BRECONSHIRE or BRECKNOCKSHIRE, an inland county in south Wales, and fourth largest in all Wales, bounded on the north-west by Cardigan, on the north and north-east by Radnor, on the east and south-east by Monmouth, on the south by Glamorgan, and on the west by Carmarthen.
With the exception of the Vale of Usk at Crickhowell the county is almost encircled by moun tains. To the north a range of barren hills, known as Mynydd Eppynt, stretches right across the county in a north-easterly direction towards Builth, beginning with Mynydd Bwlch y Groes (I ,45of t.) near Llandovery. These hills are composed of the oldest rocks in the county, the Llandeilo shales, with their volcanic outflows (often containing mineral springs, as at Llan wrtyd and Builth) as well as the Bala beds, which, with the suc ceeding lower and upper Llandovery shales, sandstones, and con glomerates, form the sparsely populated sheep walks of the north part of the county. To the south-east of this region a narrow outcrop of Llandovery, Wenlock, and Ludlow sandstones and mudstones follows. The remainder and greater part of the county is occupied by the gently inclined old red sandstone, largely hill country, the highest point of which, north of the Usk, is Pen y Gader (2,624ft.) between Talgarth and Llanthony, where the lower marls and cornstones of the old red sandstone form the much dissected plateau of the Black mountains. The ring of hills is continued south of the Usk by the Brecon Beacons, composed mainly of the conglomeratic upper beds of the old red sandstone, weathered into many escarpments and plateaux. The highest point is Pen y Fan or Cadair Arthur (Arthur's Chair) (2,91 of t.) . In the extreme south-west of the county the ring of hills is com pleted by the Carmarthen Van, the highest point of which, Van Brycheiniog (2,63 2 f t. ), is in the county. The extreme southern boundary is formed by the scarps and moorlands of the carbon iferous limestone and millstone grit, while the lowest beds of the coal measures (much folded) are reached in the upper Tawe and Neath valleys and near Brynmawr.
The most distinctive feature of the drain age system is the valley of the Usk. The river rises in the Car marthen Van in the west and flows nearly due east, dividing the county into two nearly equal portions. It also collects numerous streams from the Beacons on the south and the Eppynt in the north. The most important tributary streams are the Tarell and the Honddu. The confluence of the latter with the Usk marks the site of Brecon—the county town. Another river of the east ward drainage is the Wye, which forms the northern boundary of the county from Rhayader to Hay. A portion of the upper Towy, flowing north-east to south-west, following the line of the Eppynt, forms the county boundary on the north-west. The southern section has the upper reaches of the Taff, Neath, and Tawe, all of which ultimately flow southwards to the Bristol channel as part of the general south and south-westerly drainage system of Wales. There is evidence that the region was heavily glaciated, and much boulder clay is found in the lower valley lands and striated pebbles and boulders occur at a great height on the Black mountains. The porous rocks of Breconshire consti tute one of the best water-producing areas in Wales, and many industrial centres are supplied from reservoirs in this county.
History.—As usual the earliest remains of man are on the high ground. Later the Usk and Wye valleys became especially important as ways through the mountains from the English border. On the spurs of the moorland overlooking the valleys are many hill-top camps. An interesting site is the artificial island in Llangorse lake (Llyn Safaddan) in the east of the county at the foot of the Black mountains, where traces of lake dwell ings were discovered in 1869. The conquest of the district by the Romans was effected about A.D. 75-80. Their main purpose was to keep open valley lines of communication through their fortified nodal sites, such as the one three miles out of the present town of Brecon excavated in 1925-26 by the officers of the National Museum of Wales (see Y Cymmrodor, vol. xxxvii., 1926). Smaller forts were established on roads leading from this fort towards Neath and Crickhowell. On the departure of the Romans, the hill tribes and other raiders seem to have regained possession of the Usk valley under Brychan, who became the ancestor of one of the three chief tribes of hereditary Welsh saints. His territory (named after him Brycheiniog, whence Brecknock) lay wholly east of the Eppynt range, for the lord ship of Buallt, corresponding to the modern hundred of Builth, to the west, remained independent, probably till the Norman invasion. Most of the older churches of central Brecknockshire
were founded by or dedicated to members of Brychan's family.
