Brecknockshire

Brecknockshire, or BRECON, an inland county of South Wales, to the south of Radnorshire, from which it is separated by the Wye. The maximum length is 39 miles; its breadth ranges between 11½ and 30 miles; and its area is 719 sq. m., of which only 43 per cent. is cultivated. Brecknockshire is one of the most mountainous counties in South Wales, and has deep, beautiful, and fertile valleys. Two principal mountain-chains, the highest in South Wales, culminating in the Brecon Beacons at a height of 2910 feet, intersect the county in the north and south, and occupy, with their offshoots, a great part of the surface. Old red sandstone occupies the south and middle of the county, and Silurian rocks the north. The chief rivers are the Wye and Usk; and Llangorse Lake covers nearly 1800 acres. The climate is moist but healthy among the mountains, and in the valleys comparatively mild. The agriculture, though still defective, especially in the higher districts, has been greatly improved by the Brecknockshire Agricultural Society, instituted in 1775. The chief crops are oats and barley, but wheat is also grown in Talgarth and Crickhowell, the most fertile districts of the county. The native small black-cattle are reared in the hills, while in the lowlands the Hereford breed predominates. The mineral produce is small, consisting of iron, especially along the south border; coal and limestone are also found in the south and west. The Brecon Canal connects the county with the Bristol Channel, and many railways have been constructed throughout the county. There are several small factories of woollens and worsted hosiery; also several important ironworks, but the ore is chiefly obtained from adjoining counties. Brecknockshire returns one member to parliament. Pop. (1801) 32,325; (1871) 61,627; (1891) 57,031. The chief towns are Brecon (the county town), Builth, Crickhowell, Hay, and Llanelly. There are many remains of British and Roman camps, Roman roads, cairns, cromlechs, mounds, and castles, throughout the county. Brecknockshire formed part of the territory of the Silures, who bravely withstood the Romans. The Normans, under Bernard de Newmarch, wrested the county from the Welsh princes in 1092. Llewelyn, the last British prince of Wales, was killed at Llanafanfechan, near Builth, in 1282, and by his fall the native mountain-chiefs were entirely subdued. Welsh is still the language of the middle-class and the peasantry. See Jones's History of Brecknockshire (2 vols. 1805-9).