Dyfed (ˈdəvɛd) is a preserved county

Preserved counties of Wales

The preserved counties of Wales are the current areas used in Wales for the ceremonial purposes of Lieutenancy and Shrievalty. They are based on the counties created by the Local Government Act 1972 and used for local government and other purposes between 1974 and 1996.-Usage:The Local Government ...

 of Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

. It was created on 1 April 1974 under the terms of the Local Government Act 1972

Local Government Act 1972

The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....

, and covered approximately the same geographic extent as the ancient Principality of Deheubarth, although excluding the Gower Peninsula

Gower Peninsula

Gower or the Gower Peninsula is a peninsula in south Wales, jutting from the coast into the Bristol Channel, and administratively part of the City and County of Swansea. Locally it is known as "Gower"...

 and the area west of the River Tawe

River Tawe

The River Tawe is a river in South Wales. It flows in a principally south-westerly direction for some from its source below Moel Feity in the Old Red Sandstone hills of the western Brecon Beacons to the Bristol Channel at Swansea. Its main tributaries are the right bank Upper and Lower Clydach...

. The choice of the name Dyfed was based on the historic name given to the region once settled by the Irish Déisi

Déisi

The Déisi were a class of peoples in ancient and medieval Ireland. The term is Old Irish, and derives from the word déis, meaning "vassal" or "subject"; in its original sense, it designated groups who were vassals or rent-payers to a landowner. Later, it became a proper name for certain septs and...

 and today known as Pembrokeshire

Pembrokeshire

Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....

 (the historic Dyfed never included Ceredigion and only briefly controlled Carmarthenshire). It was formed from the administrative counties of Cardiganshire

Ceredigion

Ceredigion is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire , it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later...

, Carmarthenshire

Carmarthenshire

Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...

, Pembrokeshire

Pembrokeshire

Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....

 and was divided into the following local government districts

Districts of Wales

In 1974, Wales was re-divided for local government purposes into thirty-seven districts. Districts were the second tier of local government introduced by the Local Government Act 1972, being subdivisions of the eight counties introduced at the same time...

:

Administrative county 1889–1974	Local government districts 1974–1996
Cardiganshire Ceredigion Ceredigion is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire , it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later...	Ceredigion Ceredigion Ceredigion is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire , it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later...
Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...	Carmarthen Carmarthen (district) Carmarthen was one of six local government districts of the county of Dyfed, west Wales, from 1974 to 1996. It was formed under the Local Government Act 1972 from the following parts of the administrative county of Carmarthenshire:... , Dinefwr Dinefwr Dinefwr was a local government district of Dyfed, Wales from 1974 to 1996. It was named after Dinefwr Castle which was the royal capital of the Principality of Deheubarth and one of the three principal royal courts of Wales.... , Llanelli Llanelli (district) The Borough of Llanelli was one of thirty-seven local government districts in Wales from 1974 to 1996. It was the smallest of six districts in the newly-created county of Dyfed, and was formed under the Local Government Act 1972 by a merger of the municipal boroughs of Llanelli and Kidwelly, Burry...
Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....	Preseli, South Pembroke

The Lord Lieutenant of Pembrokeshire

Lord Lieutenant of Pembrokeshire

This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Pembrokeshire. After 1715, all Lord Lieutenants were also Custos Rotulorum of Pembrokeshire. The county corporate of Haverfordwest was included in this lieutenancy, except for the period from 1761 to 1931, when there was a separate Lord...

 became Lord Lieutenant of Dyfed

Lord Lieutenant of Dyfed

This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant for Dyfed. The office was created on 1 April 1974, replacing the Lord Lieutenant of Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire.*The Hon...

 and the Lord Lieutenants of Cardiganshire

Lord Lieutenant of Cardiganshire

This is a list of people who served as Lord Lieutenant of Cardiganshire. After 1780, all Lord Lieutenants were also Custos Rotulorum of Cardiganshire...

 and Carmarthenshire

Lord Lieutenant of Carmarthenshire

This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Carmarthenshire. After 1762, all Lord Lieutenants were also Custos Rotulorum of Carmarthenshire...

 each became Lieutenants. The Dyfed-Powys

Dyfed-Powys Police

Dyfed-Powys Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and the county of Powys, in Wales. The territory it covers is the largest police area in England and Wales, and the fourth largest in the United Kingdom...

 police force had been created a number of years earlier.

The county town

County town

A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...

 and administrative headquarters of Dyfed was Carmarthen

Carmarthen

Carmarthen is a community in, and the county town of, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is sited on the River Towy north of its mouth at Carmarthen Bay. In 2001, the population was 14,648....

 whilst the largest settlement was Llanelli

Llanelli

Llanelli , the largest town in both the county of Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed , Wales, sits on the Loughor estuary on the West Wales coast, approximately west-north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. The town is famous for its proud rugby...

. Other significant centres of population included Haverfordwest

Haverfordwest

Haverfordwest is the county town of Pembrokeshire, Wales and serves as the County's principal commercial and administrative centre. Haverfordwest is the most populous urban area in Pembrokeshire, with a population of 13,367 in 2001; though its community boundaries make it the second most populous...

, Milford Haven

Milford Haven

Milford Haven is a town and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, a natural harbour used as a port since the Middle Ages. The town was founded in 1790 on the north side of the Waterway, from which it takes its name...

 and Aberystwyth

Aberystwyth

Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....

.

On 1 April 1996, under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994

Local Government (Wales) Act 1994

The Local Government Act 1994 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which created the current local government structure in Wales of 22 unitary authority areas, referred to as principal areas in the Act, and abolished the previous two-tier structure of counties and districts...

, Dyfed was broken up and the ancient counties restored for administrative purposes: Cardiganshire, the council of which renamed itself Ceredigion

Ceredigion

Ceredigion is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire , it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later...

 the following day; Carmarthenshire

Carmarthenshire

Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...

; and Pembrokeshire

Pembrokeshire

Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....

. The name Dyfed was retained for such purely ceremonial purposes as the Lord Lieutenancy.

See also

• List of Lord Lieutenants of Dyfed
  Lord Lieutenant of Dyfed
  This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant for Dyfed. The office was created on 1 April 1974, replacing the Lord Lieutenant of Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire.*The Hon...
  
  
• List of High Sheriffs of Dyfed
  High Sheriff of Dyfed
  The office of High Sheriff of Dyfed was established in 1974 as part of the creation of the county of Dyfed in Wales following the Local Government Act 1972, and effectively replaced the shrievalties of the amalgamated counties of Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire...