Gwent

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County of the south-east Wales border, which has had a singularly complex administrative history. Its basis was the Welsh kingdom of Gwent. It was quickly seized by the Anglo-Normans moving west after 1066 and a series of lordships created in both upper (Gwent Uwchcoed) and lower (Gwent Iscoed) Gwent. These were merged in 1536 to form the new county of Monmouthshire. After the Local Government Act of 1972, Wales was defined formally to include Monmouthshire, which was renamed Gwent. The county town was moved from Monmouth to Cwmbran. In 1996, in yet another reorganization, Gwent was divided into four new unitary authorities, Blaenau Gwent, Torfaen, Monmouthshire (reviving the old name), and Newport. See also monmouthshire.

A gwlad or region of south-eastern Wales, a borderland between Wales and England. Deriving from the administrative system of the Romans, Gwent was an independent kingdom from the 5th to the 11th centuries; during some of that time it was united with Morgannwg to the west. The region was sometimes divided into two parts, Gwent Uwch Coed [Welsh, upper wood] to the north-west and Gwent Is Coed [lower wood] to the south-east. Merlin was found at the fountain of Galabes in Gwent, according to Geoffrey of Monmouth (12th cent.). From 1536 to 1974 much of the territory of Gwent constituted the county of Monmouth, which was assumed to be part of England. After 1974 Gwent was re-formed as a county of Wales, but with different boundaries from those of the medieval kingdom.

Gwent could mean

• the Kingdom of Gwent
• the former and preserved county of Gwent

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