1.
Administrative divisions of Wales
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For local government purposes, Wales has since 1 April 1996 been divided into 22 single-tier principal areas. The elected councils of these areas are responsible for the provision of all government services, including education, social work, environmental protection. Below these there are also elected community councils to which responsibility for specific aspects of the application of local policy may be devolved. The Queen appoints a Lord Lieutenant to represent her in each of the eight preserved counties of Wales, subdivisions of Wales created for such purposes as the provision of police and emergency services and the organization of the National Health Service are made up of combinations of principal areas. There are six cities in total in Wales, in addition to the three areas with city status, the communities of Bangor, St Davids and St Asaph also have the status. City status is granted by letters patent, the status was, however, not officially recognised for many years. When city status was restored to St Davids in 1994, St Asaph town council submitted a petition for the same purpose, the petition was refused as, unlike St Davids, there was no evidence of any charter or letters patent in the past conferring the status. Applications for city status in competitions in 2000 and 2002 were unsuccessful, There are 22 principal areas in Wales. They came into being on 1 April 1996 by virtue of the Local Government Act 1994, eleven are named as counties, including the Cities and Counties of Cardiff and Swansea, and eleven are styled as county boroughs. In 2002 Newport was granted city status, and the county borough is now styled as the City of Newport, Welsh language forms are given in parentheses, except where there is no English equivalent. Locations of each council headquarters are indicated by yellow markers, the current names of certain unitary authority areas are different from those specified in the Local Government Act 1994. Elections planned for 2012 were delayed until 2013, the historic counties of Wales are ancient subdivisions of Wales, used for various functions for several hundred years. The oldest date from 1138 By 1066 the whole of England had been divided into counties, the first counties, Cardiganshire and Carmarthenshire, were established in the 1240s. In 1284 the Principality of Gwynedd was divided into three counties, Anglesey, Caernarvonshire and Merionethshire and this can be regarded as an arrangement imposed on Wales by the English during the last years of Prince Llywelyn II. Before the end of the century, Flintshire had also become a county, the formation of counties was completed under the Act of Union 1536, which created Pembrokeshire, Montgomeryshire, Denbighshire, Radnorshire, Glamorganshire, Brecknockshire and Monmouthshire. These 13 counties were the main subdivisions of Wales from 1889 until the implementation in 1974 of the Local Government Act 1972. At the lowest level of subdivision in Wales are the communities. They may have elected community councils which perform a number of roles, such as providing local facilities, community councils are the equivalent of English parish councils
2.
Caernarfon
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Caernarfon is a royal town, community, and port in Gwynedd, Wales, with a population of 9,615. It lies along the A487 road, on the shore of the Menai Strait. The city of Bangor is 8.6 miles to the north-east, Carnarvon and Caernarvon are Anglicised spellings that were superseded in 1926 and 1974, respectively. The villages of Bontnewydd and Caeathro are close by, abundant natural resources in and around the Menai Straits enabled human habitation in prehistoric Britain. The Ordovices, a Celtic tribe, lived in the region during the known as Roman Britain. The Roman fort Segontium was established around AD80 to subjugate the Ordovices during the Roman conquest of Britain, the Romans occupied the region until the end of Roman rule in Britain in 382, after which Caernarfon became part of the Kingdom of Gwynedd. In the late 11th century, William the Conqueror ordered the construction of a castle at Caernarfon as part of the Norman invasion of Wales. He was unsuccessful, and Wales remained independent until around 1283, in the 13th century, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, ruler of Gwynedd, refused to pay homage to Edward I of England, prompting the English conquest of Gwynedd. This was followed by the construction of Caernarfon Castle, one of the largest and most imposing fortifications built by the English in Wales. The ascent of the House of Tudor to the throne of England eased hostilities between the English and resulted in Caernarfon Castle falling into a state of disrepair. The city has flourished, leading to its status as a major tourist centre and seat of Gwynedd Council, with a thriving harbour, Caernarfon has expanded beyond its medieval walls and experienced heavy suburbanisation. Its population includes the largest percentage of Welsh-speaking citizens anywhere in Wales, the status of Royal Borough was granted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1963 and amended to Royal Town in 1974. The castle and town walls are part of a World Heritage Site described as the Castles, the present city of Caernarfon grew up around and owes its name to its Norman and Edwardian fortifications. The earlier British and Romano-British settlement at Segontium was named for the nearby Afon Seiont, the work states that the inscribed tomb of Constantius the Emperor was still present in the 9th century. The medieval romance about Maximus and Elen, Macsens Dream, calls her home Caer Aber Sein, the Norman motte was erected apart from the existing settlement and came to be known as y gaer yn Arfon, the fortress in Arfon. A1221 charter by Llywelyn the Great to the canons of Penmon priory on Anglesey mentions Kaerinarfon, in 1283, King Edward I completed his conquest of Wales which he secured by a chain of castles and walled towns. The construction of a new stone Caernarfon Castle seems to have started as soon as the campaign had finished, edwards architect, James of St. George, may well have modelled the castle on the walls of Constantinople, possibly being aware of the towns legendary associations. Edwards fourth son, Edward of Caernarfon, later Edward II of England, was born at the castle in April 1284, Caernarfon was constituted a borough in 1284 by charter of Edward I
3.
Bangor, Gwynedd
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Bangor is a city in Gwynedd unitary authority, north west Wales, and one of the smallest cities in the United Kingdom. It is the oldest city in Wales, historically in Caernarfonshire, it is a university city with a population of 18,808 at the 2011 census, including around 10,500 students at Bangor University and including Pentir community. It is one of six places classed as a city in Wales. According to the 2001 census,46. 6% of the non-student resident population speak Welsh, which is low for Gwynedd but despite this, the language keeps a high profile in the city. The origins of the city back to the founding of a monastic establishment on the site of Bangor Cathedral by the Celtic saint Deiniol in the early 6th century AD. Bangor itself is an old Welsh word for a wattled enclosure, the present cathedral is a somewhat more recent building and has been extensively modified throughout the centuries. While the building itself is not the oldest, and certainly not the biggest, another claim to fame is that Bangor allegedly has the longest High Street in Wales and the United Kingdom. Friars School was founded as a grammar school in 1557. In 1877, the former HMS Clio became a ship, moored on the Menai Strait at Bangor. Closed after the end of hostilities of World War I, she was sold for scrap, during World War II, parts of the BBC evacuated to Bangor during the worst of the Blitz. Bangor lies on the coast of North Wales near the Menai Strait which separates the island of Anglesey from Gwynedd unitary authority, the combined population of the two amounts to 22,184 people. Bangor Mountain lies to the east of the part of the city. Bangor Mountain casts a shadow across the High Street, Glan Adda and Hirael areas, another ridge rises to the north of the High Street, dividing the city centre from the south shore of the Menai Strait, this area is known as Upper Bangor. Bangor has two rivers within its boundaries, Port Penrhyn was an important port in the 19th century, exporting the slates produced at the Penrhyn Quarry. Bangor lies at the end of the North Wales Path. It is also on routes 5,8 and 85 of the National Cycle Network, Bangor railway station, which serves the city, is located on the North Wales Coast Line from Crewe and Chester to Holyhead. The A55 runs immediately to the south of Bangor, providing transport to Holyhead in the west. The nearest airport with international flights is Liverpool John Lennon Airport,83 miles away by road, classical music is performed regularly in Bangor, with concerts given in the Powis and Prichard-Jones Halls as part of the universitys Music at Bangor concert series
4.
MPs elected in the UK general election, 2010
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The fifty-fifth Parliament of the United Kingdom was the legislature of the United Kingdom following the 2010 general election of Members of Parliament to the House of Commons. Parliament, which consists of the House of Lords and the elected House of Commons, was convened on 25 May 2010 at the Palace of Westminster by Queen Elizabeth II. It was dissolved at the beginning of 30 March 2015, being 25 working days ahead of the 2015 general election on 7 May 2015, the election saw each of Parliaments 650 constituencies return one MP to the House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by David Cameron, became the single largest party and this resulted in a hung parliament. A coalition agreement was formed following negotiations with the Liberal Democrats. John Bercow resumed his role as Speaker of the House of Commons, in September 2010, Ed Miliband won a Labour Party leadership vote to succeed Gordon Brown as permanent Leader of the Opposition. In the House of Lords, Baroness Hayman resumed her role as Lord Speaker until the end of her term in 2011. Peers elected former Crossbencher Baroness DSouza to replace her, from the start of this Parliament the Lords were led by Lord Strathclyde without an absolute majority on his Conservative benches. In January 2013 he stood down and was succeeded by Lord Hill of Oareford, Sinn Féin did not take its seats. The following table is a list of MPs elected, ordered by constituency, names of incumbents are listed where they stood for re-election, for details of defeated new candidates and the incumbent who stood down in those cases see individual constituency articles. After the general election, changes can occur in the composition of the House of Commons and this happens as a result of the election of Deputy Speakers, by-elections, defections, suspensions or removal of whip. This resulted in a reduction of the government majority from eighty-three to seventy-three. Both Respect and UKIP were previously unrepresented in the fifty-fifth Parliament and this was the first time that candidates standing for UKIP had been elected to the House of Commons. Although Deputy Speakers do not resign from their parties, they cease to vote, lindsay Hoyle was elected Chairman of Ways and Means. Nigel Evans was elected First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means, dawn Primarolo was elected Second Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means. Eleanor Laing was elected First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means on 16 October 2013, by-elections are held for seats that become vacant. If a vacancy is created within a period of time before the next general election, then a by-election may not be held. Phil Woolas had his result in the election declared null and void on 5 November 2010
5.
