Dewstow
is Dewi's Stow, the hamlet of Dewi or David, taking its name from a church
which once stood there. It occurs in the Liber Landavensis as one
of the churches given by Arthrwys, king of Gwent, to the see of Llandaff
in the time of the suffragan bishop Comereg in the sixth century.
It
is probable that this is the church mentioned in the Doomsday Book as Sanctus
Dewin, which, with St. Michael's, paid no rent except to the saints,
that is, the profits were applied for the benefit of the priest.
At
the outbreak of the civil wars Dewstow was confiscated, and in 1657 was
sold to Silvanus Taylour of 57L. 1s. and 3d. (£57. 1s. 3d.)
At
the end of the eighteenth century the manor and estate of Dewstow belonged
to Richard Vaughan Norman, vicar of Magor, described as of Usk, clerk, who
made his will 19th July 1797, proved 26th January 1798-
All
those messuages, &c, called Great and Little Dewstow, now
in the occupation of Philip Arthur, situate in Caldicot, having
surrendered the copyhold to the use of Susanna Gardner Kemeys
of Monmouth, spr.-certain lands called the Poor's lands were
many years since conveyed to one of my ancestors in trust to the
use of the poor for ever and now vested in me- all my goods and
personal estate to John Kemeys Gardner Kemeys.
Miss
Susanna Gardner Kemeys sold Dewstow to John Proctor of Chepstow, banker,
who made it his residence. He died in 1837 leaving a daughter and heir
Sarah, wife of David Carruthers of the Grondre. The son of this marriage,
James Proctor Carruthers, who resided at the Grondre, sold Dewstow in
1874 to Theophilus Bevan, who sold to Daniel Pryce, who sold in 1893 to
"Mr Henry Roger Keene Oakley"
Henry
Oakley lived and managed the Dewstow estate from 1893 until his death
in 1940. After his death, the estate was inherited by Oakleys son and
from the late 1940's, went through the hands of various
owners and in the 1950,s was eventually broken up with the various houses
and small holdings being sold individually and the main bulk of the estate
being split in two. Dewstow Farm came into the ownership of W.E.Harris
& Son with Dewstow House being sold separately. The Harris family
continued to farm the land for approximately 40 years and in 1987, began
the diversification into the Golf Industry, In August 1988, Dewstow Golf
Club was born. In 2000, Dewstow House was purchased by the Harris Family
and now the estate is for the most part back together for the first time
in 50 years.
