Editing Gwynedd

{{Short description|County in Wales}}
{{About|the modern county|the medieval kingdom|Kingdom of Gwynedd|a community in Pennsylvania, United States|Gwynedd, Pennsylvania}}
{{Lead extra info|date=October 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                    = Gwynedd
| native_name             = 
| settlement_type         = [[Principal areas of Wales|County]]
| image_skyline           = Criccieth - geograph.org.uk - 4513705.jpg
| imagesize               = 
| image_alt               = In the foreground a curved, gravelly beach. Behind it a hill rises, with a collection of houses on either side of a road on the right, and the castle rising above. It has two prominent gatehouse towers, but is otherwise low walls.
| image_caption           = The [[Criccieth Castle|castle]] and beach at [[Criccieth]]
| image_flag              = 
| flag_alt                = 
| image_shield            = Coat of arms of Gwynedd Council.png
| shield_alt              = 
| shield_link             = 
| image_blank_emblem      = 
| blank_emblem_size       = 
| blank_emblem_type       = 
| blank_emblem_link       = 
| etymology               = 
| nickname                = 
| motto                   = {{langx |cy|Cadernid Gwynedd |translation=the strength of Gwynedd}}
| image_map               = Gwynedd UK location map.svg
| map_alt                 = 
| map_caption             = Gwynedd shown within [[Wales]]
| coordinates             = {{Coord|52|50|N|3|55|W|region:GB-GWN_type:adm2nd|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type        = [[Sovereign state]]
| subdivision_name        = [[United Kingdom]]
| subdivision_type1       = [[Countries of the United Kingdom|Country]]
| subdivision_name1       = [[Wales]]
| subdivision_type2       = [[Regions of Wales|Region]]
| subdivision_name2       = 
| subdivision_type3       = 
| subdivision_name3       = 
| subdivision_type4       = 
| subdivision_name4       = 
| established_title       = Incorporated
| established_date        = [[Local Government (Wales) Act 1994|1 April 1996]]
| established_title1      = 
| established_date1       = 
| named_for               = 
| seat_type               = Administrative{{nbsp}}HQ
| seat                    = [[Council Offices, Caernarfon]]
| parts_type              = 
| parts                   = 
<!-- Government -->
| government_footnotes    = <ref name="Council leadership">{{cite web |url=https://www.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/en/Council/Council.aspx |title=Council |website=Gwynedd Council |access-date=6 August 2024}}</ref>
| government_type         = [[Local government in Wales#Principal councils|Principal council]]
| governing_body          = [[Gwynedd Council]]
| leader_title            = 
| leader_name             = 
| leader_title1           = [[Political make-up of local councils in the United Kingdom|Control]]
| leader_name1            = {{UK council control|GSS=W06000002}}
| leader_title2           = 
| leader_name2            = 
| leader_title3           = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|MPs]]
| leader_name3            = {{Collapsible list |title=2 MPs
 |[[Claire Hughes]] ([[Labour Party (UK)|L]])
 |[[Liz Saville Roberts]] ([[Plaid Cymru|PC]])
 }}
| leader_title4           = [[Member of the Senedd|MSs]]
| leader_name4            = {{Collapsible list |title=2 MSs
 |[[Siân Gwenllian]] ([[Plaid Cymru|PC]])
 |[[Mabon ap Gwynfor]] ([[Plaid Cymru|PC]])
 }}
 +8 regional members<br/>([[Mid and West Wales (Senedd electoral region)|Mid and West]] + [[North Wales (Senedd electoral region)|North]])
<!-- Area -->
<!-- ALL fields with measurements have automatic unit conversion -->
| area_footnotes          = <ref name="popstats">{{UK subdivision statistics citation}}</ref>
| area_total_km2          = {{UK subdivision area|GSS=W06000002}}
| area_land_km2           = 
| area_water_km2          = 
| area_rank               = [[List of Welsh principal areas|{{Welsh council area rank|GSS=W06000002}}]]
<!-- Population -->
| population_footnotes    = <ref name="popstats" />
| population_as_of        = {{UK subdivision statistics year}}
| population_total        = {{UK subdivision population|GSS=W06000002}}
| population_rank         = [[List of Welsh principal areas|{{Welsh council population rank|GSS=W06000002}}]]
| population_density_km2  = {{UK subdivision density|GSS=W06000002}}
| population_demonym      = 
<!-- demographics (section 1) -->
| demographics_type1      = 
| demographics1_footnotes = 
| demographics1_title1    = 
| demographics1_info1     = 
<!-- demographics (section 2) -->
| demographics_type2      = [[Welsh language]] <span style="font-weight:normal;">([[2021 United Kingdom census|2021]])</span>
| demographics2_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/visualisations/censusareachanges/W06000002/ |title=How life has changed in Gwynedd: Census 2021 |date=19 January 2023 |website=Office for National Statistics |access-date=6 August 2024 }}</ref>
| demographics2_title1    = Speakers
| demographics2_info1     = 64.4%
| demographics2_title2    = Rank
| demographics2_info2     = [[List of Welsh principal areas by percentage Welsh language|1st]]
| timezone1               = [[Greenwich Mean Time|GMT]]
| utc_offset1             = +0
| timezone1_DST           = [[British Summer Time|BST]]
| utc_offset1_DST         = +1
<!-- Codes -->
| postal_code_type        = [[Postcodes in the United Kingdom|Postcode areas]]
| postal_code             = 
| area_code_type          = [[Telephone numbers in the United Kingdom|Dialling codes]]
| area_code               = 
| iso_code                = [[ISO 3166-2:GB|GB-GWN]]
| blank1_name             = [[GSS coding system|GSS code]]
| blank1_info             = W06000002
| website                 = {{URL|gwynedd.llyw.cymru}}
}}
[[File:Gwynedd fields.jpg|thumb|View of [[Tremadog Bay]]]]