Members of the National Assembly for Wales
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The National Assembly for Wales is composed of 60 members known as AMs or Assembly Members. Forty are chosen to represent each individual constituency, and 20 are chosen to represent the five regions of Wales, each person in Wales is represented by five AMs – one AM for their constituency, and another four AMs covering their region. Wales five regions are, Mid and West Wales, North Wales, South Wales Central, South Wales East and this additional member system produces a form of proportional representation for each region. All AMs positions become vacant for elections held on a four-year cycle. A constituency vacancy may be filled by a by-election, an additional-member vacancy may be filled by the next available candidate on the relevant party list
6.
Dafydd Elis Thomas
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Dafydd Elis-Thomas, Baron Elis-Thomas, PC is a Welsh politician, representing the Dwyfor Meirionnydd constituency in the National Assembly for Wales. Born in Carmarthen, Wales, he was raised in Ceredigion and he is a member of the House of Lords, a former leader of Plaid Cymru, and, since 2004, a privy counsellor. On 14 October 2016 he left the party in order to support the Welsh Government, Thomas was born on 18 October 1946 at Priory Hospital, Carmarthen, and brought up in the Llandysul area of Ceredigion, and in Llanrwst in the Conwy Valley. In 1970, he married Elen Williams and had three sons, from the mid-1980s until 1992 his partner was Marjorie Thompson, the chairwoman of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. In 1993, he married Mair Parry Jones and he lives in Llandaff, Cardiff and Betws-y-Coed. He was also a director and vice-chairman of Cynefin Environmental Ltd. between 1992 and 1999, a former university lecturer, he has also been the president of Bangor University since 2000, as well as currently being a member of the governing body of the Church in Wales. He was made a peer in 1992, and changed his surname from Thomas to Elis-Thomas by deed poll, enabling him to take the title Baron Elis-Thomas. He also held the position of Presiding Officer since the Assemblys inception in 1999 until 2011, Elis-Thomas was Plaid Cymrus spokesperson for Environment, Energy and Planning from 2011, transferring to Rural Affairs, Fisheries and Food in 2012. Elis-Thomas is Honorary President of the anti-fascist organisation Searchlight Cymru, in October 2016 he left Plaid Cymru, but remained in the Assembly as an Independent member. In December 2004 Lord Elis-Thomas asked Leanne Wood to leave the chamber for referring to the Queen as Mrs Windsor during a debate, Wood was the first assembly member to be ordered out of the chamber on those grounds. National Assembly for Wales Member profile Hansard 1803–2005, contributions in Parliament by Dafydd Elis-Thomas
7.
Llyr Huws Gruffydd
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Llŷr Huws Gruffydd, is a Welsh Plaid Cymru politician, and a Member of the Welsh Assembly for the North Wales region. Gruffydd attended Bro Myrddin Welsh Comprehensive School and Aberystwyth University and he started his career as a youth worker, becoming Senior Development Officer with the Wales Youth Agency and the chief officer for the Council for Wales of Voluntary Youth Services. He was elected to Carmarthen Town Council in 1995 and was Mayor in 2001-02 and he lives near Ruthin in Denbighshire and, until his election as AM, worked in the Netherlands as the Wales Communications Officer for the National Trust. He was previously a manager with the development company, Menter a Busnes. From 1999 to 2003 Gruffydd worked as a researcher and press officer for Plaids Members of the European Parliament, Jill Evans MEP and Eurig Wyn MEP. He was also national campaign co-ordinator for Dafydd Wigley, in the run-up to the 1999 National Assembly elections and he was Plaid Cymrus Assembly candidate for Carmarthen West & South Pembrokeshire in 2003 when he came within 400 votes of taking the seat from Christine Gwyther AM. Llyr Huws Gruffydd, profile at the site of Plaid Cymru official site
8.
Member of the European Parliament
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A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament was first established, MEPs were directly appointed by the governments of states from among those already sitting in their own national parliaments. Since 1979, however, MEPs have been elected by universal suffrage. Each member state establishes its own method for electing MEPs – and in some states this has changed over time –, in some member states the MEPs are elected to represent a single national constituency, in others they are elected from sub-national regions. For a list of current MEPs, see Members of the European Parliament 2014–2019, from 1 January 2007, when Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU, there were 785 MEPs, but their number was reduced to 736 at the elections in 2009. With effect from the elections held in May 2014 the number has risen again and now stands at 751, with member state having at least six. Elections are held every five years, on the basis of universal adult suffrage. The electoral area may be subdivided if this will not generally affect the nature of the voting system. Any election threshold on the level must not exceed five percent. As the number of MEPs granted to each state has arisen from treaty negotiations. No change in this configuration can occur without the consent of all national governments. The most recent elections to the European Parliament were the European elections of 2014 and they were the largest simultaneous transnational elections ever held anywhere in the world, since nearly 500 million citizens were eligible to vote. The European Parliament has a turnover of members compared to some national parliaments. For instance, after the 2004 elections, the majority of elected members had not been members in the parliamentary session. Only one has served continuously since the first elections in 1979, MEPs are organised into seven different cross-nationality political groups, except the 15 non-attached members known as non-inscrits. The two largest groups are the European Peoples Party and the Socialists & Democrats and these two groups have dominated the Parliament for much of its life, continuously holding between 50 and 70 percent of the seats together. No single group has held a majority in Parliament. Although, the European groups, between 2004 and 2009, were more cohesive than their US counterparts
9.
European Parliament election, 2009 (UK)
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The European Parliament election was the United Kingdoms component of the 2009 European Parliament election, the voting for which was held on Thursday 4 June 2009. The election was held concurrently with the 2009 local elections in England, in total,72 Members of the European Parliament were elected from the United Kingdom using proportional representation. This was the first time in British electoral history that a party in government had been outpolled in an election by a party with no representation in the House of Commons. The BNP also won two seats, its first ever in a nationwide election and it was the Democratic Unionist Partys worst ever European election result, and also the first time an Irish Republican party, Sinn Féin, topped the poll in Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom elected 72 Members of the European Parliament using proportional representation, the United Kingdom was divided into twelve multi-member constituencies. The eleven of these regions which form Great Britain used a closed-list party list system method of proportional representation, Northern Ireland used the Single Transferable Vote. The experimental use of all-postal ballots in four regions in 2004 was not repeated, as has been the case since 1999, the electoral constituencies were based on the governments nine English regions, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, creating a total of 12 constituencies. If the Lisbon Treaty had entered into force by June 2009 this figure would have been 73, the recommended changes were approved by the Parliament of the United Kingdom in 2008. Changes in regional seat allocations 1Includes Gibraltar, the only British overseas territory which is part of the EU, robert Kilroy-Silk – Former UKIP MEP, created new party Veritas. Ashley Mote – Former UKIP MEP, expelled for fraud for which he was later jailed. Tom Wise – Former UKIP MEP, expelled for fraud for which he was later jailed. In the run up to the election, several polling organisations carried out opinion polling in regards to voting intentions in Great Britain. Results of such polls are displayed below, comRes, ICM, Populus and YouGov are members of the British Polling Council, and abide by its disclosure rules. BPIX is not a member of the BPC, and does not publish detailed methodology and findings. Summary of the polling for the United Kingdoms portion of the European elections 2009 Turnout In Great Britain was 34. 3%, with 15,137,202 votes out of a toal electorate of 44,171,778. Most of the results of the election were announced on Sunday 7 June, Scotland declared its result on Monday 8 June, as counting in the Western Isles was delayed due to observance of the Sabbath. Great Britain kept to the European wide trend towards the right and this was the first time in British electoral history that a party in government had been out polled in a national election by a party with no representation in the House of Commons. The Conservatives won in every region in Great Britain except the North East, where Labour won, and Scotland, where the SNP won
10.
