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147-540: Monmouthshire ( / ˈ m ɒ n m ə θ ʃ ər , ˈ m ʌ n -, - ʃ ɪər / MON -məth-shər, MUN -, -⁠sheer ; Welsh : Sir Fynwy ) is a county in the south east of Wales . It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the south, and Torfaen , Newport and Blaenau Gwent to the west. The largest town

294-585: A Welsh or as an English county, a debate only finally brought to an end in 1972. The laws establishing the 13 counties (shires), the historic counties of Wales , assigned four for the five new counties created from the Marcher Lordships along the Welsh/English border, Brecknockshire , Denbighshire , Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire , to the legal system operated in Wales, administered by

441-635: A foundry at Tintern in 1568, and the lower Wye Valley and the Forest of Dean became important centres for metalworking and mining. But the most dramatic impact was in the west of the county during the Industrial Revolution , in the South Wales Coalfield , where some of the largest pits in Wales were dug, and a major iron industry developed. The societal transformation was accompanied by great inequality and unrest. Chartism

588-616: A naturalist whose independent work on natural selection saw Charles Darwin bring forward the publication of On the Origin of Species , was born at Llanbadoc , outside Usk , in 1823. He is commemorated in a statue raised in the town's Twyn Square in 2021. Bertrand Russell , the philosopher and the only Nobel laureate from the county, was born at Cleddon Hall , outside Trellech in 1872. Charles Rolls grew up at his family seat, The Hendre , just north of Monmouth and, in partnership with Henry Royce , co-founded Rolls-Royce Limited . He

735-756: A 0.24 hectares (0.6 acres) outcrop of rock in the Severn Estuary , the southern foreshore of which is the boundary between England and Wales, is Monmouthshire's only offshore island. The battle to save Magor Marsh , the last remaining area of natural fenland on the Gwent Levels , led to the foundation of the Gwent Wildlife Trust . The county contains a range of nature reserves and areas of special scientific interest, including Graig Wood 14.3-hectare (35-acre) SSSI, Pentwyn Farm Grasslands 7.6-hectare (19-acre) SSSI and Lady Park Wood National Nature Reserve (45.0-hectare (111-acre)). The Wye Valley ,

882-441: A Welsh Language Scheme, which indicates its commitment to the equality of treatment principle. This is sent out in draft form for public consultation for a three-month period, whereupon comments on it may be incorporated into a final version. It requires the final approval of the now defunct Welsh Language Board ( Bwrdd yr Iaith Gymraeg ). Thereafter, the public body is charged with implementing and fulfilling its obligations under

1029-539: A Welsh-language edge inscription was used on pound coins dated 1985, 1990 and 1995, which circulated in all parts of the UK prior to their 2017 withdrawal. The wording is Pleidiol wyf i'm gwlad (Welsh for 'True am I to my country'), and derives from the national anthem of Wales, " Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau ". UK banknotes are in English only. Some shops employ bilingual signage. Welsh sometimes appears on product packaging or instructions. The UK government has ratified

1176-481: A bus network, connecting Abergavenny, Monmouth, Chepstow, Raglan and Usk, with stopping points at smaller settlements on route. National coach services have stopping points at Monmouth and Chepstow. In its industrial heyday in the 18th and 19th centuries, the western part of the county was served by the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal which connected the South Wales Coalfield with the port at Newport . Today,

1323-663: A census glossary of terms to support the release of results from the census, including their definition of "main language" as referring to "first or preferred language" (though that wording was not in the census questionnaire itself). The wards in England with the most people giving Welsh as their main language were the Liverpool wards of Central and Greenbank ; and Oswestry South in Shropshire . The wards of Oswestry South (1.15%), Oswestry East (0.86%) and St Oswald (0.71%) had

1470-561: A contemporary observer, noted that "from this time onward, Owain's fortunes began to wane in that region." The first Tudor king, Henry VII , was born at Pembroke Castle in the west of Wales, and spent some of his childhood in Monmouthshire, at Raglan Castle as a ward of William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke . His son and heir Henry VIII was to bring the rule of the Marcher lords to an end. The historic county of Monmouthshire

1617-470: A feast at Abergavenny Castle . De Braose proceeded to have his men massacre the Welsh, intending the obliteration of the indigenous Gwent aristocracy, before sending them to burn Seisyll's home at Castell Arnallt and to murder his son. A wave of Welsh retaliation followed, described in detail by the contemporary chronicler, Gerald of Wales . Monmouthshire's Norman castles later became favoured residences of

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1764-459: A limited number of public service functions which operate across principal areas, for example Gwent Police . In the 1997 Welsh devolution referendum , which resulted in a narrow "Yes" vote, 50.30 per cent in favour v. 49.70 per cent against, for the establishment of a National Assembly for Wales, Monmouthshire recorded the highest "No" vote of any principal area, its population voting 67.9 percent against to 32.1 per cent in favour. Monmouthshire

1911-734: A lower level of road usage than in 2016. Monmouthshire is served by four railway stations: in the south are the Severn Tunnel Junction railway station at Rogiet on the South Wales Main Line , which connects South Wales to London; and Chepstow railway station and Caldicot railway station on the Gloucester–Newport line ; and in the north, Abergavenny railway station on the Welsh Marches line . The county's main centres of population are served by

2058-474: A national scandal. During a debate in parliament on the establishment of a turnpike trust for the county, the local landowner Valentine Morris asserted that the inhabitants of the county travelled "in ditches". By the mid-century, commercial demands saw the first timetabled stagecoach between London and Monmouth arrive in Agincourt Square on 4 November 1763, the journey having taken four days. By

2205-491: A number of early Christians as his relatives. One is Pomponia Graecina , wife of Aulus Plautius , the conqueror of Britain, who as Tacitus relates, was accused of following a "foreign superstition", which the tradition considers to be Christianity. Tacitus describes her as the "wife of the Plautius who returned from Britain with an ovation", which led John Lingard (1771–1851) to conclude, in his History and Antiquities of

2352-406: A partial proportional representation system. Fire and rescue services are provided by South Wales Fire and Rescue Service , which has fire stations in the county at Abergavenny, Caldicot, Chepstow, Monmouth and Usk. Policing services are provided by Gwent Police , whose officers cover Monmouthshire, as well as Blaenau Gwent , Caerphilly , Newport and Torfaen . Civilian oversight is provided by

2499-570: A reference to Cyllin as a son of Caratacus was found in the family records of Iestyn ab Gwrgant and used this as evidence of the early entry of Christianity to Britain: "Cyllin ab Caradog, a wise and just king. In his days many of the Cymry embraced the faith in Christ through the teaching of the saints of Cor-Eurgain, and many godly men from the countries of Greece and Rome were in Cambria. He first of

