| Rogiet | |
|---|---|
 Rogiet's ruined windmill | |
  Rogiet Location withinMonmouthshire | |
| Population | 1,813 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | ST458877 |
| Community |
|
| Principal area | |
| Preserved county | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CALDICOT |
| Postcode district | NP26 |
| Dialling code | 01291 |
| Police | Gwent |
| Fire | South Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| UK Parliament | |
| Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament | |
51°35′20″N2°47′13″W / 51.589°N 2.787°W /51.589; -2.787  Map of the community | |
Rogiet (English:/ˈrɒɡɪt/;[1]Welsh:Rhosied) is a small village andcommunity (andelectoral ward) inMonmouthshire, south eastWales, betweenCaldicot andMagor, 8 miles (13 km) west ofChepstow and 11 miles (18 km) east ofNewport, which covers an area of 847 hectares (3.27 sq mi).[2] It lies close to theM4 andM48 motorways, and theSecond Severn Crossing. It is adjacent to the main railway line into South Wales, and has a railway station namedSevern Tunnel Junction. Rogiet had a population of 1,813 in the 2011 census.
In the village isRogiet Primary School, a 210-place school for pupils aged between 4 and 11 years. The school moved to a new, eco-friendly building in November 2009.
The village adjoins theCaldicot Levels. Its name is of uncertain derivation, and was formerly spelledRoggiatt,Roggiett orRoggiet. The first known lord of the manor was Godfrey de Gamage, who married Joan, the daughter ofRichard de Clare, Earl of Pembroke, known as "Strongbow", in the 12th century.[3]
TheChurch of St Mary, Rogiet is the parish church, which in earlier centuries was dedicated toSt. Hilary. Much of the church dates from about the 14th century, and it was restored in the 19th and early 20th centuries.[4]
TheSouth Wales Railway, now theGloucester to Newport line, was opened through Rogiet in 1850, although the nearest station was two miles away, atPortskewett.[5]
A junction station was built at Rogiet to serve the newSevern Tunnel, that opened in 1886.[6] ThisSevern Tunnel Junction station was in operation for tunnel works traffic by 1883[7] and as a functional station by 1885[8] although it is unclear if it was open to the public at this date, before the official opening of the tunnel in 1886.[6] The sidings of the new station were built on theCaldicot Levels, using spoil excavated from thecutting into the tunnel.[9][10] The name 'Rogiet Station'[5][11] appears on several contemporary maps, although these are always in conjunction with aplanned station, as the junction for the new tunnel line. There is no evidence for a station before this date,[12] or for a constructed station ever having been called 'Rogiet Station'.
The station developed an importance out of all proportion to the size of the village, owing to the South Wales coal traffic and the largemarshalling yard, the largest and most important on theGWR.[13] This in turn required engine sheds of proportionate size, housing around 70 engines in 1939.[14]
The presence of the station became a catalyst for the growth of the village.[15] The censuses of 1851, 1861 & 1871 show the main employment to be agricultural, with a few working in the limestone quarries at Ifton, but no railway workers.[16] The parish population increased from 84 in 1881 to 122 in 1891.[15] The first new building was the construction of red-brickbookend terraces: Ifton Terrace, Railway Terrace and Seaview Terrace, all still extant today. These were followed by the village's only building of note, other than the church, its onlypub theRoggiett Hotel. This was a relatively large pub for such a small village, and operated as an active hotel, mostly serving the farming trade at the cattle market. It has been closed since 2008, leaving the village without a pub. A school was also built and by 1891 a post office had opened.[15]
A major phase of housing expansion took place afterWorld War I, increasing by three times toWorld War II.[15] Half of this growth, 94 houses, was due to theSevern TunnelGarden Village Society, constituted in 1924, whose membership was limited to railwaymen.[15] Population increased from 136 in 1921 to 234 in the 1931 census. Many railwaymen still commuted from the other local villages though, and over a thousand worked at Severn Tunnel Junction by the outbreak of World War II.[15]
The rapid rate of growth decreased after the war, and population only increased from 1,137 in 1951 to 1,347 in 1971.[15] This was particularly affected by the withdrawal of steam power on the railway in the 1960s, and the resultant reduction in the staff needed at the locomotive sheds. Some of the younger railwaymen found employment at the expandingLlanwern steelworks. Many of the older railwaymen retired, encouraged by security of tenancy for the desirable Garden Village housing.[15] This gave Rogiet a population in 1966 that consisted of 40% retirees, with an unusually elderly population in the 1960s and 1970s,[15] leading in turn to a low provision of schools and other amenities, although a thrivingallotment society continues to this day. The local birthrate fell by over 50% in the 15 years from 1946 to the 1961 census.[15]
The village underwent major expansion in the later 20th century, following the development of nearby Caldicot, Undy and Magor asdormitory villages. With the development of the Severn Bridges, the number of commuters by road toBristol also increased.
The land occupied by half of the old marshalling yard, to the West of the road across it, is now a countryside park.[17]
Rogiet community's population was 1,813, according to the2011 census;[2] an 11.91% increase since the 1,620 people noted in2001.[18]
The 2011 census showed 15.6% of the population could speakWelsh, the highest percentage inMonmouthshire, a rise from 10.7% in 2001.[19]
Rogiet is also the name of theelectoral ward, coterminous with the community, which elects a county councillor toMonmouthshire County Council.[20]
Since2008 the ward has been represented byLiberal Democrat, Linda Guppy. Her father, Gerald Robbins, had been anIndependent county councillor for Rogiet until the2004 elections.[21] Between 2004 and 2008 the ward was represented by theLabour Party.[22]
Until the2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, Rogiet fell entirely within theNewport East constituency, and was represented byJessica Morden. Following the boundary changes, Rogiet now falls entirely within theMonmouthshire constituency, and is represented byCatherine Fookes.
In 1998, a largehoard ofRoman coins was found which became known as theRogiet Hoard.
The hamlet and separate parish of Llanfihangel Rogiet (Welsh: Llanfihangel Rhosied) is located immediately west of Rogiet itself, and derives its name from theWelsh name for the church ofSt. Michael (Llan-f/mihangel). In about 905 there was a dispute between the households ofCyfeilliog, theBishop of Ergyng andBrochfael ap Meurig, joint king ofGwent. Cyfeilliog was awarded compensation in gold, but Brochfael was unable to pay in this form and instead paid with land at Llanfihangel.[23] The currentChurch of St Michael and All Angels again dates from about the 14th century, with much later rebuilding, and contains medieval tombs. Unlike Rogiet, Llanfihangel has remained relatively untouched by modern development.
The land immediately east of Rogiet once formed the separate small parish of Ifton. Some Roman pottery was discovered at Ifton Manor.[24] The church was pulled down in 1755.[4]
...the western end of the Tunnel was lengthened by 276 yards to provide material for making sidings at the new station near Rogiet, afterwards called Severn Tunnel Junction
With the opening of the [South Wales] line in June 1850, intermediate stations to the west of Portskewett [as far as the Usk at Newport] were initially provided at Magor and Llanwern.
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