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Historic_Counties_of_Wales_1st_Edition (FeatureServer)

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Service Description: This dataset details the 13 historic counties of Wales that existed from 1535-1974. These boundaries where recorded by the Ordnance Survey during thier large scale mapping of Wales in the late 19th Century.

Service ItemId: 050ad1efd58a46dd86c73a0b2639cd19

Has Versioned Data: false

Max Record Count: 2000

Supported query Formats: JSON

Supports applyEdits with GlobalIds: False

Supports Shared Templates: False

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Description:
A county is a sub-national division of a country and where introduced by the Normans after the conquest of England in 1066, although a similar Anglo-Saxon administrative system of 'Shires' where in existence prior to this. Counties where usually overseen by a sheriff (Shire Reeve) who was appointed by the crown to collect taxes, raise militia and keep the peace though the administration of law. The implementation of the county system in Wales is a little complicated. 

In 1284 the Statute of Rhuddlan created six sheriffdoms or 'Shires' in Wales; Anglesey, Caernarfon, Merioneth, Flint, Carmarthen and Cardigan known as the Principality of Wales. The remainder of Wales consisted of the two Royal Lordships of Glamorgan and Pembroke and various Marcher Lordships which often made use of the earlier Commote and Cantref boundaries. The Marcher Lordships were abolished by the Laws in Wales Acts (1535) and the five new counties of Denbighshire, Monmouthshire, Brecknockshire, Radnorshire and Montgomeryshire were created to replace them. This created a total of thirteen historical counties in Wales. Some townships usually considered a part of Wales were assigned to Shropshire and Herefordshire and minor changes to the boundaries were made in the Laws in Wales Act (1542). The thirteen historic counties remained in use until the Local Government Act 1972, the implementation of which in 1974 saw the abolishment of the historic counties and the creation of eight new administrative counties, Clwyd, Dyfed, Gwent, Gwynedd, Mid Glamorgan, South Glamorgan, West Glamorgan and Powys. These themselves where replaced in 1996 by the creation of twenty two Unitary Authorities (or 'Principal Areas'), although the former eight counties still have ceremonial significance. 


Copyright Text: © Hawlfraint y Goron: Comisiwn Brenhinol Henebion Cymru. © Crown copyright: Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales.

Spatial Reference: 27700 (27700)

Initial Extent:
Full Extent:
Units: esriMeters

Child Resources:   Info

Supported Operations:   Query   ConvertFormat   Get Estimates