The town of Newport, in the county of Pembrokeshire, is easily among the most unique and fascinating in the United Kingdom. This is quite a statement considering the fact that Wales is filled to the brim with interesting and historical cities but the truth of the matter is that many Welsh cities have very similar back stories and histories and any town that strays from the norm is certainly worthy of attention and acclaim.
Straying from the norm may have been the wrong phrase to use, however, when one finds that it was in fact a Norman that founded and created Newport. This isn't as out of place as many might suspect, however, because the Norman culture once had a very strong foothold on the United Kingdom. In the days following the crumbling of the once mighty Roman Empire there were many contenders to the throne who wished to wrest control of this bountiful area from all the other competitors. The Saxons had great success in this field and the Danes commanded quite a bit of respect as well as quite a bit of property. The Normans came a bit later and they too had a rousing success before England and Wales began to assert their respective nationalistic tendencies. At any rate, it was almost 1200 by the time Newport was founded and this was rather late for Normans to be in so much power. To be sure, this was the end of the line for most nations that arguably didn't belong there and it is all the more impressive and surprising that Newport achieved the prominence and success that it did in those early and fateful years. At any rate, Newport was founded by one William fitz Martin and he was the son of the famed Welsh lord Robert fitz Martin. Already this seems suspect because anybody familiar with the Welsh language and people know that names like Glyndwyr and Llywyelln are more common in the area than these Norman monikers and thus it is important to remember that these people were still quite powerful in Wales.
Eventually the Normans were pretty much done away with but luckily a few remnants from those influential and historic days still persist. Among these, the most impressive is the castle built by fitz Martin during his reign. This imposing edifice still stands proudly and visitors to the city can lay eyes on this ancient masterpiece and even take pictures. There is a graveyard on the grounds that houses some of the most esteemed members of the family as well as other worthy individuals and it is truly stunning to see the ground beneath which lie the skeletons of once noble and wealthy aristocrats. By all accounts Newport is downright fascinating because of its rich history and perhaps more so because the history of the town is markedly different from the history of many other parts of Wales. As such, Newport is easily among the most priceless treasures in the undeniably rich and lush Welsh lexicon.
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