England–Wales border after Harold's death at the Battle of Hastings, Wales was again divided without a leader to resist the Normans. Immediately after the Norman conquest of England, King William installed one of his most trusted confidants, William FitzOsbern, as Earl of Hereford. By 1071 he had started the building of Chepstow Castle, the first castle in Britain built of stone, near the mouth of the Wye. It served as a base from which the Normans continued to expand westward into south Wales, establishing a castle at Caerleon and extinguishing the Welsh kingdom of Gwent. William also installed Roger de Montgomerie at
Newbridge-on-Wye to areas in the south. Newbridge-on-Wye was historically a stop off point for drovers, who moved livestock from place to place. Newbridge-on-Wye proved to be an ideal location for drovers to stop and rest because it afforded a safe crossing-point on the river Wye. This led to a settlement forming, including a large number of pubs. This fact is celebrated by the statue of a drover on the village green. Newbridge-on-Wye also sited a railway station on the Mid-Wales Railway, until its closure on December 31, 1962. The site of the station is now occupied by a housing estate, although