2646-479: A single discourse (known in linguistics as code-switching ). Welsh speakers are largely concentrated in the north and west of Wales, principally Gwynedd , Conwy County Borough , Denbighshire , Anglesey , Carmarthenshire , north Pembrokeshire , Ceredigion , parts of Glamorgan , and north-west and extreme south-west Powys . However, first-language and other fluent speakers can be found throughout Wales. Welsh-speaking communities persisted well into

2793-664: A site near Brampton Bryan . Bari Jones, in Archaeology Today in 1998, identified Blodwel Rocks at Llanymynech in Powys as representing a close fit with Tacitus' account. After his capture, Caratacus was sent to Rome as a war prize, presumably to be killed after a triumphal parade . Although a captive, he was allowed to address the Roman Senate . Tacitus records a version of his speech in which he says that his stubborn resistance made Rome's glory in defeating him all

2940-494: A substantially lower number than in all of the adjoining principal areas; average annual earnings in 2020 were just over £41,000 compared to just over £32,000 in Wales as a whole. Total income tax payments from the county in 2013 were second only to the City of Cardiff, and the average individual payment exceeded that paid in the capital city. Agriculture continues to be an important employer, accounting for 15.3 per cent of businesses,

3087-654: A united Wales under Gruffydd ap Llywelyn , but his death in 1063 was soon followed by that of his opponent Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings , and the re-established unity of the country was to come from Norman dominance. The Norman invasion of South Wales from the late 1060s saw the destruction of the Kingdom of Gwent, and its replacement by five Marcher lordships based at Striguil (Chepstow), Monmouth, Abergavenny, Usk and Caerleon. The Marcher Lord of Abergavenny, Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Gloucester , described

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3234-441: Is Abergavenny , and the administrative centre is Usk . The county is rural, although adjacent to the city of Newport and the urbanised South Wales Valleys ; it has an area of 330 square miles (850 km) and a population of 93,000. After Abergavenny (12,515), the largest towns are Chepstow (12,350), Monmouth (10,508), and Caldicot (9,813). The county has one of the lowest percentages of Welsh speakers in Wales, at 8.2% of

3381-544: Is Mary Ann Brocklesby. Monmouthshire elects one member to the UK parliament at Westminster , until 2024 representing the Monmouth constituency . Under the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies , a new constituency, Monmouthshire , came into effect at the 2024 general election , comprising 88.9% of the previous constituency. The seat was won by the Labour Party candidate Catherine Fookes who defeated

3528-989: Is a Celtic language of the Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people . Welsh is spoken natively in Wales , by some in England , and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut Province , Argentina ). It is spoken by smaller numbers of people in Canada and the United States descended from Welsh immigrants, within their households (especially in Nova Scotia ). Historically, it has also been known in English as "British", "Cambrian", "Cambric" and "Cymric". The Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 gave

3675-546: Is available throughout Europe on satellite and online throughout the UK. Since the digital switchover was completed in South Wales on 31 March 2010, S4C Digidol became the main broadcasting channel and fully in Welsh. The main evening television news provided by the BBC in Welsh is available for download. There is also a Welsh-language radio station, BBC Radio Cymru , which was launched in 1977. Caratacus Before

3822-407: Is broadly rectangular in shape, and borders the county of Powys to the north and the county boroughs of Newport , Torfaen and Blaenau Gwent to the west, with its southern border on the Severn Estuary giving the county its only coastline. To the east, it borders the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire . The centre of the county is the plain of Gwent, formed from the basin of

3969-688: Is considered to have lasted from then until the 14th century, when the Modern Welsh period began, which in turn is divided into Early and Late Modern Welsh. The word Welsh is a descendant, via Old English wealh, wielisc , of the Proto-Germanic word * Walhaz , which was derived from the name of the Celtic people known to the Romans as Volcae and which came to refer to speakers of Celtic languages, and then indiscriminately to

4116-511: 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 nearly all surviving early manuscripts of the Mabinogion , although the tales themselves are certainly much older. It is also the language of the existing Welsh law manuscripts. Middle Welsh is reasonably intelligible to a modern-day Welsh speaker. The Bible translations into Welsh helped maintain

4263-518: Is the remnant of a once much larger forest, but remains the largest ancient woodland in Wales and the ninth largest in Britain. Once a 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres) woodland, it formed the hunting ground for Chepstow Castle, and gave its name to a traditional north-south, division of the county between the cantrefi (hundreds) of Gwent Uwchcoed (above the wood) and Gwent Iscoed (below the wood). Monmouth's coastline forms its southern border, running

4410-732: The Cynfeirdd or "Early Poets" – is generally considered to date to the Primitive Welsh period. However, much of this poetry was supposedly composed in the Hen Ogledd , raising further questions about the dating of the material and language in which it was originally composed. This discretion stems from the fact that Cumbric was widely believed to have been the language used in Hen Ogledd. An 8th-century inscription in Tywyn shows

4557-500: The 2016 Australian census , 1,688 people noted that they spoke Welsh. In the 2011 Canadian census , 3,885 people reported Welsh as their first language . According to the 2021 Canadian census , 1,130 people noted that Welsh was their mother tongue. The 2018 New Zealand census noted that 1,083 people in New Zealand spoke Welsh. The American Community Survey 2009–2013 noted that 2,235 people aged five years and over in

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4704-466: The 2021 census , 7,349 people in England recorded Welsh to be their "main language". In the 2011 census, 1,189 people aged three and over in Scotland noted that Welsh was a language (other than English) that they used at home. It is believed that there are as many as 5,000 speakers of Patagonian Welsh . In response to the question 'Does the person speak a language other than English at home?' in

4851-637: The 5th Duke of Beaufort , enjoyed a long military career, serving on the staff of the Duke of Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo , and as commander-in-chief of the British forces during the Crimean War . Created Baron Raglan in 1852, he died in 1855. His son was gifted Cefntilla Court , near Llandenny in his memory. William Wilson Allen , who fought with the South Wales Borderers at

4998-543: The Annals of Owain Glyn Dwr , "there the English were killed for the most part and they were pursued up to the gates of the town" (of Monmouth). This was the high water mark of the revolt; heavy defeats in the county followed in 1405, at the Battle of Grosmont , and at the Battle of Pwll Melyn , traditionally located near Usk Castle , where Glyndŵr's brother was killed and his eldest son captured. The chronicler Adam of Usk ,

5145-772: The Battle of Rorke's Drift in 1879, is buried in Monmouth Cemetery , the only grave in the county of a holder of the Victoria Cross . The Monmouthshire Regiment was established in 1907. Men from the regiment fought in both the First and Second World Wars , until its disbandment in 1967. HMS Monmouth was sunk at the Battle of Coronel in November 1914, with the loss of all 734 crew. The Local Government Act 1972 , which came into effect in April 1974, created

5292-598: The City of Newport , including Caerleon as it had since 1974. The new Monmouthshire, covering the less populated eastern 60% of the historic county, included the towns of Abergavenny , Caldicot , Chepstow , Monmouth and Usk . In his essay on local government in the fifth and final volume of the Gwent County History , Robert McCloy suggests that the governance of "no county in the United Kingdom in

