Monmouthshire, along with the other traditional counties of
Wales, came into existence as a result of the
1536 Act of Union. Because of the odd number of counties, Monmouthshire was included in the English legal circuit, even though it was part of Wales, leading to confusion about which country it officially belonged to. Within living memory even official documents sometimes referred to "England, Wales and Monmouthshire". It remained a
county until the reorganization of 1974, when most of its area became the new county of
Gwent.
