IT'S Saint David’s Day - the time of year when people's sense of Welshness is possibly stronger than at any other point.

But history says that Newport has a slightly more complicated relationship with ‘being Welsh’ than most in Wales.

South Wales Argus: To some, Newport was considered to be part of England. To some, Newport was considered to be part of England.

If you’ve ever wondered how the former West of England tavern in Pill got its name, it’s because Newport was considered by some, to be part of England.

In fact, the debate over the historic county of Monmouthshire - which included Newport - and its place in Wales, swirled around for more than four centuries.

Let’s be clear - before the first Act of Union in 1535 - which saw Wales annexed into the England, Monmouthshire was considered Welsh.

But it wasn’t until the second Act of Union in 1542 when things got a little more complicated.

Only 12 Welsh counties were registered under the act. Monmouthshire was omitted and made directly responsible to the courts of Westminster, whereas the other Welsh counties fell under the Court of Great Sessions in Wales.

Monmouthshire was also given two MPs, which was part of the English model, instead of the one assigned to Welsh counties.

The years that followed only stirred up more confusion about which side of the border Monmouthshire was.

But the Welsh language has been used as a key argument on the side of those claiming the county was Welsh.

South Wales Argus: A map showing the historic county of Monmouthshire, which was the subject of much debate over which country it belonged to.A map showing the historic county of Monmouthshire, which was the subject of much debate over which country it belonged to.

Historian John Davies said: “Monmouthshire was no less Welsh in language and sentiment than any other eastern county.

This sentiment was echoed by English traveller, George Burrow, who in 1862, wrote: “"Monmouthshire is at present considered an English county, though certainly with little reason, for it not only stands on the western side of the Wye, but the names of almost all its parishes are Welsh, and many thousands of its population still speak the Welsh language.”

It’s thought that Newport itself was a predominantly Welsh-speaking town in the early 1800s, before an influx of migrants from England and Ireland came to work in the nearby South Wales Valleys coalfield.

South Wales Argus: The West of England tavern in the Pill area of Newport is a reminder of a less certain time.The West of England tavern in the Pill area of Newport is a reminder of a less certain time.

This added fuel to the fire that Newport, and Monmouthshire, was increasingly becoming less Welsh in the eyes of those claiming its status as an English county.

What changed?

Entering the 20th century and Monmouthshire was no more certain of which country it belonged to.

In recognition of this, Monmouthshire County Council designed a coat of arms in 1948 that featured both the English lion and Welsh dragon, and its motto ‘Utrique Fidelis’ meant ‘faithful to both’.

A number of Welsh political figures began to make their voices heard on the matter, declaring that Monmouthshire should be fully incorporated into Wales.

South Wales Argus: The coat of arms adopted by Monmouthshire Council in 1948.The coat of arms adopted by Monmouthshire Council in 1948.

And whilst Newport and Monmouthshire now had a dominant English-speaking population, it grew culturally and economically closer to Wales.

The west of the county was dominated by coalfields, which drew a closer affinity with other Welsh counties that were included in the South Wales Coalfield area.

Some Welsh rugby internationals even came to Newport and were played out at Rodney Parade.

But it was the Local Government Act of 1972, that sorted things once and for all.

George Thomas, who was serving as secretary of state for Wales at the time, proposed that Monmouthshire - and the borough of Newport - be fully incorporated into Wales, which it was.

An appetite for England again?

Since Monmouthshire’s incorporation into Wales in 1972, there have been many changes.

The council became known as Gwent County Council in 1974, and is still used as a preserved name for the area today.

The Monmouthshire we know today, covers roughly the eastern 60 per cent of the historic county, with four other local authority areas making up the rest, including Newport.

In the 2007 Senedd election, English Democrats campaigned for a referendum to “let Monmouthshire decide” whether it was part of Wales or England, but the party failed to get any of its candidates elected.

It seems that the debate is as much culturally settled as it is legally, for now at least.