Abergavenny Town Walls

Has been described as a Certain Urban Defence

There are masonry ruins/remnants remains

NameAbergavenny Town Walls
Alternative NamesY Fenni
Historic CountryMonmouthshire
Modern AuthorityMonmouthshire
1974 AuthorityGwent
CommunityAbergavenny

An oval circuit, roughly 350m by 215m, originally defined by stone walled defences springing from the castle (Nprn94876) to the south-east: an incomplete line of defences, with some fabric, is preserved in modern wall lines and buildings: the walls are thought to have been redundant by mid.16th century. (Coflein)

The medieval town walls of Abergavenny are thought to have been constructed in the late 13th or early 14th centuries. There are walls standing along most of the course of the town wall on its western and northern sides. These are, however, generally of post-medieval date. There are small fragments of surviving medieval masonry, in a poor state of preservation, to the rear of the properties on the north side of Nevill Street. On the eastern side of the walls course there is little surviving evidence. There is, however, a fragment of medieval masonry at the foot of the rear wall of the market building as well as possible medieval masonry adjacent to the nearby stream. There is possible medieval masonry in, and to the rear of, Laburnum Cottage in Monk Street as well as a sizable portion to the rear of 23 and 24 Cross Street. (Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust HER)

Running behind the gardens of the north-west side of Nevill Street along the lane entered through No. 69 Frogmore Street and going round to the back of the Kings Arms.

Fragments of medieval town walls built first in the C14 when Abergavenny had a complete circuit with four gates. This section ran from the North Gate (demolished late C18) in Frogmore Street to the Tudor Street Gate (demolished after 1802) which gave access to the road leading down to Usk Bridge (qv Merthyr Road). It was partially demolished and rebuilt in the centuries following the Civil War in the mid C17 so that very little ancient fabric now remains.

Red sandstone rubble

Only a few of the facing stones at the base can be considered ancient, the rest, some of which is about 4m in height, has been rebuilt later, some of it quite recently. The wall forms the garden boundary to Nos. 5-29 (odd) Nevill Street and is at its highest behind No.11. (Listed Building Report)

Abergeveney yt self is a faire waulled town, meately welle inhabited havyng ... paroch chirch. (Leland)

Gatehouse Comments

Oval area on ridge, c.350m by 215m, castle at the point. Murage grants for the town are recorded in AD 1241-6 and AD 1259 - 64 as well as 1285 and 1314 -19. It is thought that the latter two grants refer to the line of the town wall that is clearly delineated in the modern property boundaries of the town.

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

This is a Grade 2 listed building protected by law

Historic Wales CADW listed database record number
The National Monument Record (Coflein) number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceSO299141
Latitude51.8213996887207
Longitude-3.01543998718262
Eastings329900
Northings214150
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

No photos available. If you can provide pictures please contact Castlefacts

Most of the sites or buildings recorded in this web site are NOT open to the public and permission to visit a site must always be sought from the landowner or tenant.

Calculate Print

Books

  • Olding, F., 2012, Discovering Abergavenny: archaeology & history (Abergavenny: Abergavenny Local History Society)
  • Salter, Mike, 2013, Medieval Walled Towns (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 158
  • 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, 95, 158, 273
  • 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 (plan)
  • Soulsby, Ian, 1983, The Towns of Medieval Wales (Phillimore; Chichester) p. 64-7 (plan)
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 1 p. 290
  • Barley, M.W., 1975, 'Town Defences in England and Wales after 1066' in Barley (ed) The plans and topography of medieval towns in England and Wales (CBA Research Report 14) p. 57-71 online copy
  • Turner, H.L., 1971, Town Defences in England and Wales (London) p. 201
  • Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co) p. 245-6
  • Bradney, J.A., 1904-33, History of Monmouthshire (London) Vol. 1 p. 152-3

Antiquarian

Journals

  • Creighton, Oliver, 2006, ''Castles of Communities': Medieval Town Defences in England; Wales and Gascony' Château Gaillard Vol. 22 p. 75-86
  • Clarke, S. and Bray, J., 2003, 'The Norman town defences of Abergavenny' Medieval Archaeology Vol. 27 p. 19-36 online copy
  • Clarke, S.H., 2001, 'The Norman Defences of Abergavenny: A Watching Brief at Cross Street' Archaeology in Wales Vol. 41
  • 1999, 'Abergavenny Town Wall' Monmouth Archaeology
  • Ashmore, P.J. and Ashmore, F.M., 1972-3, 'Excavations at Abergavenny Orchard site, 1972' Monmouthshire Antiquarian Vol. 3 (2) p. 104-110
  • Radcliffe, F. and Knight, J., 1972-3 'Excavations at Abergavenny, 1962-1969, II: medieval and later' Monmouthshire Antiquarian Vol. 3 (2) p. 65-103 esp. 77-9
  • 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
  • 1965, Medieval Archaeology Vol. 9 p. 198 download copy

Primary Sources

  • < >See the Gatehouse murage pages for full details of murage [grants > http://www.gatehouse-gazetteer.info/murage/murindex.html], [petitions > http://www.gatehouse-gazetteer.info/murage/mupindex.html ] and [other such > http://www.gatehouse-gazetteer.info/murage/muaindex.html]. < >

Other

  • GGAT, 1989 Mar, The Town Walls Of Abergavenny: A Survey (GGAT SMR Report Archive)