Monmouthshire Welsh: Sir Fynwy
Motto: Faithful to both (Utrique Fidelis)
Monmouthshire shown within Great Britain Monmouthshire shown as a county of Wales
Geography
Status	Ancient county Ceremonial county (until 1974) Administrative county (1889–1974)
1831 area	324,310 acres (1,312.4 km2)
1901 area	345,048 acres (1,396.36 km2)[1]
1961 area	339,088 acres (1,372.24 km2)[1]
HQ	Monmouth and Newport
Chapman code	MON
History
Origin	Laws in Wales Act 1535
Created	1535
Succeeded by	Gwent, Mid Glamorgan, South Glamorgan
Demography
1831 population - 1831 density	98,130[2] 0.3/acre
1901 population - 1901 density	230,806[1] 0.7/acre
1961 population - 1961 density	444,679[1] 1.3/acre
Politics
Governance	Monmouthshire County Council (1889-1974) Newport County Borough Council (1891-1974)
Arms of Monmouthshire County Council Coat of arms of Monmouthshire County Council

Monmouthshire ( /ˈmɒnməθʃər/ or /ˈmɒnməθʃɪər/), also known as the County of Monmouth (/ˈmɒnməθ/; Welsh: Sir Fynwy), is one of thirteen ancient counties of Wales and a former administrative county.

It corresponds approximately to the present principal areas of Monmouthshire, Blaenau Gwent, Torfaen, and Newport and those parts of Caerphilly and Cardiff east of the Rhymney River.

The eastern part of the county is mainly agricultural, while the western valleys had rich mineral resources. This led to the area becoming highly industrialised with coal mining and iron working being major employers from the 18th century^[3] to the late 20th century.

Monmouthshire's Welsh status was ambiguous between the 16th and 20th centuries, with it considered by some to be part of England during this time.

History[link]

Formation[link]

The "county or shire of Monmouth" was formed from parts of the Welsh Marches by the Laws in Wales Act 1535. According to the Act the shire consisted of all Honours, Lordships, Castles, Manors, Lands, Tenements and Hereditaments, lying or being within the Compass or Precinct of the following Lordships, Townships, Parishes, Commotes and Cantrefs... in the Country of Wales:

Monmouth • Chepstow • Matherne (Mathern) • Llanvihangel (Llanfihangel Rogiet) • Magour (Magor) • Goldcliffe (Goldcliff) • Newport • Wentlooge • Llanwerne (Llanwern) • Caerlion (Caerleon) • Usk • Treleck (Trellech) • Tintern • Skenfrith • Grosmont • Witecastle (White Castle) • Raglan • Calicote (Caldicot) • Biston (Bishton) • Abergavenny • Penrose (Penrhos) • Grenefield (Maesglas) • Maghen (Machen) • Hochuyslade (possessions of Llanthony Priory)^[4]

The Act also designated Monmouth as the "Head and Shire town of the said county or shire of Monmouth", and ordered that the Sheriff's county or shire court be held alternately in Monmouth and Newport.^[5]

Historic boundaries and subdivisions[link]

Map of the hundreds of Monmouthshire by Thomas Moule, c. 1831

The historic boundaries are the River Wye on the east, dividing it from Gloucestershire and the Rhymney River to the west dividing it from Glamorganshire, with the Bristol Channel to the south. The boundaries with Herefordshire to the northeast and Brecknockshire to the north were less well-defined. The parish of Welsh Bicknor, was an exclave of Monmouthshire, sandwiched between Gloucestershire and Herefordshire. The area was considered part of Monmouthshire until it was made part of Herefordshire "for all purposes" by the Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844, while the Herefordshire hamlet of Fwthog adjoining the Honddu Valley remained an exclave within Monmouthshire until 1891.^[6]

The county was divided into six hundreds in 1542: Abergavenny • Caldicot • Raglan • Skenfrith • Usk • Wentloog

The county contained the three boroughs of Monmouth, Newport and Usk.^[7]

Municipal reform[link]

Monmouth and Newport were reformed as municipal boroughs with elected town councils by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835. Usk continued as an unreformed borough until its final abolition in 1886.

New forms of local government were established in the urban areas of the county with the setting of local boards under the Public Health Act 1848 and Local Government Act 1858. The Public Health Act 1875 divided the rural areas into rural sanitary districts.

An administrative county of Monmouthshire, governed by an elected county council, was formed in 1889 under the terms of the Local Government Act 1888. The administrative county had similar boundaries, but included the Beaufort, Dukestown, Llechryd and Rassau areas of south Breconshire. The county council was based in Newport, rather than the historic county town of Monmouth. In 1891 the borough of Newport achieved county borough status and therefore left the administrative county, although the Shire Hall continued to be based there. In the same year the parish of Fwthog was transferred to both the administrative and geographic county of Monmouthshire.

Under the Local Government Act 1894 Monmouthshire was divided into urban and rural districts, based on existing sanitary districts.

