M O N M O U T II. 
680 
nave from the chancel, and the ffyle of their ornaments, 
which bear a Saxon character, feem to indicate that it 
was built before the conqueff.” Some authors even fug¬ 
ged:, that there is a probability of the more ancient parts 
being of Britilh origin. It is certainly a mod: curious 
fpecimen of early architecture; and in no mean degree 
deferves the attention of the antiquary, particularly the 
femicircular arch of the northern door-way. 
The county gaol is a new madive edifice, well adapted 
to its purpofe ; the apartments are airy, and much atten¬ 
tion is paid to the health and morals of the prifoners. 
This building Hands at one extremity of the town, on 
the banks of the Monnow. Here is afree-fchool founded 
by William Jones in the reign of Janies I. all'o an alms- 
lioufe for twenty poor people, eftablifhed and endowed 
by the fame individual. 
The remains of walls, lines of circumvallation, cur¬ 
tains, baftions, and other works of defence, clearly diow 
that this town mud: have been, at one time, a ftrongly 
fortified place; and, from its fituation, there is little doubt 
but it might eafiiy be made fo again. On thofe fides 
which were unprotected by the river, it has been evidently 
environed by ftrong walls, and a deep fofle capable of 
being filled with water. It had four gates, only one of 
which is now Handing. The fuburb of St. Thomas was 
defended in the fame manner as the town, with which it 
communicated, as now, by a flone^ bridge with baffion- 
towers on each fide thrown over the Monnow. There 
are two other bridges in the immediate vicinity of the 
town, the Wye-bridge and Tibbs-bridge; the former of 
which is conffruCted of Hone, and the latter of wood. 
The ruins of the callle of Monmouth, the ancient refi- 
dence of its powerful lords, are difcovered occupying the 
ridge of an eminence iituated between the market-place 
and the river Monnow. From a view of thefe it is evi¬ 
dent, that this fortrefs has been the work of feveral and 
even diHant periods. Some portions of them befpeak a 
Saxon if not a Roman origin, while others are of a date 
poHerior to the reign of Henry III. The maflive ffruc- 
ture of part of the walls is particularly remarkable, being 
from fix to ten feet thick, and are compofed of pebbles 
and liquidated cement, fo clofely compacted as not to 
yield in hardnefs to Hone itfelf. The chamber, in which 
king Henry was born, is wholly demolilhed, but fome of 
the beams, which fupported the flooring, Hill remain viii- 
ble. Adjoining to it is a large apartment, which pro¬ 
bably formed the baronial hall, and was afterwards ufed 
for the county aflifes till about the middle of the laH 
century. A handfome domeHic edifice, conffrufted of 
Hone, Hands in the middle of this vaff pile of ruins. 
From the date over the principal door, it appears to have 
been built in 1673, for the occafional refidence of the 
Beaufort family. Two hofpitals, founded here by John 
de Monmouth about the year 1240, are now entirely le¬ 
velled with the ground. 
The manufactures of Monmouth, at the prefent period, 
are trifling; fo that the inhabitants are chiefly fupported 
by the navigation of the river Wye, the trade with Here¬ 
ford and Briftol, the fupply of the neighbouring diffriCt 
with various kinds of {hop-goods, and the number of 
perfons of independent fortune, who refide either con- 
flantly or occasionally in the town or its vicinity. The 
paring and cleanfing of bark brought from the torefls of 
the Upper Wye, for the purpofe of exportation, confli- 
tutes, during the feafon, the employment of a number 
of men, wonien, and children, among the lower ranks. 
But, though fallen in refpeft of its manufacturing im¬ 
portance now, Monmouth feems to have carried on a 
very confiderable trade fome centuries ago. Monmouth 
caps are celebrated by Shakefpeare in his play of Henry V. 
“ If your majeflies is remembered of it, the Wellhmen 
did goot fervice in a garden where leeks did grow, wear¬ 
ing leeks in their Monmouth caps.” Fuller likewife 
praifes them highly, by calling them the molt “ ancient, 
general, warm, and profitable, coverings of men’s heads 
in this ifland.” a 
Monmouth has fent one member to parliament fince 
the 27th of Henry VIII. The right of eleCiion is in the 
burgefl'es inhabitants, in conjunction with the burgeffes 
inhabitants of the towns of Newport and Ufk, as decided 
by the lioufe of commons on a petition of right in 1680. 