5439-659: The Court of Great Sessions . Monmouthshire was assigned to the Oxford circuit of the English Assizes . This began a legal separation which continued until 1972; for example, the administrative county of Monmouthshire and the boroughs of Newport, Abergavenny and Monmouth were explicitly listed as being in England rather than Wales in first schedule of the Local Government Act 1933 . For several centuries, acts of

5586-482: The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in respect of Welsh. The language has greatly increased its prominence since the creation of the television channel S4C in November 1982, which until digital switchover in 2010 broadcast 70 per cent of Channel 4's programming along with a majority of Welsh language shows during peak viewing hours. The all-Welsh-language digital station S4C Digidol

5733-517: The Gwent Police and Crime Commissioner . Monmouthshire's prisons are HM Prison Prescoed , a Category D open prison at Coed-y-paen and HM Prison Usk , a Category C prison, both in the west of the county. Monmouthshire's population was 93,000 at the 2021 census, increasing marginally from 91,300 at the 2011 census. 54,100 (58.2 per cent) of residents were born in Wales, while 32,300 (34.7 per cent) were born in England. Just over 20 per cent of

5880-611: The Iron Age . The Silures proved among the most intractable of Rome's opponents, Tacitus described them as "exceptionally stubborn" and Raymond Howell, in his county history published in 1988, notes that while it took the Romans five years to subdue south-east England, it took thirty-five before complete subjugation of the Silurian territories was achieved. The Roman conquest of Britain began in AD 43, and within five years they had reached

6027-771: The M48 , originally part of the M4, which links Wales with England via the Severn Bridge at Chepstow. In the east of the county, the A449 and the A40 link with the M50 near Goodrich, Herefordshire , connecting Monmouthshire and South Wales with the English Midlands . The Department for Transport recorded traffic in Monmouthshire at 0.9 billion vehicle miles in 2022. This represented

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6174-650: The Mesolithic period has been found across Monmouthshire; examples include important remains on the Caldicot and Wentloog Levels and at Monmouth . An important hoard of Bronze Age axes was discovered at St Arvans . The county has a number of hillfort sites , such as those at Bulwark and Llanmelin Wood . The latter has been suggested as the capital of the Silures , a Celtic tribe who occupied south-east Wales in

6321-677: The Parliament of England (in which Wales was represented) often referred to "Wales and Monmouthshire", such as the Welsh Church Act 1914 . Monmouthshire in the 1600s experienced to a high degree the political and religious convulsions arising from the English Reformation and culminating in the English Civil War . Following Henry VII's religious reforms, the county had a reputation for recusancy , with

6468-462: The Plantagenet nobility . Henry of Grosmont, Duke of Lancaster (c. 1310–1361), was reputedly born at Grosmont Castle , home of his father Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster , grandson of Henry III . Becoming the richest and among the most powerful lords in England, Grosmont developed the castle as a sumptuous residence, while the village became an important medieval settlement. Henry V (1386–1422)

6615-701: The Polish name for Italians) have a similar etymology. The Welsh term for the language, Cymraeg , descends from the Brythonic word combrogi , meaning 'compatriots' or 'fellow countrymen'. 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

6762-444: The River Usk , while the River Wye forms part of its eastern border, running through the Wye Valley , one of the five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Wales and the only one in the county. The north and west of the county is mountainous, particularly the western area adjoining the industrial South Wales Valleys and the Black Mountains which form part of the Brecon Beacons National Park . Two major river valleys dominate

6909-450: The United States spoke Welsh at home. The highest number of those (255) lived in Florida . Sources: Calls for the Welsh language to be granted official status grew with the establishment of the nationalist political party Plaid Cymru in 1925, the establishment of the Welsh Language Society in 1962 and the rise of Welsh nationalism in the later 20th century. Of the six living Celtic languages (including two revived), Welsh has

7056-423: The district of Monmouth along with the Llanelly community from Blaenau Gwent, both of which were districts of Gwent. It is a principal area of Wales. Monmouthshire is styled as a county, and includes: the former boroughs of Abergavenny and Monmouth; the former urban districts of Chepstow and Usk; the former rural districts of Abergavenny, Chepstow and Monmouth; the former rural district of Pontypool , except

7203-404: The "hugely important role", adding, "I look forward to working with the Welsh Government and organisations in Wales in developing the new system of standards. I will look to build on the good work that has been done by the Welsh Language Board and others to strengthen the Welsh language and ensure that it continues to thrive." First Minister Carwyn Jones said that Huws would act as a champion for

7350-532: The 1880s identified a small part of Shropshire as still then speaking Welsh, with the "Celtic Border" passing from Llanymynech through Oswestry to Chirk . The number of Welsh-speaking people in the rest of Britain has not yet been counted for statistical purposes. In 1993, the Welsh-language television channel S4C published the results of a survey into the numbers of people who spoke or understood Welsh, which estimated that there were around 133,000 Welsh-speaking people living in England, about 50,000 of them in

7497-409: The 1993 Act nor secondary legislation made under it covers the private sector, although some organisations, notably banks and some railway companies, provide some of their information in Welsh. On 7 December 2010, the Welsh Assembly unanimously approved a set of measures to develop the use of the Welsh language within Wales. On 9 February 2011 this measure, the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 ,

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7644-399: The 19th centuries county politics was dominated by the Beauforts, and the Morgans , "an everlasting friendship between the house of Raglan and Tredegar". By the late 19th century, three families held over a fifth of the land in Monmouthshire: the Beauforts, the Morgans, and the Hanburys of Pontypool . Industrialisation came early to Monmouthshire; the first brass in Britain was produced at

7791-421: The Anglo-Saxon Church , that she was British; however, this conclusion is a misinterpretation of what Tacitus wrote. An ovation was a military parade in honour of a victorious general, so the person who "returned from Britain with an ovation" is clearly Plautius, not Pomponia. This has not prevented the error being repeated and disseminated widely. Another is Claudia Rufina , a historical British woman known to

7938-430: The Assembly which confirms the official status of the Welsh language; which creates a strong advocate for Welsh speakers and will improve the quality and quantity of services available through the medium of Welsh. I believe that everyone who wants to access services in the Welsh language should be able to do so, and that is what this government has worked towards. This legislation is an important and historic step forward for

8085-502: The Catuvellauni's territories were conquered. Their stronghold of Camulodunon was converted into the first Roman colonia in Britain, Colonia Victricensis . We next hear of Caratacus in Tacitus 's Annals , leading the Silures and Ordovices of Wales against Plautius' successor as governor , Publius Ostorius Scapula . Finally, in 50, Scapula managed to defeat Caratacus in a set-piece battle somewhere in Ordovician territory, capturing Caratacus' wife and daughter and receiving

8232-409: The Cymry gave infants names; for before, names were not given except to adults, and then from something characteristic in their bodies, minds, or manners." Another tradition, which has remained popular among British Israelites and others, makes Caratacus already a Christian before he came to Rome, Christianity having been brought to Britain by either Joseph of Arimathea or St Paul , and identifies

