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77-649: Testimonies is a 1952 novel, set in North Wales , by the English author Patrick O'Brian . It was first published in the UK under the title Three Bear Witness and in the US as Testimonies . The book was re-issued in 1993 (US) and 1994 (UK), both under the title Testimonies. Although the book's first English reviews were not encouraging, its American reviews were quite different and in an influential article Delmore Schwartz highly praised

154-605: A Wrexham General— London Marylebone service until 2011. The Borderlands Line, intersects the Shrewsbury—Chester line at Wrexham General, branching south to Wrexham Central (where it terminates ), and north to Bidston (Birkenhead) , and the North Wales Coast Line at Shotton. Bidston connects to the Wirral line , providing Merseyrail services, west to West Kirby , and east to Liverpool Central . The Cambrian Line forms

231-597: A brief notice in the Daily Mirror called the story a jungle of human emotion, love, hate and the clash of wills. The US reviews were uniformly positive. In an influential review in Partisan Review , Delmore Schwartz praised the book at the expense of John Steinbeck , Evelyn Waugh , Angus Wilson and Ernest Hemingway . Schwartz said: "To read a first novel by an unknown author which, sentence by sentence and page by page makes one say: he can't keep going at this pace,

308-524: A famous preacher by the name of Pritchard Ellis, comes to stay. He is revered by the local people for the power of his public oratory, but in private he is a hypocrite and sexual voyeur. After sexually touching Bronwen when they are alone, and being repulsed, he retaliates by spreading false rumours that Pugh and Bronwen are committing adultery. He preaches a powerful two-hour sermon in chapel denouncing Bronwen and Pugh's "wickedness", though without mentioning them by name, which results in their being ostracised by

385-467: A long review, The New York Times Book Review dubbed the book "A rare and beautiful novel, deceptively modest in form, never faltering in the unobtrusive skill of its poetry and dramatic dimensions". The reviewer appreciated the author's handling of speech and the story's visual scene, the sympathetic portrayal of Bronwen being singled out for particular praise, with the character being compared, in some ways, with great heroines such as Anna Karenina . By

462-602: A number of medieval castles (e.g. Criccieth , Dolbadarn , Dolwyddelan , Harlech, Caernarfon Castle, Beaumaris, Conwy) The area of North Wales is about 6,172 square kilometres, making it slightly larger than the country of Brunei, or the island of Bali. The highest mountain in Wales is Snowdon ( Yr Wyddfa) , in northwest Wales. North Wales does not have any motorways , with the only motorways in Wales being present in South Wales, and nearest motorways ( M53 and M56 ) being on

539-508: A peak of 48,000 passengers in 2003, before being discontinued in 2004. The public rail network of the region is largely split into two sections. These sections are centred around the two main west-east railway lines transversing the region, as there are currently no north-south railway lines wholly in the region. This is largely due to the mountainous regions of Snowdonia resting between the two lines, and low passenger numbers of north-south lines leading to their closure. The public rail network

616-475: A sip, realises immediately that it is laced with strychnine. She drinks it and dies. Pugh returns, utterly exhausted, and lies unconscious before being awakened to learn of Bronwen's fate. The novel's setting is closely based on Cwm Croesor in North Wales , where O'Brian and his wife had rented a small cottage in 1945 as an escape from post-war London. The character of Pugh is semi-autobiographical, and his intended monograph The Bestiary Before Isidore of Seville

693-601: A stronghold of the Welsh language and a centre for Welsh national and cultural identity. The area is home to three of the four UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Wales. These are Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal , the Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales and, collectively, the Edwardian castles and town walls of the region which comprise those at Caernarfon , Beaumaris , Conwy and Harlech . It also shares with Powys and Ceredigion

770-587: Is Wales' oldest city , whereas St Asaph is one of Wales' smallest and was awarded status in 2012. Wrexham, the region's largest settlement, became a city in 2022. Historically, for most of North Wales, the region can be referred to as simply " Gwynedd ", named after one of the last independent Welsh kingdoms, the Kingdom of Gwynedd . This has led to a stronger sense of Welsh identity and home to more Welsh-language speakers , especially in North West Wales, than

847-568: Is managed and maintained by Network Rail . Historically, the region had a more extensive rail network with more interconnectivity of the current lines and more connections to the south. However, due to falling passenger numbers, the emergence of automobiles and other factors, the region's railways came under review, resulting in the Beeching cuts to the network. Many former rail corridors of the once more extensive network were superseded by road infrastructure. The numerous heritage railways scattered across