'''Gwynedd''' ({{IPA|cy|ˈɡwɨnɛð|lang}}) is a [[Principal areas of Wales|county]] in the [[North West Wales|north-west]] of [[Wales]]. It borders [[Anglesey]] across the [[Menai Strait]] to the north, [[Conwy County Borough|Conwy]], [[Denbighshire]], and [[Powys]] to the east, [[Ceredigion]] over the [[River Dyfi|Dyfi]] estuary to the south, and the [[Irish Sea]] to the west. The city of [[Bangor, Gwynedd|Bangor]] is the largest settlement, and the administrative centre is [[Caernarfon]]. The [[preserved county]] of Gwynedd, which is used for ceremonial purposes, includes the [[Isle of Anglesey]].

Gwynedd is the second largest county in Wales but sparsely populated, with an area of {{Convert|979|sqmi|km2}} and a population of 117,400. After Bangor (18,322), the largest settlements are Caernarfon (9,852), [[Bethesda, Gwynedd|Bethesda]] (4,735), and [[Pwllheli]] (4,076). The county has the highest percentage of [[Welsh language|Welsh speakers]] in Wales, at 64.4%, and is considered a [[Y Fro Gymraeg|heartland of the language]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=How life has changed in Gwynedd: Census 2021 |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/visualisations/censusareachanges/W06000002/ |access-date=2023-06-03 |website=sveltekit-prerender |language=en}}</ref>

The geography of Gwynedd is mountainous, with a long coastline to the west. The county contains much of [[Snowdonia]] ({{lang|cy|Eryri}}), a [[National parks of the United Kingdom|national park]] which contains Wales's highest mountain, [[Snowdon]] ({{lang|cy|Yr Wyddfa}}; {{Convert|3560|ft|m|disp=comma}}). To the west, the [[Llŷn Peninsula]] is flatter and renowned for its scenic coastline, part of which is protected by the Llŷn [[Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty|AONB]]. Gwynedd also contains several of Wales's largest lakes and reservoirs, including the largest, [[Bala Lake]] ({{lang|cy|Llyn Tegid}}).

The area which is now the county has played a prominent part in the history of Wales. It formed part of the core of the [[Kingdom of Gwynedd]] and the native [[Principality of Wales]], which under the [[House of Aberffraw]] remained independent from the [[Kingdom of England]] until [[Edward I of England|Edward I]]'s [[Conquest of Wales by Edward I|conquest]] between 1277 and 1283. Edward built the castles at [[Caernarfon Castle|Caernarfon]] and [[Harlech Castle|Harlech]], which form part of the [[Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd]] [[World Heritage Site]]. During the [[Industrial Revolution]] the [[Slate industry in Wales|slate industry]] rapidly developed; in the late nineteenth century the neighbouring [[Penrhyn quarry|Penrhyn]] and [[Dinorwic quarry|Dinorwic]] quarries were the largest in the world, and the Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales is now a World Heritage Site. Gwynedd covers the majority of the historic counties of [[Caernarfonshire]] and [[Merionethshire]].

