Arllechwedd was an ancient Welsh

cantref A cantref ( ; ; plural cantrefi or cantrefs; also rendered as ''cantred'') was a Wales in the Early Middle Ages, medieval Welsh land division, particularly important in the administration of Welsh law. Description Land in medieval Wales was divid ...

in north-west

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. It was part of the

kingdom of Gwynedd The Kingdom of Gwynedd (Medieval Latin: ; Middle Welsh: ) was a Wales in the Early Middle Ages, Welsh kingdom and a Roman Empire Succession of states, successor state that emerged in sub-Roman Britain in the 5th century during the Anglo-Saxon ...

for much of its history until it was included in the new county of

Caernarfonshire Caernarfonshire (; , ), previously spelled Caernarvonshire or Carnarvonshire, was one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was located in the north-west of Wales. Geography The county ...

, together with Arfon and Llŷn under the terms of the

Statute of Rhuddlan The Statute of Rhuddlan (), also known as the Statutes of Wales ( or ''Valliae'') or as the Statute of Wales ( or ''Valliae''), was a royal ordinance by Edward I of England, which gave the constitutional basis for the government of the Principal ...

in 1284. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

the Cantref Arllechwedd was one of the core territories of the Kingdom of Gwynedd and formed the entire west bank of the

River Conwy The River Conwy (; ) is a river in north Wales. From its source to its discharge in Conwy Bay it is long and drains an area of 678 square km. "Conwy" was formerly anglicised as "Conway." The name 'Conwy' derives from the old Welsh words ''c ...

. Within this cantref were found some of the most important civil, religious and military centres of that kingdom, including the palace of Abergwyngregyn,

Dolwyddelan Castle Dolwyddelan Castle ( ; ; ) is a thirteenth-century castle located west of Dolwyddelan in Conwy County Borough, Wales. Tomen Castell, a late twelfth-century tower, is located south-east of the castle. Dolwyddelan Castle was probably begun by L ...

and

Aberconwy Abbey Aberconwy Abbey was a Cistercian foundation at Conwy, later transferred to Maenan near Llanrwst, and in the 13th century was the most important abbey in the north of Wales. A Cistercian house was founded at Rhedynog Felen near Caernarfon in ...

. Within Arllechwedd there were three divisions or cymydau, which were: * Arllechwedd Uchaf (Upper Arllechwedd, bordering the sea to the north and the cantref of Arfon to the west) * Arllechwedd Isaf (Lower Arllechwedd, also in the north of the cantref but on the river Conwy to the east) * Nant Conwy (Conwy Mountain, the southern portion and greatest area of the cantref, west of the Conwy from Dolgarrog to its source) Arllechwedd remains an ecclesiastical unit of the

Church in Wales The Church in Wales () is an Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses. The Archbishop of Wales does not have a fixed archiepiscopal see, but serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The position is currently held b ...

to this day. Most of the territory is now in

Conwy County Borough Conwy County Borough () is a Principal areas of Wales, county borough in the north Wales, north of Wales. It borders Gwynedd to the west and south and Denbighshire to the east. The largest settlement is Colwyn Bay, and Conwy is the administrativ ...

and the western part lies in

Gwynedd Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arllechwedd, Cantref Cantrefs Commotes of Gwynedd 13th century in Wales