8379-434: The Greater London area. The Welsh Language Board , on the basis of an analysis of the Office for National Statistics Longitudinal Study, estimated there were 110,000 Welsh-speaking people in England, and another thousand in Scotland and Northern Ireland. In the 2011 census , 8,248 people in England gave Welsh in answer to the question "What is your main language?" The Office for National Statistics subsequently published

8526-496: The Kings of Britain , with a focus on King Arthur and Camelot which Geoffrey located at Caerleon (now in Newport ), and which remained highly influential for centuries, although modern scholars consider it little more than a literary forgery. Christmas 1175 saw an outbreak of particular violence in the gradual extension of Norman control over South Wales. The Marcher lord William de Braose invited Seisyll ap Dyfnwal , lord of Upper Gwent, and an array of other Welsh notables to

8673-415: The Norman Conquest is poorly documented and complex. The kingdom of Gwent frequently fought with the neighbouring Welsh kingdoms, and sometimes joined in alliance with them in, generally successful, attempts to repel the Anglo-Saxons , their common enemy. The Book of Llandaff records such a victory over the Saxon invaders achieved by Tewdrig at a battle near Tintern in the late 6th century. An example of

8820-670: The River Wye and several parts of South Wales, etc. relative chiefly to Picturesque Beauty; made in the summer of the year 1770 . Although his efforts were sometimes satirised, Gilpin established what became the conventional route down the "mazy course" of the River Wye , with visitors embarking at Ross-on-Wye , and sailing past Symonds Yat , and Monmouth, before the highlight of the tour, Tintern Abbey . Voyages concluded at Chepstow. The abbey at Tintern inspired artists and writers; J. M. W. Turner painted it; William Wordsworth committed it to verse; while Samuel Taylor Coleridge almost died there. Another object of interest to artists undertaking

8967-425: The Roman invasion, Caratacus is associated with the expansion of his tribe's territory. His apparent success led to Roman invasion, nominally in support of his defeated enemies. He resisted the Romans for almost a decade, using guerrilla warfare , but when he offered a set-piece battle he was defeated by Roman forces. After defeat he fled to the territory of Queen Cartimandua , who captured him and handed him over to

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9114-499: The Romans. He was sentenced to death but made a speech before his execution that persuaded the Emperor Claudius to spare him. Caratacus' speech to Claudius has been a popular subject in visual art. Caratacus' name appears as both Caratacus and Caractacus in manuscripts of Tacitus, and as Καράτακος and Καρτάκης in manuscripts of Dio. Older reference works tend to favour the spelling "Caractacus", but modern scholars agree, based on historical linguistics and source criticism, that

9261-432: The Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011, all new signs have Welsh displayed first. There have been incidents of one of the languages being vandalised, which may be considered a hate crime . Since 2000, the teaching of Welsh has been compulsory in all schools in Wales up to age 16; this has had an effect in stabilising and reversing the decline in the language. Text on UK coins tends to be in English and Latin. However,

9408-436: The Welsh Language Scheme. The list of other public bodies which have to prepare Schemes could be added to by initially the Secretary of State for Wales, from 1993 to 1997, by way of statutory instrument . Subsequent to the forming of the National Assembly for Wales in 1997, the Government Minister responsible for the Welsh language can and has passed statutory instruments naming public bodies who have to prepare Schemes. Neither

9555-421: The Welsh language official status in Wales. Welsh and English are de jure official languages of the Welsh Parliament, the Senedd , with Welsh being the only de jure official language in any part of the United Kingdom, with English being merely de facto official. According to the 2021 census , the Welsh-speaking population of Wales aged three or older was 538,300 (17.8%) and nearly three quarters of

9702-445: The Welsh language, though some had concerns over her appointment: Plaid Cymru spokeswoman Bethan Jenkins said, "I have concerns about the transition from Meri Huws's role from the Welsh Language Board to the language commissioner, and I will be asking the Welsh government how this will be successfully managed. We must be sure that there is no conflict of interest, and that the Welsh Language Commissioner can demonstrate how she will offer

9849-426: The Welsh of the 16th century, but they are similar enough for a fluent Welsh speaker to have little trouble understanding it. During the Modern Welsh period, there has been a decline in the popularity of the Welsh language: the number of Welsh speakers declined to the point at which there was concern that the language would become extinct. During industrialisation in the late 19th century, immigrants from England led to

9996-429: The Welsh-speaking heartlands, with the number dropping to under 50 per cent in Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire for the first time. However, according to the Welsh Language Use Survey in 2019–20, 22 per cent of people aged three and over were able to speak Welsh. The Annual Population Survey (APS) by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated that as of March 2024, approximately 862,700, or 28.0 per cent of

10143-445: The Wye Tour was the Monnow Bridge at Monmouth. A late 18th-century watercolour by Michael Angelo Rooker is now in the Monmouth Museum . The noted architectural watercolourist Samuel Prout painted the bridge in a study dated "before 1814", now held at the Yale Center for British Art in Connecticut. In 1795, J. M. W. Turner sketched the bridge and gatehouse during one of his annual summer sketching tours. Alfred Russel Wallace ,

10290-440: The alliances formed by neighbouring petty kings was the Kingdom of Morgannwg , a union between Gwent and its western neighbour, the kingdom of Glywysing , which formed and reformed between the 8th and the 10th centuries. The common threat they faced is shown in Offa's Dyke , the physical delineation of a border with Wales created by the Mercian king . For a brief period in the 11th century, Monmouthshire, as Gwent, became part of

10437-405: The area included Blestium (Monmouth). The Romanisation of Monmouthshire was not without continuing civil unrest; the defences at Caerwent, and at Caerleon, underwent considerable strengthening in the 190s in response to disturbances. The Silurian identity was not extinguished: the establishment of a Respublica Civitatis Silurium (an early town council) in around 300 testifies to the longevity of

10584-516: The better to his own men, with steep mountains all around, and, wherever a gentle access was possible, he strewed rocks in front in the manner of a rampart. And in front too there flowed a stream with an unsure ford, and companies of armed men had taken up position along the defences. Although the Severn is visible from British Camp, it is nowhere near it, so this battle must have taken place elsewhere. A number of locations have been suggested, including

10731-524: The borders of what is now Wales. In south-east Wales they encountered strong resistance from the Silures, led by Caratacus (Caradog), who had fled west after the defeat of his own tribe, the Catuvellauni . His final defeat in AD 50 saw his transportation to Rome, but stiff Silurian resistance continued, and the subjugation of the entirety of south-east Wales was not achieved until around AD 75, under

10878-516: The bow and arrow than those who come from other parts of Wales". There was a brief reassertion of Welsh autonomy in Monmouthshire during the Glyndŵr rebellion of 1400 to 1415. Seeking to re-establish Welsh independence, the revolt began in the north, but by 1403 Owain Glyndŵr 's army was in Monmouthshire, sacking Usk and securing a victory over the English at Craig-y-dorth , near Cwmcarvan . According to