Welsh language
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Welsh is a member of the Brittonic branch of the Celtic languages. It is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, historically it has also been known in English as the British tongue, Cambrian, Cambric and Cymric. The United Kingdom Census 2011 counted 3.1 million residents of Wales, 27% of whom had been born outside Wales, and 73% of whom reported having no Welsh language skills. Of residents of Wales aged three and over, 19% reported being able to speak Welsh, and 77% of these were able to speak, read and this can be compared with the 2001 Census, in which 20. 8% of the population reported being able to speak Welsh. 787,854 of residents in Wales aged three and over had one or more skills in Welsh, in surveys carried out between 2004 and 2006, 57% of Welsh speakers described themselves as fluent in the written language. An estimated 110,000 to 150,000 people speak Welsh in England, Welsh emerged in the 6th century from Common Brittonic, the common ancestor of Welsh, Breton, Cornish and the extinct language known as Cumbric. The Middle Welsh period is considered to have lasted from then until the 14th century, when the Modern Welsh period began, the name Welsh originated as an exonym given to its speakers by the Anglo-Saxons, meaning foreign speech. The native term for the language is Cymraeg, and for the name of the country of Wales it is Cymru, Welsh evolved from Common Brittonic, the Celtic language spoken by the ancient Celtic Britons. Classified as Insular Celtic, the British language probably arrived in Britain during the Bronze Age or Iron Age and was spoken throughout the island south of the Firth of Forth. During the Early Middle Ages the British language began to fragment due to increased dialect differentiation, evolving into Welsh and it is not clear when Welsh became distinct. Kenneth H. Jackson suggested that the evolution in syllabic structure and sound pattern was complete by around 550, Jackson, however, believed that the two varieties were already distinct by that time. The earliest Welsh poetry – that attributed to the Cynfeirdd or Early Poets – is generally considered to date to the Primitive Welsh period. However, much of this poetry was composed in the Hen Ogledd, raising further questions about the dating of the material. An 8th century inscription in Tywyn shows the language already dropping inflections in the declension of nouns, the next main period, somewhat better attested, is Old Welsh, poetry from both Wales and Scotland has been preserved in this form of the language. Both the works of Aneirin and the Book of Taliesin were in this era, Middle Welsh is the label attached to the Welsh of the 12th to 14th centuries, of which much more remains than for any earlier period. This is the language of all surviving early manuscripts of the Mabinogion. It is also the language of the existing Welsh law manuscripts, Middle Welsh is reasonably intelligible, albeit with some work, to a modern-day Welsh speaker. The famous cleric Gerald of Wales tells, in his Descriptio Cambriae, during one of the Kings many raids in the 12th century, Henry asked an old man of Pencader, Carmarthenshire whether the Welsh people could resist his army
11.
Wales
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Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, and it had a population in 2011 of 3,063,456 and has a total area of 20,779 km2. Wales has over 1,680 miles of coastline and is mountainous, with its higher peaks in the north and central areas, including Snowdon. The country lies within the temperate zone and has a changeable. Welsh national identity emerged among the Celtic Britons after the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century, Llywelyn ap Gruffudds death in 1282 marked the completion of Edward I of Englands conquest of Wales, though Owain Glyndŵr briefly restored independence to Wales in the early 15th century. The whole of Wales was annexed by England and incorporated within the English legal system under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542, distinctive Welsh politics developed in the 19th century. Welsh Liberalism, exemplified in the early 20th century by Lloyd George, was displaced by the growth of socialism, Welsh national feeling grew over the century, Plaid Cymru was formed in 1925 and the Welsh Language Society in 1962. Established under the Government of Wales Act 1998, the National Assembly for Wales holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters, two-thirds of the population live in south Wales, mainly in and around Cardiff, Swansea and Newport, and in the nearby valleys. Now that the countrys traditional extractive and heavy industries have gone or are in decline, Wales economy depends on the sector, light and service industries. Wales 2010 gross value added was £45.5 billion, over 560,000 Welsh language speakers live in Wales, and the language is spoken by a majority of the population in parts of the north and west. From the late 19th century onwards, Wales acquired its popular image as the land of song, Rugby union is seen as a symbol of Welsh identity and an expression of national consciousness. The Old English-speaking Anglo-Saxons came to use the term Wælisc when referring to the Celtic Britons in particular, the modern names for some Continental European lands and peoples have a similar etymology. The modern Welsh name for themselves is Cymry, and Cymru is the Welsh name for Wales and these words are descended from the Brythonic word combrogi, meaning fellow-countrymen. The use of the word Cymry as a self-designation derives from the location in the post-Roman Era of the Welsh people in modern Wales as well as in northern England and southern Scotland. It emphasised that the Welsh in modern Wales and in the Hen Ogledd were one people, in particular, the term was not applied to the Cornish or the Breton peoples, who are of similar heritage, culture, and language to the Welsh. The word came into use as a self-description probably before the 7th century and it is attested in a praise poem to Cadwallon ap Cadfan c. 633. Thereafter Cymry prevailed as a reference to the Welsh, until c.1560 the word was spelt Kymry or Cymry, regardless of whether it referred to the people or their homeland. The Latinised forms of names, Cambrian, Cambric and Cambria, survive as lesser-used alternative names for Wales, Welsh
12.
Kingdom of Gwynedd
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The Principality or Kingdom of Gwynedd was one of several successor states to the Roman Empire that emerged in sub-Roman Britain in the 5th century during the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain. Based in northwest Wales, the rulers of Gwynedd repeatedly rose to preeminence and were acclaimed as King of the Britons before losing their power in civil wars or invasions and that realm lasted until the conquest of Wales by Edward I in 1283. The sons of their leader, Cunedda, were said to have possessed the land between the rivers Dee and Teifi, the modern preserved county of Gwynedd and principal area of Gwynedd are both somewhat smaller. The 5th-century Cantiorix Inscription now in Penmachno church seems to be the earliest record of the name and it is in memory of a man named Cantiorix and the Latin inscription is Cantiorix hic iacit/Venedotis cives fuit/consobrinos Magli magistrati, Cantiorix lies here. He was a citizen of Gwynedd and a cousin of Maglos the magistrate, the use of terms such as citizen and magistrate maybe cited as evidence that Romano-British culture and institutions continued in Gwynedd long after the legions had withdrawn. As early as the 2nd century, there may have been an Irish presence in the region as Ptolemy marks the Llŷn Peninsula as the Promontory of the Gangani which is also a name he recorded in Ireland, the region became known as Venedotia in Latin. The name was attributed to a specific Irish colony on Anglesey. According to traditional pedigrees, Cuneddas grandfather was Padarn Beisrudd, Paternus of the red cloak, nennius recounts how Cunedda brought order to North Wales and after his death Gwynedd was divided among his sons, Dynod was awarded Dunoding, another son Ceredig received Ceredigion, and so forth. According to Professor John Davies, here is a determinedly Brythonic, nevertheless, there was generally quick abandonment of Roman political, social, and ecclesiastical practices and institutions within Gwynedd and elsewhere in Wales. These early petty kings or princelings adopted the title rhi in Welsh, later replaced by brenin, genealogical lists compiled around 960 bear out that a number of these early rulers claimed degrees of association with the old Roman order, but do not appear in the official royal lineages. It may be assumed that the stronger kings annexed the territories of their weaker neighbors, other evidence supports Nenniuss claim that a leader came to north Wales and brought the region a measure of stability, although an Irish Gaelic element remained until the mid-5th century. During that peace he established a mighty kingdom, after Cadwallon, Gwynedd appears to have held a pre-eminent position amongst the petty Cambrian states in the post-Roman period. The great-grandson of Cunedda, Maelgwn Hir Maelgwn the Tall, was one of the most famous leaders in Welsh history, there are several legends about his life concerning miracles performed either by him or in his presence. Maelgwn was curiously described as the dragon of the island by Gildas which was possibly a title, Maelgwn eventually died in 547 from the plague leaving a succession crisis in his wake. His son in law, Elidyr Mwynfawr of the Kingdom of Strathclyde, claimed the throne and invaded Gwynedd to displace Maelgwns son, Elidyr was killed in the attempt but his death was then avenged by his relatives who ravaged the coast of Arfon. Rhun counter-attacked and exacted the same penalty on the lands of his foes in what is now central Scotland, Rhun returned to Gwynedd and the rest of his reign was far less eventful. He was succeeded by his son, Beli ap Rhun in c, on the accession of Belis son Iago ap Beli in c. 599, the situation in Britain had deteriorated significantly, most of the area today called northern England and been overrun by the invading Angles of Deira and Bernicia who were in the process of forming the Kingdom of Northumbria
13.
