Editing Welsh Marches (section)

==The end of Marcher powers{{anchor|Marches in Wales Act 1534}}==
{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Marches in Wales Act 1534
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of England
| long_title            = An Act that Murthers and Felonies done or committed within any Lordship Marcher in Wales, shall be inquired of at the Sessions holden within the Shire Grounds next adjoining; with many goods Orders for Ministration of Justice there to be had.
| year                  = 1534
| citation              = [[26 Hen. 8]]. c. 6
| territorial_extent    = [[England and Wales]] 
| royal_assent          = 18 December 1534
| commencement          = 3 November 1534{{efn|Start of session.}}
| repeal_date           = 21 July 1856
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = [[Repeal of Obsolete Statutes Act 1856]] 
| related_legislation   = {{ubli|[[Laws in Wales Act 1535]]|[[Laws in Wales Act 1542]]}}
| status                = Repealed 
| original_text         = https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=pst.000017915533&view=1up&seq=556 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
By the 16th century, many marcher lordships had passed into the hands of the crown, as the result of the accessions of [[Henry IV of England|Henry IV]], who was previously [[Duke of Lancaster]], and [[Edward IV of England|Edward IV]], the heir of the [[Earl of March|Earls of March]]; of the [[attainder]] of other lords during the [[Wars of the Roses]]; and of other events.  The crown was also directly responsible for the government of the Principality of Wales, which had its own institutions and was, like England, divided into counties. The jurisdiction of the remaining marcher lords was therefore seen as an anomaly, and their independence from the crown enabled criminals from England to evade justice by moving into the area and claiming "marcher liberties".{{cn|date=September 2022}}

Under the [[Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542|''Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542'']] introduced under [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]], the jurisdiction of the marcher lords was abolished in 1536. The acts had the effect of annexing Wales with [[Kingdom of England|England]] and creating a single state and legal [[jurisdiction]], commonly referred to as [[England and Wales]]. The powers of the marcher lordships were abolished, and their areas were organised into the new Welsh counties of [[Denbighshire]], Montgomeryshire, [[Radnorshire]], Brecknockshire, [[Monmouthshire (historic)|Monmouthshire]], and [[Carmarthenshire]]. The counties of [[Pembrokeshire]] and [[Glamorgan]] were created by adding other districts to existing lordships. In place of [[assize courts]] of England, there were [[Court of Great Sessions in Wales|Courts of Great Sessions]]. These administered English law, in contrast with the marcher lordships, which had administered Welsh law for their Welsh subjects. Some lordships were added to adjoining English counties: [[Ludlow]], [[Clun]], [[Caus Castle|Caus]] and part of [[Montgomery, Powys|Montgomery]] were incorporated into Shropshire; [[Wigmore, Herefordshire|Wigmore]], [[Huntington, Kington|Huntington]], [[Clifford, Herefordshire|Clifford]] and most of [[Ewyas]] were included in Herefordshire; and that part of [[Chepstow]] east of the [[River Wye]] was included in [[Gloucestershire]].<ref name=davies/>

The Council of Wales, based at [[Ludlow Castle]], was reconstituted as the [[Council of Wales and the Marches]], with statutory responsibilities for the whole of Wales together with, initially, [[Cheshire]], [[Shropshire]], [[Herefordshire]], [[Worcestershire]] and [[Gloucestershire]]. The [[City of Bristol]] was exempted in 1562, and Cheshire in 1569.<ref name=wjec>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/ngfl/history/wjec_unit_5/the_council_of_Wales_and_the_marches.doc |title=Welsh Joint Education Committee: The Council of Wales and the Marches |access-date=20 December 2008 |archive-date=4 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090304184502/http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/ngfl/history/wjec_unit_5/the_council_of_Wales_and_the_marches.doc |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lkevMXwRMXsC&q=%22Council+of+Wales+and+the+Marches%22&pg=PA160|title=This Realm of England; Monarchy, Aristocracy, Democracy|first=Sir John Arthur Ransome|last=Marriott|date=17 June 1938|publisher=Books for Libraries Press|isbn=9780836956115|via=Google Books|access-date=7 February 2016|archive-date=15 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190515012112/https://books.google.com/books?id=lkevMXwRMXsC&pg=PA160&lpg=PA160&dq=%22Council+of+Wales+and+the+Marches%22&source=web&ots=eQvS3p4P-7&sig=dnwfrTtd0Cl-GYBzIL4qR-GaTAQ&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=8&ct=result#PPA160,M1|url-status=live}}</ref> 

The Council was eventually abolished in 1689, following the "[[Glorious Revolution]]" which overthrew [[James II of England|James II]] (VII of Scotland) and established [[William III of England|William III]] (William of [[House of Orange-Nassau|Orange]]) as king.{{cn|date=September 2022}}

