Monmouthshire 358580 224253311 2008-07-08T00:32:56Z Plasticup 2666389 minor tidying (please [[User_Talk:Plasticup|tell me]] about errors!) using [[Project:AutoWikiBrowser|AWB]] {{otheruses2|Monmouthshire}} {| class="toccolours" style="border-collapse: collapse; float: right; clear: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em;" border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" width="260" |+ <big>'''Monmouthshire principal area'''</big> |- | colspan=2 style="text-align: center; background: white;"|[[Image:WalesMonmouthshire.png]] |- | colspan=2 style="background: #f0f0f0; font-weight: bolder;"|Geography |- ! style="font-weight: normal;" | '''[[Surface area|Area]]'''<br />- Total<br />- % Water | [[List of Welsh principal areas by area|Ranked 7th]]<br />[[1 E8 m²|850]]&nbsp;[[square kilometre|km²]]<br />? % |- ! Admin HQ | [[Cwmbran]] |- ! [[ISO 3166-2:GB|ISO 3166-2]] | GB-MON |- ! [[ONS coding system|ONS code]] | 00PP |- | colspan=2 style="background: #f0f0f0; font-weight: bolder;"|Demographics |- ! style="font-weight: normal;" | '''[[Population]]''':<br />- Total ({{Welsh council population|TXT=Year}})<br />- [[Density]]<br />&nbsp; |[[List of Welsh principal areas by population|Ranked {{Welsh council population|RNK=00PP}}]]<br />{{Welsh council population|POP=00PP}}<br />[[List of Welsh principal areas by population density|Ranked {{Welsh council population|DRK=00PP}}]]<br />{{Welsh council population|DEN=00PP}} / km² |- ! Ethnicity | 97.5% White |- ! style="font-weight: normal;" | '''[[Welsh language]]'''<br />- Any skills | [[List of Welsh principal areas by percentage Welsh language|Ranked 22nd]]<br />12.9% |- ![[MPs elected in the UK general election, 2005|MP]] | *[[David Davies (Welsh politician)|David Davies]] |- ![[Assembly Member|AM]] | *[[Nick Ramsay]] |} '''Monmouthshire''' ({{lang-cy|Sir Fynwy}}) is a [[principal area]] in south east [[Wales]]. The name derives from the ancient county of [[Monmouthshire (historic)|Monmouthshire]] which covers a larger area. ==Ancient county== {{Main|Monmouthshire (historic)}} The ancient county of Monmouthshire was formed from the [[Welsh Marches]] by the [[Laws in Wales Acts 1535-1542|Laws in Wales Act 1535]]. The county bordered [[Gloucestershire]] to the east, [[Herefordshire]] to the northeast, [[Brecknockshire]] to the north, and [[Glamorgan]] to the west. Historically there is some ambiguity as to whether the county was part of Wales or England, but since [[1974]] the area has been placed definitively in [[Wales]]. The eastern and southern boundaries of the historic county and principal area are the same; however, the western two-fifths of the historic county are now administered by the other [[Subdivisions of Wales|unitary authorities]] of [[Blaenau Gwent]], [[Torfaen]], and [[Newport]]. The [[administrative county]] of Monmouthshire, and associated [[Lord Lieutenant of Monmouthshire|Lieutenancy]] were abolished in 1974 under the [[Local Government Act 1972]]. The area largely became part of the new local government and ceremonial county of [[Gwent (county)|Gwent]]. ==Principal area== {{main|Monmouthshire Council}} The current [[subdivisions of Wales#Principal areas of Wales|unitary authority]] was created on [[April 1]], [[1996]] as a successor to the district of [[Monmouth (district)|Monmouth]] along with the [[Llanelly]] community from [[Blaenau Gwent]], both of which were [[Districts of Wales|district]]s of [[Gwent (county)|Gwent]]. The use of the name "Monmouthshire" rather than "Monmouth" for the area was mildly controversial, being supported by the MP for [[Monmouth (UK Parliament constituency)|Monmouth]], [[Roger Evans]], but being opposed by [[Paul Murphy (politician)|Paul Murphy]], MP for [[Torfaen (UK Parliament constituency)|Torfaen]] (inside the historic county of Monmouthshire but being reconstituted as a separate unitary authority). <ref>[http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199394/cmhansrd/1994-03-15/Debate-4.html Hansard, House of Commons, March 15, 1994, Column 782]</ref> By area it covers some 60% of the historic county, but only 20% of the population. The council's administrative headquarters are at the former Gwent County Hall at [[Croesyceiliog]], [[Cwmbran]] — outside of its own jurisdiction in the neighbouring borough of [[Torfaen]]. It is the only principal area in Wales administered from outside its boundaries. In comparison to the pre-1974 areas it covers: *the former boroughs of [[Abergavenny]] and [[Monmouth]] *the former urban districts of [[Chepstow]] and [[Usk]] *the former rural districts of [[Abergavenny Rural District|Abergavenny]], [[Chepstow Rural District|Chepstow]] and [[Monmouth Rural District|Monmouth]] *the former rural district of Pontypool, except the community of Llanfrechfa Lower *the parish of [[Llanelly]] from the former [[Crickhowell Rural District]] in [[Brecknockshire]] ==Places of interest== [[Image:Ragland castle t100.jpg|thumb|right|Raglan Castle]] :''See [[List of places in Monmouthshire]] for a list of settlements in the principal area''. <div style="-moz-column-count:3; -webkit-column-count:3; column-count:3;"> *[[Chepstow Castle]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/203742] *[[Raglan Castle]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/286951] *[[Monmouth]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/11200] *[[Trellech]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/262365] *[[Abergavenny Castle]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/23974] *[[Wye Valley]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/543505] *[[Black Mountains, Wales|Black Mountains]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/129254] *[[Brecon Beacons National Park]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/355915] *[[White Castle (Wales)|White Castle]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/168047] *[[Skenfrith Castle]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/288937] *[[Grosmont Castle]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/213768] *[[Three Castles Walk]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/568727] *[[Offa's Dyke]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/124773] *[[Llanthony Priory]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/145095] *[[Tintern Abbey]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1001] *[[Usk]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/199442] *[[Usk Valley Walk]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/70264] *[[Abergavenny]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/23648] *[[Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/142259] *[[Marches Way]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/384710] *[[Monnow Valley Walk]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/350159] *[[Caldicot Castle]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/289963] *[[Big Pit National Coal Museum]] [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/436091] </div> ==Schools== Top performing [[secondary school]]s in Monmouthshire, (5 [[GCSE]]s, grades A-C), according to the latest inspection report from [[Estyn]]: :64% [[Chepstow School]], [[Chepstow]] :59% [[Monmouth Comprehensive School]], [[Monmouth]] :53% [[King Henry VIII School Abergavenny|King Henry VIII School]], [[Abergavenny]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://www.monmouthshire.org.uk/ The Original Monmouthshire website Monmouthshire.org.uk] *[http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southeast/sites/monmouthshire/ BBC Wales on Monmouthshire] *[http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/MON/Gaz1868.html Genuki National Gazetteer of 1868] {{Wales subdivisions}} [[Category:Monmouthshire| ]] [[br:Menoe]] [[cy:Sir Fynwy]] [[de:Monmouthshire]] [[et:Monmouthshire]] [[eo:Monmouthshire]] [[fr:Sir Fynwy]] [[it:Monmouthshire]] [[nl:Monmouthshire]] [[no:Monmouthshire]] [[pl:Monmouthshire]] [[ro:Monmouthshire]] [[ru:Монмутшир]] [[simple:Monmouthshire]] [[sv:Monmouthshire]]