Preserved counties of Wales
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The preserved counties of Wales are the current areas used in Wales for the ceremonial purposes of lieutenancy and shrievalty. They are based on the created by the Local Government Act 1972 and used for local government. The Local Government Act 1994 abolished the eight ceremonial counties created by the Local Government Act 1972, however, it created the concept of preserved counties based on their areas, to be used for purposes such as Lieutenancy. The Defence Act 1842 – Lieutenants are those appointed to preserved counties, the Sea Fisheries Act 1967 – relevant portions of the sea shore shall be deemed to be within preserved counties. There were however two local government areas, Caerphilly and Conwy, split between preserved counties, the Local Government Boundary Commission for Wales were instructed by the National Assembly for Wales on 11 March 2002 to undertake a review of preserved county boundaries. The boundary between Mid Glamorgan and South Glamorgan was also to be re-aligned to reflect changes in local government boundaries. The Assembly accepted these proposals such that from 2 April 2003 each preserved county now encompasses between one and five local government areas. The boundary between Mid Glamorgan and Powys was further modified on 1 April 2010 to reflect the 2009 local government boundary changes in the Vaynor area. The population figures are estimates for 2007 from the Office for National Statistics. Historic counties of Wales Local government in Wales Ceremonial counties of England Shires of Scotland
14.
Isle of Anglesey
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Anglesey or Ynys Môn is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. With an area of 276 square miles, Anglesey is by far the largest island of Wales, Anglesey is also the largest island in the Irish Sea by area, and the second most populous island in the Irish Sea. The population at the 2011 census was 69,751, two bridges span the Menai Strait, connecting the island to the mainland, the Menai Suspension Bridge, designed by Thomas Telford in 1826, and the Britannia Bridge. A historic county of Wales and later administrated as part of Gwynedd, Anglesey today makes up the Isle of Anglesey County along with Holy Island and other smaller islands. The majority of Angleseys inhabitants are Welsh speakers and Ynys Môn, Anglesey is derived from Old Norse, originally either Ǫngullsey Hook Island or Ǫnglisey Ǫnglis Island. No record of any such Ǫngli survives, but the name was used by Viking raiders as early as the 10th century and was later adopted by the Normans during their invasions of Gwynedd. All of these derive from the proposed Proto-Indo-European root *ank-. It was also spelled as Anglesea. Ynys Môn, the islands Welsh name, was first recorded as Latin Mona by various Roman sources and it was likewise known to the Saxons as Monez. The Brittonic original was in the past taken to have meant Island of the Cow and this view is linguistically untenable, however, according to modern scientific philology. The etymology thus currently remains a mystery, poetic names for Anglesey include the Old Welsh Ynys Dywyll for its former groves and Ynys y Cedairn for its royal courts, Gerald of Wales Môn Mam Cymru for its productivity, and Y fêl Ynys. Numerous megalithic monuments and menhirs are present on Anglesey, testifying to the presence of humans in prehistory, Plas Newydd is near one of 28 cromlechs that remain on uplands overlooking the sea. The Welsh Triads claim that Anglesey was once part of the mainland, historically, Anglesey has long been associated with the druids. News of Boudicas revolt reached him just after his victory, causing him to withdraw his army before consolidating his conquest, the island was finally brought into the Roman Empire by Gnaeus Julius Agricola, the Roman governor of Britain, in AD78. During the Roman occupation, the area was notable for the mining of copper, the foundations of Caer Gybi as well as a fort at Holyhead are Roman, and the present road from Holyhead to Llanfairpwllgwyngyll was originally a Roman road. The island was grouped by Ptolemy with Ireland rather than with Britain, British Iron Age and Roman sites have been excavated and coins and ornaments discovered, especially by the 19th century antiquarian, William Owen Stanley. Following the Roman departure from Britain in the early 5th century, pirates from Ireland colonised Anglesey, in response to this, Cunedda ap Edern, a Gododdin warlord from Scotland, came to the area and began to drive the Irish out. This was continued by his son Einion Yrth ap Cunedda and grandson Cadwallon Lawhir ap Einion, as an island, Anglesey was in a good defensive position, and so Aberffraw became the site of the court, or Llys, of the Kingdom of Gwynedd
15.
North Wales
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Roads in the United Kingdom form a network of varied quality and capacity. Road distances are shown in miles or yards and UK speed limits are indicated in miles per hour or by the use of the speed limit symbol. Some vehicle categories have various lower maximum limits enforced by speed limiters, enforcement of UK road speed limits increasingly uses speed guns, automated in-vehicle systems and automated roadside traffic cameras. A unified numbering system is in place for Great Britain, whilst in Northern Ireland, the earliest specifically engineered roads were built during the British Iron Age. The road network was expanded during the Roman occupation, some of these survive and others were lost. New roads were added in the Middle Ages and from the 17th century onwards, certain aspects of the legal framework remain under the competence of the United Kingdom parliament. Although some roads have much older origins, the network was subject to development from the 1950s to the mid-1990s. From then, construction of roads has become controversial with direct action campaigns by environmentalists in opposition. In the UK, vehicles drive on the left and on multi-lane carriageways drivers are expected to keep to the left lane except when overtaking, in Great Britain, the Highway Code applies to drivers. In Northern Ireland, the Highway Code for Northern Ireland applies, UK speed limits are shown in mph. With a few exceptions, they are in multiples of 10, unless a lower speed limit is posted on a road, the national speed limit applies, which varies between class of vehicles and the type of road. In a built-up area, unless signs indicate otherwise, a limit of 30 miles per hour applies, other limits are shown in the table. For a road to be classed as a carriageway, the two directions of traffic flow must be physically separated by a central reservation. Roads in the UK are classified as M, A, or B roads, as well as categories of more minor roads, for internal purposes. These numbers follow a zonal system, there is no available explanation for the allocation of road numbers in Northern Ireland. The majority of the major routes are motorways, and are designed to carry long distance traffic. The next category is the A roads, which form the route network. A primary route is defined as, primary destinations are usually cities and large towns, to which, as a result of their size, a high volume of traffic is expected to go
16.
Luxembourg
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Luxembourg /ˈlʌksəmbɜːrɡ/, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east and its culture, people and languages are highly intertwined with its neighbours, making it essentially a mixture of French and Germanic cultures. It comprises two regions, the Oesling in the north as part of the Ardennes massif. With an area of 2,586 square kilometres, it is one of the smallest sovereign states in Europe, Luxembourg had a population of 524,853 in October 2012, ranking it the 8th least-populous country in Europe. As a representative democracy with a monarch, it is headed by a Grand Duke, Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg. Luxembourg is a country, with an advanced economy and the worlds highest GDP per capita. Luxembourg is a member of the European Union, OECD, United Nations, NATO, and Benelux, reflecting its political consensus in favour of economic, political. The city of Luxembourg, which is the capital and largest city, is the seat of several institutions. Luxembourg served on the United Nations Security Council for the years 2013 and 2014, around this fort, a town gradually developed, which became the centre of a state of great strategic value. In the 14th and early 15th centuries, three members of the House of Luxembourg reigned as Holy Roman Emperors, in the following centuries, Luxembourgs fortress was steadily enlarged and strengthened by its successive occupants, the Bourbons, Habsburgs, Hohenzollerns and the French. After the defeat of Napoleon in 1815, Luxembourg was disputed between Prussia and the Netherlands and this arrangement was revised by the 1839 First Treaty of London, from which date Luxembourgs full independence is reckoned. In 1842 Luxembourg joined the German Customs Union, the King of the Netherlands remained Head of State as Grand Duke of Luxembourg, maintaining a personal union between the two countries until 1890. At the death of William III, the throne of the Netherlands passed to his daughter Wilhelmina and this allowed Germany the military advantage of controlling and expanding the railways there. In August 1914, Imperial Germany violated Luxembourgs neutrality in the war by invading it in the war against France and this allowed Germany to use the railway lines, while at the same time denying them to France. Nevertheless, despite the German occupation, Luxembourg was allowed to maintain much of its independence, in 1940, after the outbreak of World War II, Luxembourgs neutrality was again violated when the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany entered the country, entirely without justification. A government in exile based in London supported the Allies, sending a group of volunteers who participated in the Normandy invasion. Luxembourg was liberated in September 1944, and became a member of the United Nations in 1945. Luxembourgs neutral status under the constitution formally ended in 1948, in 2005, a referendum on the EU treaty establishing a constitution for Europe was held
17.
