Carmarthen: Difference between revisions

{{infoboxInfobox UK place

|constituency_westminster = [[Carmarthen East and DinefwrCaerfyrddin (UK Parliament constituency)|Carmarthen East and DinefwrCaerfyrddin]]

'''Carmarthen''' ({{IPAc-en|UK|k|ɑːrər|ˈ|m|ɑːr|ð|ən}}, [[Received Pronunciation{{small|RP]]local:}} {{IPAc-en|k|ər|ˈ|m|ɑːr|ð|ən-}}; {{lang-cy|Caerfyrddin}} {{IPA-|cy|kairˈvərðɪn|}}, "'[[Merlin]]'s fort"' or "'Sea-town fort"') is the [[county town]] of [[Carmarthenshire]] and a [[community (Wales)|community]] in [[Wales]], lying on the [[River Towy]] {{convert|8|mi}} north of its estuary in [[Carmarthen Bay]].<ref name=EB1911>{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Carmarthen}}</ref><ref name="Paxton">{{Cite book |last=Paxton |first=John |title=The Penguin Encyclopedia of Places |year=1999 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=0-14-051275-6 |page=174}}</ref> The population was 14,185 in 2011, down from 15,854 in 2001,<ref>{{Cite web |title=KS01 Usual resident population: Census 2001, Key Statistics for urban areas |url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/ssdataset.asp?vlnk=8271&Pos=2&ColRank=1&Rank=224 |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=30 August 2010}}</ref> but gauged at 16,285 in 2019.<ref>[https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/wales/ City Population site. Retrieved 3 December 2020.]</ref> It has a claim to be the oldest town in Wales – ''Old Carmarthen'' and ''New Carmarthen'' became one borough in 1546.<ref name="Jenkins">{{Cite book |last=Davies |first=John |author2=Jenkins, Nigel |title=The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales |year=2008 |publisher=University of Wales Press |location=Cardiff|page=123 |isbn=978-0-7083-1953-6}}</ref> It was the most populous borough in Wales in the 16th–18th centuries, described by [[William Camden]] as "chief citie of the country". Growth stagnated by the mid-19th century as new settlements developed in the [[South Wales Coalfield]].<ref name="Jenkins"/>

After the [[Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542|Actsincorporation of UnionWales into the legal system of England]], Carmarthen became judicial headquarters of the [[Court of Great Sessions in Wales|Court of Great Sessions]] for south-west Wales. The town's dominant pursuits in the 16th and 17th centuries were still agriculture and related trades, including [[woollen]] manufacture. Carmarthen was made a [[county corporate]] by a charter of [[James I of England|James I]] in 1604. This decreed that Carmarthen should be known as the 'County of the Borough of Carmarthen' and have two [[sheriff]]s. This was reduced to one sheriff in 1835 and the ceremonial post continues to this day.

Carmarthen gaol, authorised by the [[Carmarthen Improvement Act 1792]] ([[32 Geo. 3]]. c. 104) and designed by [[John Nash (architect)|John Nash]], was in use from about the year 1789 until its demolition in 1922. The site is now taken by County Hall, designed by Sir Percy Thomas. The gaol's "Felons' Register" of 1843–1871 contains some of the earliest photographs of criminals in Britain. In 1843, the workhouse in Carmarthen was attacked by the [[Rebecca Riots|Rebecca Rioters]].

From 1536 until 1832, Carmarthen, as the borough town of [[Carmarthenshire]] was a [[parliamentary constituency|Carmarthen (1542–1918 UK Parliament constituency)|parliamentary constituency]], electing its own MP to the House of Commons. By the late 18th century, Carmarthen, as one of the largest towns in Wales at the time, was the scene of a succession of hotly contested electoral contests between the Blues (Whigs) and Reds (Tories). These reached a climax in 1831 with the general election fought in the midst of the Reform Crisis. The contest was characterised by riots and disturbances, described as "exceptional because of their intensity and duration".{{sfn |Jones |1968 |p=129}}

| Jan high C = 8.36

| Feb high C = 89.71

| Mar high C = 10.69

| Apr high C = 1314.40

| May high C = 16.69

| Jun high C = 19.03

| Jul high C = 2021.90

| Aug high C = 20.76

| Sep high C = 1718.92

| Oct high C = 14.69

| Nov high C = 11.15

| Dec high C = 89.71

| year high C = 14.25

| Jan low C = 12.71

| Feb low C = 12.71

| Mar low C = 3.10

| Apr low C = 4.27

| May low C = 67.93

| Jun low C = 910.60

| Jul low C = 11.69

| Aug low C = 11.02

| Sep low C = 9.57

| Oct low C = 67.92

| Nov low C = 34.92

| Dec low C = 12.93

| year low C = 6.03

|Jan rain mmcolour = 136.0green

|Feb Jan rain mm = 104139.72

|Mar Feb rain mm = 106116.48

|Apr Mar rain mm = 7693.70

|May Apr rain mm = 7177.53

|Jun May rain mm = 7074.54

|Jul Jun rain mm = 7179.62

|Aug Jul rain mm = 10974.4

|Sep Aug rain mm = 122117.18

|Oct Sep rain mm = 160114.65

|Nov Oct rain mm = 143155.02

|Dec Nov rain mm = 150148.72

|year Dec rain mm = 1323155.28

|unit year rain daysmm = 11345.0 mm8

| Jan rain dayssun = 1655.7 4

|Feb rainFeb dayssun = 1380.08

|Mar rainMar dayssun = 13122.76

|Apr rainApr dayssun = 11183.78

|May rainMay dayssun = 9211.36

|Jun rainJun dayssun = 9202.68

|Jul rainJul dayssun = 10194.59

|Aug rainAug dayssun = 11172.84

|Sep rainSep dayssun = 12137.01

|Oct rainOct dayssun = 15103.98

|Nov rainNov dayssun = 1667.93

|Dec rainDec dayssun = 1550.81

|year rainyear dayssun = 1561582.96

To create better pedestrian access across the River Tywi from the [[Carmarthen railway station|town's railway station]] to the town centre, a [[cable-stayed bridge]] was constructed in 2005 linking to the foot of Blue Street. The cost was £2.8 million.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.lunemillenniumbridge.info/Carmarthen.html |title=Pont King Morgan |publisher=Lunemillenniumbridge.info |access-date=2015-01-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103161920/http://www.lunemillenniumbridge.info/Carmarthen.html |archive-date=2015-01-03 }}</ref> The bridge was commended in 2007 by the [[British Constructional Steelwork Association|British Constructional Steelwork Association's]] Structural Steel Design Awards for its high-quality detailing. Previously, access was across [[Carmarthen Bridge]] some {{convert|700|ft|m}} to the east.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.steelconstruction.org/resources/design-awards/2007/commendation/pont-king-morgan-carmarthen.html |title=Pont King Morgan, Carmarthen |publisher=SteelConstruction.org |access-date=2015-01-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103172929/http://www.steelconstruction.org/resources/design-awards/2007/commendation/pont-king-morgan-carmarthen.html |archive-date=2015-01-03}}</ref>