WELSHPOOL

Welsh Y Trallwng town, Powys county, historic county of Montgomeryshire, Wales, in the valley of the River Severn. Its charter, granting market rights, dates from 1263. Lying near the English border, the town showed pro-English sympathies in the Middle Ages and has traditionally been predominantly English-speaking. Welshpool has a large livestock market and is the service centre for an extensive rural area in central Wales. Powys Castle, dating back to the 12th century and modernized in the 19th century, is maintained by the National Trust. Pop. (1991) 5,725.