| Monmouthshire Sir Fynwy (Welsh) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Historic county | |||||||||||
| 1536–1974 | |||||||||||
 Flag adopted in 2011 | |||||||||||
 Show location in Wales Show location in England and Wales Show location in the United Kingdom | |||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||
| • 1831 | 324,310 acres (1,312.4 km2) | ||||||||||
| • 1901 | 345,048 acres (1,396.36 km2)[1] | ||||||||||
| • 1961 | 339,088 acres (1,372.24 km2)[1] | ||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||
| • 1831 | 98,130[2] | ||||||||||
| • 1901 | 230,806[1] | ||||||||||
| • 1961 | 444,679[1] | ||||||||||
| Density | |||||||||||
| • 1831 | 0.3/acre | ||||||||||
| • 1901 | 0.7/acre | ||||||||||
| • 1961 | 1.3/acre | ||||||||||
| Status | Ceremonial county (until 1974) Non-administrative county (1536–1889) Administrative county (1889–1974) Historic county (non-administrative) | ||||||||||
| Chapman code | MON | ||||||||||
| Government | Monmouthshire County Council (1889–1974) Newport County Borough Council (1891–1974) Cardiff County Borough Council (part) (1938–1974) | ||||||||||
| • HQ | Monmouth andNewport | ||||||||||
| • Motto | Faithful to both (Utrique Fidelis) | ||||||||||
 Coat of arms of Monmouthshire County Council | |||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
• Established by theLaws in Wales Act 1535 | 1536 | ||||||||||
• Disestablished | 1974 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Monmouthshire (/ˈmɒnməθʃər,ˈmʌn-,-ʃɪər/MON-məth-shər,MUN-, -sheer), also formerly known as theCounty of Monmouth (/ˈmɒnməθ,ˈmʌn-/MON-məth,MUN-;Welsh:Sir Fynwy), wasone of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolition in 1974. Located in thesouth-east ofWales, on theborder with England, its area now corresponds approximately to the presentprincipal areas ofMonmouthshire,Blaenau Gwent,Newport andTorfaen, and those parts ofCaerphilly andCardiff east of theRhymney River.
The eastern part of the county was mainly agricultural, while the western valleys had rich mineral resources. This led to the area becoming highly industrialised withcoal mining and iron working being major employers from the 18th century to the late 20th century. Its five largest towns were Newport,Cwmbran,Pontypool,Ebbw Vale andAbergavenny.
Monmouthshire's Welsh status was ambiguous between the 16th and 20th centuries, with it considered by some to be part ofEngland during this time; its legal inclusion in Wales was clarified by theLocal Government Act 1972, the same act that changed the structure of local government within the county.
The "county or shire of Monmouth" was formed from parts of theWelsh Marches by theLaws in Wales Act 1535. According to the Act the shire consisted of allHonours, Lordships, Castles, Manors, Lands, Tenements and Hereditaments, lying or being within the Compass or Precinct of the followingLordships, Townships, Parishes, Commotes and Cantrefs... in the Country of Wales:
Monmouth •Chepstow •Matherne (Mathern) •Llanvihangel (Llanfihangel Rogiet) •Magour (Magor) •Goldcliffe (Goldcliff) •Newport •Wentlooge •Llanwerne (Llanwern) •Caerlion (Caerleon) •Usk •Treleck (Trellech) •Tintern •Skenfrith •Grosmont •Witecastle (White Castle) •Raglan •Calicote (Caldicot) •Biston (Bishton) •Abergavenny •Penrose (Penrhos) •Grenefield (Maesglas) •Maghen (Machen) •Hochuyslade (possessions ofLlanthony Priory)[3]
The Act also designated Monmouth as the "Head and Shire town of the said county or shire of Monmouth", and ordered that theSheriff's county or shire court be held alternately in Monmouth and Newport.[4]
The county boundaries are theRiver Wye on the east, dividing it fromGloucestershire and theRhymney River to the west dividing it fromGlamorganshire, with theBristol Channel to the south. The boundaries withHerefordshire to the northeast andBrecknockshire to the north were less well-defined. The parish ofWelsh Bicknor, was anexclave of Monmouthshire, sandwiched between Gloucestershire and Herefordshire. The area was considered part of Monmouthshire until it was made part of Herefordshire "for all purposes" by theCounties (Detached Parts) Act 1844, while the Herefordshire hamlet ofFwthog (or Ffwddog) adjoining theHonddu Valley remained an exclave within Monmouthshire until 1891.[5]
The county was divided into sixhundreds in 1542:Abergavenny,Caldicot,Raglan,Skenfrith,Usk andWentloog.