11025-496: The canal is a popular route for leisure cruising but most of its length lies within the principal areas of Torfaen , Blaenau Gwent and Newport. The Monmouthshire villages of Gilwern , Govilon and Goetre , on the western extremity of the county, remain adjacent to the canal. Tourism remains an important element of the county's economy. It generated just under £245 million in income in 2019, from 2.28 million visitors. The sector also provides employment for over 3,000 inhabitants of

11172-576: The capture of Caratacus, much of southern Britain from the Humber to the Severn was pacified and garrisoned throughout the 50s. Legends place Caratacus' last stand at either Caer Caradoc near Church Stretton or British Camp in the Malvern Hills , but the description of Tacitus makes either unlikely: [Caratacus] resorted to the ultimate hazard, adopting a place for battle so that entry, exit, everything would be unfavourable to us and for

11319-460: The census. In terms of usage, ONS also reported that 14.4 per cent (443,800) of people aged three or older in Wales reported that they spoke Welsh daily in March 2024, with 5.4 per cent (165,500) speaking it weekly and 6.5 per cent (201,200) less often. Approximately 1.7 per cent (51,700) reported that they never spoke Welsh despite being able to speak the language, with the remaining 72.0 per cent of

11466-532: The chair of Monmouthshire County Council. The western edge of the county, bordering Newport and including the settlements of Magor , Undy , Rogiet and Caldicot , forms part of the Newport East constituency which has John Griffiths of Labour as its member. Monmouth is also one of eight constituencies in the South Wales East electoral region , which elects four additional members , under

11613-638: The community of Llanfrechfa Lower ; and the parish of Llanelly from the former Crickhowell Rural District in Brecknockshire. The county is administered by Monmouthshire County Council , with its head office at Rhadyr, outside Usk , opened in 2013. In the 2022 Monmouthshire County Council election , no party gained overall control, with the Welsh Labour party forming a minority administration, its 22 councillors allying with five Independents and one Green Party councillor. The council leader

11760-556: The county is Chwarel y Fan in the Black Mountains, with a height of 679 metres (2,228 ft). The Sugar Loaf (Welsh: Mynydd Pen-y-fâl or Y Fâl ), located three kilometres (two miles) northwest of Abergavenny, offers far-reaching views; although its height is only 596 metres (1,955 ft), its isolation and distinctive peak shape make it a prominent landmark. Wentwood , now partly in Monmouthshire and partly in Newport ,

11907-496: The county of Gwent, confirmed it as part of Wales, and abolished the historic administrative county of Monmouthshire and its associated lieutenancy . It also subsumed Newport County Borough Council , creating a two-tier system of local government across the county. The entire county was administered by Gwent County Council , based at County Hall, Cwmbran , with five district councils below it: Blaenau Gwent , Islwyn , Monmouth , Newport and Torfaen . The largest five towns in

12054-555: The county of Monmouthshire, although only with the eastern three-fifths of its historic area, and with a substantially reduced population. The western two-fifths of the county were included in other principal areas: Caerphilly County Borough , part of which came from Mid Glamorgan, including the towns of Newbridge , Blackwood , New Tredegar and Rhymney ; Blaenau Gwent County Borough , including Abertillery , Brynmawr , Ebbw Vale and Tredegar ; Torfaen County Borough , including Blaenavon , Abersychan , Pontypool , and Cwmbran ; and

12201-405: The county's only National Landscape , has its largest population of deer and the UK's largest population of Lesser horseshoe bats . The Wye itself was once one of the country's major centres of salmon fishing, but this has suffered very rapid decline in the 21st century due to river pollution . The current unitary authority of Monmouthshire was created on 1 April 1996 as a successor to

12348-470: The county's population is over the age of 65. It remains one of the least densely-populated of Wales' principal areas . The 2021 census recorded that Welsh is spoken by 8.7 per cent of the population of the county, a decrease from 9.9 per cent in 2011. The number of non-Welsh speakers increased by 3,000 over the decade. In 2021, 96.9 per cent of Monmouthshire residents identified as "white European", marginally lower than in 2011, compared with 98 per cent for

12495-599: The county, approximately 10 per cent of the total working population. The county has neither a university nor any satellite campus. The former University of Wales, Newport operated a campus at Caerleon which closed in 2016, following the 2013 merger which created the University of South Wales . Higher education courses in the county are provided through the campus of Coleg Gwent at Rhadyr, near Usk . Welsh language Welsh ( Cymraeg [kəmˈraːiɡ] or y Gymraeg [ə ɡəmˈraːiɡ] )

12642-414: The course of the 20th century this monolingual population all but disappeared, but a small percentage remained at the time of the 1981 census. Most Welsh-speaking people in Wales also speak English. However, many Welsh-speaking people are more comfortable expressing themselves in Welsh than in English. A speaker's choice of language can vary according to the subject domain and the social context, even within

12789-489: The creation of Old Welsh, Davies suggests it may be more appropriate to refer to this derivative language as Lingua Britannica rather than characterising it as a new language altogether. The argued dates for the period of "Primitive Welsh" are widely debated, with some historians' suggestions differing by hundreds of years. The next main period is Old Welsh ( Hen Gymraeg , 9th to 11th centuries); poetry from both Wales and Scotland has been preserved in this form of

12936-479: The decline in Welsh speakers particularly in the South Wales Valleys. Welsh government processes and legislation have worked to increase the proliferation of the Welsh language, for example through education. Welsh has been spoken continuously in Wales throughout history; however, by 1911, it had become a minority language, spoken by 43.5 per cent of the population. While this decline continued over

13083-591: The end of the century, the need for access to exploit the South Wales coalfields saw the development of trams and canals. Tourism became prominent in Monmouthshire at the end of the 18th century, when the French Revolution and the subsequent Napoleonic Wars precluded travel to Continental Europe . The focus of activity was the Wye Tour , first popularised by the Rev. William Gilpin , in his Observations on

13230-491: The following decades, the language did not die out. The smallest number of speakers was recorded in 1981 with 503,000 although the lowest percentage was recorded in the most recent census in 2021 at 17.8 per cent. By the start of the 21st century, numbers began to increase once more, at least partly as a result of the increase in Welsh-medium education . The 2004 Welsh Language Use Survey showed that 21.7 per cent of

13377-509: The generations " Caratauc map Cinbelin map Teuhant ", corresponding, via established processes of language change, to "Caratacus, son of Cunobelinus, son of Tasciovanus ", preserving the names of the three historical figures in correct relationship. Caratacus does not appear in Geoffrey of Monmouth 's History of the Kings of Britain (1136), although he appears to correspond to Arviragus ,

