Abergavenny in the context of "River Usk"

Monmouth (/ˈmɒnməθ/ MON-məth or /ˈmʌn-/ MUN-; Welsh: Trefynwy, lit. 'Town on the Monnow') is a market town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated on where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, two miles (three kilometres) from the Wales–England border. The population in the 2011 census was 10,508, rising from 8,877 in 2001. Monmouth was the county town of historic Monmouthshire, although Abergavenny is the largest settlement and Monmouthshire County Council has its main offices at Rhadyr, just outside Usk. Monmouth is in the UK Parliament constituency of Monmouthshire and the Senedd constituency of Monmouth.

The town was the site of a small Roman fort, Blestium, and became established after the Normans built Monmouth Castle c. 1067. The medieval stone gated bridge is the only one of its type remaining in Britain. The castle later came into the possession of the House of Lancaster, and was the birthplace of King Henry V in 1386.

Monmouthshire (/ˈmɒnməθʃər, ˈmʌn-, -ʃɪər/ MON-məth-shər, MUN-, -⁠sheer), also formerly known as the County of Monmouth (/ˈmɒnməθ, ˈmʌn-/ MON-məth, MUN-; Welsh: Sir Fynwy), was one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolition in 1974. Located in the south-east of Wales, on the border with England, its area now corresponds approximately to the present principal areas of Monmouthshire, Blaenau Gwent, Newport and Torfaen, and those parts of Caerphilly and Cardiff east of the Rhymney River.

The eastern part of the county was mainly agricultural, while the western valleys had rich mineral resources. This led to the area becoming highly industrialised with coal mining and iron working being major employers from the 18th century to the late 20th century. Its five largest towns were Newport, Cwmbran, Pontypool, Ebbw Vale and Abergavenny.

Monmouthshire (/ˈmɒnməθʃər, ˈmʌn-, -ʃɪər/ MON-məth-shər, MUN-, -⁠sheer; Welsh: Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the south, and Torfaen, Newport and Blaenau Gwent to the west. The largest town is Abergavenny, and the administrative centre is Usk.

The county is rural, although adjacent to the city of Newport and the urbanised South Wales Valleys. It has an area of 330 square miles (850 km) and a population of 94,930. Abergavenny is located in the north-east, and Usk in near the centre; other settlements include Monmouth in the east, Chepstow in the south-east, Caldicot in the south. Monmouthshire County Council is the local authority. Monmouthshire was established in 1996 and is named after the historic county of the same name, of which it covers approximately the eastern three-fifths. The county has one of the lowest percentages of Welsh speakers in Wales, at 8.2% of the population in 2021.

James Durand (1775 – 22 March 1833) was a businessman and political figure in Upper Canada.

He was born in Abergavenny, Wales in 1775 and came to Upper Canada in 1802 to deal with delinquent accounts on behalf of a group of London merchants. Having seized the Bridgewater Works at Chippawa, Durand purchased the operation from his employers. He also established a trading depot near Long Point. In 1810, he sold the operation at Chippawa due to a downturn in the produce market. He served in the Lincoln Militia during the War of 1812. In 1815, he became the representative for West York in the 6th Parliament of Upper Canada in a by-election after Abraham Markle joined the Americans. Durand criticized the introduction of martial law during the war. With John Willson, he drafted the Common Schools Act of 1816, which introduced public support of elementary schools. He also helped establish the Gore District with Hamilton as the district town. In 1817, he was elected in the riding of Wentworth and served until 1820. He was a partner in the Desjardins Canal Company, expanded his land holdings and built sawmills to process his timber holdings.