In 1899 Abergavenny was incorporated as a borough. Two further urban districts were formed, Mynyddislwyn in 1903, and Bedwas and Machen in 1912. The County of Monmouth Review Order 1935 revised the number and boundaries of the urban and rural districts in the administrative county. A new Cwmbran urban district was formed by the abolition of Llanfrechfa Upper and Llantarnam UDs, Abersychan and Panteg UDs were absorbed by Pontypool urban district, and Magor and St Mellons RD was formed by a merger of two rural districts.

The last major boundary change to affect the administrative and geographic county was in 1938 when the parish of Rumney was removed to be included in the county borough of Cardiff, and therefore the geographic county of Glamorgan.

The administrative county of Monmouthshire and county borough of Newport were abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. The successor authority, with minor boundary changes, was titled Gwent. Some border parishes became part of the new Rhymney Valley district of Mid Glamorgan and Cardiff district of South Glamorgan. Successor districts of Gwent were Blaenau Gwent, Islwyn, Monmouth, Newport and Torfaen.

Legacy[link]

The name "Monmouthshire" was revived for one of the principal areas created on further local government reorganisation in 1996. The principal area covers only part of the historic county, which also includes the principal areas of Newport, Torfaen, most of Blaenau Gwent, and parts of Caerphilly and Cardiff.

The preserved county of Gwent, which still exists for some ceremonial purposes, is similar in extent to historic Monmouthshire with the addition of the Rhymney Valley area.

Ambiguity over Welsh status[link]

Monmouthshire's Welsh status was ambiguous between the 16th and 20th centuries, with it considered by some as part of England.

Background[link]

Between about the 5th and 10th centuries the Welsh Kingdom of Gwent covered a broadly similar but variable area. It then became part of Morgannwg, and shortly before the Norman conquest had become part of a unified kingdom of Wales under Gruffydd ap Llywelyn. At the time of the Domesday Survey in 1086 the Chepstow and Monmouth areas were, for accounting purposes, reckoned as parts of the English counties of Gloucestershire and Herefordshire respectively.^[8][9] These areas, along with the rest of what would later become Monmouthshire, were subsequently included in a substantial swathe of land from Pembrokeshire through south Wales to the Welsh Borders which was largely in the hands of the Marcher Lords. These men were appointed by the English king, but their lands were not subject to English law. While the Principality of Wales was made part of the Kingdom of England by the Statute of Rhuddlan, enacted on 3 March 1284, the administration of the Marcher lands was unchanged.^[10] From the 11th until the 16th centuries, the area which later became Monmouthshire (subject to some boundary revisions) comprised six Marcher lordships - Abergavenny, Caerleon, Chepstow (or Striguil), Gwynllwg (Wentloog), Monmouth and Usk.^[11]

The 16th to 19th centuries[link]

The Laws in Wales Act 1535 integrated Wales directly into the English legal system and the "Lordships Marchers within the said Country or Dominion of Wales" were allocated to existing and new shires. Some lordships were annexed to existing counties in England and some were annexed to existing counties in Wales, with the remainder being divided up into new counties, one of which was Monmouthshire.

Although the original Act of 1535 specifically includes Monmouthshire as being in the 'Country or Dominion of Wales' the Laws in Wales Act 1542 enumerates the Welsh counties as twelve in number, excluding Monmouthshire from the count. Neither Act refers to Monmouthshire as being an English county; indeed, no Act of Parliament states that Monmouthshire has been removed from Wales and added to England. However, Monmouthshire was made directly responsible to the courts of Westminster rather than falling under the Court of Great Sessions in Wales. 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. He also says "Monmouthshire was no less Welsh in language and sentiment than any other eastern county".^[11]

Despite Monmouthshire being a new county, it was given two Knights of the Shire in common with existing counties in England, rather than one as in the counties in Wales. The relevant section of the Act states that "one Knight shall be chosen and elected to the same Parliaments for every of the Shires of Brecknock, Radnor, Montgomery and Denbigh, and for every other Shire within the said Country of Dominion of Wales". However, it was given only one Borough member, like the other Welsh counties (apart from Pembrokeshire which had two Borough members and Merioneth which had none). In ecclesiastical terms, most of the county outside the town of Monmouth itself remained within the Diocese of Llandaff; the town of Monmouth was in the diocese of Hereford, while the parishes of Cwmyoy and Llanthony were in the diocese of St David's. ^[12] In 1549 Edward VI granted a Charter to Monmouth which was described as being "in the Marches of Wales". Later writers who described Monmouthshire as being in Wales included Humphrey Llwyd (History of Cambria, 1568); Thomas Churchyard (Worthiness of Wales, 1587); and Michael Drayton (Poly-Olbion, 1613).^[13]

