Monmouth

Monmouth, town in Monmouthshire, south-eastern Wales. Monmouth lies at the confluence of the Wye and Monnow rivers, in an agricultural area for which it has been the commercial centre since the 13th century. It was granted a charter in 1256, but was important long before that, having been the Roman station of Blestium. Henry V was born in the Norman castle of Monmouth in 1387. The castle has long since been destroyed, replaced by the 17th-century Great Castle House of the Duke of Beaufort. The town is a centre of tourism for the Wye Valley. It is the seat of a grammar school (1614) and other notable features are the Naval Temple at Kymin Hill (1800), a ruined 11th-century Benedictine priory, and the 13th-century Monnow Bridge Gate. The latter is a rare instance of a fortified gateway on a bridge. Population (1985 estimate) 7,500.