I.

Introduction

Monmouthshire (Welsh, Sir Fynwy), unitary authority and county, south-eastern Wales, bounded on the north-east and east by the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire respectively, on the south by the estuary of the River Severn, on the west by the unitary authorities of Newport, Torfaen, and Blaenau Gwent, and on the north-west by the county of Powys. It was created with its present boundaries on April 1, 1996, and bears the same name as the county of Monmouthshire, which existed from 1536 until 1974. In that year, under local government reforms, Monmouthshire was reconstituted as the county of Gwent, apart from a small area in the south-west which was incorporated into South Glamorgan. The new county of Monmouthshire was established as a unitary authority under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1994, which changed the structure of local government in Wales from a two-tier system of county and district councils to a single-tier system of unitary authorities. Its boundaries are the same as those of the former district of Monmouth, which comprised the eastern half of the county of Gwent, with the addition, in the north-west of the county, of the small area of Llanelly, previously in the district of Blaenau Gwent. Monmouthshire has an area of 851 sq km (329 sq mi).

II.

Land and Resources

Monmouthshire has a varied topography. In the south, along the Severn estuary, is a lowland region where mud and gravel has been deposited. Undulating country with dark red soils rises through hills to the Black Mountains in the north-west, the highest points in the county are Sugarloaf (597 m/1,955 ft), Blorenge (560 m/1,833 ft), and Ysgyryd Fawr (487 m/1,596 ft). About 147 sq km (57 sq mi) of this part of the county is within the Brecon Beacons National Park. To the east of the Black Mountains, the hill country forms the Trelleck Plateau, while in the east is the spectacular valley of the River Wye, which forms the border with Gloucestershire. The other main rivers are the Monnow, which joins the Wye at Monmouth, and, in the west of the county, the Usk.

The southern coastal plain generally resembles a Dutch landscape, with few hedges and water-filled ditches that act as field boundaries. Along the coast bordering the Severn estuary, a stretch of land 2 to 5 km (1 to 3 mi) wide and only a few metres above sea level runs some 19 km (12 mi) from Portskewett to the border with Newport county borough; from there the coastal lowland runs another 20 km (12.4 mi) to the outskirts of Cardiff. It is protected by a huge sea wall and drainage ditches; naturally marshy, this area was first drained by the Romans, who built the original sea wall.

The climate is moderate. Temperatures average 3° C (37° F) in January and 21° C (70° F) in July. Average annual rainfall is in the region of 1,000 to 1,500 mm (40 to 60 in).

III.

Population and Administration

The population of Monmouthshire is 84,879 (2001). Because of the region's history, many inhabitants identify with England and the proportion of those able to speak Welsh (see Celtic Languages), at nearly 13 per cent, is the lowest in Wales. Nearly half the county's population lives in the four principal towns of Abergavenny (Welsh, Y-Fenni, population, 1991, 14,092), Caldicot (1991, 12,153), Chepstow (1991, 9,461), and Monmouth (1991, 7,246). The rural areas are sparsely populated. The administrative headquarters are currently in Cwmbrân, the first new town in Wales. Also the administrative headquarters of the former county of Gwent, Cwmbrân is located outside the county boundaries, in the unitary authority of Torfaen.

The police authority is the Gwent Constabulary which has its headquarters in Cwmbrân.

IV.

Places of Interest

The remains of one of the few Roman towns to be built in Wales can be seen at Caerwent, a short distance north of Caldicot. Some 13 km (8 mi) south of Monmouth, and overlooking the Wye Valley, are the impressive remains of Tintern Abbey, a monastery that was founded in the 12th century and rebuilt in the 13th century. In Monmouth itself is the ruined castle in which the English king Henry V was born in 1387; next to it stands the Great Castle House, the construction of which began in 1673. Some 10 km (6 mi) south-west of Monmouth are the ruins of Raglan Castle, a 15th-century moated fortress; the surrender of the castle in 1646 marked the end of Royalist resistance in Wales to the Parliamentary forces during the English Civil War. Abergavenny attracts many visitors to its ancient, narrow streets; it is also a base for visitors to the adjacent Black Mountains and Brecon Beacons. Offa's Dyke Path runs through the county from the north-west to Monmouth, and then southwards to Chepstow. Chepstow has a racecourse that is the venue of the Welsh Grand National. The Wye Valley has been designated by the Countryside Agency as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

V.

Economy

Monmouthshire's service industries employ a very high proportion of the workforce, but manufacturing has started to move into the county, whose fertile soils made it historically, primarily a farming area. Agriculture still plays a role in the economy, as does mineral extraction, but the numbers employed in these sectors amount to little more than 5 per cent of the workforce. Market gardening and dairying continue in the lowlands of the south, and there are sheep farms on the uplands. Forestry, mixed farming, and beef farming all also contribute to the county's economy. Tourism is of growing importance.

VI.

History

The Romans conquered this part of Wales during the 1st century ad, establishing a major military base at Caerleon (now in the unitary authority of Newport), and building the town of Venta Silurum at Caerwent. After the departure of the Romans in about ad 400, the area formed part of the Welsh kingdom of Gwent. The local people resisted Saxon invasions so fiercely that it was not until the 11th century that English settlements were established there. The Normans conquered the region in the late 1060s and built castles at Abergavenny, Caerleon, Chepstow, Monmouth, and Usk.

At that time, part of the area came under the control of the Earl of Hereford, and was considered to be English, while the rest of the territory remained Welsh. Under the Act of Union of 1536 Gwent was granted county status and renamed Monmouthshire, but although the Act did not specifically separate the county from Wales, it was regarded as within the jurisdiction of the English courts from that date until 1830. The county supported the Royalist cause during the English Civil War, but was taken by Parliamentary forces in 1646.