However, in the late 17th century under Charles II it was added to the Oxford circuit of the English Assizes following which, according to the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, it gradually "came to be regarded as an English county".^[12] The Modern Universal British Traveller of 1779 stated: "Monmouthshire was formerly a part of Wales, and continued so till the reign of Charles II, when it was reckoned an English county (as it has been ever since) because the judges then began to keep the assizes here in the Oxford circuit."^[14] A later traveller, George Borrow in 1862, wrote: "Monmouthshire is at present considered an English county, though certainly with little reason, for it not only stands on the western side of the Wye, but the names of almost all its parishes are Welsh, and many thousands of its population still speak the Welsh language."^[15]

Although Wales was legally integrated into England, the word "England" was still taken to exclude Wales in many contexts. The Wales and Berwick Act 1746 ensured that "in all Cases where the Kingdom of England, or that Part of Great Britain called England, hath been or shall be mentioned in any Act of Parliament, the same has been and shall from henceforth be deemed and taken to comprehend and include the Dominion of Wales and Town of Berwick upon Tweed".

"Wales and Monmouthshire"[link]

The 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica unambiguously described the county as part of England, but notes that "whenever an act [...] is intended to apply to [Wales] alone, then Wales is always coupled with Monmouthshire". However, most Acts of Parliament listed Monmouthshire as part of England, for example the Local Government Act 1933 listed both the administrative county of Monmouth and county borough of Newport as part of England, but in the rare event that an Act of Parliament was restricted to Wales, Monmouthshire was usually included as "Wales and Monmouthshire". For example, although the Sunday Closing (Wales) Act 1881 did not apply to Monmouthshire, the creation of the Welsh Office in 1965 and the Welsh Language Act 1967 did (although the latter had the paradoxical effect of reinforcing the legal connection of Monmouthshire with England: see next section.) Both the Welsh Intermediate Education Act 1889, and the Welsh Cemeteries Act 1908, also applied to Monmouthshire.^[16] The Sunday Closing Act was also extended to Monmouthshire in 1915 under wartime legislation. In considering the Sunday Closing Act in 1921, Monmouthshire County Council resolved, with only one vote against, to request that the county should be included in Wales for all legislative purposes.^[17] Another typical example was the division of England and Wales into registration areas in the 19th century — one of which, the "Welsh Division", was defined as including "Monmouthshire, South Wales and North Wales".

According to Chris Williams of Swansea University:^[18]

"...The problem with Monmouthshire is that it was located not on, strictly speaking, a national frontier, but within a single political formation. This had been the case since the Acts of Union of 1536 and 1543 which had extended the English system of justice, government and parliamentary representation to the principality of Wales and the March. From the mid-sixteenth century to the early nineteenth century it had not been a matter of very much importance as to whether an England/Wales border could be identified and, if so, where it ran in respect of Monmouthshire. That situation changed in the nineteenth century, as the particular cultural, linguistic and political characteristics of Welsh society emerged as both a problem (for the British state) and as a cause (particularly among Welsh Liberals and nonconformists). Once specific policies (be they considered corrective or emancipating) began to be designed for application to Wales, then the question of Monmouthshire's placement became important."

It has been suggested that the question of the status of Monmouthshire arose in earnest in the 19th century, when some of the local gentry such as the Dukes of Beaufort established family seats in England, and many industrialists and others moved into Monmouthshire, particularly in the eastern part of the county. Some of these, and others with "social aspirations", considered it essential to emphasise their "Englishness", and there were attempts to refine the notion that anomalies in the 16th century legislation had made the county non-Welsh. The distinction implied in the description "Wales and Monmouthshire" was nurtured by elements of the establishment, and became increasingly accepted on the English side of the border and in central government, until the local Welsh residents more fully asserted themselves in the 20th century.^[16]

Twentieth century debate[link]

Following the Welsh Church Act 1914, the Church in Wales was set up in 1920, containing within it the Diocese of Llandaff which included almost all of Monmouthshire. The new Diocese of Monmouth was formed in 1921. In Anglican terms, the area thus came to be treated as part of Wales.

The question of Monmouthshire's status continued to be a matter of discussion, especially as Welsh nationalism and devolution climbed the political agenda in the 20th century. This sometimes led to heated debates in parliament. In 1921 the Earl of Plymouth objected strongly to the inclusion of the county in legislation forcing the closing of public houses in Wales on Sundays. "I stand as strongly as I can for the privileges of Monmouthshire, to say it is a county of England." He went on to complain that Welsh representatives were imposing the ban "against the will of the people of Monmouthshire".^[19] During a debate on the Administration of Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill in 1938, Lord Raglan objected to the stipulation that the chairman of the Monmouthshire quarter sessions should be a Welsh-speaker. Raglan stated that "The County of Monmouth is an English county. I do not think that will be disputed.." and he claimed that Welsh Nationalists had attempted to convince the Lord Chief Justice to move Monmouthshire from the Oxford Circuit to the South Wales Circuit, thereby making it part of Wales in matters of court administration. He alleged that these "persons unconnected with Monmouthshire" had claimed incorrectly that the inhabitants of the county "spoke nothing but Welsh".^[20]