13524-405: The governor of Britain, Sextus Julius Frontinus . Monmouthshire's most important Roman remains are found at the town of Venta Silurum ("Market of the Silures"), present-day Caerwent in the south of the county. The town was established in AD 75, laid out in the traditional rectangular Roman pattern of twenty insulae with a basilica and a temple flanking a forum . Other Roman settlements in

13671-427: The greater: If the degree of my nobility and fortune had been matched by moderation in success, I would have come to this City as a friend rather than a captive, nor would you have disdained to receive with a treaty of peace one sprung from brilliant ancestors and commanding a great many nations. But my present lot, disfiguring as it is for me, is magnificent for you. I had horses, men, arms, and wealth: what wonder if I

13818-584: The heartland of the Catuvellauni, into the territory of the Atrebates . After Epaticcus died in about AD 35, the Atrebates, under Verica , regained some of their territory, but it appears Caratacus completed the conquest, since Dio tells us Verica was ousted, fled to Rome and appealed to the emperor Claudius for help. This was the excuse used by Claudius to launch his invasion of Britain in

13965-469: The highest number of native speakers who use the language on a daily basis, and it is the Celtic language which is considered the least endangered by UNESCO . The Welsh Language Act 1993 and the Government of Wales Act 1998 provide that the Welsh and English languages be treated equally in the public sector, as far as is reasonable and practicable. Each public body is required to prepare for approval

14112-476: The highest percentage of residents giving Welsh as their main language. The census also revealed that 3,528 wards in England, or 46% of the total number, contained at least one resident whose main language is Welsh. In terms of the regions of England , North West England (1,945), London (1,310) and the West Midlands (1,265) had the highest number of people noting Welsh as their main language. According to

14259-456: The history of Welsh, with rather indistinct boundaries: Primitive Welsh, Old Welsh, Middle Welsh, and Modern Welsh. The period immediately following the language's emergence is sometimes referred to as Primitive Welsh, followed by the Old Welsh period – which is generally considered to stretch from the beginning of the 9th century to sometime during the 12th century. The Middle Welsh period

14406-555: The incumbent, David TC Davies , a Conservative Party politician who had held the previous seat since 2005 and who served as the Secretary of State for Wales in the prior government. Monmouthshire directly elects two members to the Senedd , the Welsh parliament. The Monmouth constituency covers most of the county and since May 2021 the directly elected member is Peter Fox , a Conservative Party politician who previously served as

14553-469: The indigenous tribal culture. The Roman abandonment of Britain from AD 383 saw the division of Wales into a number of petty kingdoms . In the southeast (the present county of Monmouthshire) the Kingdom of Gwent was established, traditionally by Caradoc , in the 5th or 6th centuries. Siting their capital at Caerwent, the settlement gave its name to the kingdom. The subsequent history of the area prior to

14700-595: The language already dropping inflections in the declension of nouns. Janet Davies proposed that the origins of the Welsh language were much less definite; in The Welsh Language: A History , she proposes that Welsh may have been around even earlier than 600 AD. This is evidenced by the dropping of final syllables from Brittonic: * bardos 'poet' became bardd , and * abona 'river' became afon . Though both Davies and Jackson cite minor changes in syllable structure and sounds as evidence for

14847-562: The language, its speakers and for the nation." The measure was not welcomed warmly by all supporters: Bethan Williams, chairman of the Welsh Language Society, gave a mixed response to the move, saying, "Through this measure we have won official status for the language and that has been warmly welcomed. But there was a core principle missing in the law passed by the Assembly before Christmas. It doesn't give language rights to

14994-555: The language. As Germanic and Gaelic colonisation of Britain proceeded, the Brittonic speakers in Wales were split off from those in northern England, speaking Cumbric, and those in the southwest, speaking what would become Cornish , so the languages diverged. Both the works of Aneirin ( Canu Aneirin , c.  600 ) and the Book of Taliesin ( Canu Taliesin ) were written during this era. Middle Welsh ( Cymraeg Canol )

15141-496: The length of the Severn Estuary from Chepstow in the east to the shore south of Magor in the west. The distance, roughly 15 miles (24 km), can be walked via the Wales Coast Path . The coastline includes the eastern part of the Caldicot and Wentloog Levels , also known as the Monmouthshire or Gwent Levels, an almost entirely man-made environment that has seen land reclamation since Roman times . Denny Island ,

15288-575: The lowlands: the scenic gorge of the Wye Valley along the border with Gloucestershire adjoining the Forest of Dean , and the valley of the River Usk between Abergavenny and Newport. Both rivers flow south to the Severn Estuary . The River Monnow is a tributary of the River Wye and forms part of the border with Herefordshire and England, passing through the town of Monmouth. The highest point of

15435-400: The marquess died in captivity and his son spent time in prison and in exile abroad. John Arnold was a firm enemy of Catholics and pursued a policy of harassment throughout the 1670s. Monmouthshire’s only dukedom was created in 1663 for James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth , but became forfeit following Scott’s execution after the failed Monmouth Rebellion in 1685. In the 18th and much of

15582-578: The medieval kingdom which covered a similar area. The present county was formed under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 , which came into effect in 1996. In his essay 'Changes in local government', in the fifth and final volume of the Gwent County History , Robert McCloy writes, "the local government of no county in the United Kingdom in the twentieth century was so transformed as that of Monmouthshire". Evidence of human activity in

15729-645: The medieval legend corresponds except his name. He appears in the Mabinogion as a son of Bran the Blessed , who is left in charge of Britain while his father makes war in Ireland , but is overthrown by Caswallawn (the historical Cassivellaunus , who lived a century earlier than Caratacus). The Welsh Triads agree that he was Bran's son, and name two sons, Cawrdaf and Eudaf. Two hills in Shropshire bear

15876-622: The modern period across the border in England. Archenfield was still Welsh enough in the time of Elizabeth I for the Bishop of Hereford to be made responsible, together with the four Welsh bishops, for the translation of the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer into Welsh. Welsh was still commonly spoken there in the first half of the 19th century, and churchwardens' notices were put up in both Welsh and English until about 1860. Alexander John Ellis in

16023-414: The name Caer Caradoc (Welsh – Caer Caradog), meaning fort of Caradoc, and have popular associations with him. One is an Iron Age hill fort and Scheduled Monument near the town of Clun. It overlooks the village of Chapel Lawn. The other Caer Caradoc is a prominent hill and Iron Age hill fort near Church Stretton, 16 miles (26 km) to the north-east. Caradog began to be identified with Caratacus only after

16170-425: The new county were Newport , Cwmbran , Pontypool , Ebbw Vale and Abergavenny . The Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 created the present local government structure in Wales of 22 unitary authority areas , the principal areas , and abolished the previous two-tier structure of counties and districts . It came into effect on 1 April 1996. It brought to an end the 22-year existence of Gwent, and re-created

16317-448: The number of Welsh-language speakers to one million by 2050. Since 1980, the number of children attending Welsh-medium schools has increased, while the number going to Welsh bilingual and dual-medium schools has decreased. Welsh is considered the least endangered Celtic language by UNESCO . The language of the Welsh developed from the language of Britons . The emergence of Welsh was not instantaneous and clearly identifiable. Instead,