The county contained the threeboroughs of Monmouth, Newport and Usk.[6]
In the medieval period Monmouthshire was divided into the following civil parishes, listed by hundred (chapelries initalics):
1extra-parochial, but still had its own church
Monmouth and Newport were reformed asmunicipal boroughs with elected town councils by theMunicipal Corporations Act 1835. Usk continued as anunreformed borough until its final abolition in 1886.
New forms of local government were established in the urban areas of the county with the setting oflocal boards under the Public Health Act 1848 and Local Government Act 1858. ThePublic Health Act 1875 divided the rural areas intorural sanitary districts.
Anadministrative county of Monmouthshire, governed by an electedcounty council, was formed in 1889 under the terms of theLocal Government Act 1888. The act directed that whereurban sanitary districts straddled county boundaries they should be placed entirely in the administrative county which had the majority of the urban sanitary district's population.[7] Along the boundary between Monmouthshire andBrecknockshire were four urban sanitary districts which straddled the county boundary:Brynmawr,Ebbw Vale,Rhymney, andTredegar. The majority of Brynmawr's population was in Brecknockshire, and so the southern parts of Brynmawr within Monmouthshire were transferred to the administrative county of Brecknockshire. For the other three urban sanitary districts the majority of the population was in Monmouthshire, which therefore gained from Brecknockshire theBeaufort andRassau areas of Ebbw Vale, the Dukestown area of Tredegar, and the Llechryd area of Rhymney.
The county council was based in Newport, rather than the historiccounty town of Monmouth. In 1891 the borough of Newport achievedcounty borough status and therefore left the administrative county, although the administration of the county council continued to be based atShire Hall, Newport. In the same year the parish of Fwthog was transferred to both the administrative and geographic county of Monmouthshire.
Under theLocal Government Act 1894, the administrative county was divided intourban andrural districts, based on existingsanitary districts.
| Municipal boroughs | Monmouth |
|---|---|
| Urban districts | Abercarn • Abergavenny •Abersychan •Abertillery •Bedwellty •Blaenavon •Caerleon •Chepstow •Ebbw Vale •Llanfrechfa Upper •Llantarnam •Nantyglo and Blaina •Panteg •Pontypool •Rhymney •Risca •Tredegar •Usk |
| Rural districts | Abergavenny •Chepstow •Magor •Monmouth •Pontypool •St Mellons |
In 1899 Abergavenny was incorporated as a borough. Two further urban districts were formed:Mynyddislwyn in 1903, andBedwas and Machen in 1912.The County of Monmouth Review Order 1935 revised the number and boundaries of the urban and rural districts in the administrative county. A newCwmbran urban district was formed by the abolition of Llanfrechfa Upper and Llantarnam UDs, Abersychan and Panteg UDs were absorbed by Pontypool urban district, andMagor and St Mellons RD was formed by a merger of two rural districts.
The county boundaries provided the basis of the boundaries of the newDiocese of Monmouth, created in October 1921 following the disestablishment of theChurch in Wales from theChurch of England in April 1920. The Diocese covered all of the County of Monmouthshire but also included the Parish ofCyncoed in north-eastCardiff, a situation which continues in 2023.
The last major boundary change to affect the administrative county came in 1938 when the Monmouthshire parish ofRumney was incorporated into the city and county borough ofCardiff. However, the geographical Monmouthshire/Glamorgan and England/Wales border remained theRhymney River.
The administrative county of Monmouth and county borough of Newport were abolished in 1974 under theLocal Government Act 1972. The successor authority, with minor boundary changes, was titledGwent. Some border parishes became part of the newRhymney Valley district ofMid Glamorgan or theCardiff district ofSouth Glamorgan.
The historic county covers an area roughly contiguous with the medievalKingdom of Gwent's coreCantrefi ofGwent Uch-coed,Gwent Is-coed, which[8][9][10]
Gwent became part of theKingdom of Morgannwg in the 10th century, and part of the unifiedKingdom of Wales underGruffydd ap Llywelyn. Following theNorman invasion of Wales, Monmouthshire was subject to theMarcher Lords, and was not subject to English law.[11][12] Following theActs of Union the land which is today called Monmouthshire was undisputedly in Wales.[13]
TheLaws in Wales Act 1535 (27 Hen. 8. c. 26) integrated Wales directly into the English legal system and the "Lordships Marchers within the said Country or Dominion of Wales" were allocated to existing and new shires. Some lordships were annexed to existing counties in England and some were annexed to existing counties in Wales, with the remainder being divided up into new counties, one of which was Monmouthshire.