In 1949, Monmouthshire was included within the remit of the Council for Wales and Monmouthshire, an appointed body established by the Government to advise on Welsh affairs and a precursor of the Welsh Office.^[21]

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Abertillery, Llywelyn Williams, campaigned to have Monmouthshire unambiguously placed in Wales. Speaking in the House of Commons in February 1957 he said "I think that it is about time we dropped this Wales and Monmouthshire business. Apart from a few cranks who search the files of the distant past for some very flimsy tokens of evidence to suggest that Monmouthshire belongs to England, no person acquainted with the county — its history, customs, place names, culture and way of life — would dream of regarding Monmouthshire people as anything but Welsh."^[22] Later in the year he asked Henry Brooke, Minister of Housing and Local Government and Welsh Affairs, "whether he will now remove from official documents and records relating to Wales the additional words 'and Monmouthshire', since Monmouthshire is included in the term Wales.". Brooke replied in the negative, as he did not think "such a course would be consistent with various statutory provisions relating to Monmouthshire."^[23]

The Local Government Commission for Wales established in 1958 included Monmouthshire within its review area, and in 1961 proposed merging the area into a new "South East Wales" county.^[24] The proposed inclusion of Monmouthshire in Wales infuriated Lord Raglan, by now Lord Lieutenant of the county.^[25] In reaction, a "Make Monmouthshire Welsh" campaign was launched in August 1961 to gain parliamentary recognition that the county was in Wales.^[26] In November 1961 it was announced that a branch of the Royal Society of St George was to be formed, emphasising the county's English identity.^[27] Two years later Monmouth Borough Council made representations to the Minister of Housing and Local Government seeking the transfer of the town to Herefordshire in the event that the reforms were carried out. Signs erected by Monmouthshire County Council welcoming motorists to Wales were defaced or removed.^[28] The County Council placed a revised sign at Monmouth stating "Welcome to Wales and Monmouthshire"; first, the words "..and Monmouthshire" were painted over, and then the words "..to Wales" were also obliterated.^[29]

The Welsh Office, established in 1965, included Monmouthshire within its remit. The Wales and Berwick Act was repealed in regard to Wales in 1967 by the Welsh Language Act 1967, which however also continued to use the phrase "Wales and Monmouthshire". The Interpretation Act 1978 hence provides that in legislation passed between 1967 and 1974, "a reference to England includes Berwick upon Tweed and Monmouthshire".

Clarification of position in Wales[link]

In 1969 George Thomas, Secretary of State for Wales proposed to fully incorporate Monmouthshire into Wales. Lord Raglan (son of the former lord lieutenant), asked the following question in the House of Lords: "To ask Her Majesty's Government why they propose to incorporate Monmouthshire into Wales without consulting Monmouthshire's inhabitants." Replying for the government, Baroness Phillips stated that "The purpose of the change is to remove the anomaly arising from the present need to refer to Monmouthshire separately from Wales in Statutes. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State believes that the proposal commands wide support in the county."^[30] In April of the following year Plaid Cymru MP Gwynfor Evans asked Thomas "when he proposes to implement his undertaking that the phrase 'Wales and Monmouthshire' " will be dropped." The Secretary of State indicated that it would be after the passing of legislation to reform local government in Wales.^[31]

The issue was finally clarified in law by the Local Government Act 1972, which provided that "in every act passed on or after 1 April 1974, and in every instrument made on or after that date under any enactment (whether before, on or after that date) "Wales", subject to any alterations of boundaries..." included "the administrative county of Monmouthshire and the county borough of Newport".^[32]

Events since 1974[link]

The English Democrats Party nominated candidates for the 2007 Welsh Assembly elections in the South East Wales region, and three of six constituencies in the area of the historic county with a view to promoting a referendum on 'Letting Monmouthshire Decide' whether it wished to be part of Wales or England.^[33] The party received 0.9% of the vote on the regional list, and between 2.2% and 2.7% of the vote in the constituencies and failed to have any members elected.^[34]

Flag of Monmouthshire

The Monmouthshire Association, a local society which promotes the county's identity, led a successful campaign to register a Flag of Monmouthshire with the Flag Institute in September 2011.^[35]

See also[link]

• List of Lord Lieutenants of Monmouthshire
• List of High Sheriffs of Monmouthshire
• Custos Rotulorum of Monmouthshire - List of Keepers of the Rolls
• Monmouthshire (UK Parliament constituency) - Historical list of MPs for the constituency of Monmouthshire

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Bradney, Joseph History of Monmouthshire, 4 vols, 1904–1933; Pt 5, Aberystwyth 1993

External links[link]

• Monmouthshire Association
• Is Monmouth in Wales?
• Monmouthshire - Gateway to Wales
• Monmouthshire Antiquarian Association
• Monmouthshire genealogical information
• Monmouthshire Masons
• Monmouthshire Railway Society
• Monmouthshire Referees' Association
• BBC Wales feature on the historic county of Monmouthshire
• BBC feature on the Act of Union