=== List of Marcher lordships and successor shires ===
{{See also|List of Marcher lordships}}
{{Image label begin|width=305|image=WelshMarchesMap.png|float=right}}
{{Image label small|scale=305|x=0.460|y=0.480|text='''● [[Chester]]'''}}
{{Image label small|scale=305|x=0.470|y=0.570|text='''● [[Shrewsbury]]'''}}
{{Image label small|scale=305|x=0.450|y=0.530|text='''● [[Oswestry]]'''}}
{{Image label small|scale=305|x=0.470|y=0.610|text='''● [[Ludlow]]'''}}
{{Image label small|scale=305|x=0.460|y=0.685|text='''● [[Hereford]]'''}}
{{Image label small|scale=305|x=0.530|y=0.730|text='''● [[Gloucester]]'''}}
{{Image label small|scale=305|x=0.270|y=0.500|text='''[[Wrexham]] ●'''}}
{{Image label small|scale=305|x=0.220|y=0.575|text='''[[Welshpool]] ●'''}}
{{Image label small|scale=305|x=0.280|y=0.730|text='''[[Monmouth]] ●'''}}
{{Image label small|scale=305|x=0.050|y=1.130|text='''Map illustrating the [[Historic counties of Wales|traditional counties]] considered to form the "Welsh Marches"'''}}
{{Image label end}}
{{clear}}
List of Marcher lordships and successor shires:<ref name=lieberman/>
{{col-begin}}{{col-break}}
*'''Flintshire'''
:[[Flint, Flintshire|Flint]]
:[[Hawarden]]
:[[Hope, Flintshire|Hopedale]]
:[[Maelor|Maelor Saesneg]]
:[[Mold, Flintshire|Mold]]
*'''Denbighshire'''
:[[Powys Fadog|Bromfield and Yale]]
:[[Chirkland]]
:[[Lordship of Denbigh|Denbigh]]
:[[Ruthin]] ([[Dyffryn Clwyd]])
*'''Montgomeryshire'''
:[[Caus Castle|Caus]] (part)
:[[Bettws Cedewain|Cedewain]]
:[[Kerry, Powys|Ceri]]
:[[Montgomery, Powys|Montgomery]] (part)
:[[Powys Wenwynwyn|Powys]]
{{col-break}}
*'''Radnorshire'''
:[[Cwmdauddwr|Cwmwd Deuddor]]
:[[Elfael]]
:[[Glasbury]]
:[[Gwrtheyrnion]]
:[[Maelienydd]]
:[[New Radnor|Radnor]]
*'''Brecknockshire'''
:[[Blaenllyfni castle|Blaenllyfni]]
:[[Brecon]]
:[[Builth Wells|Builth]]
:[[Hay-on-Wye|Hay]]
*'''Monmouthshire'''
:[[Abergavenny]]
:[[Caerleon]]
:[[Chepstow]] (part)
:[[Ewyas|Ewyas Lacy]] (part)
:[[Gwynllwg]] (Wentloog)
:[[Monmouth]]
:[[Usk]]
{{col-break}}
*'''Glamorgan'''
:[[Lordship of Glamorgan]]
:[[Lordship of Gower]]
*'''Carmarthenshire'''
:[[Cantref Bychan]]
:[[Kidwelly]]
:[[Emlyn]]
:[[Llansteffan]]
:[[Laugharne]]
:[[St Clears]]
*'''Pembrokeshire'''
:[[Cemais (Dyfed cantref)|Cemais]]
:[[Cilgerran Hundred|Cilgerran]]
:[[Roose Hundred|Haverford]]
:[[Llawhaden]]
:[[Narberth (hundred)|Narberth]]
:[[Dewisland|Pebidiog]]
:[[Pembroke, Pembrokeshire|Pembroke]]
{{col-break}}
*'''Transferred to English shires'''
:[[Bishop's Castle]] ''(Shropshire)''
:Caus (part) ''(Shropshire)''
:Chepstow (part) ''(Gloucestershire)''
:[[Clifford, Herefordshire|Clifford]] ''(Herefordshire)''
:[[Clun]] ''(Shropshire)''
:Ewyas Lacy (part) ''(Herefordshire)''
:[[Kington, Herefordshire|Kington]] ''(Herefordshire)''
:[[Knighton, Powys|Knighton]] ''(partly in Shropshire)''
:[[Huntington, Kington|Huntington]] ''(Herefordshire)''
:Montgomery (part) ''(Shropshire)''
:[[Oswestry]] ''(Shropshire)''
:[[Whittington Castle|Whittington]] ''(Shropshire)''<ref>P. Brown, P. King, and P. Remfry, 'Whittington Castle: The marcher fortress of the Fitz Warin family', ''Shropshire Archaeology and History'' LXXIX (2004), 106–127.</ref>
:[[Wigmore, Herefordshire|Wigmore]] ''(Herefordshire)''
{{col-break}}{{col-end}}