United Kingdom Census 2011
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A census of the population of the United Kingdom is taken every ten years. The 2011 census was held in all countries of the UK on 27 March 2011 and it was the first UK census which could be completed online via the Internet. The Office for National Statistics is the office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department formed in 2008. ONS designs, manages and runs the census in England and Wales, the first results from the 2011 census, age and sex, and occupied households estimates for England and Wales and Northern Ireland, were released on 16 July 2012. The first results for Scotland, and the first UK-wide results, were published on 17 December 2012, more detailed and specialised data were published from 2013. The Registrar General John Rickman conducted the first census of Great Britains population, from 1911 onwards rapid social change, scientific breakthroughs, and major world events affected the structure of the population. The 1971 census was run by the newly created Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, in 1996 the Office for National Statistics was formed by merging the Central Statistical Office, OPCS and the statistics division of the Department of Employment, the first census it ran was in 2001. In 2008 the UK Statistics Authority was established as an independent body, a population census is a key instrument for assessing the needs of local communities. When related to data sources such as housing or agricultural censuses, or sample surveys. Most countries of the world take censuses, the United Nations recommends that countries take a census at least once every ten years, other organisations that use census data include healthcare organisations, community groups, researchers and businesses. The 2011 census for England and Wales included around 25 million households, people could complete and submit their questionnaire online, or fill it in on paper and post it back in a pre-addressed envelope. Guidance was provided online and through the census helpline, completed questionnaires were electronically tracked and field staff followed up with households that did not return a questionnaire. In these cases field staff delivered and collected questionnaires and, where needed, provided advice or assistance in completing the questionnaire, there was a legal requirement to complete the 2011 census questionnaire, under the terms of the Census Act 1920. As at 27 March 2011 everyone who had lived or intended to live in the country for three months or more was required to complete a questionnaire, failure to return a completed questionnaire could lead to a fine and criminal record. The contract is valued at £150 million, approximately one third of the total £482 million census budget, concerns were raised during contract negotiations that the US PATRIOT Act could be used to force Lockheed Martin to reveal census data to US authorities. The Cabinet Office state that Lockheed Martin will develop the systems used to process census data, neither Lockheed Martin UK nor any Lockheed Martin employee will have access to personal Census data. The Office for National Statistics stated that no census information will ever leave the UK or be seen by any American-owned company. Several groups called for a boycott of the census over the involvement of Lockheed Martin, including the Stop the War Coalition, and the Christian thinktank Ekklesia
18.
Bangor University
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Bangor University is a Welsh university in the city of Bangor in the county of Gwynedd in North Wales. It received its Royal Charter in 1885 and was one of the member institutions of the former federal University of Wales. It was officially known for most of its history as the University College of North Wales, from September 2007 it became known as Bangor University, having become independent from the federal University of Wales. In 2012 Bangor was ranked 251st among the top universities. According to the Sunday Times University Guide 2012, it is rated top in Wales for teaching excellence and is among the top 15 universities in the UK in this category. The university was founded as the University College of North Wales on 18 October 1884, with an address by the Earl of Powis. There was then a procession to the college including 3,000 quarrymen, the college was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1885. Its students received degrees from the University of London until 1893, during the Second World War paintings from national art galleries were stored in the Prichard-Jones Hall at UCNW to protect them from enemy bombing. They were later moved to mines at Blaenau Ffestiniog. Students from University College, London, were evacuated to continue their studies in an environment at Bangor. During the 1960s the university shared in the expansion of higher education in the UK following the Robbins Report, with a number of new departments. On 22 November 1965, during construction of an extension to the Department of Electronic Engineering in Dean Street, the three-ton counterweight hit the second-floor lecture theatre in the original building about thirty minutes before it would have been occupied by about 80 first-year students. The counterweight went through to the ground floor, Student protests at UCNW in the 1970s focused mainly on calls to expand the role of the Welsh language. The merger of St Marys into UCNW was concluded in 1977, the university occupies a substantial proportion of Bangor and also has some departments in Wrexham. The university was based in an old coaching inn, the Penrhyn Arms Hotel. In 1911 it moved to a larger new building, which is now the old part of the Main Arts Building. This building, designed by Henry Hare, had its foundation laid by King Edward VII on 9 July 1907. The iconic building, which occupies a highly visible position overlooking Bangor, the building became a Grade I listed building in 1949
19.
Snowdonia National Park
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Snowdonia is a mountainous region in north Wales and a national park of 823 square miles in area. It was the first to be designated of the three parks in Wales, in 1951. The English name for the area derives from Snowdon, which is the highest mountain in Wales at 3,560 ft, in Welsh, the area is named Eryri. The term ‘Eryri’ first appeared in a manuscript in the 9th-century Historia Brittonum, in the Middle Ages the title Prince of Wales and Lord of Snowdonia was used by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, his grandfather Llywelyn Fawr used the title Prince of north Wales and Lord of Snowdonia. This is apparent in books published prior to 1951, such as the classic travelogue Wild Wales by George Borrow, F. J. North, as editor of the book Snowdonia, states When the Committee delineated provisional boundaries, they included areas some distance beyond Snowdonia proper. The traditional Snowdonia thus includes the ranges of Snowdon and its satellites, the Glyderau, the Carneddau and it does not include the hills to the south of Maentwrog. As Eryri, this area has a place in Welsh history, tradition. Snowdonia National Park was established in 1951 as the national park in Britain, following the Peak District. It covers 827 square miles, and has 37 miles of coastline, the park is governed by the Snowdonia National Park Authority, which is made up of local government and Welsh representatives, and its main offices are at Penrhyndeudraeth. Unlike national parks in countries, Snowdonia are made up of both public and private lands under central planning authority. The makeup of land ownership at Snowdonia is as follows, More than 26,000 people live within the park,58. 6% of the population could speak Welsh in 2011. While most of the land is open or mountainous land. Since the local government re-organisation of 1998, the park partly in the county of Gwynedd. Unusually, Snowdonia National Park has a hole in the middle, around the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog and this was deliberately excluded from the park when it was set up to allow the development of new light industry to replace the reduced slate industry. The Snowdonia Society is a charity formed in 1967. It is a group of people with an interest in the area. Amory Lovins led the successful 1970s opposition to stop Rio Tinto digging up the area for a massive mine. Research indicates that there were 3.67 million visitors to Snowdonia National Park in 2013, total tourist expenditure was £433.6 million in 2013
20.
Bethesda, Gwynedd
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Bethesda is a town on the River Ogwen and the A5 road on the edge of Snowdonia, in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, colloquially called Pesda by the locals. It all started in 1823 when the Bethesda Chapel was built, the chapel was rebuilt in 1840 and has now been converted into flats and is known as Arafa Don. The town grew around the slate and stone quarrying industries, the largest of the quarries is the Penrhyn Quarry. At its peak, the town was exporting its purple slate all over the world, the town was the site of a three-year strike led by the North Wales Quarrymens Union from 1900. This led to the creation of the village of Tregarth, built by the quarry owners. Most of the town is to the east and north east of the A5 road and this was due to the A5 marking the border between Lord Penrhyns land, and the freehold land. This can still be seen in the layout of the current high street, in 1884 a branch of the London and North Western Railways network from Bangor was opened. The line closed to passengers in 1951 and to freight in 1963 and these days the trackbed of the Penrhyn Quarry Railway towards Porth Penrhyn is taken over by the Lôn Las Ogwen cycle path. In its heyday, the population of Bethesda peaked at 10,000, it is currently around 4,327 people, there are also the villages of Rachub and Tregarth nearby. Current opportunities for employment in the town are limited, there are a few manufacturing businesses, most businesses are in the service sector. For employment with higher earning potential, residents tend to commute to towns along the North Wales coast, Bangor is the most popular destination, but some will commute daily as far as Cheshire. Because of the lack of degree-based employment opportunities, many people move out of the area to places such as Cardiff. Ysgol Dyffryn Ogwen is a comprehensive school, with 374 pupils. Zip World Velocity in Penryn Quarry is the longest zipline in Europe, at just over 1600 metres long, the architecture and layout of the town is largely utilitarian. Most of the buildings are constructed of stone slate roofs. Some are constructed wholly of slate blocks, although such buildings tend to suffer from damp and structural slippage because the very flat, the town has 40 Grade II listed buildings, including three pubs, in addition to the substantial and imposing Grade I listed Calvinistic Methodist Jerusalem Chapel. The upper parts of Carneddi, Cilfodan and Tan y Foel owe more to stone quarrying on the hills rather than slate quarrying that supported the lower end of the town. At the eastern limits, the town is bounded by the land of the Carneddau mountains which form some of the more remote landscapes of Snowdonia
21.
