36-579: Corris is a village in the county of Gwynedd , Wales, about 4.5 miles (7 km) north of the town of Machynlleth . The village lies on the west bank of the Afon Dulas (which here forms the boundary with Powys ), around that river's confluence with the Afon Deri . Corris railway station is the headquarters and museum of the Corris Railway , a preserved narrow gauge railway. The area has
72-627: A community council . The community council system replaced the former parish council system and tackles local issues, as well as acting as a contact point between local government and residents for information and resources on various issues. The community elects one member to represent the Corris/Mawddwy ward on Gwynedd Council . Besides Corris, the ward covers Mawddwy community to the north-east. Slate Quarrying at Corris , by Alun John Richards, 1994, ISBN 0863812791 Gwynedd Gwynedd ( Welsh: [ˈɡwɨnɛð] )
108-513: A unitary authority , the modern entity no longer has any districts, but Arfon, Dwyfor and Meirionnydd remain as area committees . The pre-1996 boundaries were retained as a preserved county for a few purposes such as the Lieutenancy . In 2003, the boundary with Clwyd was adjusted to match the modern local government boundary, so that the preserved county now covers the two local government areas of Gwynedd and Anglesey. Conwy county borough
144-512: A few parishes of Denbighshire : Llanrwst , Llansanffraid Glan Conwy , Eglwysbach , Llanddoged, Llanrwst and Tir Ifan. The county was divided into five districts : Aberconwy , Arfon , Dwyfor , Meirionnydd and Anglesey . The Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 abolished the 1974 county (and the five districts) on 1 April 1996, and its area was divided: the Isle of Anglesey became an independent unitary authority, and Aberconwy (which included
180-580: A name for a local authority covering all of north Wales, but the scheme as enacted divided this area between Gwynedd and Clwyd. To prevent confusion, the Gwynedd Constabulary was therefore renamed the North Wales Police . The Snowdonia National Park was formed in 1951. After the 1974 local authority reorganisation, the park fell entirely within the boundaries of Gwynedd, and was run as a department of Gwynedd County Council. After
216-779: A special body of commissioners in 1873. Conwy (then called Conway in English) was reformed to become a municipal borough in 1877. The remaining borough, the City of Bangor was not reformed until 1883. Under the Public Health Act 1848 and the Local Government Act 1858 a number of towns were created local board districts or local government districts respectively, with local boards to govern their areas. Other towns became improvement commissioners' districts by private act of parliament . In 1872 these, along with
252-420: A v, following the change of spelling of the town's name from Caernarvon to Caernarfon in 1975) was very briefly revived as part of the name of an administrative area in 1996, when the county of Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire was created. It was, however, renamed Gwynedd almost immediately. Since then Caernarfonshire has been divided between the unitary authorities of Gwynedd to the west and Conwy to
288-585: Is a county in the north-west of Wales . It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy , Denbighshire , and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The city of Bangor is the largest settlement, and the administrative centre is Caernarfon . The preserved county of Gwynedd, which is used for ceremonial purposes, includes
324-618: Is now entirely within Clwyd. A Gwynedd Constabulary was formed in 1950 by the merger of the Anglesey, Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire forces. A further amalgamation took place in the 1960s when Gwynedd Constabulary was merged with the Flintshire and Denbighshire county forces, retaining the name Gwynedd. In one proposal for local government reform in Wales, Gwynedd had been proposed as
360-807: Is the Indo-European stem. The Irish settled in NW Wales, and in Dyfed , at the end of the Roman era. Venedotia was the Latin form, and in Penmachno there is a memorial stone from c. AD 500 which reads: Cantiori Hic Iacit Venedotis ('Here lies Cantiorix, citizen of Gwynedd'). The name was retained by the Brythons when the kingdom of Gwynedd was formed in the 5th century, and it remained until
396-711: The Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd World Heritage Site . During the Industrial Revolution the slate industry rapidly developed; in the late nineteenth century the neighbouring Penrhyn and Dinorwic quarries were the largest in the world, and the Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales is now a World Heritage Site. Gwynedd covers the majority of the historic counties of Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire . In
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#1732790306679432-401: The Isle of Anglesey . Gwynedd is the second largest county in Wales but sparsely populated, with an area of 979 square miles (2,540 km ) and a population of 117,400. After Bangor (18,322), the largest settlements are Caernarfon (9,852), Bethesda (4,735), and Pwllheli (4,076). The county has the highest percentage of Welsh speakers in Wales, at 64.4%, and is considered a heartland of
