   glamorgan or, sometimes, glamorganshire (  or  ) is one of the thirteen historic counties of wales and a former administrative county of wales. it was originally an early medieval petty kingdom of varying boundaries known as glywysing until taken over by the normans as a lordship. glamorgan is latterly represented by the three preserved counties of mid glamorgan, south glamorgan and west glamorgan. the name also survives in that of vale of glamorgan, a county borough. although initially a rural and pastoral area of little value, the area that became known as glamorgan was a conflict point between the norman lords and the welsh princes, with the area being defined by a large concentration of castles. after falling under english rule in the 16th century, glamorgan became a more stable county, and exploited its natural resources to become an important part of the industrial revolution. glamorgan was the most populous and industrialised county in wales, and was once called the "crucible of the industrial revolution," as it contained the world centres of three metallurgical industries and its rich resources of
Glamorgan Historic_counties_of_Wales