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28-415: 'Merioneth' is an anglicisation of the Welsh placename Meirionnydd (for the geographical area) or Sir Feirionnydd (for the county), with a 'double' ⟨nn⟩ , but the variant with a single ⟨n⟩ is sometimes found in older works The name is derived from that of the earlier cantref of Meirionnydd . This supposedly took its name from Meirion, a grandson of Cunedda Wledig , who

56-753: A result of the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 , which came into force on 1 April 1996, the Glyndŵr area was made a part of the new Denbighshire principal area, with the rest forming a new Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire principal area. The latter area was, however, renamed Gwynedd almost immediately. The main towns and villages were 52°50′N 3°50′W  /  52.833°N 3.833°W  / 52.833; -3.833 Cantref A cantref ( / ˈ k æ n t r ɛ v / KAN -trev ; Welsh pronunciation: [ˈkantrɛ(v)] ; plural cantrefi or cantrefs ; also rendered as cantred )

84-585: A result, became a mere Cantref of Gwynedd. Dunoding is naturally divided in the middle, by Tremadog Bay and the gorges and marshland of the Glaslyn river ; Ardudwy is the portion south of that divide. In the early 13th century, Llywelyn Fawr , Owain Gwynedd's grandson, established a distinct territorial unit comprising Ardudwy and Meirionydd (which is immediately south of Ardudwy), and gave it to his own son, Gruffydd , as an appanage . In 1221, however, Gruffydd

112-689: A small area in the north east, Edeirnion Rural District , becoming part of the Glyndŵr district of Clwyd . Until 1974, Merionethshire 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. Most of these parishes ended up in Gwynedd, but those marked D are in Denbighshire. Chapelries are listed in italics. As

140-467: Is a recurring topic in Welsh literature and Welsh mythology . In one version of the story, Seithenyn , a prince of the kingdom, is a notorious drunk and it was through his negligence that the sea swept through the open floodgates, flooding the land forever. Madog ap Maredudd Madog ap Maredudd ( Middle Welsh : Madawg mab Maredud , Madawc mab Maredut ; died 1160) was the last prince of

168-786: Is also the southernmost mountain in Great Britain to exceed an altitude of 900 metres. However, the mountain of Cadair Idris 893 m (2,929 ft) to the south of Dolgellau was better known and hugely popular with hillwalkers. Other mountains include Arenig Fawr and the Rhinogydd . The chief rivers were the Dwyryd , the Mawddach , the Dyfi and the Dee , while in the south the Dulas formed

196-532: The Earl of Chester , along with Owain Gwynedd 's brother Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd and a large army of Welshmen. In 1149 he is recorded giving the commote of Cyfeiliog to his nephews Owain Cyfeiliog and Meurig. The same year Madog was able to rebuild Oswestry Castle , a fortress of William Fitzalan . It would seem likely that he had gained both the fortresses of Oswestry and Whittington in 1146 of Fitzalan,

224-758: The Lordship of Iâl (English: Yale ). In 1157 King Henry II of England invaded Gwynedd. Though he was defeated at the Battle of Ewloe (Coleshill), he was supported by Madog, who was able to regain many of his Welsh lands. Even so, he retained the lordships of Oswestry and Whittington . In 1159 Madog would seem to have been the Welsh prince who accompanied King Henry II in his campaign to Toulouse which ended in failure. Returning home to Wales Madog died about 9 February 1160 in Whittington Castle . He

252-401: The administration of Welsh law . Each cantref had its own court, which was an assembly of the uchelwyr , the main landowners of the cantref . This would be presided over by the king if he happened to be present, or if he was not present, by his representative. Apart from the judges there would be a clerk, an usher and sometimes two professional pleaders. The cantref court dealt with crimes,

280-707: The commotes being a later division. Cantrefi could vary considerably in size: most were divided into two or three commotes, but the largest, the Cantref Mawr (or "Great Cantref") in Ystrad Tywi (now in Carmarthenshire ) was divided into seven commotes. The antiquity of the cantrefi is demonstrated by the fact that they often mark the boundary between dialects . Some were originally kingdoms in their own right; others may have been artificial units created later. Cantrefi were of particular importance in

308-581: The county boundary. Waterfalls such as Pistyll Cain and small lakes were numerous, the largest being Bala Lake (4 miles (6.4 km) long and 1 mile (1.6 km) broad). The region which became Merionethshire previously constituted the Cantrefs of Meirionydd and Penllyn , and the Commote of Ardudwy . Prior to the 10th century, Ardudwy formed part of the principality of Dunoding , while Meirionydd and Penllyn were part of Powys . Welsh records from

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336-461: The death of Madog ap Maredudd , the powerful ruler of Powys, and the death of his immediate heir, Madog's remaining sons divided Powys between them. Penllyn was the portion which went to Owain Brogyntyn . Owain was too weak, compared with his father, to resist Gwynedd's aggressive behaviour, and was forced to become a vassal of Owain Gwynedd , the son of Gruffudd who now ruled Gwynedd; Penllyn, as

364-462: The death of Llywelyn in 1282. Two years later, in 1284, King Edward issued the Statute of Rhuddlan , terminating Gwynedd 's existence as a state. The former appanage of Ardudwy-Merionydd, together with Penllyn, which had been part of Gwynedd for less than 150 years, were converted into Merionethshire (taking the name from Meirionydd). Merioneth was an important part of the Welsh slate industry in

392-574: The determination of boundaries, and inheritance. The commote court later took over many of the functions of the cantref court, and in some areas the names of the commotes are much better known than the name of the cantref of which they formed parts. Cantref Coch is associated with the Forest of Dean , Gloucestershire, and defined as the land between the River Severn and the River Wye . It