== Toponymy ==
In the past, historians such as [[J. E. Lloyd]] assumed that the Celtic source of the word ''Gwynedd'' meant 'collection of tribes' – the same root as the Irish {{lang|ga|fine}}, meaning 'tribe'.<ref name=BLJ>[[Bedwyr Lewis Jones]]. ''Enwau (Llyfrau Llafar Gwlad)'' (Llanrwst, Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, 1991), p. 5–6.</ref> Further, a connection is recognised between the name and the Irish {{lang|ga|Féni}}, an early [[ethnonym]] for the Irish themselves, related to {{lang|ga|fían}}, 'company of hunting and fighting men, company of warriors under a leader'. Perhaps ''{{PIE|*u̯en-, u̯enə}}'' ('strive, hope, wish') is the Indo-European stem. The Irish settled in NW Wales, and in [[Dyfed]], at the end of the Roman era. {{lang|la|Venedotia}} was the Latin form, and in [[Penmachno]] there is a memorial stone from {{circa|AD 500}} which reads: {{lang|la|Cantiori Hic Iacit Venedotis}} ('Here lies Cantiorix, citizen of Gwynedd').<ref name=BLJ/> The name was retained by the Brythons when the kingdom of Gwynedd was formed in the 5th century, and it remained until the invasion of Edward I. This historical name was revived when the new county was formed in 1974.

==History==
{{See also|Kingdom of Gwynedd}}
[[File:Districts Gwynedd 1974-96 Wales.svg|thumb|Gwynedd (red) as a [[Subdivisions of Wales#Counties|county]] split into its districts from 1974 to 1996 when it also included the isle of Anglesey and the [[District of Aberconwy]].]]
[[File:Gwynedd Preserved County in Wales.svg|thumb|The preserved county of Gwynedd used for lieutenancy purposes, covering all of the modern county of the same name and the Isle of Anglesey.]]

Gwynedd was an independent kingdom from the end of the [[Roman Britain|Roman period]] until the 13th century, when it was conquered by [[Kingdom of England|England]]. The modern Gwynedd was one of eight Welsh counties created on 1 April 1974 under the [[Local Government Act 1972]]. It covered the entirety of the [[historic counties of Wales|historic counties]] of [[Isle of Anglesey|Anglesey]] and [[Caernarfonshire]], and all of [[Merionethshire]] apart from [[Edeirnion|Edeirnion Rural District]] (which went to [[Clwyd]]); and also a few parishes of [[Denbighshire (historic)|Denbighshire]]: [[Llanrwst]], [[Llansanffraid Glan Conwy]], [[Eglwysbach]], Llanddoged, Llanrwst and Tir Ifan.

The county was divided into five [[districts of Wales|districts]]: [[Aberconwy (district)|Aberconwy]], [[Arfon (district)|Arfon]], [[Dwyfor]], [[Meirionnydd]] and [[Isle of Anglesey|Anglesey]].

The [[Local Government (Wales) Act 1994]] abolished the 1974 county (and the five districts) on 1 April 1996, and its area was divided: the [[Isle of Anglesey]] became an independent unitary authority, and Aberconwy (which included the former Denbighshire parishes) passed to the new [[Conwy County Borough]]. The remainder of the county was constituted as a principal area, with the name ''Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire'', as it covers most of the areas of those two historic counties. As one of its first actions, the Council renamed itself ''Gwynedd'' on 2 April 1996. The present Gwynedd local government area is governed by [[Gwynedd Council]]. As a [[unitary authority]], the modern entity no longer has any districts, but Arfon, Dwyfor and Meirionnydd remain as [[area committee]]s.

The pre-1996 boundaries were retained as a [[preserved counties of Wales|preserved county]] for a few purposes such as the [[Lord-Lieutenant|Lieutenancy]]. In 2003, the boundary with [[Clwyd]] was adjusted to match the modern local government boundary, so that the preserved county now covers the two local government areas of Gwynedd and Anglesey. Conwy county borough is now entirely within Clwyd.