Geographic data related to Monmouthshire (historic) at OpenStreetMap

Coordinates: 51°40′N 3°00′W / 51.667°N 3°W / 51.667; -3

County of Monmouthshire
Sir Fynwy

Geography
Area - Total - % Water	Ranked 7th 850 km2 ? %
ISO 3166-2	GB-MON
ONS code	00PP
Demographics
Population: - Total (2010 est.) - Density	Ranked 18th 88,100 Ranked 15th 104 / km2
Ethnicity	97.5% White
Welsh language - Any skills	Ranked 22nd 12.9%
MP	David Davies
AM	Nick Ramsay

Monmouthshire (Welsh: Sir Fynwy) is a county in south east Wales. The name derives from the historic county of Monmouthshire of which it covers the eastern 60%. The largest town is Abergavenny. Other major towns include Caldicot, Chepstow and Monmouth.

Historic county[link]

The historic county of Monmouthshire was formed from the Welsh Marches by the Laws in Wales Act 1535, bordering Gloucestershire to the east, Herefordshire to the northeast, Brecknockshire to the north, and Glamorgan to the west. The second Laws in Wales Act of 1542 enumerated the counties of Wales and excluded Monmouthshire – This led to ambiguity as to whether the county was part of Wales or England. Since local government changes in April 1974 the area has been placed definitively in Wales. The eastern and southern boundaries of the historic county and the current principal area are the same, along the River Wye and Severn estuary; however, the western two-fifths of the historic county are now administered by the other unitary authorities of Blaenau Gwent, Torfaen, Caerphilly and Newport. The administrative county of Monmouthshire, and associated lieutenancy were abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. The area largely became part of the new local government and ceremonial county of Gwent.

Principal area[link]

The current unitary authority was created on 1 April 1996 as a successor to the district of Monmouth along with the Llanelly community from Blaenau Gwent, both of which were districts of Gwent. The use of the name "Monmouthshire" rather than "Monmouth" for the area was controversial, being supported by the MP for Monmouth, Roger Evans, but being opposed by Paul Murphy, MP for Torfaen (inside the historic county of Monmouthshire but being reconstituted as a separate unitary authority). ^[1] By area it covers some 60% of the historic county, but only 20% of the population. A new council headquarters building at the site of Coleg Gwent, Usk is in the process of being completed.^[2] Planning permission for a new office building at Usk, to provide the authority's central facilities, was granted in September 2011.^[3] Some council functions moved in 2011 to offices at Magor.^[4]

In comparison to the pre-1974 areas it covers:

• the former boroughs of Abergavenny and Monmouth
• the former urban districts of Chepstow and Usk
• the former rural districts of Abergavenny, Chepstow and Monmouth
• the former rural district of Pontypool, except the community of Llanfrechfa Lower
• the parish of Llanelly from the former Crickhowell Rural District in Brecknockshire

Places of interest[link]

Raglan Castle

See List of places in Monmouthshire for a list of settlements in the principal area.

Scenic Railway Line:

• Gloucester to Newport Line

References[link]

External links[link]

• Monmouthshire County Council
• Monmouthshire at the Open Directory Project
• The Original Monmouthshire website Monmouthshire.co.uk
• BBC Wales on Monmouthshire
• Genuki National Gazetteer of 1868

v t e Monmouthshire Principal settlements Abergavenny Caldicot Chepstow Monmouth Usk Towns and villages Bedwellty Betws Newydd Black Rock Blaenawey Bryngwyn Buckholt Botany Bay Catbrook Caer Llan Caerwent Chapel Hill Clydach Coed Morgan Coed-y-paen Crick Croes y pant Croes Hywel Cross Ash Crossway Cwmcarvan Cwmyoy Devauden Dingestow Dixton Earlswood Gaerllwyd Gilwern Glascoed Goetre Govilon Great Oak Grosmont Gwehelog Gwernesney Highmoor Hill Hoaldalbert Itton Kemeys Commander Kilgwrrwg Common Kingcoed Little Mill Llanarth Llanbadoc Llancayo Llanddewi Rhydderch Llandewi Skirrid Llandegveth Llandenny Llandevenny Llandogo Llanellen Llanelly Llanfair Kilgeddin Llanfihangel Rogiet Llanfihangel Crucorney Llanfoist Llangattock-Lingoed Llangattock-Vibon-Avel Llangovan Llangua Llangwm-isaf Llangybi Llanhennock Llanishen Llanllowell Llanover Llansoy Llanthony Llantilio Crossenny Llantilio Pertholey Llantrisant Llanvair-Discoed Llanvapley Llanvetherine Llanwenarth Llanvihangel-Ystern-Llewern Llanvihangel Gobion Magor Mamhilad Mardy Maryland Mathern Maypole Mitchel Troy Mitcheltroy Common Monkswood Mounton Mynydd-bach Mynyddislwyn Nant-y-derry New Inn New Mills Newbridge-on-Usk Newcastle Newchurch Oldcastle Pandy Parkhouse Pen-croes-oped Pen-how Pen-yr-hoel Pen-y-cae-mawr Pen-y-clawdd Pen-twyn Penallt Penperlleni Penrhos Portskewett Pwllmeyric Raglan Redbrook Redwick Rockfield Rogiet Shirenewton Skenfrith St Arvans St Brides Netherwent St. Maughans Sudbrook The Bryn Tintern Tredunnock Tregagle Tregare Trelleck Grange Trelleck Twyn-y-Sheriff The Narth Undy Upper Green Wernyrheolydd Whitebrook Whitson Wilcrick Wolvesnewton Wonastow Wyesham Castles Abergavenny Castle Betws newydd Caerleon Caldicot Castle Castell Arnold Chepstow Castle Dingestow Grosmont Castle Llangibby Llanfair Kilgeddin Llantrisant Llanvair Discoed Monmouth Newport Castle Newcastle Penhow Pencoed Castle Pen y Clawdd Castle Penrhos Raglan Castle Skenfrith Castle Trellech Usk Castle White Castle

