DescriptionShirenewton (Drenewydd Gelli-farch) is a village and community in Monmouthshire, south east Wales. It is located 3 miles due west of Chepstow. The village stands around 500 feet (154 m) above sea level, and has extensive views of the Severn Estuary and Bristol Channel.
Before the Norman invasion of Wales, the Shirenewton area formed part of the forest of Wentwood (Coed Gwent). At the time of the Domesday Book, it was part of the lands at Caldicot which were held by Durand, the Sheriff of Gloucester. Part of the forest was cleared around the year 1100, and a small settlement established known as "Sheriff's Newton (or New Town)" or, in Latin, Nova Villa. The manor then became known as Caldecot-cum-Newton, and in some documents the village was called Newton Netherwent. "Netherwent" is the English name given to the Welsh cantref of Gwent-is-coed (Gwent beneath the wood, i.e. Wentwood), with "-went" deriving from the Roman town of Venta which became Caerwent. The name "Sheriff's Newton" became contracted over the years into Shirenewton.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirenewton
RCAHMW, 1 June 2017