Although the original Laws in Wales Act 1535 specifically includes Monmouthshire as being in the "Country or Dominion of Wales", theLaws in Wales Act 1542(34 & 35 Hen. 8. c. 26) enumerates the Welsh counties as twelve in number, omitting Monmouthshire from the count. Monmouthshire was made directly responsible to the courts of Westminster rather than falling under theCourt of Great Sessions in Wales. According to historianJohn Davies, this arrangement was the origin of the belief that the county had been annexed by England rather than remaining part of Wales. Davies disagrees, and says, "Monmouthshire was no less Welsh in language and sentiment than any other eastern county".[12] Moreover the belief that Monmouthshire was somehow specially annexed to England is not consistent with the wording in the Act "That his said Country or Dominion of Wales shall be, stand and continue for ever from henceforth incorporated, united and annexed to and with this his Realm of England", making it clear that the whole of Wales was being "annexed" to England, not just Monmouthshire.[14]
Despite Monmouthshire being a new county, it was given twoknights of the shire in common with existing counties in England, rather than one as in the counties in Wales. The relevant section of the act states that "one Knight shall be chosen and elected to the same Parliaments for every of the Shires ofBrecknock,Radnor,Montgomery andDenbigh, and for every other Shire within the said Country of Dominion of Wales". However, it was given onlyone borough member, like the other Welsh counties (apart fromPembrokeshire which hadtwo Borough members and Merioneth which had none). In ecclesiastical terms, most of the county outside the town of Monmouth itself remained within theDiocese of Llandaff; the town of Monmouth was in thediocese of Hereford, while the parishes ofCwmyoy andLlanthony were in theDiocese of St Davids.[15] In 1549Edward VI granted a Charter to Monmouth which was described as being "in theMarches of Wales". Later writers who described Monmouthshire as being in Wales includedHumphrey Llwyd (History of Cambria, 1568);Thomas Churchyard (Worthiness of Wales, 1587); andMichael Drayton (Poly-Olbion, 1613).[16]
In the late 17th century, underCharles II, Monmouthshire was added to theOxford circuit of the Englishassizes following which, according to the1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, it gradually "came to be regarded as an English county".[15] TheModern Universal British Traveller of 1779 stated: "Monmouthshire was formerly a part of Wales, and continued so till the reign of Charles II, when it was reckoned an English county (as it has been ever since) because the judges then began to keep the assizes here in the Oxford circuit."[17] A later traveller,George Borrow in 1862, wrote: "Monmouthshire is at present considered an English county, though certainly with little reason, for it not only stands on the western side of theWye, but the names of almost all its parishes are Welsh, and many thousands of its population still speak the Welsh language."[18]
Although Wales was legally integrated into England, the word "England" was still taken to exclude Wales in many contexts. TheWales and Berwick Act 1746 ensured that "in all Cases where the Kingdom of England, or that Part of Great Britain called England, hath been or shall be mentioned in any Act of Parliament, the same has been and shall from henceforth be deemed and taken to comprehend and include the Dominion of Wales and Town ofBerwick upon Tweed".
The eastern part of the county is mainly agricultural, while the western valleys had rich mineral resources. This led to the area becoming highly industrialised withcoal mining and iron working being major employers from the 18th century[19] to the late 20th century.
The 1911Encyclopædia Britannica unambiguously described the county as part of England, but notes that "whenever an act [...] is intended to apply to [Wales] alone, then Wales is always coupled with Monmouthshire". However, most Acts of Parliament listed Monmouthshire as part of England; for example, theLocal Government Act 1933 listed both the administrative county of Monmouth and county borough of Newport as part of England. In the rare event that anAct of Parliament was restricted to Wales, Monmouthshire was usually included, in the format "Wales and Monmouthshire"; for example, although theSunday Closing (Wales) Act 1881 did not apply to Monmouthshire, the creation of theWelsh Office in 1965 and theWelsh Language Act 1967 did (although the latter had the paradoxical effect of reinforcing the legal connection of Monmouthshire with England: see next section). TheWelsh Intermediate Education Act 1889 also applied to Monmouthshire.[citation needed] The Sunday Closing Act was also extended to Monmouthshire in 1915 under wartime legislation. In considering the Sunday Closing Act in 1921, Monmouthshire County Council resolved, with only one vote against, to request that the county should be included in Wales for all legislative purposes.[20] Another typical example was the division of England and Wales intoregistration areas in the 19th century — one of which, the "Welsh Division", was defined as including "Monmouthshire,South Wales andNorth Wales".
