Merionethshire

Historic County of Wales

Welsh - Sir Feirionnydd or Meirionnydd

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Related Projects

• People Connected to Merionethshire
  
• Merionethshire - Famous People
  
• Historic Buildings of Merionethshire
  
• Merionethshire Monumental Inscriptions, Cemeteries and Graveyards
  

Still to come

• Merionethshire Genealogical Resources
  
• Merionethshire Historical Page
  

HELP is always welcome!!

Merionethshire

Merioneth.
Known in Welsh as Meirionnydd.

A maritime County bounded N. by Caernarfonshire, E. by Denbighshire, SE. and S. by Montgomeryshire and Cardiganshire, and W. by Cardigan Bay.

Area 1911/1961 - 422,372 acres (1,709.28 Sq.km)

Population 1961 - 38 310

Headquarters Dolgellau

Chapman code MER

History

• Created 1284
• Succeeded by Meirionnydd

Motto Tra môr, tra Meirion (English: While the sea lasts, so shall Merioneth)

County Flower Welsh Poppy - Meconopsis cambrica

The coastline is alternatively cliffs and streches of sand and the County generally is the most mountainous in Wales. A large part of the Snowdonia National Park lies in the County. The greatest heights are Aran Mawddwy (2970ft) and Cader Idris (2929 ft). The chief rivers are the Dwyryd, the Mawddach and the Dovey. Waterfalls and small lakes are numerous the largest being Bala Lake (4 miles long and 1 mile broad). The main industries are agriculture and tourism.

Merioneth was an important part of the Welsh slate industry in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with major quarrying centres at Blaenau Ffestiniog in the north of the county and Corris in the south.

The main towns

• Aberdyfi
• Bala,
• Barmouth,
• Blaenau
• Ffestiniog,
• Harlech
• Corwen,
• Dolgellau,
• Ffestiniog
• Tywyn.

Places of special interest:

• Castell-y-Bere ((SH6608);
• Cymer Abbey (SH7291);
• Ffestiniog railway (SH6946);
• Harlech Castle (SH5731);
• Portmeirion italianate village (SH5837);
• Rhug Chapel (SJ0543);
• Tomen-y-mur Roman Fort (SH7038).

See Table of Welsh Place names (Table listing where places are in Current [Post 1974/1996] Welsh Counties/Historic Counties

Hundreds

• Ardudwy
• Penllyn
• Ystrumaner
• Talybont
• Edeyrnion

Parish Map

from The Phillimore Atlas and Index of Parish Registers 1984.

For full size image see Central Wales - Phillimore - open the full view and use the magnify tool.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merionethshire