The duke of Beaufort is confidered the patron and 
leader of this town, and his interefl always procures the 
return of the member: the prefent reprefentative is the 
marquis of Worcefler, the duke’s eldeff fon. The num¬ 
ber of voters is about eight hundred: the mayor and 
bailiffs are the returning-officers. 
According to the parliamentary returns in 1811, this 
town contains 638 lioufes, and 3345 inhabitants, viz. 
1512 males and 1833 females ; of whom 609 were returned 
employed in various trades, and 380 in agriculture. The 
market is on Saturday, and is well fupplied with corn 
and all kinds of provifions: Fairs, Whit Tuefday, 4th 
September, and 22d November. Monmouth is thirty- 
three, miles north of Briffol, and 12S weff of London. 
Lat. 51. 50. N. Ion. 2. 44. W. 
The vicinity of this town difplays much beautiful and 
intereffing fcenery. The views from the high conical 
hill, called the Kymin, are particularly fine, extenfive, 
and diverfified. A walk leads to the fummit of this hill, 
which terminates in a level plain crowned with a wood, 
through which fix viflas have been cut: each of thefe ex¬ 
hibits in fine perlpeClive a rich, grand, and varied, prof-. 
peC't, of an expanfive traCt of country. I11 the centre of 
the wood, a pavilion, intended for a naval monument, 
has been lately ere&ed by fublcription : it is a circular 
edifice, confining of two Hones, and built in the form of 
an embattled tower: the frieze round it is ornamented 
with medallions of the molt eminent Eritiffi admirals, 
accompanied with emblematical and appropriate devices. 
The view'from the fummit of this pavilion is perhaps 
the fined and moil extenfive in England, embracing a 
circumference of nearly 300 miles, and including within 
its range all the materials of lublime and beautiful 
fcenery. 
Troy-houfe, the ancient feat of the family of Herbert, 
and afterwards of that of Somerfet duke of Beaufort, is 
fituated about a mile from the town on the banks of the 
Trothy, from which river its name is corruptly derived. 
Of the original edifice few traces can now be difcovered, 
except an old gateway with a pointed arch. The prefent 
maniion was built under the direction of Inigo Jones; 
but, though well-proportioned and commodious, it pof- 
feffes no features of peculiar beauty. It was formerly 
much famed for its excellent and luxuriant gardens, par¬ 
ticularly in the time of Charles I. when they were the 
property of fir Thomas Somerfet, brother to the marquis 
of Worcefler.—Two miles weff from hence is Treowen, 
the .feat of the Jones family, but now converted into a 
farm-houle.—In the parifh of Lanvihangel Tavanbarch, 
at the diffance of three miles to the north. Hand the re¬ 
mains of Grace-Dieu Abbey, which was founded by John 
of Monmouth in the year 1229.-—In the parifh of Landeilo 
Creffeney appear the magnificent ruins of White Caffle, 
anciently called Lanteilo Caffle, or Caffell-Gwin. This 
fortrefs, at the time of the conqueff, formed part of the 
pofleflions of Brian-Fitz-count, earl of Hereford, from 
whom it came, firff to the Cantalupes, and afterwards to 
the Braofes. For other villages and feats in this neigh¬ 
bourhood, we refer to Wilkes's Britijh Director)/, vol. iii. 
MON'MOUTH, a maritime county of New jerfey, of a 
triangular form, about eighty miles in its greateff length, 
and from twenty-five to forty broad. Great part of the 
foil is fandy, the reff fertile. The number of inhabitants 
is 19,872, including 1633 Haves. 
MON'MOUTH, a town of the Hate of New Jerfey, and 
capital of the above county, where the Britilh troops 
under Gen. Clinton were defeated by the Americans 
under Gen. Wafhington; fourteen miles fouth of New 
Brunfwick, and fixty-four north-eaff of Philadelphia. 
MON'MOUTH, a town of Maflachuletts, in the pro¬ 
vince of Maine : forty-nine miles north of Portland. 
MON'MOUTH 
