The name ‘Cardiganshire’ is strictly speaking a Norman Anglicisation of the Welsh name, Ceredigion, which is the name mostly used in the county itself today.

Ceredigion has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Around the time of the Roman invasion of Britain, the area was between the realms of the Demetae and Ordovices. The Sarn Helen road ran through the territory, with forts protecting gold mines near present-day Llelio. Following the Roman withdrawal, Irish raids and invasions were repulsed, supposedly by the forces under a northerner named Cunedda. The 9th-century History of the Britons attributed to Nennius records that Cunedda’s son Ceredig settled the area around the Teifi in the 5th century, and it is his name which has stuck. In the 9th century Hywel Dda inherited Ceredigion and its neighbouring kingdom Dyfed and established the realm of Deheubarth, although records from this era are sparse.

The former Kingdom of Ceredigion was also known as Seisyllwg from the late 7th century. The name Deheubarth was in use from around 920 until 1197, and after Edward I conquered Wales in the 13th century, he split Deheubarth back into Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire. Just to confuse matters further, these three counties were amalgamated into Dyfed again from 1974, then reinstated (with Cardiganshire officially becoming Ceredigion) in 1996.

Many pilgrims passed through Cardiganshire on their way to St Davids. Some came by sea and made use of the churches at Mwnt and Penbryn, while others came by land seeking hospitality at such places as Strata Florida Abbey. Place names including ‘ysbyty’ denote their association with pilgrims.

In the 18th century there was an evangelical revival of Christianity in the region, and Nonconformism became established in the county. Cardiganshire became one of the centres of Methodism in Wales with the Aeron Valley being at its centre.

Cardigan was one of the major ports of southern Wales, but its harbour silted in the mid-19th century and the Industrial Revolution largely passed the area by. In the uplands, wheeled vehicles were rare in the 18th century, and horses and sleds were still being used for transport. On the coast, trade in herrings and corn took place across the Irish Sea. In the 19th century, many of the rural poor emigrated to the New World from Cardigan, between five and six thousand leaving the town between 1790 and 1860. Aberystwyth became the main centre for the export of lead and Aberaeron and Newquay did brisk coastal trade. The building of the railway from Shrewsbury in the 1860s encouraged visitors and hotels.

Farming has traditionally been the basis of Cardiganshire’s economy, with dairying and stock-rearing being the main occupations. Before the first railway was built in 1866, the stock used to be herded over the mountains to England, where Rugby, Northampton and London were important destinations. The region’s mine reserves of lead, silver and zinc became unprofitable to mine by the early 20th century. Shipping was also important in the county, with coal and lime being imported in coastal vessels, and mineral ores and oak bark for tanning being exported. Shipbuilding was an important industry with most of Wales’s sailing vessels being built here.

Aberystwyth is the largest town and shares administrative roles today with Aberaeron. Aberystwyth is also home to the National Library of Wales (library.wales). Cardiganshire has a high proportion of Welsh speakers.

Exclusive census analysis from the data at TheGenealogist.co.uk reveals that common surnames in Cardiganshire – distinct from Wales as a whole – include Morgans in both 1841 and 1911, plus Richard and Richards in 1841. The names James and Jenkins, although common across Wales, were particularly so in Cardiganshire in both censuses.

Ceredigion Archives are in Aberystwyth – see archifdy-ceredigion.org.uk – and Ceredigion Museum (ceredigionmuseum.wales) is also in the town.