From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ancient county of Denbigh

Geography
Area: (1891)	423,477 (1,713 km²)
Rank:	Ranked 7th
Administration
County town:	Denbigh
Chapman code:	DEN

Denbighshire (Welsh: Sir Ddinbych) is one of thirteen traditional counties of Wales, and a former administrative county, covering an area in north Wales. It is a maritime county, bounded to the north by the Irish Sea, to the east by Flintshire, Cheshire and Shropshire, to the south by Montgomeryshire and Merionethshire, and to the west by Caernarfonshire.

Under the Local Government Act 1972, the use of Denbighshire for local government and ceremonial purposes ended on April 1, 1974, although it remains in use as a general geographic area and for other purposes.

A local government principal area named Denbighshire was created on April 1, 1996, covering a substantially different area.

Denbighshire was created by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535-1542 from areas previously in the Marches. It was formed from Cantrefi taken from Gwynedd Is Conwy and Powys Fadog, to include:

• Rhôs
• Rhufoniog
• Dyffren Clwyd
• Iâl
• Maelor Gymraeg
• Nanheudwy
• Cynllaith

In the south and west of the county the mountains of the Clwydian Range rise from 1000 to 2500ft high. The east of the county is hilly. There is some level ground along the coastal strip. The highest points are Moel Sych and Cader Berwyn at 2,713 feet. Pistyll-y-Rhaeader is a spectacular 240 feet waterfall. The chief rivers are the Clwyd and the Dee. The River Conwy runs north along the western boundary. The modern county of Denbighshire borders Powys ot the south, Flintshire and Wrexham to the east and Gwynedd to the west.

The main towns are Rhyl, Denbigh, Llangollen, Llanrwst, and Ruthin. The most important industries are agriculture and tourism.

• Bodnant Gardens, Tal-y-Cafn (grid reference SH7972);
• Chirk Castle (grid reference SJ2638);
• Denbigh Castle (grid reference SJ0565);
• Eliseg's Pillar (grid reference SJ2044);
• Plas Newydd, Llangollen (grid reference SJ2241);
• Valle Crucis Abbey (grid reference SJ2044).

An administrative county of Denbighshire was created in 1889 by the Local Government Act 1888, identical to the geographical county. The county was governed by an elected county council, who took over the functions of the Quarter Sessions courts.

The administrative county was subdivided into municipal boroughs and urban and rural districts.

• The boroughs of Denbigh and Ruthin were reformed in 1835 by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835. The county's third borough, Wrexham was incorporated in 1857. Colwyn Bay urban district was incorporated in 1934.
• Three urban districts were formed by the Local Government Act 1894: Abergele and Pensarn (renamed Abergele in 1935), Colwyn Bay and Colwyn (renamed Colwyn Bay in 1926, and incorporated as a borough in 1934) and Llangollen, as successors to urban sanitary districts. in 1897 Llanrwst urban district was formed.
• Eight rural districts were formed (also by the 1894 Act), based on existing rural sanitary districts: Chirk, Llangollen, Llanrwst, Llansillin, Ruthin, St Asaph (Denbigh), Uwchaled and Wrexham.

Two civil parishes: Llaneilian yn Rhos and Llansanffraid Glan Conway were administered as part of Conway Rural District in the neighbouring county of Carnarvonshire. This area was sometimes called Glan Conway Rural District.

In 1935 the rural districts were reorganised by a County Review Order, and reduced to five in number: Aled, Ceiriog, Hiraethog, Ruthin and Wrexham.

The administrative county was abolished in 1974, with the bulk becoming part of the new county of Clwyd. The urban district of Llanrwst and five rural parishes were included in Gwynedd.

• Denbighshire genealogical information
• Denbighshire archaeological information

v • d • e United Kingdom • Wales • Historic counties of Wales
Counties which originate prior to 1889 Anglesey • Brecknockshire • Caernarfonshire • Cardiganshire • Carmarthenshire • Denbighshire • Flintshire • Glamorganshire • Merionethshire • Monmouthshire • Montgomeryshire • Pembrokeshire • Radnorshire