Caernarfon 47622 215818004 2008-05-29T21:00:08Z Benea 4456044 [[WP:UNDO|Undid]] revision 215796643 by [[Special:Contributions/86.161.62.9|86.161.62.9]] ([[User talk:86.161.62.9|talk]]) {{otheruses|Carnarvon}} {{infobox UK place| |country = Wales |welsh_name= |constituency_welsh_assembly= |latitude= 53.14 |longitude= -4.27 |official_name= Caernarfon |unitary_wales= [[Gwynedd]] |lieutenancy_wales= [[Gwynedd]] |constituency_westminster= [[Caernarfon (UK Parliament constituency)|Caernarfon]] |post_town= CAERNARFON |postcode_district = LL55 |postcode_area= LL |dial_code= 01286 |static_image=[[Image:Caernarfon.jpg|237px]] |static_image_caption=<small>Caernarfon town from [[Caernarfon castle]]</small> |os_grid_reference= SH485625 |london_distance= 247.1mi |population= 9,611 }} '''Caernarfon''' (the original [[Welsh language|Welsh]] spelling is now almost always used in preference to the [[Anglicisation|anglicised]] forms, "Caernarvon" or "Carnarvon") is a [[List of UK place names with royal patronage|royal town]] in [[Gwynedd]], northwest [[Wales]]. The name comes from Welsh ''Caer yn Arfon'' = "[[castle]] in [[Arfon]]", referring to the [[Roman Empire|Roman]] fort named [[Segontium]]. ''Arfon'' means "[region] opposite [[Anglesey]]". In Welsh it is {{pronounced|kaɨrˈnarvɔn}} (approximately "kire-NAR-von"), but it tends to be {{pronEng|kɑrˈnɑrvən}} in [[English language|English]]. == History == Caernarfon is the traditional [[county town]] of the [[historic counties of Wales|historic county]] of [[Caernarfonshire]]. The town is best known for its great stone [[Caernarfon castle|castle]], built by [[Edward I of England]] and consequently sometimes seen as a symbol of English domination. Edward's architect, [[James of St. George]], may well have modelled the castle on the [[walls of Constantinople]], possibly being aware of the alternative Welsh name ''Caer Gystennin''; in addition, Edward was a supporter of the [[Crusade]]r cause. On higher ground on the outskirts of the town are the remains of an earlier occupation, the [[Segontium Roman Fort]]. Caernarfon was constituted a [[borough]] in 1284 by charter of Edward I. The charter, which was confirmed on a number of occasions, appointed the mayor of the borough Constable of the Castle [[ex officio]].<ref>[http://www.caernarfontowncouncil.gov.uk/eng/siarter.html ''The Town Charter'', Caernarfon Royal Town Council, accessed October 21, 2007]</ref> The former [[municipal borough]] was designated a royal borough in 1963. The borough was abolished by the [[Local Government Act 1972]] in 1974, and the status of "royal town" was granted to the [[community council|community]] which succeeded it.<ref>[http://www.visitcaernarfon.com/features/royalstatus.htm] The Town's Armorial Bearings & Royal Status (Caernarfon Online)</ref> ==Toponymy== In the year [[1221]] a charter granted to the canons of [[Penmon (place)|Penmon]] priory, in Anglesey, by [[Llywelyn the Great]], refers to ''Kaerinarfon'' [http://www.cefnpennar.com/carnarvon/index.htm], and ''[[Brut y Tywysogion]]'' uses the forms ''Kaerenarvon'' and ''Caerenarvon''. <ref>Thomas Jones (ed.) ''Brut y Tywysogion[:] Peniarth MS. 20'' (Cardiff, 1941). It should however be noted that medieval orthography in every language varies considerably and variant spellings of a name or word often occur in the same manuscript text. ''Kaerinarfon'', ''Kaerenarvon'' and ''Caerenarvon'' correspond to Caer-yn-Arfon in modern Welsh orthography. The letter "y" would naturally be lost in the spoken language, thus giving the standard Welsh name ''Caernarfon'' ("Caer 'n Arfon"). </ref> An early alternative name was ''Caer Seiont''. It is called ''Caer Aber Sei(o)n(t)'' ("the fort on the estuary of the river Seiont") in the medieval Welsh tale ''[[Breuddwyd Macsen]]'', and was also known as ''Caer Gystennin'' ("The Castle of Constantin") <ref>See Sir [[Ifor Williams]]' notes in his edition of ''Breuddwyd Maxen'' (Bangor, 1920). The name appears for the first time in the work of [[Nennius]]. Pre-conquest medieval Welsh poets such as [[Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd]] sometimes use the name ''Caer Gystennin''. </ref> ==Demography== The population of Caernarfon is the most Welsh-speaking community in all of Wales. 