Charles III Heir Apparent William, Prince of Wales First Minister (list) Rt Hon Eluned Morgan MS (L) Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies MS (L) Counsel General-designate – Elisabeth Jones Chief Whip and Trefnydd – Jane Hutt MS (L) Permanent Secretary Sixth Senedd Llywydd (Presiding Officer) Elin Jones MS (PC) Leader of the Opposition Darren Millar MS (C) Shadow Cabinet Prime Minister Rt Hon Keir Starmer MP (L) Secretary of State for Wales Rt Hon Jo Stevens MP (L) Principal councils (leader list) Corporate Joint Committees Local twinning see also: Regional terms and Regional economy United Kingdom Parliament elections European Parliament elections (1979–2020) Local elections Police and crime commissioner elections Referendums The historic counties of Wales (Welsh: siroedd hynafol) were the thirteen sub-divisions used in Wales from either 1282 and 1535, up to their abolition in 1974, being replaced by eight counties.
They were used for various functions for several hundred years,[1] but for administrative purposes have been superseded by contemporary sub-national divisions,[2] some of which bear some limited similarity to the historic entities in name and extent.
The lordships of Ludlow, Clun, Caus and part of Montgomery were incorporated into Shropshire; and Wigmore, Huntington, Clifford and most of Ewyas were included in Herefordshire.
The historian William Rees said, in his "Historical Atlas of Wales": (published 1959) "... the boundaries of the modern shires have largely been determined by the ancient divisions of the country.
The survival of these ancient local divisions within the pattern of historical change constitutes a vital element in the framework of the national life and helps to preserve its continuity."
According to historian John Davies, this arrangement was the cause of the erroneous belief that the county had been annexed by England rather than remaining part of Wales.
Indeed, the Department of the Environment made this very clear in a statement it issued on 1 April 1974:"The new county boundaries are solely for the purpose of defining areas of ... local government.
The historic counties of Wales are included in the Index of Place Names (IPN) published by the Office for National Statistics.