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924-621: Is modern Powys, and parts of Wrexham and Flintshire, in addition to part of Shropshire. Through their over 800 year existences', their rulers acclaimed themselves to be the " King(s) of the Britons ", and Gwynedd would lead the charge in the subsequent formation of the Principality of Wales . The mountainous stronghold of Snowdonia formed the nucleus of that realm and would become the last redoubt of independent Medieval Wales — only overcome in 1283 by English forces under Edward I . To this day it remains

1001-604: Is part of the E-road network as E22 (until Ewloe , where it goes along the A494 into England), and is a dual carriageway , grade-separated, for its entire 88-mile length. A historically important road in the region is the A5 , a major road that was the primary link between the region and London (as the " London-Holyhead Trunk Road" ). The road crosses the Menai Suspension Bridge and

1078-865: Is regarded as a more scenic route, with its historical importance as a connection between London and the Port of Holyhead, superseded by the A55. Other roads transiting North Wales, from east to west include the A458 from Halesowen to Mallwyd , and the A494 from Dolgellau to Saughall (originally to Birkenhead ). The busiest north-south road travelling through the region is the A483 from Chester (originally from Manchester) through Wrexham and into England near Oswestry , before re-entering Montgomeryshire and passing Welshpool and Newtown, before continuing onto Swansea . Other major north-south roads include

1155-585: Is steeped in history, being a crucial component in Welsh medieval history , and was from the 5th to the 12th/13th centuries under the control of the influential Welsh kingdoms of Gwynedd, and Powys following the end of Roman rule in Britain . The Kingdom of Gwynedd controlled the majority of what is now the commonly defined 6 counties of North Wales, including all of the North Wales coast, with Powys retaining control over what

1232-445: Is strongly used culturally for comparison to the more urban South Wales. The most common definition for statistical and administrative purposes of North Wales contains the 6 principal areas of: Isle of Anglesey , Conwy , Denbighshire , Flintshire , Gwynedd , and Wrexham . Of which have a combined estimated population in 2018 of 698,400 people. Under this definition, the area borders the principal areas of Ceredigion , Powys , and

1309-555: Is the main port for freight and sea passenger transport with the Republic of Ireland, handling more than 2 million passengers each year. 81% of freight traffic going through Welsh ports to the Republic of Ireland, and 75.5% of sea passenger traffic between Wales and the Republic of Ireland went through Holyhead in 2018. Historically, there were two routes between Holyhead and the Irish ports of Dublin and Dun Laoghaire . The route to Dun Laoghaire

1386-502: Is the most populated principal area of North Wales, home to an estimated 155,600 people, with the Isle of Anglesey being the least populated with an estimated 70,000 people. In 2018, North Wales has an estimated population density of 113.6 persons per square kilometre. Flintshire is the most densely populated of the 6 areas, at 355.6 persons per km , with Gwynedd being the least dense principal area at 49.0 persons per km . Between 2008, and 2018,

1463-826: The Cambrian Line . There is a total of 5 rail routes in North Wales: the North Wales Coast Line , the Shrewsbury—Chester Line , the Conwy Valley Line , the Borderlands Line (all part of the North Wales lines) and the Cambrian Line. All 5 routes together in 2018-19 had approximately 5,295,602 entries and exits through the 66 stations. The North Wales Coast Line, the main rail line serving

1540-659: The European Union on 31 January 2020. The division with the rest of Wales is arbitrary and depends on the particular use being made. For example, the boundary of North Wales Police differs from the boundary of the North Wales area of the Natural Resources Wales and the North Wales Regional Transport Consortium ( Taith ). The historic boundary follows the pre-1996 county boundaries of Merionethshire and Denbighshire which in turn closely follow

1617-770: The Gobowen to Oswestry line, Cambrian Heritage Railways , the line's operator, is working on reopening the line (multiple sections of line), and the Anglesey Central Railway is also proposed to be restored. In Llandudno, the Great Orme Tramway links to the Great Orme . It is the only remaining cable-operated street tramway in Great Britain, and one of only a few surviving in the world. North Wales has very diverse and complex geology with Precambrian schists along

