Caernarfon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Caernarvon" redirects here. For other uses, see Caernarvon (disambiguation).

Statistics
Caernarfon
Population:	9,611
Ordnance Survey
OS grid reference:	Maps for SH485625
Administration
Principal area:	Gwynedd
Constituent country:	Wales
Sovereign state:	United Kingdom
Other
Police force:	North Wales Police
Ceremonial county:	Gwynedd
Historic county:	Caernarfonshire
Post office and telephone
Post town:	CAERNARFON
Postal district:	LL55
Dialling code:	01286
Politics
UK Parliament:	Caernarfon
European Parliament:	Wales

Caernarfon shown within Gwynedd UA

Caernarfon (the original Welsh spelling is now almost always used in preference to the anglicised forms, "Caernarvon" or "Carnarvon") is a royal town in north-west Wales.

The name comes from Welsh Caer yn Arfon = "castle in Arfon", referring to the Roman fort named Segontium. Arfon means "[region] opposite Anglesey". In the year 1221 a charter granted to the canons of Penmon priory, in Anglesey, by Llywelyn the Great, refers to Kaerinarfon [1], and Brut y Tywysogion uses the forms Kaerenarvon and Caerenarvon^[1]. An early alternative name was Caer Seiont. It is called Caer Aber Sei(o)n(t) ("the fort on the estuary of the river Seiont") in the medieval Welsh tale Breuddwyd Maxen, and was also known as Caer Gystennin ("The Castle of Constantine"; Constantinople)^[2].

Caernarfon is the traditional county town of the traditional county of Caernarfonshire and was a county corporate in its own right. The town is best known for its great stone castle, built by Edward I of England and consequently sometimes seen as a symbol of English domination. Edward's architect, James of St. George, modelled the castle on the walls of Constantinople, possibly being aware of the alternative Welsh name Caer Gystennin; in addition, Edward was a supporter of the Crusader cause. On higher ground on the outskirts of the town are the remains of an earlier occupation, the Segontium Roman Fort.

The population of Caernarfon is largely Welsh-speaking (86.1% of the population could speak Welsh in the 2001 census, with the largest majority of Welsh speakers in the 10-14 age group, where 97.7% can speak it fluently.) and the town is nowadays a rallying-point for the Welsh nationalist cause. In 1911, David Lloyd George, then Member of Parliament for the borough, conceived the idea of holding the investiture of the new Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle, believing that this would help pacify nationalist opinion whilst arousing a more British patriotic feeling. The ceremony took place on July 13, with the royal family paying a rare visit to the principality, and the future King Edward VIII was duly invested.

Caernarfon from the castle walls, 2002

On July 1, 1969, the investiture ceremony was again held at Caernarfon Castle, the recipient on this occasion being Charles, Prince of Wales. Despite nationalist threats and protests, the ceremony went ahead without incident, except that two members of Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru (Welsh Defence Movement), Alwyn Jones and George Taylor, were killed when their bomb - intended for the railway line at Abergele in order to stop the Royal Train - exploded prematurely.

Caernarfon is also home to the regimental museum of the Royal Welch Fusiliers (archaic English spelling of the word Welsh).

Caernarfon railway station in St. Helen's Road is the northern terminus of the narrow gauge Welsh Highland Railway. Caernarfon was at one time an important port, exporting slate from the Nantlle Valley quarries. Caernarfon Airport is 4.5 miles to the south west, and offers pleasure flights and an aviation museum.

Caernarfon hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1862, 1894, 1906, 1921, 1935, 1959 and 1979. Unofficial National Eisteddfod events were also held there in 1877 and 1880.

Caernarfon residents are known colloquially as "Cofis" (pronounced as IPA ˈkɒvi). The word "Cofi" is also used locally in Caernarfon to describe the local dialect, which is a rather peculiar mixture of Welsh and English, swapping words and grammatical constructs somewhat haphazardly.

Caernarfon has a small harbour and a Blue Flag beach at Victoria Harbour.

The oldest public house in Caernarfon is the Black Boy Inn.

The town is twinned with Landerneau in France.

[edit] References

^ Thomas Jones (ed.), Brut y Tywysogion[:] Peniarth MS. 20 (Cardiff, 1941). It should however be noted that medieval orthography in every language varies considerably and variant spellings of a name or word often occur in the same manuscript text. Kaerinarfon / Kaerenarvon / Caerenarvon corresponds to Caer-yn-Arfon in modern Welsh orthography. The letter "y" would naturally be lost in the spoken language, thus giving the standard Welsh name Caernarfon ("Caer 'n Arfon").
^ See Sir Ifor Williams' notes in his edition of Breuddwyd Maxen (Bangor, 1920). The name appears for the first time in the work of Nennius. Pre-conquest medieval Welsh poets such as Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd sometimes use the name Caer Gystennin. The name is still used in modern Welsh for Constantinople.