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Kingsroad and the hills beyond. Caldicot Castle is always 
worthy a visit—it stands so nobly—but, like most of these 
ancient strongholds, which are planted so thickly along the 
Welsh frontier, it has no tale to tell. In those early days 
when the Norman settlers held sway, there was many a scene 
of border foray and fight around these stone structures; but 
after the first Epwarp had annexed the Principality these 
fortresses lost much of their raison d’étre, and they gradually 
fell into decay. At Caldicot the original Norman “Castellum,” 
or fortified mound, now called “the keep,” is still in excellent 
preservation, and, from the perfection of its masonry, bids fair 
to last to the “crack of doom.” 
Caerwent has been so often and so well described that it 
needs no further illustration. The party here were greatly 
indebted to Mr Yeats, who brought with him an excellent 
map, with the spots marked whereat remarkable discoveries 
had been made. The only novelty was a portion of a tessellated 
pavement Jaid bare in a cottage garden, in which, with the 
usual guilloche ornament, there were fish (?salmons) in the 
angles. This probably formed part of a bath establishment, of 
which a portion of the heating apparatus was found in the 
adjoining field. Some of the party here adjourned to the 
residence of a neighbouring farmer, to examine a collection of 
coins—which the spade turns up in abundance—while others 
made the circuit of the walls of the old Roman fortress, still 
happily preserved. 
On their way back to Chepstow, the party were induced by 
Dr Yeats to visit an ancient manor-house, now a farm, called 
Crick, which is of interest in connection with the fortunes of 
_ Cartes I. When the King was in this neighbourhood, in 
1645, he had his head quarters at Raglan, and kept up 
communication with Ruprerr at Bristol. Rupert occasionally 
crossed the Severn to meet the King; and this house of Crick, 
_ then in possession of a gentleman of the name of Moorr, a 
staunch. Royalist, was used as a place of meeting. Hither on 
the 22nd July, 1645, came Cuartzs, attended by the Earls of 
Ricumonp and Linpsey, the Lord Asriey, and others, and held 