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1694-705: The Halton Curve , direct trains run to Liverpool Lime Street , linking to the Merseyrail. Services to Manchester Piccadilly from Chester, via the Chester—Manchester line for Transport for Wales services, and the Mid—Cheshire line for Northern services, in addition to the Northern service to Leeds , provide North Wales' connections to Northern England. Shrewsbury provides the main travel connections for passengers from

1771-667: The Menai Strait and the great Cambrian dome behind Harlech and underlying much of western Snowdonia. In the Ordovician period much volcanism deposited a range of minerals and rocks over the northwestern parts of Gwynedd whilst to the east of the River Conwy lies a large area of upland rolling hills underlain by the Silurian mudstones and grits comprising the Denbigh and Migneint Moors. To

1848-631: The North Wales South Wales service , along with the Shrewsbury—Chester, North Wales Coast Line, and South Wales Main Line . These lines form the main rail connection between North Wales and South Wales. Chester provides the main travel connections for the North Wales Coast, as a major transport hub. As part of the North Wales Metro , from Chester (and Wrexham General at limited times), via

1925-622: The Office for National Statistics . In addition to the six principal areas, North Wales is also divided into the following preserved counties for various ceremonial purposes: Clwyd (comprising Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham), and Gwynedd (comprising Gwynedd and Isle of Anglesey ) The preserved counties are based on the counties created by the Local Government Act 1972 and were used for local government purposes (with county councils) between 1974 and 1996. During this period up to

2002-512: The Senedd (Welsh Parliament; Welsh : Senedd Cymru ): Aberconwy ( UK / SN ) , Alyn and Deeside ( UK / SN ) , Arfon ( UK / SN ) , Clwyd South ( UK / SN ) , Clwyd West ( UK / SN ) , Delyn ( UK / SN ) , Dwyfor Meironnydd ( UK / SN ) , Montgomeryshire ( UK / SN , if considered North Wales) , Vale of Clwyd ( UK / SN ) , Wrexham ( UK / SN ) , and Ynys Môn (Anglesey, UK / SN ) . An electoral region for

2079-478: The West Coast Main Line to London Euston . According to StatsWales, the number of rail journeys across the 6 principal areas of North Wales, made in 2017-18 was 1.4 million, an increase of 20,525 from 2007-8. The largest share of these rail journeys, at 38.4%, was within the boundaries of Gwynedd. Conwy was the principal area which saw the greatest increase in rail journeys as a percentage of journeys over

2156-452: The proposed replacements to the existing 6 principal areas before proposals were scrapped in 2019 . They are: North East Wales (Denbighshire, Flintshire, Wrexham), and North West Wales (Anglesey, Conwy, Gwynedd) being the two most popular groupings, although a North Central Wales (Conwy and Denbighshire) grouping has been occasionally used, specifically for health administration. The population, density and areas are estimates for 2022 from

2233-607: The Cambrian line (and those commuting south from other North Wales stations), providing services, in addition to those to South Wales, through England to Crewe, Birmingham International , and Birmingham New Street , and via the Heart of Wales line , services to Llanelli . There are numerous heritage railways in the region. Most of them are narrow-gauge . Several run on sections of historically longer lines. Heritage railways employ more than 300 people and generate over £50 million per year for

2310-640: The Cambrian line, while Welshpool on the Cambrian line is across town from Raven Square on the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway . Many rail and bus lines of the region are part of an improvement project called the North Wales Metro or North East Wales Metro, which proposes improvements to the existing lines (specifically the Borderlands lines), improved connectivity between rail and other modes of transport, and more connections to North West England . For

2387-543: The North Wales coast and passing Deeside, Llandudno Junction , Conwy, and Bangor. It is described as the economic lifeline for North Wales, and the second most important road in all of Wales, only to the M4 in South Wales. The road connects all the way to the Port of Holyhead following an extension in 2001, which provides ferry connections to the Republic of Ireland . The majority of the road

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2464-526: The North Wales economy. The heritage railways in the region are: Several of these lines connect to the Cambrian line. Stations where the heritage railway uses the same station as Network Rail. At Fairbourne, the Fairbourne Railway connects to Barmouth Ferry and the Ffestiniog Railway connects at Minffordd . The Talyllyn Railway's Tywyn Wharf station is a short walk from Tywyn station on

