Usk.-- parl. bor., par., township, and market town, Monmouthshire, on river Usk, 12 miles SW. of Monmouth and 157 W. of London by rail - par., 4956 ac., pop. 1968; parl. bor., 637 ac., pop. 1495; town and township, 404 ac., pop. 1470; P.O., T.O., 2 Banks, 1 newspaper. Market-day, Friday. Usk is supposed by some antiquarians to be the Burrium of the Romans. The old castle, dismantled in the Civil War, and now represented by some ivy-clad ruins, is said to have been the birthplace of Edward IV. and Richard III. The church was originally attached to a priory founded in the 13th century by the Earls of Clare, who held the castle. The river is crossed by an ancient 5-arched bridge, from which there is a fine prospect. There is capital trout and salmon fishing. The inhabitants are mostly engaged in agriculture. Usk is an ancient bor., with charters granted by Edward II., Edward IV., and other monarchs; it is one of the Monmouth Boroughs, which return 1 member to Parliament.

(John Bartholomew, Gazetteer of the British Isles (1887))