Gwynllŵg was a kingdom of

mediaeval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

and later a Norman lordship and then a

cantref A cantref ( ; ; plural cantrefi or cantrefs; also rendered as ''cantred'') was a medieval Welsh land division, particularly important in the administration of Welsh law. Description Land in medieval Wales was divided into ''cantrefi'', which wer ...

Location

It was named after

Gwynllyw Gwynllyw Filwr or Gwynllyw Farfog (), known in English in a corrupted form as Woolos the Warrior or Woolos the Bearded ( la, Gundleus, Gundleius or Gwenleue; 450 – 500 AD) was a Welsh king and religious figure. He was King of Gwynllwg in Sout ...

, its 5th century or 6th century ruler and consisted of the coastal plain stretching between the

Rhymney Rhymney (; cy, Rhymni ) is a town and a community in the county borough of Caerphilly, South Wales. It is within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. With the villages of Pontlottyn, Fochriw, Abertysswg, Deri and New Tredegar, Rhymney ...

and Usk rivers, together with the hills to the north. It was traditionally regarded as part of the kingdom of

Glamorgan , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Mot ...

(), rather than that of Gwent which extended only as far westwards as the River Usk. However, under the

Laws in Wales Acts The Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 ( cy, Y Deddfau Cyfreithiau yng Nghymru 1535 a 1542) were Acts of the Parliament of England, and were the parliamentary measures by which Wales was annexed to the Kingdom of England. Moreover, the legal ...

of 1535–42, the hundred was included with those situated to the east, to form the new county of

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, wit ...

Wentloog and St. Woolos

The name ''Gwynllŵg'' became a

marcher lord A Marcher lord () was a noble appointed by the king of England to guard the border (known as the Welsh Marches) between England and Wales. A Marcher lord was the English equivalent of a margrave (in the Holy Roman Empire) or a marquis (in ...

ship (alternatively called Newport). The name survives as '

Wentloog Wentlooge ( cy, Gwynllŵg), sometimes known as Wentloog, is a community in the southwest of the city of Newport, South Wales, in the Marshfield ward. The community includes Peterstone Wentloodge and St. Brides Wentloodge and in 2011 had a po ...

' in the Wentloog hundred and in villages on the coastal plain such as Peterstone Wentloog and

St Brides Wentloog St. Bride's or St. Bride's Wentloog ( cy, Llansanffraid Gwynllŵg) is a small hamlet to the south west of the city of Newport in South Wales. Location It lies in the parish of Wentlooge and electoral district (ward) of Marshfield. Like most ...

. The name Pillgwenlly for a district of central Newport also contains a corrupted version of this name. The Caldicot and Wentloog Levels also take their name from the hundred. The

Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...

at Newport is dedicated to

(corrupted to St. Woolos). The name survives as 'St. Woolos' as the general locality around the Cathedral.

Notes

Cantrefs History of Newport, Wales Kingdoms of Wales History of Monmouthshire Marcher lordships States and territories established in the 5th century {{Newport-geo-stub