2541-447: The North Wales region, consists of the 6 northern principal areas, and statistics provided by StatsWales only include these 6 areas. In 2018, the estimated population of the region was 698,400 people. North Wales exhibits the evenest distribution of population across the local authorities of any of the 4 statistical regions of Wales, with 4 of the 6 authorities home to over 100,000 residents, Flintshire, Wrexham, Gwynedd and Conwy. Flintshire

2618-512: The River Dyfi). The area is mostly rural with many mountains and valleys . This, in combination with its coast (on the Irish Sea), means tourism is the principal industry. Farming , which was once the principal economic force in the area, is now much reduced in importance. The average income per capita of the local population is the lowest in the UK. The eastern part of North Wales contains

2695-655: The Senedd, shares the name "North Wales", yet does not cover all of North Wales, only the northern coast, Anglesey, and northeast of Wales (specifically the entire area of the former pre-1996 county of Clwyd); the rest of North Wales (mainly Meirionnydd) is covered by the Mid and West Wales Senedd electoral region. All constituencies aside Dwyfor Meironnydd, and Montgomeryshire are in the North Wales Senedd electoral region. Between 1979 and 1994, all of North Wales (including Montgomery )

2772-466: The author's evocation of place, and his handling of the characters' attitudes, motives and feelings elevated the story to one of perfect tragedy. The Independent commented on the writer's apparently effortless yet powerful evocation of emotion, and the way in which he brought very modern language to a story full of "ancient haunting purity". Sophia Sackville-West for the Evening Standard praised

2849-466: The author's first, although under his new name he was in fact already the published editor of A Book of Voyages (1947), and author of The Last Pool (1950). In 1994, the UK version was renamed Testimonies and re-published by HarperCollins with new cover art by Geoff Hunt , the cover-artist for the re-issued volumes of the Aubrey–Maturin series . Hunt illustrates a cottage almost identical with

2926-485: The book at the expense of John Steinbeck , Evelyn Waugh , Angus Wilson and Ernest Hemingway . By 1994, O'Brian had become a well-known author with a high reputation for his Aubrey-Maturin nautical historical series of novels, and English reviewers of the re-issue were very complimentary of the quality of the writing. The story is constructed from the testimonies that three witnesses give to an unnamed divine inquisitor: Joseph Aubrey Pugh, an Oxford don; Bronwen Vaughan,

3003-419: The community. One night, Emyr is sexually violent to Bronwen again, and she tells the inquisitor that her husband nearly killed her. Pugh sees her the next day and realises what Emyr has done. He departs for a long and nightmarish walk through the mountains, contemplating suicide. Seriously injured, Bronwen is put to bed and a doctor is called. Old Mrs Vaughan comes in with some medicine and Bronwen, after taking

3080-752: The cottage as his permanent home. The schoolmaster, Mr Lloyd, tells the inquisitor that Bronwen had been brought up in a different valley and that she was "not our sort". After marrying and coming to live at Gelli with Emyr and his parents she had been considered "proud" and was unpopular with the local women. Bronwen testifies that her marriage was initially good, and she had a child, but that she became scared of Emyr when he became violent toward her one night. As her fear and hatred of Emyr became increasingly evident, his mother turned against her and daily life at Gelli became very difficult. Pugh falls ill and moves to Gelli to recuperate. There he spends hours talking to Bronwen, and his love for her deepens. Mr Lloyd's cousin,

3157-424: The distinction of hosting the only UNESCO Biosphere (from Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme to promote sustainable development) reserve in Wales, namely, Biosffer Dyfi Biosphere. London has only one more site than North Wales. The boundaries and status of North Wales are undefined (compared to regions of England ), definitions, and the boundary of North Wales with South or Mid Wales differs between organisations. It

Testimonies (novel) - Misplaced Pages Continue

3234-455: The east, around Llangollen, to the north on Halkyn Mountain and the Great Orme and in eastern Anglesey are beds of limestone from which metals have been mined since pre-Roman times. Added to all this are the complexities posed by Parys Mountain and the outcrops of unusual minerals such as Jasper and Mona Marble which make the area of special interest to geologists . Terms for people from

3311-618: The geographic features of the River Dyfi to Aran Fawddwy , then crossing the high moorlands following the watershed until reaching Cadair Berwyn and then following the River Rhaeadr and River Tanat to the Shropshire border. The most common definition is that North Wales ends at the peripheries of the northern 6 principal areas, therefore the border is between Wrexham - Powys, Denbighshire - Powys, Gwynedd - Powys, and Gwynedd - Ceredigion (over

