Monmouthshire (Welsh: Sir Fynwy)

Monmouthshire is a county in south-east Wales. Main towns are: Abergavenny, Caldicot, Chepstow, Monmouth & Usk.

Geography

The traditional county of Monmouthshire includes Newport, and borders Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Brecknockshire, and Glamorgan.

Industry

Tourism is an important sector in the local economy. Monmouthshire has always enjoyed the unique status of being "between Wales and England" and has a diversity of landscape and history to match. From the lower valleys of Severn, Wye and Usk to the upper reaches of the Brecon Beacons and the Black Mountains there is a wealth of treasures to explore in this beautiful county.

History

The administrative county of Gwent, which existed from 1974 to 1996, covered this area almost exactly. The county also once included the exclave of Welsh Bicknor, locally situated a short distance east of Monmouthshire's east border, sandwiched between the borders of Gloucestershire and Herefordshire, but this was transferred to Herefordshire in the 1840s. The new authority was formed on April 1, 1996 as a successor to the previous district of Monmouth along with a small part of the former Blaenau Gwent district. Monmouthshire's Welsh status was unclear until 1974 when the area (as Gwent) was specifically incorporated into Wales as part of a local government reform. Previously the legal formula had been to refer to 'Wales and Monmouthshire'. In popular usage it had been considered part of Wales for many centuries. The ambiguity surrounding its status arose from its not being mentioned in the second Act of Union between England and Wales in the 16th century.