468-576: The Principality of Wales and included the cantrefi of: Llŷn , Arfon , Arllechwedd and the commote of Eifionydd (the northern portion of Dunoding ). The county was divided into ten hundreds based on the existing Welsh commotes: Cymydmaen (anglicised as Commitmaen), Creuddyn , Dinllaen , Eifionydd (Evionydd), Cafflogion (Gaflogion), Llechwedd Isaf (...Isav), Llechwedd Uchaf (...Uchav), Nant Conwy (Nant-Conway), Is Gwyrfai (Isgorvai) and Uwch Gwyrfai (Uchgorvai). During
504-608: The River Conwy forming much of the eastern boundary. Llandudno and Creuddyn formed a small peninsula to the north-east across the Conwy estuary. The counties included the city of Bangor and the towns and villages of Betws-y-Coed , Caernarfon , Conwy , Llandudno , Porthmadog and Pwllheli . The county was originally created under the terms of the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284 following Edward I of England 's conquest of
540-671: The 1996 local government reorganisation, part of the park fell under Conwy County Borough , and the park's administration separated from the Gwynedd council. Gwynedd Council still appoints nine of the eighteen members of the Snowdonia National Park Authority; Conwy County Borough Council appoints three; and the Welsh Government appoints the remaining six. There has been considerable inwards migration to Gwynedd, particularly from England. According to
576-410: The 19th century the population increased steadily, from 46,000 in the 1801 census, to 81,093 in 1841, and up to 137,000 in the 1901 census (figures given for the registration county ). Under the Local Government Act 1888 , an elected Carnarvonshire County Council took over functions from the county's quarter sessions . The administrative county covered by the county council had identical borders to
612-564: The 2021 census , 64.4% of the population aged three and over stated that they could speak Welsh, while 64.4% noted that they could speak Welsh in the 2011 census . It is estimated that 83% of the county's Welsh-speakers are fluent, the highest percentage of all counties in Wales. The age group with the highest proportion of Welsh speakers in Gwynedd were those between ages 5 and 15, of whom 92.3% stated that they could speak Welsh in 2011. The proportion of Welsh speakers in Gwynedd declined between 1991 and 2001, from 72.1% to 68.7%, even though
648-529: The 2021 census, 66.6% of residents had been born in Wales whilst 27.1% were born in England. The county has a mixed economy. An important part of the economy is based on tourism: many visitors are attracted by the many beaches and the mountains. A significant part of the county lies within the Snowdonia National Park , which extends from the north coast down to the district of Meirionnydd in
684-561: The arms of Owain Gwynedd . According to the poet Michael Drayton , the eagles formed the device on the banner of the Caernarvonshire soldiers at the Battle of Agincourt . The crest above the shield was a generic castle, representing Caernarfon , Conwy and Criccieth Castles . Behind the castle was the badge of the heir apparent: three ostrich feathers. The supporters were Welsh dragons with fish tails to show that Caernarvonshire
720-506: The centre and south-east of the former county, which included Snowdon itself, the highest mountain in Wales at 1,085 m (3,560 ft). The south-west of the county was formed by the Llŷn peninsula , with Bardsey Island lying off its western end. The north of the county, between the mountains and Menai Strait, had much more subdued relief. The east of the county was part of Vale of Conwy, with
756-589: The east. Caernarvonshire County Council received a grant of armorial bearings from the College of Arms in 1949. The shield was a combination of the arms of two great native Princes of Wales. The gold and red quarters bearing lions were the arms of Llewelyn the Last – now used as the arms of the Principality of Wales. Across this was placed a green fess or horizontal band, on which were three gold eagles, from
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#1732790306679792-472: The former Denbighshire parishes) passed to the new Conwy County Borough . The remainder of the county was constituted as a principal area, with the name Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire , as it covers most of the areas of those two historic counties. As one of its first actions, the Council renamed itself Gwynedd on 2 April 1996. The present Gwynedd local government area is governed by Gwynedd Council . As
828-410: The geographic county. The county and the town after which it was named were officially spelled "Carnarvon" until 1926. At a meeting on 10 November 1925 the borough council resolved to ask the county council to change the spelling to "Caernarvon". The county council gave permission for the change of spelling for the name of the borough with effect from 14 January 1926, and at the same time decided to ask
864-492: The government to also change the spelling of the county's name to Caernarvon. The government confirmed the change in the spelling of the county's name with effect from 1 July 1926. The county council was based at County Hall, Caernarfon . The county contained five ancient boroughs . Two of these (Caernarfon and Pwllheli) were reformed in 1835 by the Municipal Corporations Act . Criccieth established