3388-467: The hills and reading. He throws himself into his new life, becoming friends with Emyr, son of the elderly owners of the neighbouring farm of Gelli, Mr and Mrs Vaughan. He helps out at Gelli to the best of his ability, though he disapproves of Emyr using strychnine to poison the foxes that threaten the farm's lambs. Gradually Pugh finds himself falling in love with Emyr's wife, Bronwen. On receiving an unexpected bequest, he abandons his academic career and takes

3465-444: The intensity is bound to break down, the perfection of tone can't be maintained – is to rejoice in an experience of pleasure and astonishment ... [It] makes one think of a great ballad or a Biblical story ... The reader, drawn forward by lyric eloquence and the story's fascination, discovers in the end that he has encountered in a new way the sphinx and the riddle of existence itself." He concluded by comparing O'Brian's prose to

3542-406: The localities of Wrexham , Deeside , Rhyl , Colwyn Bay , Flint , Bangor , Llandudno , and Holyhead . The largest localities in North Wales are the city of Wrexham and the conurbations of Deeside and Rhyl/ Prestatyn , where the main retail, cultural, educational, tourism, and transport infrastructure and services of North Wales are located. Bangor and St Asaph are the region's cities , Bangor

3619-447: The lyrics of the great Irish poet W. B. Yeats . In the 1994 re-issue, Schwartz's review was reprinted as a preface. The New York Herald Tribune Book Review called it one of the finest books to come along for some time, while Saturday Review said that the story moves to its end with the rightness and inevitability we think of as Greek. Kirkus Reviews considered the novel to be of unassuming proportion and immaculate design. In

3696-553: The middle of Wales, leading most north-south connections to be slower, leading to diversions onto north-south roads in England. The emphasis on east-west roadways has led to North Wales having closer connections with North West England (centred on Liverpool and Manchester ) rather than with South Wales. The busiest road in North Wales is the A55 , the "North Wales Expressway", a dual carriageway primary road connecting Chester to Holyhead , along

3773-425: The modern principal area of Gwynedd) sometimes considered Mid Wales. North Wales may also be spelled as 'north Wales' with a lower case 'n' for north , coined as the "to cap or not to cap" debate. It is argued that using a lower case 'n' is to be only used to signify "north" as merely a geographic identifier, and a capital 'N' to distinctly separate the region for cultural, organisational, or statistical purposes from

3850-531: The most populous areas, with more than 300,000 people living in the areas around Wrexham and Deeside. Wrexham, with a population of 65,692 at the 2011 census in its built-up area , it is North Wales' largest city. The total population of North Wales is 696,300 (2017). The majority of other settlements are along the coast, including some popular resort towns , such as Rhyl , Llandudno , Pwllheli , Prestatyn and Tywyn . There are two cathedral cities – Bangor and St. Asaph  – and

3927-466: The north Wales coast, and connecting with Irish Ferries and Stena Line ferry services to Dublin Port in the Republic of Ireland. The Conwy Valley Line branches off at Llandudno Junction, heading north to Llandudno and south to Blaenau Ffestiniog . The Shrewsbury—Chester line, connects Chester and Shrewsbury via Wrexham , providing the main north Wales and south Wales connection. A former open-access operator Wrexham & Shropshire , used to provide

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4004-514: The north coast. English Maelor , currently part of Wrexham County Borough, located east of the River Dee, as the name suggests, was part of England during a significant part of this period. North Wales is electorally divided into constituencies and electoral wards to elect local representatives to multiple layers of government. There are eleven constituencies used for both the UK Parliament and

4081-505: The other side of the Wales-England border . There have been proposals to upgrade the A55 into a motorway or have more motorway-like features. Trunk roads in the region are maintained by the North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agent (NMWTRA). The main roads spanning across North Wales, mostly span east to west, especially along the North Wales coast. This is mainly due to the mountainous terrain in

4158-733: The other west-east line in the region (as the Mid-Wales line), it connects Shrewsbury, westwards with Mid Wales and towns along Cardigan Bay . The line is commonly split into two sections, the section from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth is sometimes referred to as the Cambrian Main Line, with the Cambrian Coast Line, splitting off from this line at Dovey Junction , heading northwest to Pwllheli . The Welsh Marches Line connects Crewe to Newport , via Shrewsbury, with services from Holyhead usually continuing to Cardiff Central . It forms part of

