Evidence is found as to the lost city of Trellech (From Free Press Series)

Evidence is found as to the lost city of Trellech

MORE evidence as to the whereabouts of the 'lost city of Trellech' has just been unearthed.

Medieval Trellech was the largest community in Wales, but there has long been an argument over where nearly 400 burgages (houses) were located.

Members of Monmouth Archaeological Society have been researching and digging in an area that is south of the present village, where they believe the lost city might have been located.

During the group's third excavation of land along the wide Catbrook Road, many artefacts have been discovered that indicate a violent and sudden ending to civilisation in this part of the village.

Project leader Stuart Wilson said: "In our quest to discover the lost city of Trellech we've unearthed one particular house site where we discovered two medieval buildings.

"The first is a wattle and daub building built on a stone foundation and dates from 1250 AD. This building was smaller and simpler than its successor and was built at a slight angle to the present road, towards the beginning of the city's existence.

"During the 1290s the building was destroyed in a severe fire that caused cooking pots to melt, thatch to turn to glass and quartz in the sandstone foundation to liquefy.

"A fire this extreme is rarely caused by a single house fire as evidence of this magnitude is rare and thus suggests a multiple series of fires where many buildings are alight.

"This then caused a fire storm effect, increasing the temperature into an inferno and historical records record a major fire at Trellech about this time in which about 100 houses were destroyed, equivalent to the whole of Monmouth's Monnow Street."

After the destruction, a second building was built, in stone and aligned directly onto the now well-established road.

Mr Wilson added: "This building continued to be occupied until 1350 when it was abandoned; yet it continued to exist at least in a ruinous state until as late as the 1700s.

"At this time some of its walls were robbed for its building stone and part of the building reused as a shed."

Chairman of the Monmouth Archaeological Society Stephen Clarke said: "We've dug in over 30 sites in 30 years and the latest evidence conclusively proves the location of the lost city of Trellech.

"During our investigation within today's village the only evidence of Medieval occupation is at the church, the castle, the manor house, a forge and a tithe barn, the rest of the community would have been located along the road that leads to Catbrook."

But the investigation is not going to stop as the group has a programme of digs in a nearby field where there is evidence of several other housing sites.

The group will continue the current excavation until Sunday, August 22, to discover more about the structure and layout of these two buildings and any structures related to them.

Volunteers are always welcome and if you are interested in this year's or future excavations contact Stuart Wilson of the Monmouth Archaeological Society on 01600 715938.