Abergavenny, Monmouthshire : Historical writing

Descriptive gazetteer entries

These other entries in our collection of descriptive gazetteers are also about Abergavenny. You may be able to find further references to Abergavenny in the descriptive gazetteers by doing a full-text search here.

Place Type of entry Source
Abergavenny hundred Bartholomew
Abergavenny parish and market town Bartholomew
ABERGAVENNY a town, a parish, a subdistrict, a district, and a hundred Imperial

This additional information from our descriptive gazetteers is for locations within the parish or parishes associated with Abergavenny.

Place Type of entry Source
HARDWICKE a hamlet Imperial
LLOYNDU a hamlet Imperial

Travel writing

This website includes the complete texts of books describing journeys around Britain, written between the twelfth and nineteenth centuries. Selecting one of the links below will take you to the first reference to Abergavenny within the selected text. This will not always be a description of a visit: travellers often mention places other than where they are, for example as a basis for comparison.

Traveller Section No. of Refs.
William Camden Hereford, Radnor, Brecon, Monmouth and Glamorgan 8
Gerald of Wales Book I, Ch. 4: Coed Grono and Abergevenni 3
William Gilpin Monmouth to Llandovery 2
Gerald of Wales Book I, Ch. 8: Swansea and Gower 1
Gerald of Wales Book II, Ch. 3: Lampeter 1
William Camden Cornwall and Devon 1
Charles Wesley May 1 - Aug. 31, 1748: London, Wales and Ireland 1
Charles Wesley 1749: Marriage to Sally Gwynne 1
William Gilpin To the source of the Wye 1
William Gilpin Bridgend to Bristol 1
John Wesley 1739: Field-Preaching; "All the World my Parish"; Whitefield; Wales 1
Henry Vincent Apr. 22 to 27: the Welsh Valleys 1

This website includes two large libraries, of historical travel writing and of entries from nineteenth century gazetteers describing places. We have text from these sources available for these places near your location:

Place Mentioned in Travel Writing Mentioned in Historical Gazetteer
Llwyndu 0 1
Llandeilo Bertholau 0 2
Llanwenarth 0 2
Govilon 0 2
Llan Ffwyst 0 2
Llanddewi Ysgyryd 0 2
Llangenni 0 2
Llanelen 0 2
Maesgwartha 0 2
Llanfihangel Crucornau 0 2
Llanddewi Rhydderch 0 2
Llangatwg Dyffryn Wysg 0 2
Llanfferrin 0 3
Llanelli 0 2
Clydach 0 3
Partrishow 0 2
Llanover 0 2
Bwlch Tre Wyn 0 2
Cwmyoy 0 2
Llanfable 0 2

Names from historical writing

The following appear as names for Abergavenny. Follow the links for what the author actually said:

Name Author Source
ABERGAVENNY John Bartholomew Gazetteer of the British Isles (Edinburgh: Bartholomew, 1887).
John Bartholomew Gazetteer of the British Isles (Edinburgh: Bartholomew, 1887).
John Marius Wilson Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (Edinburgh: A Fullarton & Co., 1870-72).
ABERGENNY William Camden Britain, or, a Chorographicall Description of the most flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland (London: George Bishop and John Norton, 1610).
ABERGEVENNI Gerald of Wales The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales (Oxford, Mississippi, 1997).
ABER GEVENNY William Camden Britain, or, a Chorographicall Description of the most flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland (London: George Bishop and John Norton, 1610).
ABERGEVENNY William Camden Britain, or, a Chorographicall Description of the most flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland (London: George Bishop and John Norton, 1610).
Gerald of Wales The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales (Oxford, Mississippi, 1997).
GOBANNIUM William Camden Britain, or, a Chorographicall Description of the most flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland (London: George Bishop and John Norton, 1610).
GORBANIUM William Camden Britain, or, a Chorographicall Description of the most flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland (London: George Bishop and John Norton, 1610).

NB: These variant names come from our collections of historical travel writing and descriptive gazetteers:

  • The above links take you to the first reference to this particular version of the name within a book of travel writing, or to the relevant gazetteer entry.
  • Some names may derive from research by antiquarian writers such as William Camden and Thomas Pennant into the Roman, Saxon and medieval names of places. Their claims are not always supported by modern place-name researchers.
  • References by travel writers to the place using its "normal" name are not included. Descriptive gazetteer entries are included only if the name does not appear anywhere else.