According toChris Williams ofCardiff University:[21]
The problem with Monmouthshire is that it was located not on, strictly speaking, a national frontier, but within a single political formation. This had been the case since the Acts of Union of 1536 and 1543 which had extended the English system of justice, government and parliamentary representation to the principality of Wales and the March. From the mid-sixteenth century to the early nineteenth century it had not been a matter of very much importance as to whether an England/Wales border could be identified and, if so, where it ran in respect of Monmouthshire. That situation changed in the nineteenth century, as the particular cultural, linguistic and political characteristics of Welsh society emerged as both a problem (for the British state) and as a cause (particularly among Welsh Liberals and nonconformists). Once specific policies (be they considered corrective or emancipating) began to be designed for application to Wales, then the question of Monmouthshire's placement became important.
It has been suggested that the question of the status of Monmouthshire arose in earnest in the 19th century, when some of the local gentry such as theDukes of Beaufort established family seats in England, and many industrialists and others moved into Monmouthshire, particularly in the eastern part of the county. Some of these, and others with "social aspirations", considered it essential to emphasise their "Englishness", and there were attempts to refine the notion that anomalies in the 16th-century legislation had made the county non-Welsh. The distinction implied in the description "Wales and Monmouthshire" was nurtured by elements of the establishment, and became increasingly accepted on the English side of the border and in central government, until the local Welsh residents more fully asserted themselves in the 20th century.[22]
Following theWelsh Church Act 1914, theChurch in Wales was set up in 1920, containing within it the Diocese of Llandaff which included almost all of Monmouthshire. The newDiocese of Monmouth was formed in 1921. InAnglican terms, the area thus came to be treated as part of Wales.
The question of Monmouthshire's status continued to be a matter of discussion, especially as Welsh nationalism and devolution climbed the political agenda in the 20th century. This sometimes led to heated debates inParliament. In 1921 theEarl of Plymouth objected strongly to the inclusion of the county inlegislation forcing the closing ofpublic houses in Wales on Sundays. "I stand as strongly as I can for the privileges of Monmouthshire, to say it is a county of England." He went on to complain that Welsh representatives were imposing the ban "against the will of the people of Monmouthshire".[23] The extension of the legislation to Monmouthshire was confirmed by Parliament despite a petition of over 77,000 names against Sunday closing.[24]
In 1937, theLord Lieutenant of Monmouthshire, SirHenry Mather-Jackson, stated: "Monmouthshire is not in Wales... We are in England, and I am not going to be added to Wales for any purpose whatsoever".[24] During a debate on the Administration of Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill in 1938,Lord Raglan objected to the stipulation that the chairman of the Monmouthshirequarter sessions should be a Welsh-speaker. Raglan stated that "The County of Monmouth is an English county. I do not think that will be disputed.." and he claimed that Welsh nationalists had attempted to convince theLord Chief Justice to move Monmouthshire from the Oxford Circuit to the South Wales Circuit, thereby making it part of Wales in matters of court administration. He alleged that these "persons unconnected with Monmouthshire" had claimed incorrectly that the inhabitants of the county "spoke nothing but Welsh".[25]
In 1948,Monmouthshire County Council was granted acoat of arms with the mottoUtrique fidelis ("Faithful to both"), to reflect the dual loyalties of the area.[24] Increasingly in legislation, "the state was prepared to treat Monmouthshire as if it were part of Wales, even if it was not able to concede that legally it was Welsh."[24] In 1949, Monmouthshire was included within the remit of theCouncil for Wales and Monmouthshire, an appointed body established by the Government to advise on Welsh affairs and a precursor of the Welsh Office.[26] Treating Monmouthshire as part of Wales in legislation occasionally created further anomalies. For example, the Historic Buildings and Ancient Monuments Act 1953 contained the provision that "For the purposes of this Act the administrative county of Monmouth shall be taken to be part of Wales and not part of England."[27] This left the county borough of Newport as part of England but treated the rest of the county as part of Wales.
