Newport, Wales name "Novus Burgus", meaning new borough or new town. The city can sometimes be found labelled as "Newport-on-Usk" on old maps. The original Welsh language name for the city, "Casnewydd-ar-Wysg" (pronounced ) means 'New castle-on-Usk' (this is a shortened version of "Castell Newydd ar Wysg") and this refers to the twelfth-century castle ruins near Newport city centre. The original Newport Castle was a small motte-and-bailey castle in the park opposite Newport Cathedral. It was buried in rubble excavated from the Hillfield railway tunnels that were dug under Stow Hill in the 1840s and no part of it is currently visible.
Newport City Council place every four years. The last election was 4 May 2017. In March 2017 a new political party, the Newport Independents Party, was formed to field candidates in the May 2017 election. It won four seats. Re-elected councillors in bold Newport is an ancient mesne borough, occupying an important position on the Welsh Marches. The town grew up round the castle built early in the 12th century. Giraldus Cambrensis, writing in 1187, calls it "Novus Burgus", probably to distinguish it from Caerleon, whose prosperity declined as that of Newport increased. The first lord was Robert Fitzhamon, who died in 1107,