420-623: The end of 1098 (with Norwegian assistance). Gruffudd ap Cynan , the heir to the principality of Gwynedd , came to an accommodation with the Normans, who restored him to power in Gwynedd, excepting the Perfeddwlad . Once Hugh died (in 1101), Gruffudd made further representations to King Henry I , who in response granted Dunodin to Gruffudd, as well. Gruffudd's sons engaged in expansionist attacks on surrounding territory, taking Meirionydd from Powys in 1123, and annexing it to Gwynedd. Following

448-466: The end of this period, and later, treat Dunoding as a vassal of Gwynedd , ruled by an ancient cadet branch of the same family. Nevertheless, according to John Edward Lloyd , Dunoding had been independent of Gwynedd, at the time of Cadfan ap Iago (in the early 7th century), and before. The Norman presence in England, after 1066, was the most significant factor which disrupted this pattern. In 1067,

476-548: The entire Kingdom of Powys , Wales . He held for a time, the FitzAlan Lordship of Oswestry , family of the Earls of Arundel , of Arundel Castle . His daughter married Lord Rhys , prince of Wales. Madog was the son of King Maredudd ap Bleddyn and grandson of King Bleddyn ap Cynfyn . He followed his father on the throne of Powys in 1132. He is recorded as taking part in the Battle of Lincoln in 1141 in support of

504-496: The great-grandfather of the Earl of Arundel of Arundel Castle , John Fitzalan . At this time the King of Gwynedd , between 1149 and 1150, Owain Gwynedd was exerting pressure on the borders of Powys, despite the fact that Madog was married to Susanna, Owain's sister. Around 1150, Madog made an alliance with Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester , but Owain defeated them near Ewloe/Coleshill and took possession of Madog's lands in

532-442: The homage of Owain Brogyntyn, Madog's youngest son, and effectively annex part of northern Powys. The poet Cynddelw Brydydd Mawr in his elegy on Madog said: Edeyrnion (or Edeirnion) was a commote inherited by Owain Brogyntyn and had been the home of his mother (who was not married to his father). Owain may also have been raised there. It was annexed to Gwynedd during Owain's time. The Mabinogion tale The Dream of Rhonabwy

560-568: The nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with major quarrying centres at Blaenau Ffestiniog in the north of the county and Corris in the south, with other large quarries at Abergynolwyn , Aberllefenni , Arthog , and the Cwm Ebol quarry at Pennal . In 1947, ahead of his marriage to Princess Elizabeth , Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten was created Earl of Merioneth , as well as Duke of Edinburgh and Baron Greenwich , by his father-in-law, King George VI . An administrative county of Merioneth

588-555: The rulers of Gwynedd and Powys invaded England, in support of Eadric the Wild , a leader of continued Saxon resistance against the Normans. When Northern England revolted against in 1080, the Normans responded by preemptively attacking, and then occupying Wales, to prevent any further Welsh assistance to the English. In 1094, the Welsh decided to revolt, but Hugh of Chester , the nearest Norman magnate, successfully re-captured North Wales by

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616-517: The strongest Welsh-speaking parts of Wales , although places like Barmouth and Tywyn are very Anglicised. The coastline consisted alternately of cliffs and stretches of sand and the area generally was the most mountainous in Wales; a large part of the Snowdonia National Park had been within its boundaries. The highest point ( county top ) was Aran Fawddwy near the village of Dinas Mawddwy at 905 m (2,970 ft), which

644-420: Was a medieval Welsh land division, particularly important in the administration of Welsh law . Land in medieval Wales was divided into cantrefi , which were themselves divided into smaller cymydau (commotes) . The word cantref is derived from cant ("a hundred") and tref ("town" in modern Welsh , but formerly used for much smaller settlements). The cantref is thought to be the original unit, with

672-580: Was buried soon afterwards in the church of St Tysilio at Meifod , the mother church of Powys. Madog's eldest son, Llywelyn, was killed soon after his father's death in 1160; Powys was then shared between Madog's sons Gruffydd Maelor , Owain Fychan and Owain Brogyntyn , his nephew Owain Cyfeiliog and half-brother Iorwerth Goch . Powys was never subsequently reunited, being separated into two parts; Powys Fadog (Lower Powys) and Powys Wenwynwyn (Upper Powys). Madog's death enabled Owain Gwynedd to force

700-751: Was created under the Local Government Act 1888 on 1 April 1889. The first election to the new authority was held in January 1889. The county council was originally based at County Hall in Smithfield Street in Dolgellau before moving to modern facilities at Cae Penarlag in Dolgellau in 1953. The county was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972 on 1 April 1974. The bulk formed the Meirionnydd district of Gwynedd , with

728-461: Was granted the lordship of the area. Merionethshire was a maritime county, bounded to the north by Caernarfonshire , to the east by Denbighshire , to the south by Montgomeryshire and Cardiganshire , and to the west by Cardigan Bay . With a total area of 1,731 km (668 sq miles), it was one of the more sparsely populated counties in Great Britain . The Merioneth area remains one of

756-460: Was stripped of these lands for ruling them too oppressively. In 1245, Gruffydd's half-brother, Dafydd , launched an attack against his uncle - King Henry III - eventually resulting in the loss of the Perfeddwlad . When Gruffydd's son, Llywelyn , allied with the enemies of Edward I (Henry's son) and tried to recover the Perfeddwlad, Edward launched a huge invasion of Gwynedd, resulting in

784-577: Was traditionally part of the kingdom of Ergyng but would, in later times, be recorded as part of the kingdoms of Gwent and Morgannwg. The Cantref was annexed into the Kingdom of England in 926 by king Æthelstan . Cantre'r Gwaelod is an ancient sunken kingdom said to have occupied a tract of fertile land lying in Cardigan Bay . First mentioned in the Black Book of Carmarthen , the cantref

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