What was the population of wales during the middle ages?

Question:What we call the Middle Ages is only a convenient term to cover a very long period in history, when things did not remain static but grew, developed and evolved - so for example, there is no such thing as "medieval dress", because it was different in the 11th century from what it became in the 13th, and very different again by the 15th century.

Wales in the 12th century was not one single, unified kingdom as was Anglo-Norman England. It comprised a number of independent kingdoms and principalities, the largest of which were Powys, Gwynedd and Deuheubarth, each of which were subdivided into cantrefs or "hundreds".

No census was taken of the whole of Wales because nobody controlled the whole country; each cantref and village knew exactly who belonged there and that was sufficient. Some areas of Wales were quite heavily populated, while others (such as Snowdonia) were too mountainous to support large populations.

For these reasons the country's total population figure is impossible to guess or estimate; in England there was a rapid population growth between the early 12th and early 14th centuries - it is reasonable to assume similar increases in Wales, but the evidence is lacking.

I understand that the first attempt at a Welsh census was made in 1801, but this was much less than accurate as it was based entirely on parish records, many of which had never been completed by the priests.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: What we call the Middle Ages is only a convenient term to cover a very long period in history, when things did not remain static but grew, developed and evolved - so for example, there is no such thing as "medieval dress", because it was different in the 11th century from what it became in the 13th, and very different again by the 15th century.

Wales in the 12th century was not one single, unified kingdom as was Anglo-Norman England. It comprised a number of independent kingdoms and principalities, the largest of which were Powys, Gwynedd and Deuheubarth, each of which were subdivided into cantrefs or "hundreds".

No census was taken of the whole of Wales because nobody controlled the whole country; each cantref and village knew exactly who belonged there and that was sufficient. Some areas of Wales were quite heavily populated, while others (such as Snowdonia) were too mountainous to support large populations.

For these reasons the country's total population figure is impossible to guess or estimate; in England there was a rapid population growth between the early 12th and early 14th centuries - it is reasonable to assume similar increases in Wales, but the evidence is lacking.

I understand that the first attempt at a Welsh census was made in 1801, but this was much less than accurate as it was based entirely on parish records, many of which had never been completed by the priests.

i don't no how many,but I'm sure that they were all welsh ,and Scots,Irish ,English,changed days when you can say that they were in there own countries minding there own business in some arias its spot the white man that's what people are playing how many immigrants are in Britain,, i shudder to think..............................