Monmouthshire

Monmouthshire Principal Area
Administrative headquarters	Cwmbran
surface	850 km²
Residents	91,323 (2011)
Welsh speakers	12.9%
ISO 3166-2	GB-MON
ONS code	00PP
Website	www.monmouthshire.gov.uk

Traditional county of Monmouthshire
Capital	Monmouth
surface	1,403 km²
population	443,689 (1961)
Population density	316 inhabitants / km²

Monmouthshire ( Welsh : Sir Fynwy ) is one of 22 Principal Areas in Wales . Monmouthshire is also the name of one of the thirteen traditional counties of Wales, but as such has wider boundaries than the Principal Area. The administrative headquarters of today's Principal Area is outside its borders in the town of Cwmbran in the neighboring district of Torfaen .

geography

Monmouthshire borders the Bristol Channel to the south and the English county of Gloucestershire to the east . The River Wye forms the border between England and Wales. The English county of Herefordshire connects to the northeast . To the northwest Monmouthshire is bordered by Powys and Blaenau Gwent , to the west by Torfaen and to the southwest by the city of Newport .

The area of ​​the administrative district is rural and is crossed by the rivers Usk and Wye. In the northwest of the district lies part of the Brecon Beacons National Park .

Larger towns are Abergavenny , Caldicot , Chepstow , Monmouth and Usk .

history

Historic Monmouthshire came into being in 1535 when England incorporated Wales into its jurisdiction through the Incorporation Acts . It was one of the thirteen counties of Wales and spanned the entire area between the border with England, the Brecon Beacons and the River Rhymney . Monmouthshire was bordered by Brecknockshire to the north, Herefordshire to the northeast, Gloucestershire to the east and Glamorgan to the west . That is, it comprised the current administrative districts of Blaenau Gwent, Torfaen, Caerphilly (eastern half) and Newport and thus roughly corresponded to the former Kingdom of Gwent . The Bristol Channel and the River Wye bounded Monmouthshire to the south and east, respectively, as they do today. The county was named Monmouth after its administrative seat.

In 1542 Monmouthshire was divided into six hundreds , smaller administrative units: Abergavenny, Caldicot, Raglan, Skenfrith, Usk and Wentloog. In addition, there were three boroughs , Monmouth, Newport and Usk . H. independent communities.

The Municipal Corporations Act installed elected councilors in Monmouth and Newport in 1835. The old system remained in Usk until 1886. As a result of the health laws, new forms of administration developed in urban areas from 1848 onwards. In response to cholera epidemics , local bodies were set up to ensure, among other things, a regulated water supply and more cleanliness. In 1875 the rural areas were divided into so-called sanitary districts as part of this movement .

In 1889, the Local Government Act made Monmouthshire a kind of "administrative county" governed by an elected council. Parts of the southern Breconshires were added to the original area. The council met in Newport and no longer in the original administrative seat of Monmouth. Also called Newport a county borough in 1891 ; H. a kind of county town, and thus no longer part of Monmouthshire, it remained the headquarters of the Monmouthshire Council.

The Local Government Act of 1894 divided Monmouthshire into urban and rural districts based on the sanitary districts.

Until 1974, when Monmouthshire and County Borough Newport were dissolved in favor of the new County of Gwent , the boundaries hardly changed. Gwent consisted of the five districts of Newport , Islwyn , Monmouth , Torfaen and Blaenau Gwent .

During the administrative reform of 1996, Gwent and its districts were dissolved. A new Principal Area Monmouthshire was formed as part of the introduction of one-tier local government from the District of Monmouth and parts of the District of Blaenau Gwent. The current county, which has county status, covers about 60% of the area of ​​the historic county, but only 20% of its population.

Local election results

year	Labor	Plaid Cymru (Welsh National Party)	Conservative Party (Conservatives)	Liberal Democrats (Liberal Democrats)	Independent candidates
1995	...	...	...	...	...
1999	19th	0	18th	2	3
2004	8th	2	24	4th	5
2008	7th	1	29	5	1

Attractions

Monmouthshire has a " natural landscape of extraordinary beauty " with the Wye Valley . The Wye, Britain's fifth longest river, flows in the border area between Wales and England and forms the historic border between the countries between Monmouth and its mouth. In addition to its natural beauty, there are traces of prehistoric people in the river valley.

River Wye in the Lancat and Ban y Gore Nature Reserves

For example, the village of Trellech, which was once one of the most important Welsh towns in the Middle Ages, is home to a series of Bronze Age menhirs , the Harold's Stones . Archaeological excavations are also taking place there to uncover the remains of the destroyed historical city.

That Monmouthshire as part of the Welsh Marches , i.e. H. the border region between Wales and England, which has been the scene of many conflicts over the centuries, are shown by the numerous castles and ruins along the Wyes, e. B. Chepstow Castle , the oldest preserved fortress in Great Britain, the "Three Castles" White Castle , Grosmont Castle and Skenfrith Castle , or the medieval Raglan Castle . The church of St. Wonnow, southwest of Monmouth, is a testimony to early missionary work by Breton monks . In the hamlet of Cwmyoy is St Martin's Church , which is considered to be the “lopsided” church in Great Britain.

See also

• HMS Monmouth

Web links

Commons : Monmouthshire  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Official Monmouthshire County Council website
• Monmouthshire Tourism Pages

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Official population figures 2011 ( MS Excel ; 291 kB)

Coordinates: 51 ° 47 ′  N , 2 ° 52 ′  W