900-583: The invasion of Edward I. This historical name was revived when the new county was formed in 1974. Gwynedd was an independent kingdom from the end of the Roman period until the 13th century, when it was conquered by England . The modern Gwynedd was one of eight Welsh counties created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 . It covered the entirety of the historic counties of Anglesey and Caernarfonshire , and all of Merionethshire apart from Edeirnion Rural District (which went to Clwyd ); and also
936-580: The language . The geography of Gwynedd is mountainous, with a long coastline to the west. The county contains much of Snowdonia ( Eryri ), a national park which contains Wales's highest mountain, Snowdon ( Yr Wyddfa ; 3,560 feet, 1,090 m). To the west, the Llŷn Peninsula is flatter and renowned for its scenic coastline, part of which is protected by the Llŷn AONB . Gwynedd also contains several of Wales's largest lakes and reservoirs, including
972-547: The largest, Bala Lake ( Llyn Tegid ). The area which is now the county has played a prominent part in the history of Wales. It formed part of the core of the Kingdom of Gwynedd and the native Principality of Wales , which under the House of Aberffraw remained independent from the Kingdom of England until Edward I 's conquest between 1277 and 1283. Edward built the castles at Caernarfon and Harlech , which form part of
1008-413: The municipal boroughs, became urban sanitary districts . At the same time the remainder of the county was divided into rural sanitary districts, some of which crossed county boundaries. The Local Government Act 1894 redesignated these as urban and rural districts . A county review order in 1934 made changes to the county's districts. renamed Porthmadog UD 1915 The civil parish of Llysfaen
1044-617: The past, historians such as J. E. Lloyd assumed that the Celtic source of the word Gwynedd meant 'collection of tribes' – the same root as the Irish fine , meaning 'tribe'. Further, a connection is recognised between the name and the Irish Féni , an early ethnonym for the Irish themselves, related to fían , 'company of hunting and fighting men, company of warriors under a leader'. Perhaps *u̯en-, u̯enə ('strive, hope, wish')
1080-462: The proportion of Welsh speakers in Wales as a whole increased during that decade to 20.5%. The Annual Population Survey estimated that as of March 2023, 77.0% of those in Gwynedd aged three years and above could speak Welsh. Caernarfonshire Caernarfonshire ( / k ər ˈ n ɑːr v ən ʃ ər / ; Welsh : Sir Gaernarfon , Welsh pronunciation: [ˈsir gaɨ̯rˈnarvɔn] ), sometimes spelled Caernarvonshire or Carnarvonshire ,
1116-461: The slate quarries. Industries which have developed more recently include TV and sound studios: the record company Sain has its HQ in the county. The education sector is also very important for the local economy, including Bangor University and Further Education colleges, Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor and Coleg Menai , both now part of Grŵp Llandrillo Menai . Gwynedd has the highest proportion of people in Wales who can speak Welsh . According to
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1152-429: The south. But tourism provides seasonal employment and thus there is a shortage of jobs in the winter. Agriculture is less important than in the past, especially in terms of the number of people who earn their living on the land, but it remains an important element of the economy. The most important of the traditional industries is the slate industry, but these days only a small percentage of workers earn their living in
1188-582: Was a Welsh maritime county. The supporter stood on a compartment of rocks for the rugged coast and mountains of the county. The motto Cadernid Gwynedd was adopted by the county council. This was derived from the Mabinogion , and can be translated as "The Strength of Gwynedd". The Flag of Caernarfonshire was registered with the Flag Institute in March 2012. The pattern of three gold eagles on
1224-403: Was a detached exclave of the county. On 1 April 1923 Llysfaen was transferred to the county of Denbighshire . Under the Local Government Act 1972 the administrative county of Caernarvonshire was abolished on 1 April 1974. It was largely split between the three districts of Aberconwy , Arfon and Dwyfor of Gwynedd (along with Merionethshire and Anglesey ). Until 1974, Caernarvonshire
1260-545: Was divided into civil parishes for the purpose of local government; these in large part equated to ecclesiastical parishes (see the table below), most of which still exist as part of the Church in Wales. Chapelries are listed in italics. an exclave in Denbighshire Most of these parishes ended up in Gwynedd, but those marked C ended up in Conwy. The name Caernarfonshire (this time spelled with an f not
1296-487: Was one of the thirteen historic counties of Wales , in the north-west of Wales . The county was bounded to the north by the Irish Sea , to the east by Denbighshire , to the south by Cardigan Bay and Merionethshire , and to the west by Caernarfon Bay and the Menai Strait , which had separated it from Anglesey . The county had a largely mountainous terrain. A large part of the Snowdonian Range lay in
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