864 



WALES. 



ganshire, and afterwards, in conjunction with many 

 adventurers from the same country, pushed their 

 conquests northward into all the other parts of 

 Wales. This was the origin of a new and unusual 

 government, named that; of the Lords Marchers. 

 The jurisdiction of these nobles was absolute, and 

 the exercise of their power attended with much 

 cruelty and despotism. From this period the strug- 

 gles of the brave Cambrians for liberty were few 

 and faint, and their history as an independent nation 

 henceforth hastens to a close, and may be said to 

 have become extinct at the death of the last reign- 

 ing prince, Llewellyn ap Gryffydh, in the year 1282. 

 Edward I. completed the entire conquest of 

 Wales, and his policy allowed the natives to retain 

 possession of their estates under their ancient ten- 

 ures, and permitted the enjoyment of as much free- 

 dom as was consistent with English laws. But his 

 humane intentions were frustrated by the despotic 

 lords marchers, for in the reign of the fourth and 

 sixth Henrys it appeared that the Welsh were re- 

 duced under a bondage the severest and most humi- 

 liating. Henry VII. received much assistance in 

 his ambitious designs from the inhabitants of the 

 principality, and was not forgetful of these services 

 when the object of his hopes and wishes was at- 

 tained. Under this monarch several statutes of a 

 healing and alleviating nature were enacted, but as 

 the power of the lords marchers still continued, it 

 was not until the twenty-seventh of Henry VIII. 

 that substantial relief was afforded to this oppressed 

 district. The act sets forth, " that many robberies, 

 murders, and other evil practices, have been daily 

 committed in the county palatine of Chester, and 

 Flintshire in Wales, and also in Anglesea, Carnar- 

 von, Merioneth, Cardigan, Carmarthen, Pembroke, 

 and Glamorgan, because justice is not administered 

 there in such form as in other places of this realm ; 

 for the remedy of this it is enacted that the lord 

 chancellor of England, or keeper of the great seal, 

 shall nominate and appoint justices of peace, justices 

 of the quorum, and justices of the gaol delivery in 

 the said counties, and that they have like power 

 and authority as those in England." The effect of 

 this statute was very important, it struck the first 

 blow at the power of the lords marchers, and terri- 

 fied offenders, who could no longer escape from the 

 hands of justice, by flying from one lords marcher- 

 ship to another. It also established the adminis- 

 tration of the laws upon a more solid and unimpeach- 

 able foundation, and was the origin of what was 

 called the great sessions of Wales, a system of judi- 

 cature which continued in operation until the year 



Wai. 



The manufactures and productions of Wales are 

 considerable. Glamorgan contains mines of coal 

 and iron, apparently inexhaustible. Iron- works are 

 established on an extensive scale at Merthyr Tyd- 

 vil, Aberdare, and all through that district. Every 

 species of tin and iron-plate work is made, copper 

 is manufactured into sheets, bolts, and other varie- 

 ties, at Swansea. Brass, copper, &c., founded at 

 Llanelly ; and half the lead and copper ore raised 

 in Great Britain and Ireland finds its way into the 

 blast furnaces of the prosperous town of Swansea. 

 Iron-foundries are also worked at Rhiwabon and 

 Wrexham in Denbighshire, and Hawarden in Flint- 

 shire, -Holy well is the Swansea of North Wales ; 

 brass, lead, copper, wire, and other such articles, 

 being wrought there, and blast-furnaces kept in 

 constant occupation. The coal district of Flint- 

 shire and the wonderful spring of St Winifred, ren- 



dered the position of llolywell favourable for the 

 establishment of hardware manufactories. The 

 manufacture of slates, if it may be so termed, is ex- 

 tensively followed in North Wales. The quarry- 

 men here have obtained a skill in the working of 

 the metal superior to that of any other miners, and 

 the metal itself is not equalled by any yet discovered 

 in these islands. Bangor, Carnarvon, and Port 

 Madoc, are the chief places of export, at the fn--t 

 of which a manufacture of writing-slates, chimney- 

 pieces, inkstands, and various useful articles formed 

 from shite, is permanently established. The wool- 

 len-trade is also established in the twelve counties 

 of Wales, but the best and finest webs are manufac- 

 tured in North Wales. Newtown contains one of 

 the largest factories ; Welshpool is one of the br-st 

 markets ; large works are conducted in Dolgelly, 

 but the greatest quantities are made in the cottages 

 of the peasants. Small factories are erected in the 

 most retired mountain districts ; hither the careful 

 housewife brings her wool to be carded and spun, 

 and suffering a small toll to be retained, converts 

 the rest into a home-woven web, or knitted stock- 

 ings, gloves, or wigs. With articles manufactured 

 in this manner, the stockings being made by the 

 females as they walk to and from the fair or market, 

 most of the great Welsh woollen-markets are sup- 

 plied. Cottons and cotton-twist are manufactured 

 in Flint and Denbighshires, princially at Northop, 

 Sceviog, Greenfield, Denbigh, Caerwys, and Holy- 

 well, and the silk manufacture has lately been com- 

 menced. The principal agricultural exports are 

 those of grain from South Wales and herds of cattle 

 from the North. The principal places of exporta- 

 tion and asylums for shipping are Caerdiff, Swan- 

 sea, Oxwich, Kidwelly, Carmarthen, Tenby, Mil- 

 ford-Haven, Fishguard, Newport, Cardigan, Abery- 

 stwith. Aberdyfi, Barmouth, Port Madoc, Pwllhe- 

 li, Nevin, Carnarvon, Holyhead, Amlwch, Beau- 

 maris, Bangor, Aberconway, Rhyl, or Ff'oryd, and 

 Bagillt. 



Wales formerly sent twenty-four members to 

 parliament, one for each county, and one for earh 

 of twelve boroughs. By the reform act of 1832, 

 the number is increased to twenty-nine, two from 

 each of the counties of Caermarthen, Denbigh and 

 Glamorgan, one from each of the other nine, and 

 fourteen from as many boroughs, of which Merthyr 

 Tydvil and Swansea are the two created by the act. 

 Wales belongs to the province of York in ecclesias- 

 tical matters, and has four bishoprics, St David's, 

 Bangor, Llandaff, and St Asaph. Its dimensions 

 have been contracted by taking from it the whole 

 county of Monmouth, and a part of several of the 

 adjacent English counties. Population of Wales 

 in 1811, 611,788; in 1821, 717,438; in 1841, 

 911,003. 



WALES, NEW ; a name given to a part of 

 North America, situated south-east and south-west 

 of Hudson's bay, and divided into North and South : 

 the former name is lost in the more general term of 

 Labrador. New South Wales is situated north- 

 west of Canada, and extends along the south bor- 

 ders of Hudson's bay, 450 miles, from Ion. 85 to 

 90 W., lat. 54to58 y N. 



WALES, NEW SOUTH. See New South Wa/ex. 



WALES, PRINCE OF ; the title of the heir ap- 

 parent of the British throne, first conferred by 

 Edward I. on his son (afterwards Edward II.) at 

 the time of his conquest of that principality. (See 

 Edward /.) The heir apparent is made prince of 

 Wales and earl of Chester by special creation and 



