Montgomeryshire, Wales Genealogy

Wales Montgomeryshire



Montgomeryshire (Welsh: Sir Drefaldwyn or Maldwyn) was one of thirteen historic counties of Wales. The county is bounded to the north by Denbighshire, to the east and south-east by Shropshire (England), to the south by Radnorshire, to the south-west by Cardiganshire and to the west and north-west by Merionethshire.

It took it's name from Roger de Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, one of William the Conqueror's main counsellors,

The county was formed shortly after the Act of Union of 1535 of Wales and England. The borders of Montgomeryshire corresponded roughly to the medieval kingdom of Powys Wenwynwyn and its cantrefi (hundreds) included Cyfeiliog; Arwystli; Mawddwy; Mochnant; Deuddwy; Ystrad Marchell and Gorddwr, and also included the Lordships of Cydewain and Mechain.

Chapman Code: MGY

Under the Local Government Act 1972, the county of Montgomeryshire was abolished, for both local government and ceremonial purposes, on April 1, 1974. All of the former county of Montgomeryshire became part of the newly formed county of Powys which covered the whole of east-central Wales.

Although further local government reorganisation took place in 1996, this had little effect on the county of Powys

Topics

 * Montgomeryshire Nonconformist Records
 * Montgomeryshire Poor Law Unions

Research tools

 * The North Wales BMD. A searchable index of births marriages and deaths within the county of Montgomeryshire from 1837 to around 1950.

Jurisdictions

 * Hamlet
 * Parish: an area of varying size under the responsibility of a clergyman of the Church of England/Church in Wales
 * Hundred: an administrative subdivision of a county, usually a group of two or more parishes
 * Sub-district: comprised of more than one civil parish
 * Registration District
 * Poor Law Union
 * Archdeaconry
 * Diocese
 * County

Did you know

 * Owain Glyndŵr was crowned Prince of Wales in 1404 in Machynlleth, Montgomeryshire, before leaders from Scotland, France and Spain, and held his first Parliament in the town.
 * Robert Owen, the social reformer, philanthropist and one of the founders of socialism and the cooperative movement, was born in Newtown, Montgomeryshire in 1771.