Montgomeryshire

For those with a love of Medieval, Tudor and industrial history let me introduce you to Montgomeryshire.

Named for the Norman duke Roger de Montgomery who came over with William the Conqueror in 1066, Montgomeryshire has been a parliamentary constituency since 1542 and vacant only during the Pride’s Purge and the Barebones Parliament during the interregnum.

Throughout that time, you would rightly expect accomplished and prominent MPs to have held the seat and Montgomeryshire has had them in spades; from Emlyn Hooson and Alex Carlile to Sir Pryce Pryce-Jones.

As well as being an MP, Pryce-Jones was a pioneer of his age in founding the “Amazon” of the 1800s. So popular were Welsh textiles that Queen Victoria would order from Pryce-Jones directly via mail, and thus the mail order business was born.

It wasn’t long before the Pryce-Jones’ HQ in Newtown was taking orders from across the United Kingdom and beyond. Pryce-Jones would also go on to invent the sleeping bag – the staple of every camping adventure.

Montgomeryshire’s relationship with textiles would not end there. In the early 1960s, Laura and Bernard Ashley set up their textile and garment manufacturing factory from the quiet village of Carno, building a world-renowned fashion brand. ASOS have now established themselves within Pryce-Jones’ Royal Welsh Warehouse, continuing the textile tradition in the modern-day world.

Other influential figures include Robert Owen, world-famous pioneer of social reforms and education. A wealthy industrialist, Owen was the father of the co-operative movement and developed free education and better working conditions, becoming a significant social reformer and thinker of his age.

Montgomeryshire is home to the source of the famous River Severn and, much like the river, Montgomeryshire’s history and modern-day achievements is ever flowing.