Mounton is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depi ...

in Monmouthshire, south east

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

, United Kingdom, located two miles west of

Chepstow Chepstow ( cy, Cas-gwent) is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the tidal River Wye, about above its confluence with the River Severn, and adjoining the wester ...

in a rural setting. The parish was originally part of the holdings of

Chepstow Priory The Parish and Priory Church of St. Mary is located in Chepstow, Monmouthshire, south east Wales. Parts of the building, including its ornate west doorway, date from the late 11th century and are contemporary with the nearby Norman castle. The c ...

, with the name Monktown. It has a tiny

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Ch ...

dedicated to Saint Andoenus, which was almost wholly rebuilt in 1880 and which lies in the Parish of

Mathern Mathern ( cy, Matharn; older form: ''Merthyr Tewdrig'') is a historic community (parish) and village in Monmouthshire, south east Wales, about south west of the town of Chepstow, close to the Severn estuary, the Bristol Channel and the M48 m ...

and Mounton with

St Pierre Saint-Pierre (French, 'Saint Peter') may refer to: Buildings and churches * Church of Saint-Pierre, Caen, Normandy, France * Saint-Pierre, Firminy, France, designed by Le Corbusier * Saint-Pierre-le-Jeune Protestant Church, Strasbourg, France ...

. One of the gravestones, to a Christopher Cooper, is dated 8 April 1680. Until the late 19th century the village had three water mills, producing paper, carpets and cloth.Sir Joseph Bradney, ''A History of Monmouthshire: The Hundred of Caldicot'', 1933 These were called Lady Mill, Lark Mill and Linnet Mill. The last owner, John Birt, closed the mills down in 1876 after being accused of polluting Mounton Brook.Ivor Waters, ''Mounton Valley Paper Mills'', Chepstow Society, 1978 According to

Fred Hando Frederick James Hando MBE (23 March 1888 – 17 February 1970) was a Welsh writer, artist and schoolteacher from Newport. He chronicled the history, character and folklore of Monmouthshire, which he also called Gwent, in a series of nearly ...

one of the mills produced the paper used for Bank of England notes, but a monograph by the local historian Ivor Waters states that they "rarely made anything but brown and blue packing paper", using old rags, rope and straw as raw materials. Mounton House, now a

special school Special education (known as special-needs education, aided education, exceptional education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, or SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates th ...

for boys, was built as a country house in the

Arts and Crafts A handicraft, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft or handmade, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by one’s hand or by using only simple, non-automated re ...

style in 1914 by

Henry Avray Tipping Henry Avray Tipping (22 August 1855 – 16 November 1933) was a French-born British writer on country houses and gardens, a garden designer, and Architectural Editor of '' Country Life'' magazine for 17 years. Early life Tipping was born in th ...

, a leading garden designer and writer, assisted by the local architect

Eric Francis Eric Francis Coppolino (born 1964) is an American investigative reporter who specializes in corporate fraud and toxic torts litigation, and also the former astrologer for the ''New York Daily News'' and ''Marie Claire'' magazine. In 2005, whi ...

Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and comed ...

, coach to Great Britain's 2012 Olympic women's pairs rowing champions

Helen Glover Helen Glover (born 17 June 1986) is a British professional rower and a member of the Great Britain Rowing Team. Ranked the number 1 female rower in the world in 2015–16, she is a two-time Olympic champion, triple World champion, quintuple ...

and

Heather Stanning Heather Mary Stanning OBE (born 26 January 1985) is a retired British professional rower, a member of the Great Britain Rowing Team, and Royal Artillery officer. Ranked number 1 female rower in the world in 2016, she is a double Olympic champi ...

, is from Mounton. He learnt to row at

Monmouth School Monmouth School for Boys is a public school (independent day and boarding school) for boys in Monmouth, Wales. The school was founded in 1614 with a bequest from William Jones, a successful merchant and trader. The School is run as a trust, ...

and went on to win world silver and bronze medals and coached Cambridge to seven

Boat Race Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...

wins. His GB pair won world gold in a new world record at the world championships in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

in August 2014.

References

External links

Kelly's 1901 Directory of Monmouthshire on Mounton

Mounton House School

"Church of St Andoenus, Mounton, Monmouthshire" at stainedglass.llgc.org.uk
{{authority control Villages in Monmouthshire