Wales
"The County of RADNOR is 90 Miles in Circumference, contains about 310000 Acres, divided into 6 Hundreds in which are 4 Market Towns & only one Radnor ye County Town privileged with sending 1 member to Parliament like ye rest of ye Welsh Boroughs, 52 Parishes & about 3158 Houses. The Air is sharp, the Soil barren & mountainous, abounding in Woods, Rivers & Moors, intermixed with some fruitfull Valleys. Its cheif Commodities are Cheese & Horses." [Emanuel Bowen, Britannia Depicta , 1720] Archives and Libraries
Radnorshire
"The County of MONTGOMERY is 94 Miles in Circumference, contains about 500000 Acres, is divided into 7 Hundreds, in which are 6 Market Towns, and only Montgomery sends a Member to Parliament, which is the County Town, 47 Parishes and about 5660 Houses. The air is sharp and cold by reason of its high scituation, the Valleys are very fertile, breeding very good Horses and plenty of Goats. The soil is stony, mountainous and rocky, intermixed with pleasant Bottoms. Its cheif Commodities are Flesh, Fish, Fowl and all manner of Grain for the use of Man &c." [Emanuel Bowen, Britannia Depicta , 1720] Archives and Libraries
Montgomeryshire
"The County of MERIONETH is 108 Miles in Circumference, contains about 500,000 Acres, & divided into 6 Hundreds; in the North are 3 Market Towns, but none of them nor any other Town in this County, are represented in Parliament; has 37 Parishes & about 2590 Houses. The Air is very sharp, the County being full of Mountains, & barren, so extraordinary steep, that Persons may discourse from ye Top of one Mountain and be heard by those that stand on ye other. Here are great Flocks of Sheep, & Goats, Herds of Cattle, Deer, Fowl, Fish of all sorts, cheifly Herring in their Season." [Emanuel Bowen, Britannia Depicta , 1720]
Merionethshire
"The County of GLAMORGAN is 112 Miles in Circumference, contains about 540000 Acres, 10 Hundreds, 9 Market Towns, 118 Parishes and 9644 Houses. It had formerly 25 Castles and 3 Monasteries most of which are now demolished. The Air is various, sharp on ye Mountains, covered with Snow but very Mild & Warm on ye Seavern Coast. The Soil in ye North Part is full of Steep, High & Barren Hills, abounding with Woods, in ye South more plain rich & fertile, feeding multitude of Cattle & Sheep; it is called for its fruitfullness ye Garden of Wales. It is plentifully stored with Fish, Flesh, Fowl, it also has many Coal Pits, The Cheif Comodities are Corn & Cattle."
GLAMORGAN
Flintshire
"The County of FLINT is 40 Miles in Circumference, contains about 160000 Acres, and is divided into 12 Hundreds in which are 3 Market Towns & only Flint the County Town sends a Member to Parliament; has 28 Parishes & about 3150 Houses. The Air is good but pleasant, somewhat cold by reason of the North Wind. The Soil is not so mountainous as in other parts of Wales, for here are many Valleys and Cornfields, loaden with Wheat, Barley, Pease, Oats, &c. Its cheif commodities are Cattle, Butter, Cheese, Pit-Coal, Lead, Milstones, and Honey, with which they make Metheglin." [Emanuel Bowen, Britannia Depicta , 1720] Click here for 1833 Map Copied from the original in "A Topographical Dictionary of Wales" by Samuel Lewis 1833
Denbighshire
"The County of DENBIGH is 116 Miles in Circumference, contains about 410000 Acres. Tis divided into 12 Hundreds in which are contained 4 Market Towns & only one Borough Town [viz. Denbigh], 57 Parishes & about 6398 Houses.
"The County of CARDIGAN is 94 Miles in Circumference, contains about 520,000 Acres, divided into 5 Hundreds or Cantres, in which are above 3163 Houses, 73 Parishes, & 4 Market Towns, one of which Cardigan sends a Member to Parliament. The Air is Pleasanter and Milder here than in some parts of Wales, being advantaged by its bordering upon ye Sea, and ye Low & Level Ground; not much exposed to ye Winds & Storms. The Southern & Western parts are Plain & Fruitful producing much Corn but ye Northern & Eastern parts are more Hilly and Barren, yet here also are many Fruitfull Valleys. This County is noted for its Lead & Silver Mines. " [Emanuel Bowen, Britannia Depicta, 1720] Archives and Libraries
Cardiganshire
Current as of July 16, 2005 Signing the Register by Edmund Blair Leighton. County Index: General Information: If you know of a county-level archive web page which is not listed here, please send its URL to markhow@oz.net . As archive websites like to move around on servers, please report any broken links to markhow@oz.net .
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Caernarvonshire
"The County of CARNARVAN is 93 Miles in Circumference, contains about 307000 Acres, 6 Market Towns, and only one Borough [viz. Carnarvan which is the County town] 68 Parishes & about 2765 Houses. The Air is sharp & Cold for ye Country rises into very high Mountains, which are full of Lakes & Rocks, ye highest in Wales; & not improperly called ye British Alps. yet there are many fruitfull Bottoms, & pleasant Valleys. It is plentifull in Cattle, Fowl, Fish & Wood."
"The Island of MONA or ANGLESEY is in circumference 60 Miles, contains about 200,000 Acres, 74 Parishes & 1840 Houses, has 2 Market Towns, one of which (viz.) Beaumaris sends a Member to Parliament. This Island was anciently called Insula Opaca, from the great quantity of Wood with which it was over grown, but now it is very bare of trees especially in ye Northern & Western parts. The Principal Comodities of this Island are Corn, Cattle, Fish & Fowl, which it produces in such abundance that the Welsh call it Mam Cymru, i.e. the Mother or Nurse of Wales. The Air at certain times by reason of the Mists and Foggs that proceed from ye Irish Sea is Aguish. The Soil is Rocky and Mountainous, it affords plenty of Grind Stones, Milstones, &c."