Wales (Cromwell the Great)

Wales
Cymru
Timeline: Cromwell the Great
OTL equivalent: Wales

Home country in union with the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland Location of Wales (purple)
Capital (and largest city)	Cardiff
Language   Official	English
Others	Welsh
Religion   Main	Church of England
Others	Other Protestants
Ethnic Group	European
Demonym	Welsh (Cymry)
Government	Home country in union with the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland
Lord Protector	Henry Cromwell
Area	20,779 km²
Established	Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542, Part of the Commonwealth from 1649 to date
Admission	Since 1535 as full and equal part of the Kingdom of England
Currency	Pound sterling

Wales (Welsh: Cymru) is a home country that is part of the Commonwealth and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east, the Irish Sea to its north and west, and the Bristol Channel to its south. It has a total area of 20,779 km2. Wales has over 2,700 km of coastline and is largely mountainous, with its higher peaks in the north and central areas, including Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa), its highest summit. The country lies within the north temperate zone and has a changeable, maritime climate.

Justice in Wales

The Court of Great Sessions in Wales is the main court for the prosecution of felonies and serious misdemeanours in Wales. It has the same powers in civil law as the King's Bench in England and (it also had equity jurisdiction) and its criminal jurisdiction was equivalent to the English county assizes. The Sessions met twice a year in each county, in around April/May and August/September, administering English law - officially, in English, and as an the extensive use of interpreters that acknowledges of linguistic realities of Wales.

Administrative organization

Welsh counties

Wales is divided in 13 counties, and each subdivided in parishes. The counties are the following ones:

1. Monmouthshire (Sir Fynwy)
2. Glamorganshire (Sir Forgannwg or Morgannwg)
3. Carmarthenshire (Sir Gaerfyrddin or Sir Gâr)
4. Pembrokeshire (Sir Benfro)
5. Cardiganshire (Sir Aberteifi or Ceredigion)
6. Brecknockshire (Sir Frycheiniog)
7. Radnorshire (Sir Faesyfed)
8. Montgomeryshire (Sir Drefaldwyn)
9. Denbighshire (Sir Ddinbych)
10. Flintshire (Sir y Fflint)
11. Merionethshire (Sir Feirionnydd or Meirionnydd)
12. Caernarfonshire (Sir Gaernarfon)
13. Anglesey (Sir Fôn)

There is one city in Wales that has this status determined by letters patent: Bangor (time indeterminate). There are also two counties corporate: County Towns of Carmarthen (1604) Haverfordwest (1479).

Religion

Wales is territorially part of the Church of England (Eglwys Loegr), until the establishment of the Church of Wales as a separate entity.

The first specific religious body for wales were the Commissioners for better propagation of Gospel in Wales had the powers to examine and eject ministers and schoolmaster. and also root out superstitious practices and beliefs, it carried out its duties for three years (1650-1653).

Venner's Rising disclosed a previously unchecked spread of Fifth Monarchists preachers and congregations in Wales. To many the fault of this was during the activities of the Commission for the Gospel and later under the auspices of Vavasor Powell and Thomas Harrison. As a means to purge extreme non-conformists the Commissioners for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge in Wales was created and renewed every 10 years (1665 to date), with the added tasks of promoting the use of Welsh languages by ministers, schoolmasters and Church services and texts. This Commission, that was a specialized body of the Church of England, became later the basis of the Church of Wales arranged in a union of parishes.

As a result this language policy the Church of England brought out a translation of the Book of Common Prayer (Welsh: Y Llyfr Gweddi Gyffredin) and re edited a Welsh translation of the Bible.

Nonconformity sub existed under the form of Millenarism. Notable voluntary unions or associations are the Baptist Union of Wales (Undeb Bedyddwyr Cymru), the Union of Welsh Independents (Undeb yr Annibynwyr Cymraeg), a congregationalist association and the Quakers (Welsh Yearly Meeting of Friends).

Parliamentary representation

The parliamentary representation of Wales is the following:

House of Commons	Boro' const.	County const.	Univ. const.	Total const.	Boro' MPs	County MPs	Univ. MPs	Total MPs
House of Commons	2	12	—	14	2	23	—	25
Senate					Total Senators
Senate (1633-...)	/	/	/	/	9