16464-602: The original Common Brittonic form was *Karatākos , pronounced [karaˈtaːkos] , cognate with Welsh Caradog , Breton Karadeg , and Irish Carthach , meaning "loving, beloved, dear; friend". Caratacus is named by Dio Cassius as a son of the Catuvellaunian king Cunobelinus . Based on coin distribution Caratacus appears to have been the protégé of his uncle Epaticcus , who expanded Catuvellaunian power westwards most likely from his palace in Verulam,

16611-473: The people of Wales in every aspect of their lives. Despite that, an amendment to that effect was supported by 18 Assembly Members from three different parties, and that was a significant step forward." On 5 October 2011, Meri Huws , Chair of the Welsh Language Board , was appointed the new Welsh Language Commissioner. She released a statement that she was "delighted" to have been appointed to

16758-551: The people of the Western Roman Empire . In Old English the term went through semantic narrowing , coming to refer to either Britons in particular or, in some contexts, slaves. The plural form Wēalas evolved into the name for their territory, Wales. The modern names for various Romance-speaking people in Continental Europe (e.g. Walloons , Valaisans , Vlachs / Wallachians , and Włosi ,

16905-620: The poet Martial . Martial describes Claudia's marriage to a man named Pudens, almost certainly Aulus Pudens , an Umbrian centurion and friend of the poet who appears regularly in his Epigrams . It has been argued since the 17th century that this pair may be the same as the Claudia and Pudens mentioned as members of the Roman Christian community in 2 Timothy in the New Testament . Some go further, claiming that Claudia

17052-733: The population in 2021. The lowlands in the centre of Monmouthshire are gently undulating, and shaped by the River Usk and its tributaries. The west of the county is hilly, and the Black Mountains in the northwest are part of the Brecon Beacons National Park ( Bannau Brycheiniog ). The border with England in the east largely follows the course of the River Wye and its tributary, the River Monnow . In

17199-436: The population in Wales said they had no Welsh language skills. Other estimates suggest that 862,700 people (28.0%) aged three or older in Wales could speak Welsh in March 2024. Almost half of all Welsh speakers consider themselves fluent, while 20 per cent are able to speak a fair amount. 56 per cent of Welsh speakers speak the language daily, and 19 per cent speak the language weekly. The Welsh Government plans to increase

17346-471: The population not being able to speak it. The National Survey for Wales, conducted by Welsh Government, has also tended to report a higher percentage of Welsh speakers than the census, with the most recent results for 2022–2023 suggesting that 18 per cent of the population aged 3 and over were able to speak Welsh, with an additional 16 per cent noting that they had some Welsh-speaking ability. Historically, large numbers of Welsh people spoke only Welsh. Over

17493-502: The population of Wales aged 3 and over, were able to speak the language. Children and young people aged three to 15 years old were more likely to report that they could speak Welsh than any other age group (48.4 per cent, 241,300). Around 1,001,500 people, or 32.5 per cent, reported that they could understand spoken Welsh. 24.7 per cent (759,200) could read and 22.2 per cent (684,500) could write in Welsh. The APS estimates of Welsh language ability are historically higher than those produced by

17640-407: The population of Wales spoke Welsh, compared with 20.8 per cent in the 2001 census , and 18.5 per cent in the 1991 census . Since 2001, however, the number of Welsh speakers has declined in both the 2011 and 2021 censuses to about 538,300 or 17.8 per cent in 2021, lower than 1991, although it is still higher in absolute terms. The 2011 census also showed a "big drop" in the number of speakers in

17787-471: The rediscovery of the works of Tacitus and new material appeared based on this identification. An 18th-century tradition, popularised by the Welsh antiquarian and forger Iolo Morganwg , credits Caradog, on his return from imprisonment in Rome, with the introduction of Christianity to Britain. Iolo also makes the legendary king Coel Hen a son of Caradog's son Saint Cyllin . Richard Williams Morgan claimed that

17934-434: The remainder reporting themselves as Buddhist (0.4 percent); Hindu (0.2 per cent); Jewish (0.1 per cent); Muslim (0.5 per cent); Sikh (0.1 per cent) or Other (0.6 per cent). Monmouthshire is now primarily a service economy , with professional, scientific and technical businesses, financial services, IT and business administration, retail, hospitality and arts and entertainment businesses accounting for just over 50 per cent of

18081-490: The required fresh approach to this new role." Huws started her role as the Welsh Language Commissioner on 1 April 2012. Local councils and the Senedd use Welsh, issuing Welsh versions of their literature, to varying degrees. Road signs in Wales are in Welsh and English. Prior to 2016, the choice of which language to display first was the responsibility of the local council. Since then, as part of

18228-519: The rule of the lords as sicut regale ("like unto a king"). The lords established castles, first earth and wood motte-and-bailey constructions, and later substantial structures in stone, such as Chepstow Castle , begun by William FitzOsbern, 1st Earl of Hereford as early as 1067, and that at Tregrug , near Llangybi , by de Clare's son, Gilbert . In the early Norman period, the cleric and chronicler, Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. 1095 – c. 1155), who may have been born at Monmouth, wrote his The History of

18375-575: The second largest single sector after professional, scientific and technical enterprises. The Monmouthshire Show , an annual agricultural show , is one of the largest such events in Wales and has operated since 1790. The third largest individual employment sector is construction. The only motorways are in the south of the county: the M4 which connects Wales with England via the Second Severn Crossing with its Welsh end near Sudbrook ; and

18522-599: The shift occurred over a long period, with some historians claiming that it had happened by as late as the 9th century , with a watershed moment being that proposed by linguist Kenneth H. Jackson , the Battle of Dyrham , a military battle between the West Saxons and the Britons in 577 AD, which split the South Western British from direct overland contact with the Welsh. Four periods are identified in

18669-505: The south-east after being defeated in two crucial battles, the Battle of the River Medway and River Thames . Togodumnus was killed (although both Miles Russell and John Hind argue that Dio was mistaken in reporting Togodumnus' death, that he was defeated but survived and was later appointed by the Romans as a friendly king over a number of territories, becoming the loyal king referred to by Tacitus as Cogidubnus or Togidubnus ) and

18816-487: The southeast is the Wye Valley AONB , a hilly region which stretches into England. The county has a shoreline on the Severn Estuary , with crossings into England by the Severn Bridge and Second Severn Crossing . The name is identical to that of the historic county , of which the current local authority covers the eastern three-fifths. Between 1974 and 1996, the historic county was known as Gwent , recalling

18963-402: The strongly Catholic Marquesses of Worcester (later Dukes of Beaufort) at its apex, from their powerbase at Raglan Castle . The outbreak of war saw the county predominantly Royalist in its sympathies; Henry Somerset, 1st Marquess of Worcester expended a fortune in support of Charles I and twice entertained him at Raglan. His generosity was unavailing; the castle fell after a siege in 1646;