TheMember of Parliament (MP) forAbertillery,Llywelyn Williams, campaigned to have Monmouthshire unambiguously placed in Wales. Speaking in theHouse of Commons in February 1957 he said "I think that it is about time we dropped this Wales and Monmouthshire business. Apart from a few cranks who search the files of the distant past for some very flimsy tokens of evidence to suggest that Monmouthshire belongs to England, no person acquainted with the county — its history, customs, place names, culture and way of life — would dream of regarding Monmouthshire people as anything but Welsh."[28] Later in the year he askedHenry Brooke,Minister of Housing and Local Government and Welsh Affairs, "whether he will now remove from official documents and records relating to Wales the additional words 'and Monmouthshire', since Monmouthshire is included in the term Wales.". Brooke replied in the negative, as he did not think "such a course would be consistent with various statutory provisions relating to Monmouthshire."[29]
TheLocal Government Commission for Wales established in1958 included Monmouthshire within its review area, and in 1961 proposed merging the area into a new "South East Wales" county.[30] The proposed inclusion of Monmouthshire in Wales infuriated Lord Raglan, by nowLord Lieutenant of the county.[31] In reaction, a "Make Monmouthshire Welsh" campaign was launched in August 1961 to gain parliamentary recognition that the county was in Wales.[32] In November 1961 it was announced that a branch of theRoyal Society of St George was to be formed, emphasising the county's English identity.[33] Another group, the "Monmouthshire is Welsh" society, was formed and was supported by local MPsMichael Foot andLeo Abse.[24] Two years later Monmouth Borough Council made representations to the Minister of Housing and Local Government seeking the transfer of the town to Herefordshire in the event that the reforms were carried out. Signs erected by Monmouthshire County Council welcoming motorists to Wales were defaced or removed.[34] The County Council placed a revised sign at Monmouth stating "Welcome to Wales and Monmouthshire"; first, the words "..and Monmouthshire" were painted over, and then the words "..to Wales" were also obliterated.[35]
TheWelsh Office, established in 1965, included Monmouthshire within its remit. The Wales and Berwick Act was repealed in regard to Wales in 1967 by theWelsh Language Act 1967, which however also continued to use the phrase "Wales and Monmouthshire". TheInterpretation Act 1978 hence provides that in legislation passed between 1967 and 1974, "a reference to England includes Berwick upon Tweed and Monmouthshire".
In 1969George Thomas,Secretary of State for Wales proposed to fully incorporate Monmouthshire into Wales.Lord Raglan (son of the former lord lieutenant), asked the following question in theHouse of Lords: "To ask Her Majesty's Government why they propose to incorporate Monmouthshire into Wales without consulting Monmouthshire's inhabitants." Replying for the government,Baroness Phillips stated that "The purpose of the change is to remove the anomaly arising from the present need to refer to Monmouthshire separately from Wales in Statutes. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State believes that the proposal commands wide support in the county."[36] In April of the following yearPlaid Cymru MPGwynfor Evans asked Thomas "when he proposes to implement his undertaking that the phrase 'Wales and Monmouthshire' " will be dropped." The Secretary of State indicated that it would be after the passing of legislation to reform local government in Wales.[37]
The issue was finally clarified in law by theLocal Government Act 1972, which provided that "in every act passed on or after 1 April 1974, and in every instrument made on or after that date under any enactment (whether before, on or after that date) "Wales", subject to any alterations of boundaries..." included "the administrative county of Monmouthshire and the county borough ofNewport".[38]
Debate on the relevant amendment, Clause 256, took place late on 20 July 1972, with few local MPs present. TheMinister of State,David Gibson-Watt, agreed to a question from George Thomas that "...in future the argument about Monmouthshire being part of Wales is over, and that [his] statement makes it clear that Monmouthshire is part of Wales for good and for ever?"Raymond Gower said that the statement was "quite consistent with the fact that towns with names such as Abergavenny and Llantarnam could not be anything other than Welsh"; it was opposed byGerald Kaufman, who stated: "Am I to take it that an act of annexation of this magnitude is to be carried through a sparsely attended House of Commons on the nod at five minutes to midnight on the same basis as Europe has annexed England? I wish to voice my protest."[39]
The name "Monmouthshire" was revived for one of theprincipal areas created on furtherlocal government reorganisation in 1996. The principal area covers only part of the historic county, which also includedNewport,Torfaen, most ofBlaenau Gwent, and parts ofCaerphilly andCardiff.
Thepreserved county ofGwent, which still exists for some ceremonial purposes, is similar in extent to historic Monmouthshire with the addition of the west bank of theRhymney Valley.
Geographic data related toMonmouthshire (historic) atOpenStreetMap | ||
