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Dinham is situated about a mile to the north of Caerwent; 3 1/2m WSW of Chepstow, Caerwent, Monmouthshire, south Wales. The present and modern name of Dinham might at first suggest a Saxon origin, but in all the oldest records it is found written Dinan, and this leads us to infer its derivation from the Welsh word Din, which in its primary sense signifies a fortified hill or rock, and afterwards came, like Dinas, to signify a fortified town or city, all early towns being originally inclosed with walls for security. The Irish and Gaelic word Dun has a similar signification, and these together with the Saxon Tun, the Dutch Tuyn, and the English Town, seems all to have had one common origin as they had one common meaning, viz: a space inclosed for security and defence. Hence the inations-dunum-dinum and dinium of the Romans, and the tune-don-ton and town of the Saxons and English. It may be remarked that there are several places in various parts of Wales with the name Dinas, and there is a town in Brittany called Dinan, which is seated on a craggy rock.

There was a Church here as well as a Castle at a very early period. The Church of Castel Dinan is mentioned in two Bulls of Pope Honorius II, dated in 1128 and 1129, as then belonging to the See of Llandaff, and the tithes of the Chapelry still form part of the revenues of the Cathedral Church. The Anglo-Norman Barons who acquired estates in Gwent soon after the Conquest, appropriated to themselves various Ecclesiastical benefices, which of right belonged to the Church of Llandaff. The age and infirmity of Bishop Herwald, who held the See no less than forty-eight years, and died in 1104, and the subsequent vacancy of four or five years, favoured these usurpations.

Upon the accession of Bishop Urban, he remonstrated with the parties without effect, and at length pronounced sentence of excommunication against the offenders by name, which Pope Callixtus in 1119, and Honorius II. in 1128 threatened to confirm unless they made restitution. At the head of this list of lunderers stands Walter Fitz-Richard (De Clare), Lord of Caerwent, who seems to have compounded the matter with the Bishop by founding Tintern Abbey upon part of the lands of which he had plundered the Church, and having endowed it with a portion, was permitted to retain the rest; for the advowsons of Caerwent, Llanvair, Dinan, and St. Neveyn (Crick), do not appear to have been restored till the 11th Edward III, 1338, when Almeric de Lucy conveyed them to the Archdeacon and Chapter of Llandaff.

Dinan is one of the few places in Gwent mentioned by name in Domesday book, which survey of England was completed in 1086. It is there stated "In Wales there are three Hardwicks (i.e. villages belonging to Herdsmen), Lamecare (Llanwern), Porteschiuet, and Dinan. In these are 8 Ploughs and 11 villains and a half, and 15 Bordars with 6 ploughs. For his 3 Hardwicks Roger de Ivry had lOO shillings." Roger de Ivry was the eldest son of Roger, Chief Butler of Normandy, by Adeliza, daughter of Ivo de Bellemont. He was banished for treason by King William Rufus, and died in 1088. His estates were forfeited to the Crown, but restored to his younger brother Geoffry, the other brother Hugh having died before him. Geoffry died without issue in the reign of Henry II.

As already observed, there was a castle here in 1128, probably built by one of these men, since, though named in the Bull of that date, it is not mentioned in Domesday. The estates having escheated were granted to Guy de Sancto Wallerico. Whether Dinham was included in the grant or not we have no direct evidence. Guy left a son Reginald, whose line ended in coheiresses early in the reign of Henry III; but Guy may have had another younger son or sons, from whom perhaps descended a family whose name we find written Le Walleys, Wallens, Walshe, and finally after some other variations of orthography, Welsh, who were seated here and at Llanwern down to the early part of the XVII century-they bore the same arms as those given by the Heralds as the coats of Sancto Wallerico, viz: Ermine, a bend sable, and the corruption of Wallerico to Walsh is no more strange than many others that could be named. However this may be, two of the family accompanied Strongbow to Ireland in or about 1170; these were David Le Walleys, and Phillip Le Walleys, younger sons of Ralph and brothers of William Le Walleys.

It may be right to observe that Dinham, and Llanwern were mesne fees, the former certainly, and probably the latter, at that period held under Strongbow, (Gilbert de Clare) as Lord of Chepstow. It is probable that at one time Dinham was their principal seat, as several of them are found described as of this place, thus Adam De Dinham in the reigns of Henry III, and Edward II. William De Dinham, or William Le Walsh in the Reign of Edward III. Christopher Welsh,who was High Sheriff in 1569, was the last of the family who held Dinham: it was then sold to John Symings a great land-jobber at that time, who conveyed it in 1586 to William Blethyn, Bishop of Llandaff, whose descendants made it their principal residence, till the male line of the family became extinct on the death of Timothy Blethyn in 1737. The coheiresses sold it in 1746, to John Day, Esq., High Sheriff in 1747. Since then it has passed through several hands, and now belongs to J.H.Bayly, Esq., of Alderley Park, Gloucestershire.

The aged yew tree whose roots are twined round a large fragment of the walls of the castle, shews that it must have been in ruins for some centuries; and it may reasonably be conjectured that, as the times became more settled, civilisation more advanced, and buildings of a more commodious and luxurious description began to be erected in the reign of Edward III, the living in the cramped accommodation of an ancient hill fastness was no longer found convenient, and that in consequence a more commodious dwelling was erected at the foot of the hill for the residence of the family; the hill fortress either being, suffered still to remain for a time, to be used in case of need, and so allowed to go gradually to decay, or as was most frequently the case, serving for a quarry from which stones could be more easily procured for the erection of the new structure, which will account for the almost entire destruction, and unintelligibly confused state of the remains of the old Castle. And it is by no means improbable that, the old Church having been in a dilapidated state, a new Chapel may have been erected adjoining the new dwelling-house, which the two existing windows in the pine-end as seen in the illustration may have served to light, the door beneath them now blocked up having been the entrance; this supposition will account for the present building having been called a Chapel, the remains on the hill "the old Chapel" and the wood, "the Church wood.