Ffestiniog
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Ffestiniog is a community in Gwynedd in Wales, containing several villages, in particular the settlements of Llan Ffestiniog and Blaenau Ffestiniog. It has a population of 4,875, Ffestiniog was a parish in Cantref Ardudwy, in 1284, Ardudwy became part of the county of Meirionnydd, which became an administrative county in 1888. Mary Evans founded a sect in Ffestiniog around 1780, whose believers held that she had married Christ in a ceremony held in Ffestiniog church, the sect soon died out after her death. The parish was created a district in 1894. On 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, Ffestiniog Urban District was abolished, becoming merged with districts to form Meirionnydd District. Ffestiniog became a community with a town council. Ffestiniog Golf Club was founded in 1893, the club closed at the end of March 2014. Celtic place-name in *-ākon place of, then, place belonging to, territory of > Old Welsh -auc, the form -iog with an additional /i/ can be explained by the preceding element, which is a personal name ending with -i-us, Festinius. The whole name should be *Festiniākon, probably same name as Festigny Festiniog and Blaenau Railway Ffestiniog power station Ffestiniog Railway Official website Festiniog. Blacks Picturesque Guide to North Wales
22.
Llanddeiniolen
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Llanddeiniolen is a community in the county of Gwynedd, Wales, and is 124 miles from Cardiff and 206 miles from London. The community also includes the villages of Rhiwlas, Dinorwig and Deiniolen, in 2011 the population of Llanddeiniolen was 5072 with 76. 2% of them able to speak Welsh. The Welsh wrestler and harpist Marged ferch Ifan was buried here in 1783, castell Llanddeiniolen motte and bailey lies nearby. The name dervies from the Welsh saint Deiniol, list of localities in Wales by population
23.
Llanllyfni
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Llanllyfni is a small village and a community in Gwynedd, Wales. The community consists of the villages of Drws-y-coed, Nantlle, Nasareth, Nebo, Penygroes, Talysarn, as a community the 2011 census recorded a population of 4135. It is a largely Welsh speaking village, 85% of the villagers speak Welsh as their first language, the river Afon Llyfni, runs through the village. Llanllyfni existed before the slate quarries opened but grew bigger and bigger during the slate quarrying period, in the 2001 census, there were about 650 people living in the village of Llanllyfni. Llanllyfni is seven miles away from the town of Caernarfon. Eglwys Sant Rhedyw has existed since as early as the 4th century, here, a service is held every year on Christmas Day at 7a. m. This is a tradition that has been ongoing for hundreds of years, in Welsh, the service is called Plygain. There are two places of worship in the village - Capel Ebeneser, Felingerrig - and Capel Moriah -. The original Capel Salem chapel was closed in the early 20th century, the larger Capel Salem chapel was eventually demolished - except for the Sunday School building. To avoid confusion, the new Capel Moriah was casually called Capel Salem by the villagers -, as of today, only Capel Ebeneser and Eglwys Sant Rhedyw are still open, Capel Moriah/Salem has closed. There are five cemeteries in Llanllyfni, Mynwent Yr Eglwys - Sant Rhedyw, Mynwent Capel Ebeneser - Felingerrig, Mynwent Capel Salem, Mynwent Bara Caws and Mynwent Gorffwysfa. Llanllyfni once had five houses, at least two of them can be seen today, though they have been turned into houses. The Kings Head was one of them, the last surviving pub, the Quarrymans Arms is now closed after a fire occurred. There is one school in the village, Ysgol Gynradd Llanllyfni - a primary school, for secondary school, children have to travel less than a mile to Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle in Penygroes. World-famous Opera singer Bryn Terfel attended Ysgol Gynradd Llanllyfni, as of 2005, a local football club was set up - C. P. D. The club, popular among villagers, sprung their way up from the basic Safelue Caernarfon & District League to the Gwynedd League. It then went on to the very respectable Welsh Alliance League in no less than four seasons of playing football on the King George the 5th playing field, the King George V playing field is next door to the villages much used Memorial Hall. Club website, http, //www. pitchero. com/clubs/cpdllanllyfnifc/ Many culturally important, some of the well-known people that have emerged from Llanllyfni include, Mathonwy Hughes, Bryn Fon, Cefin Roberts, Wynford Ellis Owen
24.
Porthmadog
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Porthmadog, known locally as Port, and since 1974, rendered into Welsh from its former Anglicised form, Portmadoc, is a small coastal town and community in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd, in Wales. Prior to the Local Government Act 1972 it was in the county of Caernarfonshire. The town lies 5 miles east of Criccieth,11 miles south west of Blaenau Ffestiniog,25 miles north of Dolgellau and 20 miles south of Caernarfon, the community had a population of 4,185. The town developed in the 19th century as a port exporting slate to England and around the world, since the decline of the slate industry it has become an important shopping centre for the surrounding area and a popular tourist destination. It has easy access to the Snowdonia National Park and is the terminus of the Ffestiniog Railway, in 1987 the National Eisteddfod was held in Porthmadog. The community includes the villages of Borth-y-Gest, Morfa Bychan. Porthmadog came into existence after William Madocks built a sea wall, the diversion of the Afon Glaslyn caused it to scour out a new natural harbour which had a deep enough draught for small ocean-going sailing ships, and the first public wharves were built in 1825. In the second half of the 19th century Porthmadog was a flourishing port, the rapidly expanding cities of England needed high quality roofing slate, which was transported to the new port by tramway from the quarries in Ffestiniog and Llanfrothen. A number of shipbuilders were active at this time, and were well known for the three-masted schooners known as Western Ocean Yachts. By 1841 the trackway across the land had been straightened out and was to be developed as Stryd Fawr. Along this street were a range of shops and public houses, a mineral railway to Tremadog ran along what was to become Heol Madog. To the north was an area where foundries, timber saw mills, slate works. The 19th century wharves still survive, but the slate warehouses have been replaced by apartments. The earliest documented references to the name Port Madoc are in the 1830s, coinciding with the opening of the Ffestiniog Railway, the first Ordnance Survey map to use the name was published in 1838. The name derives from the founder William Madocks, though there is a belief that it is named after the folklore character Madog ab Owain Gwynedd who also gives his name to Ynys Fadog. The town was officially called Portmadoc until 1974, when it was renamed with the Welsh spelling, ynyscynhaiarn was a civil parish in the cantref of Eifionydd. In 1858 a local board of health was established under the provisions of the Public Health Act 1848, under the Local Government Act 1894 the local board became an urban district, which by 1902 had changed its name to Portmadoc. In 1934 part of the area was transferred to Dolbenmaen, and an area was taken in from Treflys
25.
Pwllheli
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Pwllheli is a community and the main market town of the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, north-western Wales. It had a population of 4,076 in 2011 of whom a large proportion,81 per cent, are Welsh speaking, Pwllheli is the place where Plaid Cymru was founded. It is the birthplace of the Welsh poet Sir Albert Evans-Jones, the towns name means salt water basin. The town was given its charter as a borough by Edward, the Black Prince in 1355, the town grew around the shipbuilding and fishing industries, and the granite quarry at Gimlet Rock. During the 1890s, the town was developed by Solomon Andrews and this work included the Promenade, roads and houses at West End. A tramway was built linking the town to Llanbedrog, the trams ran until 1927 when the section of track between Carreg-y-Defaid and Tyddyn-Caled was seriously damaged by a storm. Andrews ran the Cardiff Road section in 1928, and offered to sell the tramway to Pwllheli Corporation at the end of the season and he then sold the assets, and the Corporation removed the tracks during the winter of 1928/29. For many years a holiday camp run by Butlins operated a few miles from Pwllheli at Pen-y-chain. During the Second World War it became a camp, HMS Glendower. After the war, Butlins re-established the holiday camp, the camp, now renamed Hafan y Môr, has been redeveloped and is now run by the Haven group. Pwllheli is the town of the Llŷn Peninsula, and has a range of shops. As a local railhead with a market every Wednesday, the town is a point for the population of the whole peninsula. The junior pupils were located at the Penrallt site and the pupils at a new complex in Cardiff Road. This new school was expanded to accommodate all pupils under the Ysgol Glan y Môr name. The Penrallt site was redeveloped as the Pwllheli campus of Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor. The façade of the building of the old grammar school was retained and incorporated into the design of the current college buildings. Thus the old school is seen from the town square as it has been since the former Pwllheli County School moved to Penrallt in the early 20th century. Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor Pwllheli railway station is the terminus of the Cambrian Coast Railway running to Machynlleth with services continuing to Shrewsbury, the station is operated and served by Arriva Trains Wales
26.