v t e Transport in Monmouthshire Road M4 motorway European route E30 M48 motorway A40 road A449 road A465 road A472 road A4042 road A4136 road Bus Stagecoach Wales National Cycle Network Celtic Trail National Cycle Route 4 National Cycle Route 47 National Cycle Route 42 Railway lines South Wales Main Line Gloucester to Newport Line Welsh Marches Line Railway stations Abergavenny Caldicot Chepstow Pontypool and New Inn Severn Tunnel Junction Waterways Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal River Wye

Coordinates: 51°47′06″N 2°52′21″W / 51.785°N 2.8725°W / 51.785; -2.8725

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2011)

Goldie Lookin Chain
Live at Leeds Festival 2005
Background information
Origin	Newport, South Wales
Genres	Hip hop Comedy hip hop
Years active	2000–present
Labels	Atlantic Records Gold Dust Records
Website	www.youknowsit.co.uk
Members
2Hats Maggot Billy Webb Eggsy Mystikal Mike Balls Adam Hussain Rhys

Goldie Lookin Chain is a comedic rap music group based in Newport, South Wales. The group produces humorous, controversial and often explicit songs that satirise hip hop, today's consumer society, the ‘chav’ culture and life in Newport and south Wales in general.

Background[link]

Many of the songs contain references to places and hang-outs local to Newport. Much of the humour comes from the adoption of hip-hop style and language, adapted into the local South Wales vernacular, partly to poke fun at "chav culture". Their music also satirises gangsta rap by highlighting the disparity between the band's deliberately unglamorous image, and the media hype and glamour usually associated with gangsta rap.

History[link]

The group recorded 6 albums before gaining a major record deal and were signed to the East/West record label, the home of rock band The Darkness. Rumours suggest that GLC was signed after record label bosses heard The Darkness playing GLC tracks whilst on tour (source: BBC Radio 1 - GLC Documentary). GLC went on to support The Darkness in the latter stages of their UK tour.

GLC's first UK chart entry was "Half-Man Half-Machine"/"Self Suicide", which reached the Top 40 in the UK Singles Chart.^[1] When group member Dwain Xain Zedong was phoned by BBC chart presenter Wes on the Official Chart Show to be informed of this, Xain informed the rest of the band that they had reached number 1, much to the shock of the DJ. "Half Man Half Machine" was a surreal song about one of the members (Eggsy) believing he was a robot, dressing up in foil, and going to the shops to buy ten fags and some crisps. The song namechecks many well-known 1980s 8-bit computer systems including Binatone, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, ZX81 and BBC Micro.

In August 2004, the group reached number 3 in the UK Singles Chart with "Guns Don't Kill People, Rappers Do".^[1] With the tagline "The gun is the tool, the mind is the weapon", this track - again satirising the American hip hop scene - was a popular radio hit. The B-side was the album track, "Soapbar".

Their first nationally-released album was called Greatest Hits, the name a play on both the group's previous lack of commercial success and their "stoner" image; it compiled a mixture of new material and selections from their previous six unofficial albums. It was released in September 2004, and debuted at number 5 in the UK Albums Chart.^[1] This album was released in May 2005 in the US with the title Straight Outta Newport with cover art similar to NWA's album Straight Outta Compton. However, this version of the album was missing two tracks - "Maggot" and "You Knows I Loves You".

Their next single release was "Your Mother's Got a Penis", with an accompanying video based on a supermarket theme. "Your Mother's Got a Penis" first appeared on their album The Manifesto, and reached #14 in the UK.^[1] This song is based on a sample of Greg Philinganes' track "Behind The Mask" (originally by the Yellow Magic Orchestra and later covered by Eric Clapton in 1987).