4235-424: The point of amateurishness", though conceding that the book leaves an impression of genuine talent. The Times Literary Supplement considered it a quiet little story of much merit, while likewise holding its central literary device to be clumsy. Not all were so negative, though. The Illustrated London News thought the novel intensely personal and ghastly in a quiet way, yet full of beauty and consolation, while

4312-415: The population density of North Wales grew by 2.3%, the third-highest rate of population density growth of the 4 statistical regions of Wales. Gwynedd, with 3.7% growth, had the highest population density growth rate in North Wales, whereas the Isle of Anglesey had the lowest population density growth rate at 0.1% from 2008 to 2018. The population growth for the region between 1998 and 2018 was 6.3%, however,

4389-516: The precision of the prose, the depth of the characterisations, and the story's "subtle but feverish tension". Reviewing the US re-issue, Kirkus Reviews likewise highlighted the precision of the prose, and suggested that it lends purity to a "quiet, tragic idyll". North Wales Those from North Wales are sometimes referred to as "Gogs" (from "Gogledd" – the Welsh word for "north"); in comparison, those from South Wales are sometimes called "Hwntws" by those from North Wales. The region includes

4466-424: The present six (seven with Montgomeryshire) is that Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire were combined into one principal area, initially called 'Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire' until a day after its formation where it took the name Gwynedd instead, and the formation of two county boroughs, Conwy carved out of Caernarfonshire and Denbighshire, and Wrexham carved out of Denbighshire and Flintshire. The north of Wales

4543-459: The present, Montgomeryshire remained a part of Powys. Prior to the preserved counties, there were counties, now referred to as historic counties. These are the oldest of the counties of North Wales, used for centuries. North Wales contained 6 historic counties during these times, the counties were; Anglesey, Caernarfonshire , Denbighshire , Flintshire , Merionethshire , and Montgomeryshire. The most notable difference between these six counties and

4620-594: The rate was lower between 2008 and 2018, than in 1998 and 2008. Conwy was the area with the highest population growth rate for the two decades at 8%, with Isle of Anglesey having the smallest growth rate at just over 3%. Population settlements North Wales' largest settlement (locality) is Wrexham, with 65,692 people in the 2011 census. Data from the census details that North Wales has a lower number and proportion of residents living in settlements of 25,000 or more, than South East and South West Wales, but higher than Mid Wales. StatsWales attributes this to North Wales' lack of

4697-593: The real-life cottage in Cwm Croesor in North Wales that O'Brian and his wife had rented in 1945. In the US the novel was reissued in 1993 by Norton , again under the title Testimonies. A dramatised adaptation of the book by Colin Haydn Evans was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2002. Many of the first English reviews were not encouraging. An unnamed Times reviewer called the book "a slight and technically immature piece of work, loose-jointed and clumsy in construction to

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4774-672: The region include; North Welsh, and North Walian (also spelt as North Walean), or informally as "Gogs" from the Welsh word for North, "Gogledd". This term is mostly only used to distinguish from other parts of Wales (i.e. only used domestically in Wales), a majority of the population consider themselves as just " Welsh ", and some additionally or only as " British ". Communities along the Wales-England border and northern coast may identify as " English " as they are home to many of those of English ancestry . According to Statistics for Wales (StatsWales),

4851-399: The region serve as a reminder of the former railways across the region. The majority of lines operated in Wales are part of the Wales & Borders franchise , the current operator is Transport for Wales Rail , a Welsh-Government owned company , although some services (from Holyhead and Wrexham) are operated by the West Coast Partnership operator, Avanti West Coast on services using

4928-400: The rest of Wales may use a capitalised N. Local newspapers, such as the Daily Post describe themselves to be a "capper" capitalising the 'N', whereas other organisations such as BBC News may use a lower case. The Welsh Government's style guide uses lowercase, whereas Visit Wales uses capitalised. David Williams, chairman of the North Wales Business Club, announced his support for capping

5005-459: The rest of Wales to the south, England and its counties of Shropshire , and Cheshire to the east, and the Irish sea to the north and west. Other definitions, especially historical, commonly include Montgomeryshire , one of the historic counties of Wales , to be part of North Wales, although as part of Powys its more commonly considered Mid Wales today. The definitions of North and Mid Wales constantly overlap, with Meirionnydd (southern part of

