CHAPTER V 



SEVERN AND WYE 



THE locality round which most of the recollections of 

 nearly half my life centre is in the district of Gloucestershire, 

 between the Severn and the Wye (opposite Chepstow in 

 Monmouthshire, plate ix.), almost at the extremity of the 

 peninsula, sometimes not inaptly called the " Forest Penin- 

 sula," as some of the " Hundreds " comprised in the more 

 widely extended area stretching on to the Forest of Dean 

 near Newnham,are technically called the " Forest Hundreds," 

 although what is commonly thought of (at the present day) 

 as the Forest of Dean, has long since ceased to be connected, 

 popularly speaking, with the lower extremity of the penin- 

 sula. This is bounded on the two sides by the Severn and 

 the Wye respectively ; and at intervals it presents to the 

 Wye considerable frontage of high cliffs of mountain lime- 

 stone, and to the Severn red marl, capped more or less with 

 lias. It terminates at the junction of the two rivers in a 

 small area, which is an island at high water, but accessibly 

 connected with the mainland at low water. Here, that is on 

 the rocky ground at the point of confluence of the Wye with 

 the Severn, were still existing in my time (that is up to 1873) 

 the few but massive remains of the Hermitage and Chapels, 

 popularly known collectively as the Chapel of St. Tecla 

 or Treacle Island (plate x.). The name as given by 

 William of Worcester in full form is " Capella Sancti 

 Teriaci Anachoretce." He describes the locality likewise as 

 " The Rok Seynt Tryacle," but not having now the oppor- 

 tunity of consulting his observations, I am not able to say 

 whether the ancient chronicler gives any reason for the 

 building of this little but massive knot of buildings, or for 

 its overthrow, which must have been a somewhat laborious 

 task, and from the thickness and the solidly built nature of 

 the walls, one that required co-operation. In the short 



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