The band - informally known as "the Chain" or simply "the GLC" - released "You Knows I Loves You Baby", a parody of 1980s love songs from the albums Greatest Hits and The Manifesto, on 13 December 2004; this reached number 22 in the UK chart.^[1] "Your Missus Is A Nutter" is the first single from second album Safe As Fuck. The album was originally going to be called "Safety In Numbers", a tribute to the album Power in Numbers by alternative L.A. rap group Jurassic 5. The single reached #14 in the UK.^[1] They dedicated the song to Victoria Beckham, which resulted in them being summoned by the Newport mayor's office, who also objected to the title of their album, Safe as Fuck.

In June 2010 the GLC played at a student ball in Cambridge. During the last song there was a stage invasion which caused the stage to collapse; no one was injured. On 25 September 2010 the GLC hosted a celebrity golf challenge in Newport featuring Howard Marks, Dirty Sanchez, Super Furry Animals, The Automatic and many other Welsh stars.

Controversy[link]

In a further controversial incident in 2005, GLC were invited by the Football Association of Wales to perform before the World Cup qualifying match against England at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the nature of the band's music and the participation of England star David Beckham, the band dedicated "Your Missus Is a Nutter" to the footballer about his wife, who was present at the match. The ensuing furore, with the Welsh football authorities having to apologise to the Beckhams (despite David Beckham appearing to take the joke in good humour) as well as expressing outrage at the band's perceived lack of respect, prompted many people to question exactly why the organisers had hired them to play in the first place. In January 2009, GLC appeared on This Feeling TV, and revealed more about the incident.^[2]

In 2012, a reality documentary called Bouncers was shown on Channel 4. The documentary followed the lives of some of Newport's nightclub doormen. GLC spoofed the show in a song called "Newport Bouncers", and posted a video on YouTube containing visual and audio excerpts from the original documentary. GLC's "Newport Bouncers" had over 170,000 hits in under a week when it was removed from YouTube by the documentary's makers Century Films. The reason cited was copyright infringement.

Television[link]

In January 2006, Maggot appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in the UK. He finished in third place behind Michael Barrymore and the non-celebrity Chantelle Houghton.

In 2005, Eggsy appeared on a special music edition of Celebrity Weakest Link, and proved himself to be quite astute despite his stoner image, finishing second to eventual winner Fish (born Derek William Dick, formerly of Marillion).

Rhys and Eggsy have appeared together on many TV shows as presenters and guest presenters, most recently^[when?] "Sport Wales" and an Olympics TV show.

In 2010, they appeared on BBC Three's Snog, Marry, Avoid where three members of Goldie Lookin Chain, Rhys, Eggsy and Adam had a make under.

Return to independence, and current plans[link]

On 7 March 2006, it was reported that the GLC had been dropped from Atlantic Records a couple of months previously and were now going to release material on their own Gold Dust Records, which was formed on 7 March 2006 by Adam Hussain. They then formed Gold Dust Records.

Shortly before they got dropped by their label, they were on tour with UK rock band Feeder. The tour was postponed until the new year when Feeder frontman Grant Nicholas developed bleeding vocal cords, whilst performing at the Brighton Centre. They joined with Feeder when the tour was resumed.

Goldie Lookin Chain then co-headlined The Full Ponty music festival day one on 27 May 2006, also with Feeder.

They have also recently taken part in this year's^[when?] Gumball 3000 doing a DJ set for the pre-race party and taking part in the opening stage in a Bedford Rascal Van.

The group appeared in the 17 June 2006 episode of Doctor Who Confidential, expressing their love of Doctor Who and its local Cardiff production.

In August 2006, the band performed in Ibiza as part of the Ibiza Rocks nights in San Antonio Bay at BarM. Also present at their gig were Wee Man from Jackass and Matthew Pritchard from Dirty Sanchez.

Goldie Lookin Chain 2006

The GLC released a limited-edition album entitled Under the Counter which is a collection of songs made between 2004 and 2006, in early 2008, which was followed in March 2009 by ASBO4Life, the first GLC LP with no sampled material.

In July 2009, the band played many festivals including the main stage at Kendal Calling music festival in the Lake District. They also performed at a Cambridge May Ball, where they invited the crowd to rush the stage, damaging it and preventing Toploader from performing.

In 2010, GLC released a remix album and a new LP called The Mix Tape Two and, in December 2010, they released a Christmas LP called It's a Goldie Lookin Christmas (The Fairytale of Newport), featuring 12 tracks including "Dubstep Christmas" and "You'll Never Be Alone On Christmas Day".

On 17 October 2011, GLC released the Blue Waffle album, featuring new songs including "Biscuit", "I Seen Your Mother", "K Hole" and "If I Told You". Also in 2011, it was reported that Adam Hussain, a fan of the original Dr Who series, had contributed a memory about "How a first date was interrupted by The Doctor"^[3] to a forthcoming Dr Who charity book, designed to raise money for Alzheimer's Research UK.

2012 saw the release of Primordial Soup - The Mix Tape 3 on iTunes.

