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to the important castlu of Cliepstow (see Ormerod's Vciita Silurum, page 11.)* 

 The neighbouring castle of St. Briavel'.s was built about 1131 by Milo of Gloucester, 

 who espoused the cause of the Empress Maud, and was by her created Earl of 

 Hereford, of which dignity he was deprived by Stephen, the honour being restored 

 by Henry II. to Milo's eldest son Roger. A Norman keep, square in plan, 

 originally stood on the southern side. This fell in 1752, and was completely 

 destroyed in 1774. The outer enclosure represented an irregular seven-sided 

 figure, with walls about 30 feet high, surrounded by an embankment, beyond 

 which is the moat, which about thirty years ago was drained, leaving the castle 

 pool at the north-west. The earliest mention of St. Briavel's in the public records 

 occurs in the Pipe Roll of 31st Henry I. St. Briavel's was the special head of 

 Dean Forest, the Constable of the Castle was Warden of the Forest, and here 

 were held the miners' courts. St. Briavel's formed the connecting link between 

 Gloucester and such of the Monmouthshire and Herefordshire castles as were in 

 the hands of the Crown in the southern or western March of later years. It was 

 not only noted as a fortress, but also as a resort for the pleasures of the chase. 

 King Henry II. was in the Forest of Dean in 1158, since he granted a charter to 

 Richard de Luci, which he tested at Newnham (Itin. of Henry II. p. 38). He 

 probably visited St. Briavel's also in 1164 (Rot. Pip. 11th, Henry II.) King John 

 also visited the castle on five different occasions, viz. a.d. 1200, Nov. 12; 1207, 

 Nov. 15, 16, 17 ; 1209, Dec. 4 ; 1212, Nov. 10, 11, 12 ; 1213, Nov. 28, 29, 30. 



On February 24, 1205, King John ordered two tuns of wine to be sent to St. 

 Briavel's ; and on November 13, 1207, the constable of Bristol was ordered to 

 purchase five dolias of wine, of which two were to be sent to St. Briavel's. In earlier 

 years, William the Conqueror was hunting in the Forest of Dean when he heard 

 of the descent of the Danes on the eastern coast in 1069 (Ordericiis Vi talis. Vol. ii., 

 p. 25). After the conquest of Wales, St. Briavel's was no longer valuable as a 

 fortress on the Welsh Marches ; hence its buildings fell into decay. There are 

 records of repairs having been executed in 54th Henry III., and in 49th Edward 

 III. Camden says that in his time more than half the castle was demolished. 



Additions to the building, upon the north side only, were made in 1275 or 

 1276 in ashlar work of red sandstone. They consisted of two entrance towers, on 

 octagonal bases, with semicircular superstructure, and buttresses, triangular in 

 shape, carried up from the angles of the bases. The gateway between the entrance 

 towers has a crenelated curtain above. The portcullis had no lateral grooves; this 

 construction is unusual and rare, although the same is seen on the opposite side of 

 the river in Chepst(jw Castle ; boiling water, molten lead, and missiles might be 

 poured down the cavity from above upon any invaders of the entrance ; or the 

 portcullis by its own weight might secure itself upon its spiked extremities, and 



*The final ruin of Caerwent seems to have followed the Norman Conquest, and its traffic and 

 military consequence to have been transferred to Chepstow, which agrees with Leland's opinion 

 (liinerttry. Vol. v., p. 6). The Saxon name "Chepstow" indeed points to earlier traffic there; 

 but it was in the time of the Conqueror that the existence of the Castle of Striguil adjacent to the 

 town superseded the military importance of Caerwent. Subsequently the feudal tenants of the 

 Lord Marcher of Slriguil erected their dependent fortalices on the Welsh side of his domain, and 

 Newport, Caerleon, Usk, and St. Briavel's formed an outer line of defence. The fortalices were 

 Pencoed, Penhow or St. Maur, Dinham, Crikke, Matherne (afterwards Moyne's Court), and 

 Hodeton now Itton. 



