Traditional counties of Wales

Wales has thirteen traditional counties (or vice counties). They serve many cultural and geographic roles and were also the basis of local government in Wales from 1888 until 1974. Since then, local government has moved away from using traditional counties as the basis of administrative areas, creating eight administrative counties for administrative purposes. These in turn were replaced in 1996, by the current counties and county boroughs of Wales. The traditional counties, however, have remained the same throughout these administrative changes.

The vice counties are always used for biological recording to this day. This makes it easier to make comparisons in the biodiversity of different parts of Wales over time.

The area of Monmouthshire was not legally part of Wales until 1974, although it was usually paired with it.

There is a minor dispute as to which of two sets of borders of the traditional counties of Wales is true and valid: see Traditional counties of England for more detail. The dispute derives from an 1844 Act of Parliament that purported to abolish several enclaves.

One of these, Welsh Bicknor was an enclave of Monmouthshire between Gloucestershire and Herefordshire and thus geographically in England.

The exclave of Flintshire, called Maelor Saesneg (English Maelor) was left untouched however.

The counties

1. These counties originate in 1282, following King Edward I's conquest.
2. These counties originate in 1535, with the Laws in Wales Act, 1535, converting the remaining Marcher Lordships into counties. This act was fully repealed in 1993.

Background

The historian William Rees says, in his "Historical Atlas of Wales": (published 1959) "... the boundaries of the modern shires have largely been determined by the ancient divisions of the country. The survival of these ancient local divisions within the pattern of historical change constitutes a vital element in the framework of the national life and helps to preserve its continuity."

The British Broadcasting Corporation, in an article about the Shiring of Wales, says: "Along the border, districts which had long been associated with Wales were added to the counties of Shropshire and Herefordshire."

External links

• The National Gazetteer of Wales
• The Association of British Counties
• BBC History page about the Shiring of Wales
• Named map of the counties of england and Wales

See also

Traditional counties of Scotland, Traditional counties of England, Association of British Counties