 The current wooded area is a remnant of a much larger ancient forest which once extended between the rivers Usk and Wye and which divided the old kingdom of Gwent into two – "Gwent Uwchcoed" and "Iscoed", that is, above and below the wood.The area contains Bronze Age burial mounds, a stone circle, and a megalithic alignment on Gray Hill, Monmouthshire.In the Middle Ages, the woods belonged to the lordship of Chepstow and provided hunting preserves, and timber, fuel and pasturage for the tenants of nearby manors.