Usk

Usk

Usk, Welsh Brynbuga, town, present and historic county of Monmouthshire, southeastern Wales. It lies along the River Usk, 20 miles (32 km) from its Bristol Channel mouth.

The town was settled first by Celts and then by Romans, who called it Burrium. A Norman castle was built in the 12th century but was partially destroyed about 1402 during the rebellion of the Welsh prince Owain Glyn Dŵr. Usk is now a small market town and tourist centre. The River Usk, which flows through the town, rises in the Black Mountain range at the boundary between Carmarthenshire and Powys counties, in Brecon Beacons National Park. Both the river and the town of Usk are noted for good fishing. Pop. (2001) 2,318; (2011) 2,834.