| After the Neolithic era, invasion by Celtic (“Goidals”) followed by Brythons and Belgae (i.e. in Bronze And Iron Ages).And Iron Ages). | From 2500 B.C. |
Hunter/gatherers visit the Trellech ridge (stone axe-head and arrow heads found in Penallt) with eventual settlements farming on high ground. |
| Roman occupation | 47- 380 A.D. |
Possible strong point above the Wye – massive, well-dressed stone retaining walls above the Boat Inn. |
| Caerleon founded | 75 A.D. | |
| Celtic Christianity established including Llandaff (major see) | 6th century |
(No parishes centred on church buildings. |
| Spread of the Celtic Church | 6th/7th cent |
Possible hermitage near the well at site of Penallt Old Church. |
| Saxon raids in force into South Wales from England effectively cutting Wales off from Cornwall and Strathclyde. |
From 577 |
|
| Offa built his dyke | 785 | Penallt on the Celtic west side, Saxons on the east. |
| Danes raiding from the coast as far north as Archenfield | 915 | Proximity of the Wye a menace. |
| Chepstow Benedictine priory founded. | 1060 | “Mother church” to Penallt and Trellech, itself the daughter of Cormeilles. |
| WILLIAM I (1066-1087) Norman invasion. Parish boundaries become administrative boundaries |
From 1066 |
Celtic Church “reorganised” and gradually brought under Norman control. |
| c.1070 | Trellech (including Penallt) a Royal Manor in the Lordship of Usk. | |
| c.1150 | Lordship passed to the de Clare family. | |
| A time of continuing struggle between the Celtic and the Noman (Roman) Churches | 1190 | Appendix to the Book of Llandaff includes Penallt by name as paying church taxes. |
| JOHN (1199-1216) | 1215 | Magna Carta recognises de facto independence of Wales with Marcher Barons appointed by the Crown |
| Mid 13th cent |
De Clares credited with building Penallt’s first stone church, although not by all. | |
| 1254 | Penallt’s first recorded vicar (shared with Trellech). |
|
| HENRY III (1216 – 1272) | 1272 | “First historical record of a church in in Penallt” says the Rev. du Heaume in 1940 referring perhaps to the Norwich taxation papers which list the village as “Penathlan.” |
| EDWARD I (1272-1307)
English campaign to subjugate Wales |
1276-1284 | Intermittent destruction in South Wales |
| 1291 | Trellech and New Mills sacked by Earl of Norfolk for deer-poaching. | |
| EDWARD II (1307 – 1327) | ||
| EDWARD III (1327 – 1377) | ||
| Black Death epidemics; Famine between and after | 1348 – 1361 | Penallt thought to have lost up to 50% of population. |
| RICHARD II (1377 – 1399) | ||
| Desperate Welsh uprisings | From 1390 |
|
| HENRY 1V (1399 – 1413) | 1404 | Owen Glyndwr at Craig-y-Dorth (further depredation of Penallt thereafter virtually abandoned) |
| HENRY V (1413 – 1422) | ||
| HENRY VI (1422 – 1461) | ||
| EDWARD IV (1461 – 1483) | ||
| Wars of the Roses | 1455-1485 | |
| RICHARD III (1483 – 1485)
HENRY VII (1485-1509) |
Relative peace saw Penallt building a rural community of farmers, craftsmen and traders and rebuilding the parish church of which the tower, north wall and perhaps the chancel arch only left standing. |
|
| HENRY VIII (1509-1547) | ||
| Dissolution of the Monasteries | 1534-1540 | |
| Act of Union: England and Wales | 1536 | Monmouthshire detached from Wales and given 2 M.P.s at Westminster. Avowdson of Penallt passed permanently from Chepstow Priory to the Crown. |
| “The Great Bible” (in English) introduced into all churches | 1539 | This date carved into the door of Penallt parish church. |
| EDWARD VI (1547 – 1553) | ||
| MARY (1553 – 1558) | ||
| ELIZABETH I (1558 – 1603) | 1580 | Sir Christopher Probert build the Argoed. |
| 1581 | 1140 acres of Wye’s Wood (Devauden to Monmouth) opened as common land offering fuel, pasture and lime for the soil. Metals industries in Redbrook started |
|