From the middle of the 8th century to the loth, Brycheiniog proper, with its valley-ways open to the English plain, often bore the brunt of Mercian attacks, and many of the castles on its eastern border had their origin in that period. Subsequently, when Bernard de Newmarch and his Norman followers obtained possession of the country in the last quarter of the 11th century, these were converted into regular fortresses. Bernard himself built a castle at Talgarth on the Upper Wye, but in 1o91 he moved southwards and, having defeated Bleddyn Ab Maenarch, he established himself at Brecon, which he made his Caput baroniae. Brycheiniog was then converted into a lordship marcher and passed to the Fitzwalter, the de Breos, the Bohun, and the Stafford families in succession, remaining unaffected by the statute of Rhuddlan (1282), as it formed part of the marches, and not of the principality of Wales.
The Irfon valley, near Builth, was, however, the scene of the last struggle between the English and Llewelyn, who in 1282 fell in a petty skirmish in that district. Raids from the hills were frequent and Glyndwr (Glendower q.v.), at the head of a band of tribesmen, marched to Brecon in 1403.
Upon the attainder of Edward, duke of Buckingham, in 1521, the lordship of Brecon with its dependencies became vested in the Crown. In 1536 it was grouped with a whole series of petty lordships marcher and the lordship of Builth to form the county of Brecknock with Brecon as the county town, and the place for holding the county court. The most important mediaeval monas tic house was the priory of St. John the Baptist, founded by Bernard de Newmarch at Brecon in the 11th century.
This county became famous for its wool in the later middle ages and attracted large numbers of continental weavers at different times, some of whom were refugees forming part of an intellectual elite. John Penry (1559-93), born at Llangammarch in the north-west of the county, was typical of the spirit of Puritanism that characterized this region, which developed strong points of view in religion, as is shown by the early importance of the Quakers and later of the Baptists. Later Howell Harris (1714 73) , one of the most fiery leaders of the Methodist revival, was a native of the county.
The county's one-time agricultural prosperity is indicated by an agricultural society dating from 1755, the oldest in Wales. Agriculture is still the chief occupation, and the county is chiefly pastoral. The breeding of cobs and ponies, as in Cardi ganshire, is also important. The upper reaches of the Swansea and Neath valleys are important areas on the anthracite coalfield, while bituminous coal is mined in the south-east corner near Brynmawr. There are also limestone, fire clay, and cement works on the outcrop of the carboniferous limestone.
The L.M.S.R. from Craven Arms to Swansea and from Hereford to Swansea runs through the county, effecting junctions with the G.W.R. at Builth (old Cambrian line), Three Cocks (mid-Wales line), Talyllyn (Merthyr and Newport line), and at Colbren (Neath and Brecon line). Brynmawr in the south-east is connected by L.M.S.R. with Abergavenny and with Pontypool and G.W.R. with Newport. Brecon is also connected with Newport by the Brecknock and Abergavenny canal (35m.), which was completed in 18oI. The Swansea canal and that of the Vale of Neath have also their north ern terminals in the county, at Ystradgynlais and Abernant re spectively. The main roads are probably the best in south Wales, and nodal sites such as Brecon and Builth are coming into promi nence in this respect.
The area of the ancient county is 475,224 acres and the administrative county 469,301 acres. The population (1931) was 57,771. The only municipal borough is Brecon, which is the county town, pop.
5,334. The other urban districts are Brynmawr (7,247), Builth Wells (1,663), Hay (1,509) and Llanwrtyd (742). The county forms part of the south Wales circuit and the assizes are held at Brecon. It has one court of quarter sessions and is divided into ten petty sessional divisions. There are 94 civil parishes, while the eccle siastical parishes or districts wholly or in part within the county number 7o, of which 67 were until 1923 in the diocese of St. David's but are now in the newly constituted diocese of Swansea and Brecon, the remaining three being in the diocese of Llandaff. Brecon is the site of the new cathedral. The county is not divided for parliamentary purposes and until 1918 returned one member to parliament ; since that date its representation is merged with that of the entire county of Radnor.
