County Dossier
Brecknockshire
A county of mountains, lakes and medieval roots.
Brecknockshire, or Breconshire, is an inland county in mid-Wales. Its northern border follows the River Wye (Afon Gwy), along which lie the market town of Builth Wells (Llanfair-ym-Muallt) and the book town of Hay on Wye (Y Gelli Gandryll).
At a glance
Brecknockshire at a glance
A county of mountains, lakes and medieval roots.
- Kingdom of Brycheiniog
- Formed from the ancient Welsh cantrefs of Brycheiniog, Builth and Hay
- Brecknock or Breconshire
- Area: 742 sq miles / 1,922 km²
- Population: 67,598
- County top: Pen y Fan 2,906 ft / 886 m
County Geography
Brecknockshire meets Radnorshire to the north, Herefordshire to the east, Monmouthshire and Glamorgan to the south and south-east, Carmarthenshire to the west, and Cardiganshire to the north-west. The county is shaped by the northern Wye line, the Usk valley through the centre, the plateau of Mynydd Epynt, and the Beacons and Black Mountains on the southern and eastern sides.
Brecknockshire is easy to recognise because valley core and mountain rim work together: the Usk and Wye lead the eye, while the uplands hold the county’s edge.
Map Reference
View Brecknockshire on the map
Brecknockshire is the county. The map also shows lieutenancies and council areas that use the county name.
The county.
The lieutenancy.
Council areas.
Places and routes
Brecon, Builth Wells, Hay-on-Wye, Crickhowell, and Llanwrtyd Wells show the county from central Usk valley and northern Wye line to the eastern gateway and the western Irfon side.
Connections
Routes through Brecknockshire have long followed the Usk and Wye, crossed the passes through the Beacons, and linked the north-country with the western upland side. Movement follows the same valley-and-mountain structure as the county itself.
Names
- Brecknockshire
- County of Brecknock
- Breconshire
- County of Brecon
- Sir Frycheiniog
Sir Frycheiniog is the Welsh form of Brecknockshire. County of Brecknock is the formal historical style, Breconshire is the familiar alternative, and County of Brecon preserves the shorter formal variant.
The county grew from the older kingdom of Brycheiniog and took formal county shape in 1536. Brecknockshire remains clear because that older territorial identity still sits visibly within its landscape.