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County of Merioneth

Merionethshire
Welsh: Meirionnydd
Flag of Merioneth
Flag of Merionethshire
Merionethshire
Ancient extent of Merionethshire
Area
 • 1831 385,291 acres (1,559.22 km2)
 • 1911/1961 422,372 acres (1,709.28 km2)
Population
 • 1831 35,315
 • 1911 45,565
 • 1961 38,310
Density
 • 1831 0.1/acre
 • 1911 0.1/acre
 • 1961 0.1/acre
History
 • Created 1284
 • Succeeded by Meirionnydd
Chapman code MER
Government Merionethshire County Council (1889-1974)
 • HQ Dolgellau
 • Motto Tra môr, tra Meirion
(While the sea lasts, so shall Meirionnydd)
Merioneth arms.png
Coat of arms of Merionethshire County Council

Merionethshire or Merioneth (Welsh: Meirionnydd or Sir Feirionnydd) is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, a vice county and a former administrative county.

The spelling of the Welsh name in standard modern orthography is Meirionnydd (for the geographical area) or Sir Feirionnydd (for the county), with a double <nn>, but the variant with a single <n> is sometimes found in older works.

Merionethshire is a maritime county, bounded to the north by Caernarfonshire, to the east by Denbighshire, to the south by Montgomeryshire and Cardiganshire, and to the west by Cardigan Bay. With a total area of 1,731 km² (668 sq miles), it is one of the more sparsely populated counties in Great Britain.

The Merioneth area remains one of the strongest Welsh-speaking parts of Wales. The coastline consists alternately of cliffs and stretches of sand and the area generally is the most mountainous in Wales; a large part of the Snowdonia National Park lies within it. The greatest heights are Aran Fawddwy 905 m (2,970 ft) and Cadair Idris 893 m (2,929 ft). The chief rivers are the Dwyryd, the Mawddach and the Dyfi. Waterfalls and small lakes are numerous, the largest being Bala Lake (4 miles long and 1-mile (1.6 km) broad).

The county was formed in 1284 under the terms of the Statute of Rhuddlan from the Cantrefi of:


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