‘One of the most striking features of the whole volume is the high quality of its lavish illustrations . . . This volume makes a massive contribution not only to the series of Welsh county histories, past and present, but also to our understanding of the general history of Wales. All those who have been concerned with its production deserve our wholehearted felicitations on bringing into being such a significant book .’ (Glanmor Williams, Archaeologia Cambrensis)
This volume traces the profound changes which took place in the economic and social life of the county during the last three hundred years.
This is the second volume to appear in the prestigious County History which is being prepared by the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society. Volume 1 was published in 1993. It is currently out of stock but a reprint is under consideration. Volume 2, Medieval and Early Modern Cardiganshire, edited by Professor J. Beverley Smith and Dr R. F. Walker, is in active preparation. This third volume, for which the editors have brought together a team of eminent scholars, is richly illustrated with maps, line-drawings and photographic plates, and it also contains an index.
Consisting of twenty-six chapters, the volume traces the main developments in the social history of the county from the eighteenth century to the present day. The main features of the economic life of the county – especially agriculture, lead mining, shipping and the tourist industry – are discussed, and further chapters describe the structure of rural and urban society, the domestic and urban architecture of the county, the growth of local administration, and the course of parliamentary representation. Other chapters are devoted to the religious, educational and cultural history of the county, including music and popular culture, the Welsh language, and the cultural institutions for which the county is renowned. The chapters on the religious history of the county have, as an appendix, an invaluable inventory of Cardiganshire chapels and Sunday schools prepared by the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales in association with the National Library of Wales and the University of Wales Board of Celtic Studies.
Geraint H. Jenkins is Director of the University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies. Ieuan Gwynedd Jones is Emeritus Professor, University of Wales.
Contents and Contributors: