Blestium (also Blestio in the Antonine Itinerary (Iter XIII)) was a small

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

and iron working centre in the

Roman province The Roman provinces (, pl. ) were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was ruled by a Roman appointed as Roman g ...

of Britannia Superior, part of

Roman Britain Roman Britain was the territory that became the Roman province of ''Britannia'' after the Roman conquest of Britain, consisting of a large part of the island of Great Britain. The occupation lasted from AD 43 to AD 410. Julius Caes ...

. It has been identified with the site of the later town of Monmouth in south east

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, located adjoining the confluence of the

River Monnow The River Monnow () marks the England–Wales border for much of its length. After flowing through southwest Herefordshire, England, and eastern Monmouthshire, Wales, its confluence with the River Wye is approximately south of Monmouth. The ...

with the

River Wye The River Wye (; ) is the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, fourth-longest river in the UK, stretching some from its source on Plynlimon in mid Wales to the Severn Estuary. The lower reaches of the river forms part of Wales-England bor ...

. A plaque on the local bank records its position.

History and remains

The reference to ''Blestio'' in the Antonine Itinerary is the only one made to the settlement in Roman sources. It was located on the road between Caerleon (') and Silchester ('), midway between the fort at Usk (') and the iron making centre at ', believed to be at Weston under Penyard near Ross-on-Wye. It is suggested that the name may derive from the Greek word βλαστος, meaning "offshoot".Blestium at RomanBritain
/ref> It is now generally accepted that a

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68) was a Roman emperor and the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 until his ...

nian or pre- Flavian military fort was established at Monmouth, perhaps before 55 AD, making it the earliest Roman fort in Wales. Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust Historic Landscape Characterisation: Lower Wye Valley, 011 Monmouth
Accessed 2 March 2012 The fort was probably established, either by Publius Ostorius Scapula or his successor Aulus Didius Gallus, during the first advances of the Romans against the

Silures The Silures ( , ) were a powerful and warlike tribe or tribal confederation of ancient Britain, occupying what is now south east Wales and perhaps some adjoining areas. They were bordered to the north by the Ordovices; to the east by the Do ...

of south east Wales. The invading forces established a series of auxiliary forts along the Monnow valley into mid Wales, as well as advancing towards Usk where they established the fort of ''Burrium''. The Silures fought a successful

guerrilla Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...

war against the Romans for some thirty years before being defeated by the forces led by Sextus Julius Frontinus. The fort at ''Blestium'' is believed to have housed around 2,000 soldiers during the initial campaign, and later to have remained as a small fortlet.Monmouth Civic Society, ''Guide to the Monmouth Heritage Blue Plaque Trail'', n.d., p.6 Relatively few Roman remains had been found at Monmouth until recently. The first ditch of the fort was discovered in 2007 by the Monmouth Archaeological Society behind properties on Monnow Street, within Monmouth town centre. Excavations in 2010 in Agincourt Square also uncovered pottery and bones, which appear to confirm the existence of a fort. South Wales Argus, ''Roman fort unearthed in Monmouth'', 12 August 2010
Accessed 2 March 2012 There is substantial evidence of iron working dating from the Roman period, drawing on local

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...

and

charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, ca ...

for

smelting Smelting is a process of applying heat and a chemical reducing agent to an ore to extract a desired base metal product. It is a form of extractive metallurgy that is used to obtain many metals such as iron-making, iron, copper extraction, copper ...

from local forests. This includes hearths and waste

slag The general term slag may be a by-product or co-product of smelting (pyrometallurgical) ores and recycled metals depending on the type of material being produced. Slag is mainly a mixture of metal oxides and silicon dioxide. Broadly, it can be c ...

, both in the town centre and in the Overmonnow area. Stone buildings associated with 2nd and 3rd century iron working have been excavated near the crossing of the River Monnow. Coins found in the town date mainly from the third and fourth centuries, suggesting continuing civilian settlement.

Monmouth Heritage Trail

The Monmouth Heritage Trail includes a

blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom, and certain other countries and territories, to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving a ...

recording the Roman fort of ''Blestium''. This is attached to a late eighteenth-century town house which is now used as the Lloyds TSB bank in Monnow Street. The house was occupied, and probably built, by Philip Meakins Hardwick, who was one of the founders of the Monmouth Picnic Club of local gentlemen responsible for developing the viewpoint and buildings on The Kymin around 1800. The house became the home of Monmouth's town clerk and Viscount Nelson and his entourage were entertained there during their visit to the town on 19 August 1802. Another notable resident was said to be the architect Philip Fisher who lived at the house whilst designing improvements to the Shire Hall in the 1720s. The building is a Grade II listed building.Lloys TSB
British Listed Buildings, April 2012

References

Bibliography

*{{cite book , last=Arnold , first=Christopher J , author2=Davies, Jeffrey L , title=Roman & Early Medieval Wales , year=2000 , publisher=Sutton Publishing , location=Stroud History of Monmouth, Wales Roman fortifications in Monmouthshire Archaeological sites in Monmouthshire Roman towns in Wales Buildings and structures in Monmouth, Wales Roman legionary fortresses in Wales

History and remains

Monmouth Heritage Trail

See also

References

Bibliography