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English Democrats want vote on Monmouthshire Welshness

A political party which wants an English Parliament has called for a referendum on making the Welsh county of Monmouthshire part of England.

The English Democrats, at their spring conference in Middlesex, say they want the vote to settle the issue.

Monmouthshire was the only area in the recent referendum to reject direct law-making powers for the Welsh assembly.

History shows Monmouthshire has been part of the old Welsh county of Gwent and its English neighbour, Herefordshire.

Its status as a Welsh county fell into doubt in 1543 when it was omitted from the second Act of Union which established the Court of Great Session legal system in Wales.

As a result, until 1900 certain Welsh laws - like former Sunday pub licensing hours - were deemed not to apply to Monmouthshire.

Its status as part of Wales was reconfirmed in 1974 when the administrative county was replaced by Gwent.

A smaller, mainly rural council called Monmouthshire was created in the local government reorganisation of 1996....

Read entire article at BBC