Usk Town Banks

Has been described as a Certain Urban Defence

There are cropmark/slight earthwork remains

NameUsk Town Banks
Alternative NamesBrynbuga; Clawdd du
Historic CountryMonmouthshire
Modern AuthorityMonmouthshire
1974 AuthorityGwent
CommunityUsk

Scant remains of earthwork defences dating back to Roman times but part re-utilized by medieval time, although the medieval line of defences bears little relation to the Roman. Town thought to be founded by 1120. Town defences, consisting of a bank and ditch, thought to date from C13-C14 enclosing a rough quadrilateral, depicted on a map of 1801, with sides; 280m along the N, 700m along the NE, 650m along the SE, the remaining, W side being closed by the Usk. An 80m section of ditch remains, centred at SO37650189, along the N side, below and possibly pertaining to the castle, whilst a 330m length of bank and ditch, the "Clawdd Du" centred at SO37980046, is preserved on the SE. (Derived from Coflein)

The site chosen for the town lay south-west of the castle which have been built earlier in the century. Defensively it was an unsound location. it was established on flat land prone to flooding even though I am more secure land was available. In this instance economic considerations were more important than military ones; the site had good lines of communication is essential for commercial development. A poor defensive position with the price paid for accessibility the more flood-prone areas of the town were eventually abandoned as its centre of gravity shifted westward towards the river Usk but away from the Olway Brook which was the source of the flooding. (Hopkins 2008)

Gatehouse Comments

The defences may well be more flood defences than security defences.

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

Not Listed

The National Monument Record (Coflein) number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceSO378070
Latitude51.6996688842773
Longitude-2.89827990531921
Eastings337800
Northings201000
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Salter, Mike, 2013, Medieval Walled Towns (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 183
  • Hopkins, T., 2008, 'The Towns' in R. Griffiths, T. Hopkins and R. Howell (eds), The Gwent County History (Cardiff: University of Wales Press) Vol. 2 The Age of the Marcher Lords, c. 1070-1536 p. 115-141
  • Creighton, O.H. and Higham, R.A., 2005, Medieval Town Walls (Stroud: Tempus) p. 27 (plan), 72, 204, 273
  • Salter, Mike, 1991, The Castles of Gwent, Glamorgan and Gower (Malvern) p. 34
  • Bond, C.J., 1987, 'Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Defences' in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds), Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report 61) p. 92-116 online copy
  • Mein, A.G., 1986, Norman Usk: the birth of a town (Usk: A G Mein)
  • Soulsby, Ian, 1983, The Towns of Medieval Wales (Phillimore; Chichester) p. 261-65 (plan)
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 1 p. 291
  • Bradney, J.A., 1904-33, History of Monmouthshire Vol. 3 p. 1, 33
  • Coxe, W., 1801, An Historical Tour in Monmouthshire (London) Vol. 1 p. 126 plan facing p. 125

Journals

  • Creighton, Oliver, 2006, ''Castles of Communities': Medieval Town Defences in England; Wales and Gascony' Château Gaillard Vol. 22 p. 75-86
  • Metcalf-Dickinson, V., 1981-2, ‘Excavations at Old Market Street, Usk’, Monmouthshire Antiquarian 4.3-4 p. 6-40
  • (Jackson and Manning), 1976, Medieval Archaeology Vol. 20 p. 193 download copy
  • 1975, Archaeology in Wales Vol. 15 p. 49-50
  • 1972, Archaeology in Wales Vol. 12 p. 27
  • Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1967, 'Masonry castles in Wales and the Marches: a list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol. 116 p. 71-132