Hadnock is an area of farmland and woodland in Monmouthshire,

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 ...

, north-east of

Monmouth Monmouth ( or ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated on where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. The population in the 2011 census was 10,508, rising from 8 ...

, on the east bank of 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 ...

adjoining the border with

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. It is located in the parish of Dixton, in the ancient manor of Hadnock, and is accessed from the road between Wyesham and Staunton. The area is thinly populated. The main properties are Hadnock Court House, a

Grade II listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

originating in the 17th century, and Little Hadnock, a small hamlet which is located a few hundred yards to the north-east.

History

Origin of the name

The name Hadnock may derive from English words meaning "Hodda's oak".

Early history

The Hadnock area, south of a bend in the River Wye, has been settled since at least

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

times. Excavations of a Roman villa in 1976 revealed a large complex of buildings, dating to the second and third centuries. Pottery from the site is predominantly from the 2nd to 4th centuries, but includes some native ware suggesting possible

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

settlement. There is also evidence of iron

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 ...

and

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

working in the area in the Roman and mediaeval periods. The land was granted by Withenoc, lord of Monmouth, to

Monmouth Priory Monmouth Priory, in Priory Street, Monmouth, Wales, is a building that incorporates the remains of the monastic buildings attached to St Mary's Priory Church, Monmouth, St Mary's Priory Church. The priory was a Benedictine foundation of 1075, and ...

, before being taken back by his son Baderon in exchange for three forges.

John of Monmouth John of Monmouth (c. 1182 – 1248) was an Anglo-Norman feudal lord of Breton ancestry, who was lord of Monmouth between 1190 and 1248. He was a favourite of both King John and his son, Henry III, and one of the most powerful royal allie ...

later endowed it to the hospital he founded in the town. A 14th century map shows a manor in the area, and the field pattern still shows evidence of a medieval

open field system The open-field system was the prevalent agricultural system in much of Europe during the Middle Ages and lasted into the 20th century in Russia, Iran, and Turkey. Each manor or village had two or three large fields, usually several hundred acr ...

. There is also an ancient

hollow way A sunken lane (also hollow way or holloway) is a road or track that is significantly lower than the land on either side, not formed by the (recent) engineering of a road cutting but possibly of much greater age. Holloways may have been formed i ...

forming the eastern boundary of the Lady Grove wood, known locally as the Royal Road and thought to have been one of the main exits from the Royal

Forest of Dean The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the Counties of England, county of Gloucestershire, England. It forms a roughly triangle, triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and no ...

; it may follow the line of a

Roman road Roman roads ( ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Republic and the Roman Em ...

Later history

After the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the area became the seat of the Huntley family, later passing to the Herbert family. Charles Herbert of Hadnock was Member of Parliament for the Monmouth Boroughs in 1571. The estate passed in turn to the

Duchy of Lancaster The Duchy of Lancaster is an estate of the British sovereign. The estate has its origins in the lands held by the medieval Dukes of Lancaster, which came under the direct control of the monarch when Henry Bolingbroke, the then duke of Lancast ...

, and was eventually sold to Admiral Thomas Griffin. He died in 1771, and the house and estate, known as Hadnock House, or Hadnock Hall, passed to his second son. In the early 19th century, the house was owned by Dr. Griffin and his wife. The house was said to have stood "on the brow of one of those projecting eminences which bound the Wye" and possessed "every charm that wood and water in their happiest distribution can bestow", with a "beautiful view of the river". After Dr. Griffin died without an heir, the Hadnock estate was purchased by Richard Blakemore in 1822. He demolished the original Hadnock House, and used the materials to rebuild and extend his property on the other side of the River Wye at Wyastone Leys. In 1825, all that was left of Hadnock House were some remains. In the 1860s, part of the Ross and Monmouth Railway, later a branch of the

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...

, was built through the estate, with a halt at Hadnock. The line closed in 1965 and was dismantled; part is now a

public right of way A right of way (also right-of-way) is a specific route that people, animals, vehicles, watercraft, or utility lines travel, or the legal status that gives them the right to do so. Rights-of-way in the physical sense include controlled-access h ...

Hadnock Court

The current Hadnock Court, also known as Hadnock Court House and formerly as Hadnock Farm, is a large building which appears to have taken the name of its demolished predecessor. It dates to the early 17th century,Lower Wye Valley 020 Hadnock Fieldscape
accessed 15 April 2012 although there have been both alterations and extensions until the 20th century. Hadnock Court is a slate roofed,

which has been rendered to cover the original stone work.Hadnock Court
British Listed Buildings, accessed 15 April 2012Hadnoch Court House
Royal Commission on Ancient and Historic Buildings, accessed 14 April 2012 Several of the associated farm buildings, and the gate piers and gates to the Court, are also listed buildings.

References

{{Reflist Country houses in Monmouthshire 1822 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Geography of Monmouthshire Grade II listed buildings in Monmouthshire Grade II listed houses