Traditional counties of Wales
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Wales had thirteen traditional counties. They were the basis of local government in Wales until 1974, when they were replaced with eight counties. These in turn were replaced in 1996, by the current counties and county boroughs of Wales.

The counties

Traditional counties of Wales
Monmouthshire2 Glamorgan1 Carmarthenshire1 Pembrokeshire1 Cardiganshire1 Brecknockshire2 Radnorshire2 Montgomeryshire2 Denbighshire2 Flintshire1 Merionethshire1 Caernarvonshire1 Anglesey1

1. These counties originate in 1282, following King Edward I's conquest.
2. These counties originate in 1535, with the Laws in Wales Act, 1535 - converting the remaining Marcher Lordships into counties.

Background

The historian William Rees says, in his "Historical Atlas of Wales": (published 1959) "... the boundaries of the modern shires have largely been determined by the ancient divisions of the country. The survival of these ancient local divisions within the pattern of historical change constitutes a vital element in the framework of the national life and helps to preserve its continuity."

The British Broadcasting Corporation, in an article about the Shiring of Wales, says: "Along the border, districts which had long been associated with Wales were added to the counties of Shropshire and Herefordshire."

External links

• The National Gazetteer of Wales
• The Association of British Counties
• BBC History page about the Shiring of Wales

See also

Traditional counties of Scotland, Traditional counties of England, Association of British Counties

The original article can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_counties_of_Wales.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.