- Also called:
- Carmarthen
- Welsh:
- Sir Gaerfyrddin
Carmarthenshire
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Where is Carmarthenshire located?
Carmarthenshire is a county in southwestern Wales, United Kingdom, that extends inland from the Bristol Channel. Rising from sea level, it reaches elevations of over 2,000 feet (600 metres) at Black Mountain in the east. Carmarthen, situated on the River Tywi, serves as both the administrative center and historic county town.
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What is the county town (main town) of Carmarthenshire?
The county town (or administrative center) of Carmarthenshire, a county in southwestern Wales, is Carmarthen. Carmarthen has been historically significant, with both Romans and Normans building strongholds there due to its strategic location on the River Tywi. During the medieval period, it was a vital borough in Wales, receiving charters and becoming the sole wool staple market for Wales in 1353. Although today Carmarthen is not particularly industrial, it remains an active agricultural market town and shopping center.
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What are some important features or landmarks in Carmarthenshire?
Carmarthenshire, a county in southwestern Wales, extends inland from the Bristol Channel, reaching over 2,000 feet in elevation at Black Mountain.
Important features and landmarks include:
* Carmarthen The administrative center and historic county town
* Stone Age monuments Tumuli, cairns, and various stone monuments on hills above 600 feet
* Roman hilltop camps Located on spurs of high ground
* Llandovery Strategically important in Roman times, with the Church of Llanfair built within a Roman fort
* Dynevor Castle Ruins of the 13th-century castle, originally built in 876 CE
* Kidwelly One of the oldest boroughs in Wales, established in 1115, with a castle built in 1106
* Eastern part of the county Includes a section of Brecon Beacons National Park
* River Tywi Both Romans and Normans built strongholds in Carmarthen because of the river's strategic importance
* St. Peter’s Church Largely of 14th-century construction
* Guildhall Built about 1770 on the site of an earlier one dating from 15832 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What kind of landscape can be found in Carmarthenshire?
Carmarthenshire, located in southwestern Wales, features diverse landscapes ranging from sea-level Bristol Channel coasts to the elevated Black Mountain in the east, reaching over 2,000 feet (600 meters). The Towy River flows through a deeply incised valley, turning sharply southward to enter the Irish Sea via a broad estuary, with beaches that support tourism. While primarily rural with dairy farming, mixed farming, and sheep rearing in the northern hills, the southeast once had anthracite coal mining, which has now been replaced by new industries.
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What are some traditional industries or economic activities in Carmarthenshire?
Carmarthenshire has a history rooted in agriculture and industry. In the later Middle Ages, the county was known for its wool production, thanks to the hill country being ideal for sheep raising. Dairy farming remains the main agricultural activity, with mixed farming and sheep rearing in the northern hills.
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, anthracite coal mining spurred the growth of industrial towns and villages in the southeast. Llanelli produced tinplate and fabricated steel products. While coal mining declined after World War II, new industries emerged. Carmarthen is an agricultural market town and shopping center with a milk-processing industry.
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How does the Welsh language and culture influence life in Carmarthenshire?
Carmarthenshire's cultural identity is strongly tied to the Welsh language and traditions. The Welsh language is a core component of the school curriculum, with a substantial proportion of students receiving their education in Welsh.
Carmarthen hosted a historic eisteddfod, which formalized the strict meters of Welsh poetry, influencing literary traditions. The National Eisteddfod, a modern revival of this tradition, celebrates Welsh culture through music, literature, and art.
The county has produced figures who have contributed significantly to Welsh culture and political identity, such as Gwynfor Evans, the first Welsh nationalist to sit in the House of Commons. The Welsh Language Society has also been influential in preserving the language.
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Carmarthenshire, county of southwestern Wales, extending inland from the Bristol Channel. The present county is coterminous with the historic county of the same name. It rises from sea level along the Bristol Channel to an elevation of more than 2,000 feet (600 metres) at Black Mountain in the east. Carmarthen is the administrative centre and the historic county town (seat) of Carmarthenshire.
On the hills above the 600-foot (180-metre) contour, there are Stone Age tumuli and cairns and, especially in the northwest, various stone monuments. Roman hilltop camps stood on spurs of the high ground. During the post-Roman centuries the Celtic saints reflected the Christian faith of the county, which suffered numerous raids by the Irish and the Scandinavians. The strong reign of Rhodri Mawr (c. 870) is said to have brought a measure of peace, and his grandson Howel the Good (Hywel Dda) was the first to codify the ancient laws of Wales at his palace, Ty-Gwyn-ar-Dâf (near modern Whitland). After 1080 the Normans entered the area, built castles along the coast, and gradually penetrated the valleys to Carmarthen and Llandeilo. The campaigns of the English king Edward I gave the Normans a more unified control of the principality, and the Statutes of Rhuddlan (1284) created the county of Carmarthenshire. In 1536, under Henry VIII, the county was enlarged. The hill country, an area ideal for sheep raising, made Carmarthenshire famous for its wool in the later Middle Ages.
The town of Llandovery was strategically important in Roman times, and the nearby Church of Llanfair (restored 1915) was built within the ramparts of a Roman fort. The ruins of the 13th-century Dynevor Castle are located just west of Llandeilo. Originally built in 876 ce by Rhodri Mawr, the castle was taken by the English in the 13th century and rebuilt. The Welsh leader Owen Glendower tried to retake it in 1408 but failed. Kidwelly, established in 1115, is one of the oldest boroughs in Wales. Its castle was built by Roger of Salisbury in 1106 as one of a network of strongholds to maintain Norman control of South Wales.
The county had important connections with the house of Tudor in the 16th century through Sir Rhys ap Thomas, who fought for Henry Tudor. In the 17th century, during the English Civil Wars, the castles, especially the southern ones, offered half-hearted resistance to the Parliamentarian forces. Griffith Jones (1683–1761), vicar of Llanddowror, founded circulating schools, which effectively began the modern educational movement in Wales. William Williams Pantycelyn (1717–91), the chief hymnologist of the Welsh Methodist movement, lived and worked near Llandovery. The county was a site of the Rebecca Riots (1843), which erupted in response to increased tolls and tithes and discrimination against the poor. More recent noteworthy residents include the poet Dylan Thomas (1914–53), who lived at Laugharne and is buried there, and Gwynfor Evans, who became the first Welsh nationalist to sit in the House of Commons when he was elected to represent Carmarthen in 1966.
In the southeast, anthracite coal mining during the 19th and early 20th centuries promoted the growth of many mining villages and industrial towns, including Llanelli and Ammanford. After World War II new industries in the southeast replaced heavy industry and coal mining, which had ceased by the end of the 20th century. Today Llanelli produces tinplate for packaging and fabricated steel products, and the town has several other light manufactures.
Outside the southeast, the county remains mostly rural. Dairy farming is the main agricultural activity, and mixed farming and sheep rearing take place in the northern hills. Both Llandovery and Llandeilo are agricultural market towns, as is Carmarthen town, which is also a busy shopping centre with some milk-processing industry. The coastal town of Burry Port is a yachting centre. The eastern part of the county includes a section of Brecon Beacons National Park. Area 915 square miles (2,371 square km). Pop. (2001) 172,842; (2011) 183,777.