5082-414: The rest of Wales. The term "North Wales" is rarely applied to all of Wales during the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain and the period of the Heptarchy , to distinguish it from "West Wales", known today as Cornwall , although the term "Wales" or the names of the various petty kingdoms of Wales ( Gwynedd, and Powys in North Wales) are more commonly used to depict the region during this time. The region

5159-421: The rest of Wales. Such usage may follow ideological lines, with North Wales used to confer the region as a distinctly separate entity from the rest of Wales, whilst north Wales as merely the northern bit of Wales. Organisations, where the region is administered the same as with the rest of Wales, may prefer to use a lower case for north. Whilst organisations only operating in the region or separate from any others in

5236-416: The single-carriageways of the A470 from Llandudno to Cardiff via the Conwy valley , and the A487 from Bangor to Haverfordwest via Caernarfon and Snowdonia. The Port of Holyhead, on the isle of Anglesey, is the main commercial and ferry port in North Wales. The port had the third-largest volume of freight traffic , in Wales, in 2018 (5.2 million tonnes), after Milford Haven and Port Talbot , and it

5313-405: The ten-year period, at 22.5%. The least amount of rail journeys in 2018-19 was in Anglesey. As of 2020, there as 66 rail stations within the boundaries of the 6 northern principal areas, of which 2 are among the 20 busiest stations in Wales, Rhyl , and Bangor . 41 of the rail stations are stations of the North Wales lines, whereas the remaining 25 are stations of the Mid Wales lines, specifically

5390-525: The term "North", stating that North Wales should be a "very recognisable region in our own right". For local administration, the region is most commonly made up of the following six principal areas , consisting of counties, and county boroughs, they are: the Isle of Anglesey, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, and Wrexham County Borough. These principal areas are commonly divided into two groups, used for local news (e.g. BBC ), regional tourism boards, town and country planning , and were

5467-448: The time of the novel's UK reissue as Testimonies in 1994, O'Brian had become a well-known author with a high reputation for his Aubrey-Maturin nautical historical series of novels. Writing in The Sunday Telegraph , Jessica Mann recognised O'Brian's early use in this novel of the surnames Aubrey and Maturin, and she asked how this book could possibly have been so completely neglected after its initial 1952 publication. She considered

5544-449: The woman he comes to love; and Mr Lloyd, a schoolmaster. Pugh says that he had been expecting the visitation, and that he will do his best to set down in writing what had taken place. According to his testimony, having become exhausted and demoralised by his academic life in Oxford, Pugh decides to rent a small cottage in North Wales for an extended break, intending to spend his time walking in

5621-561: Was a single European Parliament constituency (EPC), the North Wales European Parliament Constituency . In 1994, minor border changes put parts of Montgomeryshire in the neighbouring Mid and West Wales constituency. In 1999, both of the constituencies ceased, when it was absorbed into the larger Wales constituency until 2020 when it was subsequently abolished following the United Kingdom 's withdrawal from

5698-442: Was a subject that O'Brian later said he had himself been working on before the war. According to his step-son and biographer Nikolai Tolstoy , the fiction provided the flimsiest of veils for the author's deepest personal concerns. Tolstoy took the view that that Pugh – like O'Brian himself – sets himself up as a gentleman and adopts a new name appropriate to his improved status, about which he does not like to be questioned. The novel

5775-402: Was first published in 1952, the UK version appearing under the title Three Bear Witness as O'Brian's publishers Secker & Warburg were of the view that his preferred title Testimonies would be difficult to sell. In the US it was published by Harcourt, Brace as Testimonies . Unaware that O'Brian had changed his name in 1945 from Richard Patrick Russ, many reviewers assumed the book to be

5852-410: Was the most popular in 1998 with over 1.7 million passengers ferried, however following a consistent decline in passenger traffic, it was removed in 2015. The other route to Dublin saw an overall increase in passenger numbers from just over 1 million in 1998 to just over 1.9 million in 2018, an increase of 82%. A Mostyn -Dublin ferry service once existed, on the now Liverpool -Dublin route, attracting

5929-620: Was traditionally divided into three regions during the middle ages: Upper Gwynedd (or Gwynedd above the Conwy), defined as the area north of the River Dyfi and west of the River Conwy ; Lower Gwynedd (or Gwynedd below the Conwy), also known as the Perfeddwlad ("the middle country") and defined as the region east of the River Conwy and west of the River Dee ; and Ynys Môn (or Anglesey), a large island off

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