A [[Gwynedd Constabulary]] was formed in 1950 by the merger of the Anglesey, Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire forces. A further amalgamation took place in the 1960s when Gwynedd Constabulary was merged with the [[Flintshire (historic)|Flintshire]] and [[Denbighshire (historic)|Denbighshire]] county forces, retaining the name Gwynedd. In one proposal for local government reform in Wales, Gwynedd had been proposed as a name for a local authority covering all of north Wales, but the scheme as enacted divided this area between Gwynedd and Clwyd. To prevent confusion, the Gwynedd Constabulary was therefore renamed the [[North Wales Police]].

The [[Snowdonia National Park]] was formed in 1951. After the 1974 local authority reorganisation, the park fell entirely within the boundaries of Gwynedd, and was run as a department of Gwynedd County Council. After the 1996 local government reorganisation, part of the park fell under [[Conwy County Borough]], and the park's administration separated from the Gwynedd council. Gwynedd Council still appoints nine of the eighteen members of the Snowdonia National Park Authority; Conwy County Borough Council appoints three; and the [[Welsh Government]] appoints the remaining six.

There has been considerable inwards migration to Gwynedd, particularly from England. According to the 2021 census, 66.6% of residents had been born in Wales whilst 27.1% were born in England.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/visualisations/censusareachanges/W06000002/ |title=How life has changed in Gwynedd: Census 2021 |date=2023-01-19 |access-date=2023-12-21 |website=Office for National Statistics}}</ref>

==Economy==
The county has a mixed economy. An important part of the economy is based on tourism: many visitors are attracted by the many beaches and the mountains. A significant part of the county lies within the [[Snowdonia National Park]], which extends from the north coast down to the district of Meirionnydd in the south. But tourism provides seasonal employment and thus there is a shortage of jobs in the winter.

Agriculture is less important than in the past, especially in terms of the number of people who earn their living on the land, but it remains an important element of the economy.

The most important of the traditional industries is the slate industry, but these days only a small percentage of workers earn their living in the slate quarries.

Industries which have developed more recently include TV and sound studios: the record company [[Sain (record label)|Sain]] has its HQ in the county.

The education sector is also very important for the local economy, including [[Bangor University]] and Further Education colleges, {{lang|cy|Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor|italic=no}} and {{lang|cy|Coleg Menai|italic=no}}, both now part of {{lang|cy|[[Grŵp Llandrillo Menai]]|italic=no}}.

==Welsh speakers==
[[File:Welsh speakers in the 2011 census.png|thumb|upright|The proportion of respondents in the 2011 census who said they could speak Welsh.]]

Gwynedd has the highest proportion of people in Wales who can speak [[Welsh language|Welsh]]. According to the 2021 [[2021 United Kingdom census|census]], 64.4% of the population aged three and over stated that they could speak Welsh,<ref>{{Cite web |title=How life has changed in Gwynedd: Census 2021 |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/visualisations/censusareachanges/W06000002/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240301022811/https://www.ons.gov.uk/visualisations/censusareachanges/W06000002/ |archive-date=1 Mar 2024 |access-date=2023-08-03 |website=Office for National Statistics |language=en}}</ref> while 64.4% noted that they could speak Welsh in the [[2011 United Kingdom census|2011 census]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Welsh speakers by local authority and broader age groups, 2001 and 2011 census |url=https://statswales.gov.wales/Catalogue/Welsh-Language/WelshSpeakers-by-LA-BroaderAge-2001And2011Census |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210002341/https://statswales.gov.wales/Catalogue/Welsh-Language/WelshSpeakers-by-LA-BroaderAge-2001And2011Census |archive-date=10 February 2018 |access-date=31 October 2016 |website=StatsWales |publisher=Welsh Government}}</ref>

It is estimated that 83% of the county's Welsh-speakers are fluent, the highest percentage of all counties in Wales.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=https://www.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/en/council/documents---council/strategies-and-policies/environment-and-planning/planning-policy/supporting-documents/supporting-documents-2015/welsh-language-and-culture.pdf |title=Anglesey & Gwynedd Joint Local Development Plan Topic Paper 10: Welsh Language & Culture |date=February 2015 |publisher=Gwynedd County Council |access-date=21 November 2011 }}</ref> The age group with the highest proportion of Welsh speakers in Gwynedd were those between ages 5 and 15, of whom 92.3% stated that they could speak Welsh in 2011.<ref name=":0" />

The proportion of Welsh speakers in Gwynedd declined between 1991 and 2001,<ref name="news.bbc.co.uk">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/2755217.stm |title=Census shows Welsh language rise |date=14 February 2003 |access-date=12 April 2007 |work=[[BBC News Online]] }}</ref> from 72.1% to 68.7%, even though the proportion of Welsh speakers in Wales as a whole increased during that decade to 20.5%.<ref name="news.bbc.co.uk" />

The [[Annual Population Survey]] estimated that as of March 2023, 77.0% of those in Gwynedd aged three years and above could speak Welsh.

