BARRY

Welsh Y Barri Bristol Channel port town, Vale of Glamorgan county, historic county of Glamorgan (Morgannwg), Wales. Barry has associations with Baruch, a 7th-century Celtic monk, and with the Normans, who built a castle there in the 11th century. But its growth from a tiny village dates from 1889, when a new dock was opened there so that Barry could compete with nearby Cardiff in exporting coal. The trade of the port, which was almost entirely confined to coal exports, declined after World War I, but it revived after 1960 to handle more diversified cargoes, including imports of bananas and oil. Barry is the administrative centre of Vale of Glamorgan county. It is also a shopping and service centre and a popular seaside resort for southeastern Wales, with sandy beaches and recreational facilities. Pop. (1991) 49,887.