19110-421: The summer of 43. The invasion targeted Caratacus' stronghold of Camulodunon (modern Colchester ), previously the seat of his father Cunobelinus. Cunobelinus had died some time before the invasion. Caratacus and his brother Togodumnus led the initial defence of the country against Aulus Plautius 's four legions , thought to have been around 40,000 men, primarily using guerrilla tactics. They lost much of

19257-531: The surrender of his brothers. Caratacus himself escape and fled north to the lands of the Brigantes (modern Yorkshire ), where the Brigantian queen, Cartimandua , handed him over to the Romans in chains. This was one of the factors that led to two Brigantian revolts against Cartimandua and her Roman allies, once later in the 50s and once in 69, led by Venutius , who had once been Cartimandua's husband. With

19404-399: The total number of enterprises in the county. Employers are generally small, with 91 per cent of businesses employing fewer than 10 people. It is a relatively prosperous county in comparison with the average in Wales; 80.0 per cent of people of working age are in employment compared with the Welsh average of 72.8 per cent; just under 3,000 people were in receipt of the main unemployment benefit,

19551-484: The twentieth century was so transformed as that of Monmouthshire". The title of Gwent continues as a preserved county , one of eight such counties in Wales, which have mainly ceremonial functions such as the Lords Lieutenant and High Sheriffs . The current Lord Lieutenant of Gwent from 2016 is Brigadier Robert Aitken. The current High Sheriff for 2023–2024 is Professor Simon J. Gibson. It is also retained for

19698-526: The use of Welsh in daily life, and standardised spelling. The New Testament was translated by William Salesbury in 1567, and the complete Bible by William Morgan in 1588. Modern Welsh is subdivided into Early Modern Welsh and Late Modern Welsh. Early Modern Welsh ran from the 15th century through to the end of the 16th century, and the Late Modern Welsh period roughly dates from the 16th century onwards. Contemporary Welsh differs greatly from

19845-434: The whole of Wales. 41.9 per cent of the population identified as "Welsh", down from 44.0% in 2011. The percentage of residents in Monmouthshire that identified as "British only" increased from 23.5% to 27.0%. In the 2021 census 43.4 per cent of Monmouthshire residents reported having "No religion", an increase of nearly 15 per cent from the 28.5 per cent in the 2011 census. 48.7 per cent described themselves as "Christian" with

19992-454: The younger son of Kymbelinus , who continues to resist the Roman invasion after the death of his older brother Guiderius . In Welsh versions his name is Gweirydd, son of Cynfelyn, and his brother is called Gwydyr; the name Arviragus is taken from a poem by Juvenal . Caradog, son of Bran , who appears in medieval Welsh literature, has also been identified with Caratacus, although nothing in

20139-478: Was Caratacus' daughter, and that the historical Pope Linus , who is described as the "brother of Claudia" in an early church document, was Caratacus' son. Pudens is identified with St. Pudens , and it is claimed that the basilica of Santa Pudenziana in Rome, and with which St. Pudens is associated, was once called the Palatium Britannicum and was the home of Caratacus and his family. This theory

20286-657: Was also an aviation pioneer, and died in a plane crash in 1910. He is commemorated by a statue in Agincourt Square in Monmouth. The Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers was founded in 1539, making it the second oldest regiment in the British Army . Originally a county militia, it was amalgamated into the Royal Engineers in 1877. It is based at Monmouth Castle . Fitzroy Somerset , a younger son of

20433-564: Was born at his father's castle at Monmouth in 1386, and his birth, and his most famous military victory , are commemorated in Agincourt Square in the town, and by a statue on the frontage of the Shire Hall which forms the square's centrepiece. In Henry V's wars in France, he received strong military support from the archers of Gwent, who were famed for their skill with the Welsh bow . Gerald recorded, "the men of Gwent are more skilled with

20580-622: Was complete by around AD 550, and labelled the period between then and about AD 800 "Primitive Welsh". This Primitive Welsh may have been spoken in both Wales and the Hen Ogledd ('Old North') – the Brittonic-speaking areas of what are now northern England and southern Scotland – and therefore may have been the ancestor of Cumbric as well as Welsh. Jackson, however, believed that the two varieties were already distinct by that time. The earliest Welsh poetry – that attributed to

20727-500: Was firmly embedded in Wales, and in 1840 the Chartist leaders John Frost , Zephaniah Williams and William Jones were tried for sedition and treason at the Shire Hall, Monmouth , after a failed insurrection at Newport . Their death sentences were subsequently commuted to transportation to Australia. Industrialisation also drove improvements in transportation; in the 18th century, the poor state of Monmouthshire's roads approached

20874-526: Was formed from the Welsh Marches by the Laws in Wales Act 1535 . The Laws in Wales Act 1542 enumerated the counties of Wales and omitted Monmouthshire, implying that the county was no longer to be treated as part of Wales. Though for all purposes Wales had become part of the Kingdom of England , and the difference had little practical effect, it did begin a centuries-long dispute as to Monmouthshire's status as

21021-469: Was pardoned and allowed to live in peace in Rome. After his liberation, according to Dio Cassius, Caratacus was so impressed by the city of Rome that he said "And can you, then, who have got such possessions and so many of them, still covet our poor huts?" Caratacus' memory may have been preserved in medieval Welsh tradition. A genealogy in the Welsh Harley MS 3859 ( c.  1100 ) includes

21168-518: Was passed and received Royal Assent, thus making the Welsh language an officially recognised language within Wales. The measure: The measure required public bodies and some private companies to provide services in Welsh. The Welsh government's Minister for Heritage at the time, Alun Ffred Jones , said, "The Welsh language is a source of great pride for the people of Wales, whether they speak it or not, and I am delighted that this measure has now become law. I am very proud to have steered legislation through

21315-666: Was popularised in a 1961 book called The Drama of the Lost Disciples by George Jowett, but Jowett did not originate it. He cites renaissance historians such as Archbishop James Ussher , Caesar Baronius and John Hardyng , as well as classical writers like Caesar , Tacitus and Juvenal , although his classical citations at least are wildly inaccurate, many of his assertions are unsourced, and many of his identifications entirely speculative. He also regularly cites St. Paul in Britain , an 1860 book by R. W. Morgan , and advocates other tenets of British Israelism, in particular that

21462-517: Was probably 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, thus evolving into Welsh and the other Brittonic languages. It is not clear when Welsh became distinct. Linguist Kenneth H. Jackson has suggested that the evolution in syllabic structure and sound pattern

21609-476: Was unwilling to lose them? If you wish to command everyone, does it really follow that everyone should accept your slavery? If I were now being handed over as one who had surrendered immediately, neither my fortune nor your glory would have achieved brilliance. It is also true that in my case any reprisal will be followed by oblivion. On the other hand, if you preserve me safe and sound, I shall be an eternal example of your clemency. He made such an impression that he

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