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Aesthetics in Port Talbot, West... walesdentists.co.uk | and Therapists guide for West Glamorgan... therapiesguide.co.uk |
For other uses, see Glamorgan (disambiguation).
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire (Welsh: Morgannwg) is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying names and boundaries until taken over by the Normans as a lordship.[3] Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three preserved counties of West Glamorgan, Mid Glamorgan and South Glamorgan. The name also survives in that of the county borough of the Vale of Glamorgan. The county of Glamorgan fell into several distinct regions: the industrial valleys, the agricultural Vale of Glamorgan, and the scenic Gower peninsula. The county was bounded to the north by Brecknockshire, east by Monmouthshire, south by the Bristol Channel, and west by Carmarthenshire and Carmarthen Bay. Its total area was 2,100 km²,[4] and the total population of the three preserved counties of Glamorgan in 1991 was 1,288,309.[5] In 2001 it was around 1.4 million. Glamorgan contained two of the cities of Wales, Cardiff, the country's capital, and Swansea. Its highest point was at Craig y Llyn (600 m). Glamorgan was the most populous[3] and industrialised county in Wales and was once called the 'Crucible of the Industrial Revolution'[6] due to the area housing the world centres of three metalurgical industries,[6] and its rich resources of coal.
[edit] GeographyGlamorgan was an area of three contrasting localities. To the south east lay an area which is coterminous with the modern county of Vale of Glamorgan. A lowland area mainly comprising farmland and small villages, it stretched across most of the south of the county from Porthcawl to the Welsh capital of Cardiff. The lowlands are a quiet underlating countryside which is geographically the best environment for agriculture of the three areas.[7] The lowlands included the settlements of Cardiff, once one of the world's most important ports, Barry, Bridgend, Cowbridge, Penarth and Porthcawl. The northern part of the county was a mountainous area, dissected by deep narrow valleys, with urbanisation typified by ribbon development. During the 19th and 20th centuries the coal industry was dominant, but the last deep mine, Tower Colliery at Hirwaun closed in January 2008.[8] A few small drift mines like Unity Mine, formerly Pentreclwydau South, near Glynneath remain. Major towns in the region included Aberdare, Caerphilly, Pontypridd, Maesteg, Merthyr Tydfil and Mountain Ash. Further west, beyond Swansea, lay the Gower Peninsula, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.[9] Of all the areas, the Gower was the least affected by the industries of the past and the ancient landscape was the least impaired.[7] The highground that runs centrally through the Gower was largely uncultivated commonland and its beaches and rocky coastal headlands showed little signs of the tourist trade[7] which played an increasing role on the local economy. The major settlements of the region included Swansea, one of only five Welsh cities, Neath and Port Talbot. [edit] RiversThe major rivers of Glamorgan included the River Taff, the Ely, the Ogmore, the Neath, Dulais, the Tawe, the Rhymney (which formed the boundary with Monmouthshire), and the Loughor (which formed the boundary with Carmarthenshire). [edit] History[edit] MorgannwgMain article: Glywysing [edit] History 500AD - 1080ADThe region which would later form Morgannwg was founded as an independent petty kingdom named Glywysing, believed to be named after a 5th century Welsh king called Glywys. In the 10th century, it became known as Morgannwg after its greatest monarch, Morgan Hen. It was at times united with the neighbouring kingdoms of Gwent and Ergyng.[10] By virtue of its location and geography, Morgannwg was the second part of Wales, after Gwent, to fall under the control of the Normans and was frequently the scene of fighting between the Marcher Lords and Welsh princes.[11] [edit] Buildings of note 500AD - 1080ADThe earliest buildings of note included earthwork dykes and rudimentary motte and bailey hillside defences. All that remains of these fortifications are foundations that leave archaeological evidence of their existence, though many were built upon to create more permanent defensive structures. The earliest surviving structures within the region are early stone monuments, waypoints and grave markers dating between the 5th and 7th century, with many being moved from their original position to sheltered locations for protection.[12] The most notable of the early stone markers still in its original place is on a high mountain ridge at Gelligaer.[12] Of the later plaitwork patterned standing crosses the finest and best preserved is the 9th century 'Houelt' stone at Llantwit Major.[13] [edit] Kingdom of Glamorgan[edit] History 1080AD - 1536ADThe Lordship of Glamorgan was established by Robert Fitzhamon following the defeat of Iestyn ap Gwrgant in the 1080s.[14] The Lordship of Morgannwg was split after it was conquered, the Kingdom of Glamorgan had as its caput the town of Cardiff and took in the lands from the River Tawe to the River Rhymney.