4091 acres; population, 668. There is a parish council consisting of nine members. Raglan Castle stands on a rising ground half a mile NNE of the village; was built in the time of Henry V. by the Herberts; occupies the site of a previous castle of the Morleys; passed to the Somersets; was the residence of the Earls of Worcester; was garrisoned in 1642 by the Marquis of Worcester in defence of Charles I.; gave shelter for some time to that monarch; made successful resistance in his cause till very near the end of the war; surrendered to Fairfax in Aug., 1646, and was subsequently dismantled. It is now one of the finest baronial ruins in England, and covers a space of about one-third of a mile in circuit. The keep or " Tower of Gwent" is detached from the main building. It is considered to be of older date than the rest of the ruins, is hexagonal in shape, with a line of low works at its base, and is surrounded by a broad moat. The main gateway of the castle is Banked by two lunette-shaped ivy-clad towers with boldly machicolated parapets, and leads into the east court, now a green sward, on the right of which is the closet tower, and the great breach in the east curtain made by the batteries of Sir Thomas Fairfax in the siege. At the NE corner of the court is the kitchen tower, with a sort of cellar called the " wet larder." On the W side stands the great hall-65 feet long and 38 wide-now reduced to bare walls with a great oriel window. An apartment adjoining the hall is supposed to have been the chapel. From the hall is entered the west or fountain court, but all traces of the fountain have disappeared. At the far side of this court is the grand staircase which led to the state apartments; those in the NE angle of the court were occupied by Charles I. Raglan Castle belongs now to the Duke of Beaufort, and is the headquarters of the Raglan Archery Club, and a favourite resort of picnic parties. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Llandaff; net value, £218 with residence. Patron, the Duke of Beaufort. The church is Early Perpendicular, with an embattled tower; was restored in 1868, and contains monuments of the Somersets. There are Baptist and Congregational chapels.

Transcribed from The Comprehensive Gazetteer of England & Wales, 1894-5

Administration

The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.

Ancient CountyMonmouthshire 
Ecclesiastical parishRaglan St. Cadocus 
HundredRaglan 
Poor Law unionMonmouth 
Registration districtMonmouth1837 - 1935

Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.


Directories & Gazetteers

We have transcribed the entry for Raglan from the following:


Maps

Online maps of Raglan are available from a number of sites:


Newspapers and Periodicals

The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following newspapers online:

CountyMonmouthshire
RegionSouth Wales

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