86.1% of the population could speak Welsh in the 2001 census, with the largest majority of Welsh speakers in the 10-14 age group, where 97.7% could speak it fluently. The town is nowadays a rallying-point for the [[Welsh nationalism|Welsh nationalist]] cause. Its population, with nearby [[Y Felinheli]] and [[Penygroes]] is about 14,000. Caernarfon residents are known colloquially as "Cofis" ({{pronounced|ˈkɒvi}}). The word "Cofi" is also used locally in Caernarfon to describe the local [[dialect]], which is a rather peculiar mixture of Welsh and English, swapping words and [[grammar|grammatical]] constructs somewhat haphazardly. == Investitures == In 1911, [[David Lloyd George]], then [[Member of Parliament]] for the borough, conceived the idea of holding the investiture of the new [[Prince of Wales]] at Caernarfon Castle, believing that this would help pacify nationalist opinion whilst arousing a more British patriotic feeling. The ceremony took place on [[13 July]], with the royal family paying a rare visit to Wales, and the future King [[Edward VIII of the United Kingdom|Edward VIII]] was duly invested. On [[1 July]] [[1969]] the [[Charles, Prince of Wales#Created Prince of Wales|investiture]] ceremony was again held at [[Caernarfon Castle]], the recipient on this occasion being [[Charles, Prince of Wales]]. Despite nationalist threats and protests, the ceremony went ahead without incident, except that two members of [[Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru]] (Welsh Defence Movement), Alwyn Jones and George Taylor, were killed when their bomb - intended for the railway line at [[Abergele]] in order to stop the Royal Train - exploded prematurely. Caernarfon is also home to the regimental museum of the [[Royal Welch Fusiliers]] (archaic English spelling of the word ''Welsh''). == Culture and trivia == {{Trivia|date=December 2007}} [[Caernarfon railway station]] in St. Helen's Road is the northern terminus of the narrow gauge [[Welsh Highland Railway]]. Caernarfon was at one time an important port, exporting [[Slate industry in Wales|slate]] from the [[Nantlle Valley]] quarries. [[Caernarfon Airport]] is {{convert|4.5|mi|km}} to the south west, and offers pleasure flights and an aviation museum. Caernarfon hosted the [[National Eisteddfod]] in 1862, 1894, 1906, 1921, 1935, 1959 and 1979. Unofficial National Eisteddfod events were also held there in 1877 and 1880. In 1955, Caernarfon was in the running for the title of [[Capital of Wales]] on historical grounds. But the town's campaign was heavily defeated in a ballot of Welsh local authorities, with 11 votes compared to Cardiff's 136. [[Cardiff]] therefore became Wales' first official capital city. Caernarfon has a small harbour and a [[Blue Flag beach]] at Victoria Harbour. The oldest public house in Caernarfon is the [[Black Boy Inn]] which remained in the same family for over 40 years until recently sold to a hotel group. The town is twinned with [[Landerneau]] in [[Britanny]]. It appears as a settlement under the name Caernarvon in the PC game [[Medieval II: Total War]]. ==References== {{reflist}} ==See also== * [[Caernarfon (UK Parliament constituency)]] * [[George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon]] ==External links== {{commonscat|Caernarfon}} *[http://www.caernarfon.com/index.html Official Website] *[http://website.lineone.net/~cwinpenny/wales/caernarfon01.jpg View of Caernarfon Castle] *[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9018519/Caernarfon Encyclopaedia Britannica Caernarfon] *[http://www.greatorme.org.uk/Caernarfon.html Visit to Caernarfon] *[http://www.caernarfononline.co.uk Facts and news about Caernarfon] *[http://www.gtj.org.uk/en/item1/11292 Aerial photograph of Caernarfon] [[Category:Towns in Gwynedd]] [[Category:Beaches of Wales]] [[Category:Welsh county towns]] [[Category:Tourism in Gwynedd]] [[Category:Welsh Highland Railway]] [[Category:Caernarfonshire]] [[Category:Welsh self-government]] [[br:Caernarfon]] [[ca:Caernarfon]] [[cy:Caernarfon]] [[de:Caernarfon]] [[eu:Caernarfon]] [[fr:Caernarfon]] [[it:Caernarfon]] [[lt:Karnarvonas]] [[nl:Caernarfon]] [[no:Caernarfon]] [[nrm:Caernarfon]] [[pl:Caernarfon]] [[ro:Caernarfon]] [[sv:Caernarfon]]