[14] The Lordship took in four of the Welsh cantrefi, Gorfynydd, Penychen, Senghenydd and Gwynllwg. The area later known as the Gower Peninsula was not under the Lordship of Glamorgan, and became the Gower Lordship which had previously been the cantref of Gŵyr. The lowlands of the Lordship of Glamorgan were manorialized, while much of the sparsley populated uplands were left under Welsh control until the late 13th century.[14] Upon the death of William, Lord of Glamorgan, his extensive holdings were eventually granted to Gilbert de Clare in 1217.[15] The subjugation of Glamorgan, begun by Fitzhamon, was finally completed by the powerful De Clare family,[16] and in 1486 the kingdom was granted to Jasper Tudor.[14] [edit] Buildings of note 1080AD - 1536ADThe legacy of the Marcher Lords left the area scattered with historic buildings including Norman castles, Cistercian Abbeys, churches and Medieval monuments. Kingdom of Glamorgan was also noteable for the number of castles built during the time of the Marcher Lords, many surviving to the present day though many are now ruinous. Of the castles built during the Medieval period, those still standing above foundation level include, Caerphilly Castle, Cardiff Castle, St Quintins Castle, Coity Castle, Neath Castle and Oystermouth Castle. Many of the castles within Morgannwg were attacked by the forces lead by Owain Glyndŵr during the Welsh Revolt of 1400-1415, some were captured and several were damaged to such an extent they were never maintained as defences again. When the Diocese of Llandaff became incorporated into the Province of Canterbury, the Bishop of Llandaff rebuilt over the small church with the beginnings of Llandaff Cathedral in 1120.[17] In the western region of Morgannwg two monastic foundations were sited, a Savigniac house in Neath in 1130 and the Cistercian Margam Abbey in 1147.[17] In the Vale a Benedictine monastry was founded in 1141, Ewenny Priory, a community under the patronage of St. Peter's Gloucester. The building of parish churches also began in the 12th century, densley in the Vale, but very sparsely in the upland and northern areas. [edit] County of Glamorgan[edit] History 1536AD - 1800ADAfter the Laws in Wales Acts of 1535, the County of Glamorgan was formed; but the area that had previously been the cantef of Gwynllwg was lost to Monmouthshire, while the Lordship of Gower and the Lordship of Kilvey were brought under the county's boundries. [edit] AdministrationAfter the fall of the Welsh Kingdom of Morgannwg to Robert FitzHamon in 1091, the region became the English Lordship of Glamorgan, sometimes called the Lordship of Glamorgan and Morgan because it was divided into the Norman settled Plain or Vale of Glamorgan and the Welsh upland area called Morgannwg, anglicized to Morgan. Both areas were under the control of the Norman Lords of Glamorgan (often the Earls of Gloucester).[11] As well as building a military and defensive network, the Normans also undertook an ecclesiastical reorganisation on Glamorgan.[17] In Llandaff there was a small monastic community based around a small church; which was made the headquarters of the diocese, incorporated into the Province of Canterbury. The Diocese of Llandaff covered almost the entirity of Glamorgan[17] and continued throughout the history of the county of Glamorgan, and through to modern times. In 1535, the first Act of Union attached the Lordship of Gower and Kilvey to Glamorgan and created the historic county of Glamorgan.[18]. An administrative county of Glamorgan was created under the Local Government Act 1888, excluding Swansea and Cardiff, which were independent county boroughs. They were soon joined by Merthyr Tydfil.[19] The first chairman of the County Council was Henry Vivian, 1st Baron Swansea.[20] The county council's coat of arms, granted in 1950, was: Or, three chevronels gules between as many Tudor roses barbed and seeded proper. The red chevronels on a gold shield were the arms of the De Clare Marcher Lords, while the roses recorded the shiring of Glamorgan by Henry VIII. The crest above the shield was a Welsh dragon rising from flames, symbolising the revival of the county's industry following a period of economic depression. The dragon supported a flag bearing a clarion from the arms of the De Granville family, lords of Neath. The supporters of the arms were a coalminer and a steel worker. The motto adopted by the county council: A Ddioddefws A Orfu or "He Who suffered, conquered" was that of the lineage of Iestyn ap Gwrgant, and was considered appropriate to an area whose wealth depended on great hardship.[21][22] Under the Local Government Act 1972, the county and administrative county of Glamorgan was abolished on April 1, 1974, with three new counties being established, each containing a former county borough - West Glamorgan, Mid Glamorgan, South Glamorgan. It has now been further subdivided into several unitary authorities. The South Wales Police force covers an area that is similar to Glamorgan.[23] [edit] Places of interestPlaces of special interest include:
[edit] See also[edit] Notes
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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