A Brief History of Abergavenny
In fact, there's nothing brief about it. It is possible to trace Abergavenny's history back to the Roman fort of Gobannium established in 57 or 58 A.D. However, the real birth of the town dates to the period of the Norman conquest of Wales in the late 11th century. In about 1087, Hamelin of Ballon, the conqueror of northern Gwent, built a motte and bailey castle at Abergavenny. At the same time, he established St. Mary's Priory as a cell of the Abbey of St. Vincent near Le Mans. Civilian settlement followed soon after, the early town being protected by a ditch and embankment linked to the castle defences.
Tensions between the new plantation town and the Welsh inhabitants of the surrounding area led to prolonged hostilities that culminated in the massacre of Welsh nobles in Abergavenny Castle in 1175. The period 1290-1320 saw the town and castle refortified in stone. In the turbulent years of the early 15th century, Wales was ravaged by the effects of Owain Glyndwr's attempts to establish a sovereign Welsh state. Abergavenny was attacked in 1404 and St. Mary's Priory burnt. A full-scale battle on Campstone Hill near Grosmont between Owain's forces and those of Henry of Monmouth (later Henry V) resulted in casualties of over 8,000.
In the mid-15th century, Abergavenny played an important role in the drama of the Wars of the Roses, with William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke and Lord of Raglan, supporting the Yorkist cause. His father, mother, brother and natural son are all buried in St. Mary's church. During the Tudor era concerted efforts were made to revitalise the town, which rapidly outgrew the area encircled by the town wall. It was this period which saw the growth of the "fayre Suburbs" of Tudor Street, Frogmore Street and Mill Street.
In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries Abergavenny prospered thanks to the tanning and weaving industries. So much so that the town became known for a particular type flannel which was woven here and was named after the town. The tanning industry was based on the southern side of the town close to what is now the bus station. Tan pits and workshops were close to a site that is opposite the current bus station. Tanning was an important industry but not the only industry in the town. With such a good source of leather close at hand, it is perhaps not surprising that allied trades prospered too: Abergavenny quickly became known for the quality of its boot and shoe making, saddlery, glove-making and even periwig manufacture.
Having come out for the king during the Civil War, the town's defences were refurbished under the command of a Colonel Proger. When Parliamentarian forces threatened the town in 1645, the castle was blown up to render it useless to them. The town continued to grow during the 17th and 18th centuries, when flannel weaving, tanning and goat-hair wig making were important industries. The end of the 18th century saw a boost to the local economy in the wake of the Industrial Revolution. Many of the old Tudor houses were refurbished and embellished with fashionable Georgian frontages.
The Abergavenny of the 19th century was a bustling cultural centre and holds an important place in Welsh literary and cultural history. From 1833 to 1854, the Abergavenny Cymreigyddion Society drew the attention of scholars, poets and scientists from all over Europe and beyond, as well as supporting local literati and the ailing woolen industries. The town began to expand once more with the coming of the railways in the middle of the 1850s which remained a major source of employment in the town until quite recently.
Between 1957 and 1968, much of the heart of the old town was destroyed under the old Abergavenny Borough Council's "slum clearance" schemes. Fortunately, some of the citizens of the town saw the full scale of what was being lost and managed to salvage interesting features such as fireplaces, doors, oak panelling and windows. Many of these are now on display in the Museum adjacent to the castle remains.
In the mid-eigtheenth century Abergavenny prospered once again as a 'spa town' but this was short lived. In the nineteenth century the town continued to expand with the coming of the railway and the town also benefited from links with the iron and coal industries of Gwent. One such link was the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, a remarkable feat of engineering in its day and now hugely important to the tourist industry of the area .
Abergavenny has always been a hive of activity. It was once a stopping off point for the cattle drovers who gathered herds of cattle from farms in West Wales and drove them hundreds of miles to the cities were they were sold and slaughtered. Now it is home to a variety of endeavours from hat making to web development, from graphic design to leather goods production, and from cake making to remote business support services. Abergavenny has moved with the times but has not lost sight of its past.
With thanks to Frank Olding for the bulk of this text |