| JAMES I (1603 – 1625) | ||
| CHARLES 1 (1625 – 1649) | ||
| Civil Wars. Puritan destruction compounded earlier iconoclastic damage | 1642-1649 | Monmouthshire evading both sides with varying success. |
| Cromwell (1649 – 1660) | 1660 | Argoed rebuilt by Sir George Probert |
| CHARLES II (1660-1685) | 1662 | The first of the bells hung in Penallt church. |
| 1677 | Trellech and Penallt listed by lawyers as separate parishes in a survey of Trellech manor. | |
| JAMES II (1685 – 1688) | ||
| WILLIAM & MARY (1689 – 1702) | 1689 | Vicar Babington endowed schools in Trellech and Penallt. |
| QUEEN ANNE (1702-1714) | Royal Arms presented to Penallt Church (Crown holding the avowdson). Some random enclosures. Rioting and law-suits. |
|
| 1713 | Further 245 acres released as common land within the manor. | |
| GEORGE I (1714 – 1727) | Box pews and galleries crowded into Penallt church. | |
| GEORGE II (1727 – 1760) | 1748 | Cottage built at Pwll Du (later Moorcroft) |
| GEORGE III (1760 – 1820) | 1761 | First paper mill at Whitebrook. |
| 1771 | Tinplate production at Redbrook. | |
| 1774 | Duke of Beaufort bought Trellech manor. | |
| Napoleonic Wars | 1797-1815 | |
| 1809 | Plans for a tram-road from Redbrook to Pwll Du aborted. | |
| National Enclosure Acts | 1810 | Local enclosure gathered pace. |
| GEORGE IV (1820 – 1830) | c.1820 | Penallt Baptist Chapel built. |
| WILLIAM IV (1830 – 1837) | 1834 | Penallt School built at Pentwyn. |
| VICTORIA (1837-1901) | 1844 | Tithe Commutation Survey of Penallt. |
| 1847 | Detailed map with ownership published. | |
| 1853 | Snakescroft (later Moorcroft) built by Curate Oakley. | |
| c.1864 | Wesleyan and Primitive Methodist | |
| chapels built. | ||
| 1865 | Richard Potter bought the Argoed. | |
| 1868 | St. Mary’s, Pentwyn built. | |
| 1875/76 | Railway comes to Penallt: bridge at The Boat. | |
| 1886 | Major repairs and renovations at Penallt Old Church. Box pews and galleries removed | |
| 1887 | Parishes of Trellech and Penallt separated. | |
| 1888 | Last mill at Whitebrook closes. Penallt’s Vicar housed in new-built Vicarage.
First parish magazine Cricket club founded at Moorcroft |
|
| 1889 | Tennis club founded.
Emigration to USA from Penallt continues following poor harvests and general agricultural decline. |
|
| 1891 | Eight weeks (January/February) continuous snow and ice – much hardship – scarlet fever and measles epidemics. | |
| 1900 | Sales of Crown land in the district | |
| 1901/2 | Beaufort land sold off piecemeal. | |
| EDWARD VII (1901 – 1910) | ||
| GEORGE V (1910 – 1936) | 1913 | Argoed first to get a telephone. |
| First World War | 1914-1918 | Absence and loss of men. Penallt families dispersed. |
| Disestablished Church in Wales founded. | 1920 | Penallt opted in: Dixton opted out. |
| 1921 | War Memorial at Pentwyn. | |
| 1923 | First Pelham Hall erected. The Society of the Sacred Cross came to Ty Mawr House, Lydart | |
| GEORGE VI (1936-1952) | ||
| Second World War | 1939-1945 | Influx of evacuees, some settling for good |
| 1946-1966 | Extensive repairs and alterations to Penallt Parish Church. | |
| ELIZABETH II (1953- ) | 1954/5 | Mains water arrived in Penallt. |
| 1955/7 | Electricity arrived. | |
| 1960 | Refuse collection began. | |
| 1965 | Medieval stone altar retrieved and set up in the parish church. | |
| Monmouthshire made part of Wales“for administrative purposes” by Prime Minister Heath. | 1974 | |
| 1987 | Penallt School closed. | |
| 1986-1990 | Renovation programme for church and churchyard. | |
| 1990 | New cricket ground inaugurated. | |
| 1993 | Replacement Pelham Hall opened. | |
| Welsh Assembly created. | 1999 | |
| 2003 | St. Mary’s, Pentwyn closed. | |
| 2007 | Merger of Penallt and Trellech parishes. |
[from: Penallt Revisited]
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