Chepstow Rural District
Encyclopedia
Chepstow Rural District Council (RDC) was a rural district
in the administrative county of Monmouthshire
, Wales
. It was established under the Local Government Act 1894
, and was abolished in 1974 when its functions were assumed by the new Monmouth District Council
.
The responsibilities of the Rural District Council included housing, sanitation, sewerage, water supply, refuse collection, road maintenance, cemeteries, parks, and licensing of public entertainments. The Council's area covered the civil parishes of Caerwent
, Caldicot
, Devauden
, Kilgwrrwg
, Llanfihangel nigh Rogiet
, Llangwm
, Mathern
, Portskewett
, Rogiet
, St. Arvans
, Shirenewton
, Tintern
and Undy
. The town of Chepstow
itself fell under a separate Urban District Council.
The Rural District Council was particularly involved in the development of Caldicot as a town. In the 1950s it decided that the village should be allowed to double its existing size, to reach a population of about 3,000. Soon afterwards, the government decided to build a new steelworks at Llanwern
, and its expansion plans were revised upwards, so that, by the late 1960s, Caldicot had a population of over 7,000. In 1963, the Council bought Caldicot Castle
from the Cobb family for £12,000.
Rural district
Rural districts were a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and Ireland for the administration of predominantly rural areas at a level lower than that of the administrative counties.-England and Wales:In England...
in the administrative county of Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire (historic)
Monmouthshire , also known as the County of Monmouth , is one of thirteen ancient counties of Wales and a former administrative county....
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It was established under the Local Government Act 1894
Local Government Act 1894
The Local Government Act 1894 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The Act followed the reforms carried out at county level under the Local Government Act 1888...
, and was abolished in 1974 when its functions were assumed by the new Monmouth District Council
Monmouth (district)
The Monmouth district was one of five districts of Gwent in Wales between 1974 and 1996. In 1988 the district was granted a charter conferring borough status, becoming the Borough of Monmouth .The district was created by the Local Government Act 1972 from the following parts of the...
.
The responsibilities of the Rural District Council included housing, sanitation, sewerage, water supply, refuse collection, road maintenance, cemeteries, parks, and licensing of public entertainments. The Council's area covered the civil parishes of Caerwent
Caerwent
Caerwent is a village and community in Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located about five miles west of Chepstow and eleven miles east of Newport, and was founded by the Romans as the market town of Venta Silurum, an important settlement of the Brythonic Silures tribe. The modern village is built...
, Caldicot
Caldicot, Monmouthshire
Caldicot is a small town in Monmouthshire, southeast Wales, located between Chepstow and Newport, just off the busy M4 / M48 motorway corridor. The site adjoins the Caldicot Levels, on the north side of the Severn estuary. Caldicot has easy access by motorway and rail to Cardiff, and across the...
, Devauden
Devauden
Devauden is a village in Monmouthshire, south east Wales. It is located between Chepstow and Monmouth near the top of the Trellech ridge on the B4293 road.-History:...
, Kilgwrrwg
Kilgwrrwg
Kilgwrrwg is a rural parish in Monmouthshire, south east Wales, United Kingdom. It is located seven miles north west of Chepstow and seven miles south east of Usk in a network of country lanes running through the rolling hills below the Trellech ridge....
, Llanfihangel nigh Rogiet
Rogiet
Rogiet is a village and community in Monmouthshire, south east Wales, located between Caldicot and Magor, some 8 miles west of Chepstow and 11 miles east of Newport. It lies close to the M4 and M48 motorways, and the Second Severn Crossing. It is also the location of Severn Tunnel Junction railway...
, Llangwm
Llangwm, Monmouthshire
Llangwm is a small rural parish and village in Monmouthshire, south east Wales, United Kingdom. It is located 3 miles east of Usk, on the B4235 Chepstow to Usk road. The main village is at Llangwm Uchaf , with a smaller and more dispersed settlement about 1 mile to the north-east at Llangwm Isaf...
, Mathern
Mathern
Mathern is a historic village in Monmouthshire, south east Wales, about 5 km south west of the town of Chepstow, close to the Severn estuary, the Bristol Channel and the M48 motorway. The village is designated as a Conservation Area...
, Portskewett
Portskewett
Portskewett is a village in Monmouthshire, south east Wales. It is located four miles south west of Chepstow and one mile east of Caldicot, in an archaeologically sensitive part of the Caldicot Levels on the Welsh shore of the Severn Estuary...
, Rogiet
Rogiet
Rogiet is a village and community in Monmouthshire, south east Wales, located between Caldicot and Magor, some 8 miles west of Chepstow and 11 miles east of Newport. It lies close to the M4 and M48 motorways, and the Second Severn Crossing. It is also the location of Severn Tunnel Junction railway...
, St. Arvans
St. Arvans
St. Arvans is a village in Monmouthshire, south east Wales, United Kingdom. It is located two miles north west of Chepstow, close to Chepstow Racecourse, Piercefield House and the Wye Valley AONB.-History and amenities:...
, Shirenewton
Shirenewton
Shirenewton is a village in Monmouthshire, south east Wales, UK. It is located 3 miles due west of Chepstow, 5 miles by road. The village stands around 500 feet above sea level, and has extensive views of the Severn Estuary and Bristol Channel....
, Tintern
Tintern
Tintern is a village on the west bank of the River Wye in Monmouthshire, Wales, close to the border with England, about 5 miles north of Chepstow...
and Undy
Undy
Undy is a village in Monmouthshire, south east Wales, adjoining the village of Magor with which it forms the community and parish of "Magor with Undy"...
. The town of Chepstow
Chepstow
Chepstow is a town in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the River Wye, close to its confluence with the River Severn, and close to the western end of the Severn Bridge on the M48 motorway...
itself fell under a separate Urban District Council.
The Rural District Council was particularly involved in the development of Caldicot as a town. In the 1950s it decided that the village should be allowed to double its existing size, to reach a population of about 3,000. Soon afterwards, the government decided to build a new steelworks at Llanwern
Llanwern
Llanwern is an electoral ward and community in the urban-rural fringe of the City of Newport, South Wales. Llanwern ward is bounded by the M4 and Langstone to the north, Ringland, Liswerry and the River Usk to the west, the River Severn to the south and the city boundary to the east...
, and its expansion plans were revised upwards, so that, by the late 1960s, Caldicot had a population of over 7,000. In 1963, the Council bought Caldicot Castle
Caldicot Castle
Caldicot Castle is an extensive stone medieval castle in the town of Caldicot, Monmouthshire, in southeast Wales.It was at one time a possession of Thomas of Woodstock, a son of King Edward III of England.- The Caldicot Estate :...
from the Cobb family for £12,000.