Caernarfonshire

Caernarfarshire, also known as Caernarvonshire and in Welsh Sir Gaernarfon, is a historic county of Wales located in the northwest. The name derives from the town of Caernarfon and its medieval castle, a landmark that has long symbolized the area. The county functioned as an administrative unit for centuries and remains a reference point in historical and cultural contexts, even though it is no longer used as an administrative division.

Geography and landscape form a defining feature of the county. It includes coastal areas along the Irish Sea and inland uplands that reach into the Snowdonia region, as well as the Llŷn Peninsula. Towns associated with the historic county include Caernarfon, Bangor, Bethesda, Portmadog, Pwllheli and Blaenau Ffestiniog, as well as smaller communities that developed around slate quarrying, farming and fishing. The landscape is marked by mountains, valleys and a rugged coastline, which fostered a strong regional identity and a long-standing Welsh linguistic and cultural tradition.

History and administration detail the county’s longevity and its later administrative changes. Caernarfonshire was established in the late 13th century following the expansion of English rule in Wales, with Caernarfon as the county town. A county council operated from the late 19th century until 1974, when the area was merged into the new county of Gwynedd under local government reforms. In 1996 Gwynedd was reconstituted as a unitary authority, and Caernarfonshire remains as a historic or ceremonial county, its boundaries reflected in preserved county arrangements rather than modern administration.

Economy and culture have historically revolved around slate quarrying, maritime activity and, more recently, tourism linked to Snowdonia and the Lleyn peninsula. The region is part of the UNESCO-listed Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd, a testament to Caernarfonshire’s medieval heritage. Welsh and English are commonly used, with Welsh spoken widely in daily life.