Tywyn
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Tywyn, formerly Towyn, is a town and seaside resort on the Cardigan Bay coast of southern Gwynedd, Wales, and also the largest town in the south. It was previously in the county of Merionethshire. It is famous as the location of the Cadfan Stone, a cross with the earliest known example of written Welsh. The name derives from the Welsh tywyn, extensive sand dunes are still to be found to the north and south of the town, the place-name element tywyn is found in many other parts of Wales, most notably Towyn near Abergele. The town is referred to in Welsh as Tywyn Meirionnydd. In English, during the late 19th century and until the middle of the 20th century, the church contains some early material. The towns historic centre lies about a kilometre from the beach, in the second half of the 19th century the town expanded considerably, mainly towards the sea. To the north of the town lie the salt marshes of Morfa Tywyn and Morfa Gwyllt, beyond which lie the Broad Water lagoon. To the north-east lie the rich farmland of Bro Dysynni and the village of Bryn-crug, to the south towards Aberdyfi is the mouth of the Afon Dyffryn Gwyn and Penllyn Marshes. The Tywyn coastal defence scheme, a £7, at the time of the 2001 census,40. 5% of the population were recorded as Welsh speakers. By the 2011 census this had decreased to 37. 5% and these relatively high figures reflect the fact that both Welsh and English are used as the medium of instruction in Ysgol Penybryn, the towns primary school. An Estyn inspection report in 2010 noted that about 11% of the children at the school came from homes where Welsh was the main language. The towns Welsh dialect has several features, with one Victorian observer stating that three languages were spoken there, English, Welsh and Tywynaeg. During the 1860s, in the towns British School, a Welsh stick was used to children who were caught speaking Welsh. Yet Welsh was the dominant language in Tywyn until the middle of the 20th century, Tywyn is now a very anglicized town, with the majority of its population being born in England according to the 2011 UK census. Likewise, slightly more respondents claimed an English-only identity than a Welsh-only identity, improved transport links during the 19th century increased Tywyns appeal as a tourist destination. During the early decades of the century, a creek of the river Dysynni allowed ships to approach the northern fringes. The railway arrived in the mid-1860s, and had a significant effect on the town, Tywyn railway station opened in 1863
27.
Conwy County Borough
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Conwy County Borough is a unitary authority area in the north of Wales. The River Conwy, after which the county borough is named, lies wholly within the area, rising in Snowdonia and flowing through Llanrwst, the river here marks the border between the historic counties of Caernarfonshire and Denbighshire. One third of the area of the county borough lies in the Snowdonia national park. Its total area is 1,130 square km, making it larger than Hong Kong. According to the 2001 Census 39. 7% of the population of the county borough have one or more skills in the Welsh language, the amount of Welsh spoken in the county borough greatly varies from location to location, with generally the least being spoken on the coastal fringe. However, its council renamed the district a day later, on 2 April 1996 to Conwy, Conwy is represented in Parliament by Guto Bebb and David Jones, though David Jones Clwyd West constituency also covers part of southern Denbighshire. In the National Assembly for Wales, it is represented by Janet Finch-Saunders, Conwy County Borough Council was granted a coat of arms by the College of Arms in 2001. The new arms recall those of both Aberconwy and Colwyn Borough Councils, the main part of the shield depicts blue and silver waves for the river from which the county borough takes its name, and also recalls the gold and blue wavy field of Colwyns arms. On top of the waves is placed a red tower. The chief or upper third of the shield is coloured green, in the centre of the chief is a severed head from the heraldry of Marchudd ap Cynan, Lord of Abergele and Rhos. On either side are two black spears embrued, or having drops of blood on their points and these come from the reputed arms of Nefydd Hardd, associated with the Nant Conwy area. In front of each spear is a golden garb or wheatsheaf, above the shield, placed on the steel helm usual to British civic arms, is the crest. This takes the form of the Welsh red dragon supporting a Bible, rising from a wreath of oak leaves, the motto adopted is Tegwch i Bawb, meaning Fairness to All. List of places in Conwy County Borough for a list of towns, list of schools in Conwy Conwy County Borough at DMOZ
28.
Anglesey
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Anglesey or Ynys Môn is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. With an area of 276 square miles, Anglesey is by far the largest island of Wales, Anglesey is also the largest island in the Irish Sea by area, and the second most populous island in the Irish Sea. The population at the 2011 census was 69,751, two bridges span the Menai Strait, connecting the island to the mainland, the Menai Suspension Bridge, designed by Thomas Telford in 1826, and the Britannia Bridge. A historic county of Wales and later administrated as part of Gwynedd, Anglesey today makes up the Isle of Anglesey County along with Holy Island and other smaller islands. The majority of Angleseys inhabitants are Welsh speakers and Ynys Môn, Anglesey is derived from Old Norse, originally either Ǫngullsey Hook Island or Ǫnglisey Ǫnglis Island. No record of any such Ǫngli survives, but the name was used by Viking raiders as early as the 10th century and was later adopted by the Normans during their invasions of Gwynedd. All of these derive from the proposed Proto-Indo-European root *ank-. It was also spelled as Anglesea. Ynys Môn, the islands Welsh name, was first recorded as Latin Mona by various Roman sources and it was likewise known to the Saxons as Monez. The Brittonic original was in the past taken to have meant Island of the Cow and this view is linguistically untenable, however, according to modern scientific philology. The etymology thus currently remains a mystery, poetic names for Anglesey include the Old Welsh Ynys Dywyll for its former groves and Ynys y Cedairn for its royal courts, Gerald of Wales Môn Mam Cymru for its productivity, and Y fêl Ynys. Numerous megalithic monuments and menhirs are present on Anglesey, testifying to the presence of humans in prehistory, Plas Newydd is near one of 28 cromlechs that remain on uplands overlooking the sea. The Welsh Triads claim that Anglesey was once part of the mainland, historically, Anglesey has long been associated with the druids. News of Boudicas revolt reached him just after his victory, causing him to withdraw his army before consolidating his conquest, the island was finally brought into the Roman Empire by Gnaeus Julius Agricola, the Roman governor of Britain, in AD78. During the Roman occupation, the area was notable for the mining of copper, the foundations of Caer Gybi as well as a fort at Holyhead are Roman, and the present road from Holyhead to Llanfairpwllgwyngyll was originally a Roman road. The island was grouped by Ptolemy with Ireland rather than with Britain, British Iron Age and Roman sites have been excavated and coins and ornaments discovered, especially by the 19th century antiquarian, William Owen Stanley. Following the Roman departure from Britain in the early 5th century, pirates from Ireland colonised Anglesey, in response to this, Cunedda ap Edern, a Gododdin warlord from Scotland, came to the area and began to drive the Irish out. This was continued by his son Einion Yrth ap Cunedda and grandson Cadwallon Lawhir ap Einion, as an island, Anglesey was in a good defensive position, and so Aberffraw became the site of the court, or Llys, of the Kingdom of Gwynedd
29.
