Carmarthenshire

The main industry in Carmarthenshire is agriculture. Sheep and hardy cattle are raised in the mountains and valleys of the north; dairy farming is carried out in the Vale of Towy. Salmon fishing on the Towy, which used to be of importance, has declined. Anthracite and hard coal are mined north of Llanelli, on the extension of the south Wales coalfield. The mine at Betws near Ammanford was privatized in 1994. Industries in Llanelli include the manufacture of bathroom and houseware goods, and of beer, chemicals, plastics, rubber vehicle parts, piano and organ keyboards, and women's clothing; the aerospace industry also has a base in Llanelli.

There are numerous relics in Carmarthenshire of prehistoric and Roman occupation. The Romans built roads and a fortification called Maridunum, which later became known as Caerfyrddin, and eventually as Carmarthen. The Normans arrived in 1080, and built castles at Carmarthen, Kidwelly, Llanstephan, and Laugharne. Edward I of England created the county of Carmarthenshire in 1284, and its boundaries were extended under Henry VIII. In the meantime it had become the Welsh centre of the wool trade. The people of the county were strong supporters of the nationalist leader Owen Glendower (Owain Glyn Dŵr) at the time of his rebellion against English rule at the beginning of the 15th century. It was at Abergwili that Bishop Richard Davies produced the first translation into Welsh of the Bible and the Prayer Book, and religious revivals in the 17th and 18th centuries originated in the county. The Vicar of Llanddowror, Griffith Jones, was the founder of the Welsh circulating charity schools. In the mid-19th century Carmarthenshire was closely involved in the Rebecca Riots, which were a response to economic recessions and the high road tolls that discouraged trade. Beginning in 1839, men dressed as women attacked the toll-booths that collected the money from road users. The disturbances finally came to a halt in 1844.