Montgomeryshire
Montgomeryshire Sir Drefaldwyn (Welsh) | |
---|---|
Area | |
• 1831 | 483,323 acres (1,955.94 km2) |
Population | |
• 1831 | 66,482[1] |
Density | |
• 1831 | 0.1/acre |
History | |
• Succeeded by | Powys |
Chapman code | MGY |
Government | Montgomeryshire County Council (1889–1974) Montgomeryshire District Council (1974–1996) |
• HQ | Montgomery |
Until 1974, Montgomeryshire (
The area of what was Montgomeryshire, now constitutes the northern part of the principal area of Powys. The current area was 2,174 square km (839 square miles).
The largest town was Newtown, followed by Welshpool and Llanidloes.
History
The Treaty of Montgomery was signed on 29 September 1267, in the town of Montgomery, which had recently been established as an English incursion on the Welsh side of the border, to control a strategic border crossing. The surrounding region (on the Welsh side of the border) otherwise comprised the mediaeval principality of Powys Wenwynwyn, the southern of the two states into which the Kingdom of Powys had been divided a century before.
Attacks by
With the introduction of the
- Y Fyrnwy (commotes of Mochnant Uwch Rhaeadr, Mechain Is Coed and Llanerch Hudol)
- Llyswynaf (commotes of Caereinion and Mechain Uwch Coed)
- Ystlyg (commotes of Deuddwr, Ystrad Marchell and Y Gorddwr Isaf)
- Cedewain (commotes of Cynan, Cyfeiliog and Mawddwy)
- Arwystli (commotes of Arwystli Is Coed and Arwystli Uwch Coed)
In addition, for practical reasons, Montgomeryshire gained the commote of Ceri, which had formed a northwards spur of the less organised region Between Wye and Severn; most of the rest of the latter region became Radnorshire.
Montgomeryshire was bordered, to the north, by Denbighshire, to the east and south east by Shropshire, to the south by Radnorshire, to the south west by Cardiganshire, and to the west and north west by Merionethshire. When, in subsequent centuries, the concept of Wales was once again officially distinguished from England, all of these counties were deemed Welsh, except for Shropshire. Montgomeryshire was the birthplace of Welsh Catholic martyr
Local government
Elected county councils were established in
In 1931 the county council opened a new headquarters building in Welshpool, called the Montgomeryshire County Offices or Neuadd Maldwyn. The county council remained based at Neuadd Maldwyn until its abolition in 1974.[7][8]
Local government reforms in 1974 combined the administrative areas of Montgomeryshire,
Further local government reform in 1996 abolished district councils in Wales, making Powys a unitary authority. From 1996 until 2018 Powys County Council had a Montgomeryshire area committee covering the former Montgomeryshire district plus three communities formerly in the Glyndŵr district of Clwyd (historically Denbighshire) which were transferred to Powys in 1996.[10] The three area committees for the former counties were abolished in 2018.[11]
Geography
The area of what was Montogmeryshire was almost wholly mountainous, although there are some fertile valleys in the east. The highest point (county top) was Moel Sych at 826.7 metres (2,712 ft), whose summit lies at the triple county boundary point of Montgomeryshire, Denbighshire and Merionethshire in the Berwyn Mountains. The county top of Denbighshire, Cadair Berwyn at 832 metres (2,730 ft), was less than a kilometre away. Its main rivers were the River Severn (which flows east into Shropshire) and the River Dyfi (which flows west into the Irish Sea). Lake Vyrnwy is a reservoir supplying Liverpool.
The main towns were
The county flower of Montgomeryshire remains the
Transport
Montgomeryshire was crossed from East to West by the Cambrian Line, a mainline passenger railway which runs between Shrewsbury and Aberystwyth as well as Pwllheli with stations at Welshpool, Newtown, Caersws and Machynlleth.
The Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway links Welshpool to Llanfair Caereinion.
Places of special interest
- Bryntail lead mine buildings near Llanidloes
- Llwyngwernnear Machynlleth
- The Museum of Modern Art, Wales (MOMA) in Machynlleth
- Dolforwyn Castle near Abermule
- Montgomery Castle in Montgomery
- The Old Bell Museum in Montgomery
- Powis Castle near Welshpool
- The Robert Owen Museum in Newtown
- Tumuli
- Mathrafal — the seat of the Welsh kings and princes of Powys
- Meifod
- Offa's Dyke
Legacy
Politics
Montgomeryshire's name is used in the constituencies that represent the same area today:
- Montgomeryshire (UK Parliament constituency), a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Montgomeryshire (Senedd constituency), a constituency of the Senedd (Welsh Parliament; Welsh: Senedd Cymru, formerly the National Assembly for Wales).
See also
- Townships in Montgomeryshire
- Local government in Wales
- History of Wales
- List of Lord Lieutenants of Montgomeryshire
- List of High Sheriffs of Montgomeryshire
References
- ^ Vision of Britain – 1831 Census
- ^ Cathrall, William (1828). The History of North Wales Volume II. Manchester. p. 290.
- ^ National Gazetteer of Wales, 1868.
- ^ "Welsh items". Aberystwith Observer. Aberystwyth: National Library of Wales. 9 February 1889. p. 4. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
- ^ "North Wales County Councils: First Meetings - Montgomeryshire". Carnarvon and Denbigh Herald. Caernarfon: National Library of Wales. 5 April 1889. p. 7. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
- ^ "The Flannel Exchange". Discover Newtown. Newtown Town Council. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
- ^ Vaughan-Thomas and Llewelyn, p. 339
- ^ "Welshpool's Neuadd Maldwyn redevelopment to cost £11.6m". Powys County Times. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "No. 47656". The London Gazette. 3 October 1978. p. 11786.
- ^ "Local Government (Wales) Act 1994", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1994 c. 19, retrieved 29 September 2022
- ^ Hearn, Elgan (1 February 2018). "Montgomeryshire, Radnorshire, Brecknockshire abolished as shire committees are consigned to history". Powys County Times. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
External links
- Map of Montgomeryshire on Wikishire