==Notable people==
<!-- Please maintain alphabetical order. -->
* [[Leslie Bonnet]] (1902–1985), RAF officer, writer; originated the [[Welsh Harlequin]] duck in [[Criccieth]]
* Sir [[Dave Brailsford]] (born 1964), cycling coach; grew up in [[Deiniolen]], near Caernarfon
* [[Duffy (singer)|Duffy]] (born 1984), singer, songwriter and actress; born in [[Bangor, Gwynedd]]
* [[Edward II of England]] (1284–1327), born in [[Caernarfon Castle]]
* [[Elin Fflur]] (born 1984), singer-songwriter, TV and radio presenter; went to [[Bangor University]]
* [[Bryn Fôn]] (born 1954), actor and singer-songwriter; born in [[Llanllyfni]], Caernarfonshire.
* [[Wayne Hennessey]] (born 1987), football goalkeeper with 108 caps for [[Wales national football team|Wales]]; born in [[Bangor, Gwynedd]]
* [[John Jones (martyr)|John Jones]] ({{circa|1530}} – 1598), a Franciscan friar, Roman Catholic priest and martyr; born at [[Clynnog]]
* [[Sir Love Jones-Parry, 1st Baronet]] (1832–1891), landowner and politician, co-founder of the [[Y Wladfa]] settlement in [[Patagonia]]
* [[T. E. Lawrence]] (1888–1935), archaeologist, army officer and inspiration for ''[[Lawrence of Arabia (film)|Lawrence of Arabia]]'', born in [[Tremadog]]
* [[David Lloyd George]] (1863–1945), statesman and [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]]; lived in [[Llanystumdwy]] from infancy
* [[Bertrand Russell]] (1872–1970), philosopher, lived at Plas Penrhyn in the village from 1956 until his death.<ref>{{cite book |editor=Andrew G. Bone |first=Bertrand |last=Russell |author-link=Bertrand Russell |title=The Collected Papers of Bertrand Russell Volume 29: Détente Or Destruction, 1955-57 |year=2005 |location=Abingdon |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0415-3583-78 |page=iii}}</ref>
* [[Sasha (DJ)|Sasha]] (born 1969), [[disc jockey]], born in [[Bangor, Gwynedd]]
* Sir [[Bryn Terfel]] (born 1965), bass-baritone opera and concert singer from [[Pant Glas]]
* [[Clough Williams-Ellis]] (1883–1978), architect of [[Portmeirion]]
* [[Owain Fôn Williams]], (born 1987), footballer with 443 club caps; born and raised in [[Penygroes, Gwynedd]].
* [[Hedd Wyn]] (1887–1917), poet from the village of [[Trawsfynydd]]; killed in WWI

<gallery widths="170px" heights="200px">
File:Te lawrence.jpg|[[T. E. Lawrence]], 1918
File:Bryn Terfel in Stockholm 2013-22.jpg|[[Bryn Terfel]], 2013
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal|United Kingdom|Wales}}

* [[High Sheriff of Gwynedd|List of High Sheriffs of Gwynedd]]
* [[List of churches in Gwynedd]]
* [[List of places in Gwynedd]]
* [[List of schools in Gwynedd]]
* [[Llŷn Peninsula]]
* [[Lord Lieutenant of Gwynedd|List of Lord Lieutenants of Gwynedd]]
* [[Snowdonia National Park]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Gwynedd}}
* [http://www.bangor.ac.uk Bangor University]

{{Gwynedd}}
{{Wales subdivisions}}
{{Wales preserved counties}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Gwynedd| ]]
[[Category:Counties of Wales]]
[[Category:Principal areas of Wales]]
[[Category:Preserved counties of Wales]]