Newport County Football Club[link]

The group's association with their home city's football club stretches back to their inception as a group. They featured as a sponsor on the Newport County kit worn in the FAW Premier Cup in the 2004–05 season,^[4] and are often seen on stage in Newport County shirts. In Newport County's record-breaking 2009–10 season, GLC members provided commentary for the club's popular internet radio service.

Members[link]

Full time[link]

• Rhys from GLC aka P.Xain
• 2Hats
• Maggot
• Billy Webb
• Eggsy
• Mystikal
• Mike Balls
• Adam Hussain
• Grayham the Bear

Occasional/part-time[link]

• One Step Down
• DCI Burnside
• Dipper Nan
• Leeroy Fashions
• C.Live
• Rosco P
• M.C. Flatpress
• Stressed Armstrong
• Dave the Twat

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• Don't Blame the Chain (2001)
• Chain's Addiction (2001)
• The Return of the Red Eye (2002)
• The Party Album (2002)
• Adam Hussain's Truth and Slander (2002)
• The Manifesto (2003)
• Greatest Hits(2004) - UK Albums Chart: #5^[5]
• Safe as Fuck (2005) - UK Albums Chart: #16^[6]
• Under the Counter (2008)
• Asbo4Life (2009)
• The Mix Tape Two (2010)
• It's a Goldie Lookin Christmas (The Fairytale of Newport) (2010)
• Blue Waffle (2011)
• Primordial Soup - The Mix Tape 3 (2012)

Singles[link]

Charted singles[link]

Other singles[link]

• "By Any Means Necessary" (Gold Dust Records)
• "Everybody is a DJ" (Gold Dust Records)
• "You'll Never Be Alone On Christmas Day" (Gold Dust Records)

YouTube videos[link]

• "Apathy" (26 August 2008)
• "By Any Means Necessary" (16 February 2009)
• "Everybody is a DJ" (11 August 2009)
• "Newport State of Mind (You're not from Newport)" (8 August 2010)
• "(Heal the World) Join Hands and Sing" (1 October 2010)
• "Dubstep Christmas" (23 November 2010)
• "You'll Never Be Alone On Christmas Day" (19 November 2010)
• "XBox Love" (25 February 2011)
• "Eastenders Rap" (19 March 2011)
• "Fresh Prince of Cwmbran" (12 July 2011)
• "Ghost Town featuring 2Rude" (12 August 2011)
• "This Town (Stammer dubstep remix)" (22 September 2011)
• "Newport Bouncers Rap" (11 February 2012)

Band member mini-biographies[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

Mystikal[link]

Mystikal (right) with a fan in Skinner St., Newport

AKA The Druid, The Alchemist, Dr. Boris Gobshite.

He is quite recognisable due to his green eyes and natural two-tone beard. He claims to have lived for 2000 years and contributes a blog-style record of his and the band's adventures both on tour and in their daily lives on the Goldie Lookin Chain website, known as Mysty's Musings.

One of the tracks featuring his rap is based on 'Englishman In New York' by Sting. Another track has samples from 'The Model' by German synth group Kraftwerk. In his rap for the record R'n'B, he name-checks Enya and the track Orinoco Flow. He has also rapped on the intro to a track called 'Paranoia' which is based musically on the track Walking in the Air, which was made famous by fellow Welsh warbler Aled Jones as a young chorister.

Eggsy[link]

AKA Mr Love-Eggs, Rene La Loux, Chon Benwa Balls, Raphael de la Ghetto, Professor Doppelganger, Pele Maradona, Arther Zico, Fresh Prince Charles Of Cwmbran, His real name is John Rutledge.

He is most famously known for pretending to be a robot on the track "Half Man, Half Machine". He has appeared on Irish radio station Q102 (presenter was Pete Wilson) talking about the song "Your Missus Is A Nutter" and the album "Safe as Fuck". It was also quoted in a podcast that his real-life name was Jonothan.

In the track "Professor Doppelganger", the Professor Doppelganger character interviews several of the other AKA characters under hypnosis, so Eggsy is actually speaking to himself in different voices. He is a big fan of the children's TV show The Moomins. Eggsy also Reviews horror films on Shonk Video with Rhys, which can be seen on YouTube.

Adam Hussain[link]

AKA Benny Blanco, Short Term, Draw Ambassador, Professor Bongo.

He is the only member of The GLC to have an album (Adam Hussain's Truth & Slander) named after him. Adam's Nan features on one track (Nan Jam) and according to Adam's rap she's 84. The track "Charmschool" is based on the original theme tune for the 1980s TV show Grange Hill.

Adam is a fan of the TV show SpongeBob SquarePants. He has also featured on the show Doctor Who Confidential along with other members of the band displaying his large collection of over 250 Doctor Who videos and DVDs. Adam grew up in Leeds. He has often spoken of being bullied at school for being good at sports.

2Hats[link]

AKA Hatsy, 2000AD, The Shotgun Surgeon, Rape Balaclava, Stand-By, Hate Society^{[citation needed]}, Smack Boy, Knobber Cloutface.