Monmouthshire

**Monmouthshire** () is a coonty in sooth east Wales. The name derives frae the historic coonty o Monmouthshire which covered a hintle lairger aurie. The lairgest toun is Abergavenny. Thare are mony castles in Monmouthshire (see Places o Interest).

## Historic coonty

The historic coonty o Monmouthshire wis formit frae the Welsh Mairches bi the Laws in Wales Act 1535. It bordered Gloucestershire tae the east, Herefordshire tae the northeast, Brecknockshire tae the north, an Glamorgan tae the wast. Thir Acts o Union naewhaur state that the aurie is remuivit frae Wales an addit tae Ingland, but atween the 16t an 20t centuries some considered that thare wis ambiguity as tae whether the coonty wis pairt o Wales or Ingland. Syne 1974 the aurie haes been placit definitively in Wales. The eastren an soothren bundaries o the historic coonty an the current principal aurie are the same, alang the River Wye an Severn estuary; housomeivver, the wastren twa-fifts o the historic coonty are nou admeenistered bi the ither unitary authorities o Blaenau Gwent, Torfaen, Caerphilly an Newport. The admeenistrative coonty o Monmouthshire, an associatit lieutenancy wur abolished in 1974 unner the Local Govrenment Act 1972.  The aurie lairgely became pairt o the new local govrenment an ceremonial coonty o Gwent.

## Principal aurie

The current unitary authority wis creatit on 1 Aprile 1996 as a successor tae the destrict o Monmouth alang wi the Llanelly community frae Blaenau Gwent, baith o which wur destricts o Gwent.
The uise o the name "Monmouthshire" rather than "Monmouth" for the aurie wis mildly controversial, bein supportit bi the MP for Monmouth, Roger Evans, but bein opposed bi Paul Murphy, MP for Torfaen (inside the historic coonty o Monmouthshire but bein reconstitutit as a separate unitary authority).
 Bi aurie it covers some 60% o the historic coonty, but anerlie 20% o the population.
The cooncil's admeenistrative heidquarters are at the umwhile Gwent Coonty Haw at Croesyceiliog, Cwmbran — ootside o its awn jurisdiction in the neighbourin borough o Torfaen. It is the anerlie principal aurie in Wales admeenistered frae ootside its bundaries; housomeivver thare are plans tae muive the cooncil heidquarters tae offices at Coleg Gwent, Usk. Plannin permission for a new office biggin at Usk, tae provide the authority's central facilities, wis grantit in September 2011.  Some cooncil functions muivit in 2011 tae offices at Magor.

In comparison tae the pre-1974 auries it covers:
*the umwhile boroughs o Abergavenny an Monmouth
*the umwhile urban destricts o Chepstow an Usk
*the umwhile rural destricts o Abergavenny, Chepstow an Monmouth
*the umwhile rural destrict o Pontypool, except the community o Llanfrechfa Lawer
*the parish o Llanelly frae the umwhile Crickhowell Rural Destrict in Brecknockshire

## Places o interest

:*See [[Leet o places in Monmouthshire]] for a leet o settlements in the principal aurie*.

*Chepstow Castle 
*Raglan Castle 
*Monmouth
*Trellech
*Abergavenny Castle 
*Wye Valley 
*Black Mountains 
*Brecon Beacons National Park 
*White Castle 
*Skenfrith Castle 
*Grosmont Castle 
*Three Castles Walk 
*Offa's Dyke 
*Llanthony Priory 
*Tintern Abbey 
*Usk
*Usk Valley Walk 
*Abergavenny 
*Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal 
*Marches Way 
*Monnow Valley Walk 
*Caldicot Castle 
*The Kymin


## References

## Freemit airtins
*Monmouthshire Coonty Cooncil
*
*The Oreeginal Monmouthshire websteid Monmouthshire.co.uk 
*BBC Wales on Monmouthshire
*Genuki National Gazetteer o 1868