Menai Strait
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The Menai Strait is a narrow stretch of shallow tidal water about 25 km long, which separates the island of Anglesey from the mainland of Wales. The strait varies in width from 400 metres from Fort Belan to Abermenai Point to 1,100 metres from Traeth Gwyllt to Caernarfon Castle and it then narrows to about 500 metres in the middle reaches and then it broadens again. At Bangor, Garth Pier, it is 900 metres wide and it then widens out, and the distance from Puffin Island to Penmaenmawr is about 7.5 kilometres. The differential tides at the two ends of the strait cause very strong currents to flow in both directions through the strait at different times, creating dangerous conditions, one of the most dangerous areas of the strait is known as the Swellies between the two bridges. Here rocks near the surface cause over-falls and local whirlpools, which can be of danger in themselves. This was the site of the loss of the training ship HMS Conway in 1953, entering the strait at the Caernarfon end is also hazardous because of the frequently shifting sand banks that make up Caernarfon bar. On the mainland side at this point is Fort Belan, an 18th-century defensive fort built in the times of the American War of Independence, the present day channel is a result of glacial erosion of the bedrock along a line of weakness associated with the Menai Strait Fault System. The result was a series of linear bedrock hollows across the region, the tidal effects observed along the banks of the strait can also be confusing. A rising tide approaches from the south-west, causing the water in the strait to flow north-eastwards as the level rises, the tide also flows around Anglesey until, after a few hours, it starts to flow into the strait in a south-westerly direction from Beaumaris. By the time this happens the tidal flow from the Caernarfon end is weakening, a similar sequence is seen in reverse on a falling tide. This means that slack water between the bridges tends to occur approximately one hour before high tide or low tide, theoretically it is possible to ford the strait in the Swellies at low water, spring tides when the depth may fall to less than 0.5 metres. However, at times a strong current of around 4.8 knots is running, making the passage extremely difficult. Elsewhere in the strait the minimum depth is never less than 2 metres until the sand flats at Lavan sands are reached beyond Bangor. The tides carry large quantities of fish, and the construction of Fish weirs on both banks and on several of the islands, helped make the Strait an important source of fish for many centuries, eight of the numerous Menai Strait fish weirs are now Scheduled monuments. Because the strait has such unusual tidal conditions, coupled with low wave heights because of its sheltered position, it presents a unique. The depth of the channel reaches 15 metres in places, and it is very rich in sponges. The waters are also a proposed Marine Nature Reserve, much of the land on Anglesey at the eastern end of the strait is designated as an area of outstanding natural beauty. Beaumaris Bangor Caernarfon Menai Bridge Y Felinheli Just north of the bridge on Anglesey is the famously named Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch
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Powys
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Powys is a principal area, local-government county and preserved county in Mid Wales. It is named after the successor Kingdom of Powys, which formed after the Romans withdrew from Britain, see the list of places in Powys for all towns and villages in Powys. Most of Powys is mountainous, with north-south transport being difficult, the majority of the Powys population lives in villages and small towns. The largest towns are Newtown, Ystradgynlais, Brecon, and Welshpool with populations of 12,783,9,004,7,901 and 6,269 respectively, Powys has the lowest population density of all the principal areas of Wales. Radnorshire was almost completely Anglicised by the end of the 18th century, the 2001 census records show 21% of the population of Powys were able to speak Welsh at that time, the same as for Wales as a whole. The uplands retain evidence of occupation from long before the Kingdom of Powys, and before the Romans, there are 1130 identified burial mounds within the county, of varying styles and ages, dating from 4000BC to 1000BC, most of them belonging to the Bronze Age. Of these,339 are Scheduled Monuments, standing stones, most again dating to the Bronze Age, also occur in large numbers,276 being found across the county, of which 92 are scheduled. From the Iron Age, the county has 90 scheduled Hill forts, the gold in the county coat of arms symbolises the wealth of the area. Black is for both mining and the Black Mountains, the fountain is a medieval heraldic charge displayed as a roundel barry wavy Argent and Azure. It represents water, and refers to both the water catchment area and the rivers and lakes, thus, the arms contain references to the hills and mountains, rivers and lakes, water supply and industry. The crest continues the colouring of the arms, a tower has been used in preference to a mural crown, which alludes to the countys military history and remains. From the tower rises a red kite, a bird almost extinct elsewhere in Britain, the bird is semy of black lozenges for the former coal mining industry while the golden fleece it carries is a reference to the importance of sheep rearing in Powys. The county motto is, Powys – the paradise of Wales, on 1 April 1996, the districts were abolished, and Powys was reconstituted as a unitary authority, with a minor border adjustment in the north-east. The first Lord Lieutenant of Powys was previously the Lord Lieutenant of Montgomeryshire, the Lord Lieutenant of Brecknockshire and Lord Lieutenant of Radnorshire were appointed as Lieutenants. The present Lord Lieutenant is The Hon. Mrs Elizabeth Shân Legge-Bourke LVO of Crickhowell, in December 2007 Powys was awarded Fairtrade County status by the Fairtrade Foundation. Recent research suggests that Powys is the happiest place in the UK, although the researchers noted that the numbers were not statistically significant
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Ceredigion
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Ceredigion is a county in Mid Wales. In the Middle Ages, it was a minor kingdom also known for a time as Seisyllwg, following its Norman conquest, the name was anglicised to Cardigan and then Cardiganshire and it began to be administered as a county in 1282. The county had a population of 75,900 at the 2011 UK census and its largest town, Aberystwyth, is one of the two administrative centres, the other being Aberaeron. Aberystwyth houses Aberystwyth University, Bronglais Hospital and the National Library of Wales, the inland town of Lampeter houses part of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. Ceredigion is considered to be a centre of Welsh culture and more than half the population speaks Welsh, the county is mainly rural with over 50 miles of coastline and a mountainous hinterland. The numerous sandy beaches, together with the long-distance Ceredigion Coast Path provide excellent views of Cardigan Bay, the economy became highly dependent on dairy farming and the rearing of livestock for the English market. Ceredigion has been inhabited since prehistoric times,170 hill forts and enclosures have been identified across the county, around the time of the Roman invasion of Britain, the area was between the realms of the Demetae and Ordovices. The Sarn Helen road ran through the territory, with forts at Bremia, following the Roman withdrawal, Irish raids and invasions were repulsed, supposedly by the forces under a northerner named Cunedda. The 9th-century History of the Britons attributed to Nennius records that Cuneddas son Ceredig settled the area around the Teifi in the 5th century. The territory supposedly remained a kingdom under his dynasty until its extinction upon the drowning of Gwgon ap Meurig c. 871, after which it was administered by Rhodri Mawr of Gwynedd before passing to his son Cadell. Many pilgrims passed through Cardiganshire on their way to St Davids, some came by sea and made use of the churches at Mwnt and Penbryn, while others came by land seeking hospitality at such places as Strata Florida Abbey. Both the abbey and Llanbadarn Fawr were important monastic sites of scholarship, place names including ysbyty denote their association with pilgrims. In 1282, Edward I of England conquered the principality of Wales, one of thirteen traditional counties in Wales, Cardiganshire was also a vice-county. Cardiganshire was split into the five hundreds of Genaur-Glyn, Ilar, Moyddyn, Penarth, every community built its own chapel or meeting house, and Cardiganshire became one of the centres of Methodism in Wales with the Aeron Valley being at the centre of the revival. Cardigan was one of the ports of southern Wales, but its harbour silted in the mid-19th century. In the uplands, wheeled vehicles were rare in the 18th century, on the coast, trade in herrings and corn took place across the Irish Sea. In the 19th century, many of the rural poor emigrated to the New World from Cardigan, Aberystwyth became the main centre for the export of lead and Aberaeron and Newquay did brisk coastal trade. The building of the railway from Shrewsbury in the 1860s encouraged visitors and this area of the county of Dyfed became a district of Wales under the name Ceredigion in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, and since 1996, has formed the county of Ceredigion
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River Dyfi
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The River Dovey is a river in Mid Wales. The Dovey estuary forms the border between the counties of Gwynedd and Ceredigion and it shares its watershed with the River Severn and the River Dee before flowing generally south-westwards down to a wide estuary. The only large town on its route is Machynlleth, because of its origins high in the Cambrian Mountains and its relatively short length, it is prone to flooding and some roads in the lower catchment can become impassable during very wet weather. It has been a relatively pristine river with few polluting inputs and is notable for its Salmon, the catchment area was notable for its now defunct lead mines and slate quarries, especially around Corris and Dinas Mawddwy. The Dovey is joined by the, Angell at Aberangell Twymyn above Cemmaes Road South Dulas above Machynlleth North Dulas at Ffridd Gate Llyfnant at Glandyfi, the Dovey Estuary was used as a location shot in Led Zeppelins 1976 film The Song Remains the Same. The segment of the film is where Robert Plant comes ashore on a boat, after which he rides a horse, Plant was obviously behind the choice of the location, being familiar with the area, Bron-Yr-Aur cottage is located on the edge of Machynlleth. Dyfi Valley Way Waterscape Detailed description
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Dyfed
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Dyfed is a preserved county of Wales. It was created on 1 April 1974, as an amalgamation of the three pre-existing counties of Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire and it was abolished twenty-two years later, on 1 April 1996, when the three original counties were reinstated, Cardiganshire being renamed Ceredigion the following day. The name Dyfed is retained for ceremonial and other purposes. It is a rural county in southwestern Wales with a coastline on the Irish Sea. Dyfed is a county of Wales. The choice of the name Dyfed was based on the name given to the region once settled by the Irish Déisi. Modern Dyfed was formed from the counties of Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and was divided into the following local government districts. The county town and administrative headquarters of Dyfed was Carmarthen whilst the largest settlement was Llanelli, other significant centres of population included Haverfordwest, Milford Haven and Aberystwyth. The Independents gained a majority and retained this at subsequent elections, at the 1977 election, Plaid Cymru gained some ground although not to the extent that was seen in parts of the South Wales valleys in that year. The name Dyfed was retained for such purely ceremonial purposes as the Lord Lieutenancy, Dyfed has a long coast on the Irish Sea to the west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It is bounded by the counties of Gwynedd to the north. Cardiganshire, the northernmost part of Dyfed, has a coastal strip. Further south in Cardiganshire the land is mountainous, and the River Teifi forms the border with Carmarthenshire for part of its length. Carmarthenshire, the part of Dyfed, is mostly hilly, except for the river valleys. Fforest Fawr and Black Mountain extend into the east of Carmarthenshire, the highest point in Carmarthenshire is Fan Brycheiniog,2,631 feet, on the border with Powys. The River Towy is the largest river and drains into the Bristol Channel, as do the River Loughor, the River Gwendraeth, Carmarthenshire has a long coastline which is deeply cut by the estuaries of the Loughor, Gwendraeth, Tywi and Taf. The south coast has many fishing villages and sandy beaches and the part around Llanelli. Pembrokeshire, the part of Dyfed, juts out into the Irish Sea and has a long, much indented
