Denbighshire

DENBIGHSHIRE (DINBvcH), a county of the north coast of Wales, made up of two linked regions, north-west and south east. Area 662 sq. miles. The north-west region is bounded west by the Conwy, along the line of which the Ordovician rocks with volcanic elements to the west (see CARNARVONSHIRE) give place to the sharp edged plateau of Silurian rocks, a part of the general Welsh plateau (see WALES). This region stretches east to the trough of the Vale of Clwyd, the west side of which is in Den bighshire, while the county has extensions up the Bodfari gap in the eastern wall of the vale (the Moel Fammau range, with Moel Fammau 1,82o ft.) and across the Clwyd farther up the valley; Flintshire borders it here on the east. The nucleus of Merioneth shire is the fault-valley through Corwen, Bala and Dolgelley, and consequently valleys opening into the main fault-valley are for the most part in the latter county. The north-west region of Denbighshire is thus mainly a dissected plateau draining eastward to the Clwyd, but with small portions draining to the Conwy on the west or to the upper D ee on the south. On the north coast between Old Colwyn and Llandulas is a detached fragment of Carnarvonshire, a fact related to a change in the course of the Conwy stream.

The south-east region of Denbighshire includes the basin of the Ceiriog and its mountain frame of the Berwyn ridge, of Ordo vician rock with volcanic elements, Moel Sych (2,713 ft.). Mont gomeryshire lies to the south and south-west. The Ceiriog flows into the Dee near its emergence from deep, encased meanders in the Welsh plateau. Ruabon and Wrexham and their coal-measures on the borders of Cheshire are also in this region of Denbighshire, which extends up into the deep meanders of the Dee above Llan gollen, until the region focussing on Corwen (see above) is reached. The two regions of Denbighshire are physically linked but humanly divided by the dissected plateau of Silurian rocks north of the Llangollen section of the Dee ; to the north-east lies Flintshire. A narrow broken band of the Old Red, or what may be a conglomeratic basement bed of the Carboniferous Limestone series, crops up along the Vale of Clwyd and in Eglwyseg. Resting upon this the Carboniferous limestone extends from Llanymynach, its extreme southern point, to the Cyrnybrain fault, and there forks into two divisions that terminate respectively in the Great Orme's Head and in Talargoch, and are separated from each other by the denuded shales of the Moel Fammau range. In the Vale of Clwyd the limestone underlies the new red sandstone, and in the eastern division it is itself overlaid by the millstone grit of Ruabon and Minera, and by a long reach of the coal measures which, near Wrexham, are 41. m. in breadth. Eastward of these a broad strip of the red marly beds succeeds, and between this and the Dee the ground is occupied—as in the Vale of Clwyd—by the new red rocks. The red sandstone areas form the best agricultural land. The eastern flank of the county is less sharp as it grades down to the coalfield west of the Dee. These coal measures have been extensively worked, with Rhos, Wrexham and Ruabon as centres. From the limestone below, lead, with silver and zinc ores, have been obtained. Valuable fireclays and terra-cotta marls are also taken from the coal measures about Wrexham. As in other north ern counties of Wales, the whole of the lower ground is covered more or less thickly with glacial drift. On the western side of the Vale of Clwyd, at Cefn and Plas Heaton, the caves, a common feature in such limestone districts, have yielded the remains of the rhinoceros, mammoth, hippopotamus and other mammals now extinct in Britain.

Archaeology.

The period of earliest occupation of the region by man is still very doubtful. The high ground is dotted by tumuli, but only one beaker pot has been recorded. Finds of early gold and socketed axes dating from the late Bronze age are more numerous, indicating that the upper Dee valley and the Vale of Clwyd had become important lines of movement by this time. The native hill fortresses and Roman statues of later times show the importance of the North Wales coastal route. A great native hill-fortress was Dinorben (see Willoughby Gardner, "The Native Hill-forts of North Wales and their Defences," Archaeologia Cambrensis, vol. lxxxi. part 2, Dec. 1926). It seems clear that these native fortresses protected routes, and, whatever their original date, they received much attention during the Roman period. Roman roads ran from Chester via Flint through the north of the county to St. Asaph, and thence on to Kanovium and Segontium (Carnarvon) . Another line was via Ffrith and the south of the county to the Bala cleft and the Caergai station. Clawdd Coch has traces of the Romans ; so also has Penygaer and Penbarras. To their period belong the inscribed Gwytherin and Pentrefoelas (near Bettws-y-coed) stones. The Valle Crucis, "Eliseg's pillar," tells of Brochmael and the Cairlegion (Chester) struggle against Aethelfrith's invading Northumbrians, A.D. 613, while Offa's dike goes back to the Mercian advance. The south east of the county includes a considerable section of this dike as well as of the smaller and parallel Watt's dike (see Fox, Archaeologia Cambrensis, vol. lxxxi., part 1, June, 1926).

History.

After the Edwardian conquest Denbigh castle was built by Henry de Lacy, earl of Lincoln, and Ruthin castle prob ably by Hugh, earl of Chester. The rolls of the Court of Ruthin are complete from 1294, and are now in the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth. Owain Glyn Dwr failed to take Ruthin in 1400. In the south-east of the county Chirk castle was founded by Roger de Mortimer in the early 14th century. The county was formed by an act of Henry VIII. out of the lordships of Denbigh, Ruthin (Rhuthyn), Rhos and Rhyfoniog, which are roughly the Perfeddwlad (midland) between Conway and Clwyd and the lordships of Bromfield, Yale (Idl, open land) and Chirk land, the old possessions of Gruffydd ap Madoc, arglwydd (lord) of Dinas Bran. Charles I. took refuge in this county in 1645, and the castle of Denbigh was one of the last strongholds in Wales to surrender to the parliament which "slighted" both Denbigh and Ruthin. Near Ruabon is Wynnstay, the seat of the old Watkin Williams-Wynn family of landowners. The fine church (147o) of Wrexham shows that this part of the county between the Welsh plateau and the English border had developed considerably during the middle ages. Royalist and Jacobite sympathies and continued adherence to the Roman Catholic Church on the part of some of the great families have been features of the county, which de veloped considerably under the Nonconformist influences of the 18th century.

Oak wood lofts and screens, a feature of South-west England, the Welsh border and Montgomeryshire, are found at Llanrwst, Gresford and Derwen. Gresford and Llanrhaiadr (Dyffryn Llanrwst Clwyd) have stained glass.

Industries and Occupations.—The great extent of moorland area has confined the agricultural output of the county. A little wheat is grown in the lowlands but ten times as much oats. Turnips and swedes are also important crops. Large flocks of sheep are pastured on the hill-sides, and many black cattle are reared for fattening in the midlands of England and for sale in London. Large numbers of pigs are also kept. Other industries, f ormerTy of greater importance than at present, include slate quarrying, lead-mining and woollen manufacture. Nantglyn pre pares paving flags, Rhiwfelen (near Llangollen) slabs and slates, while good slates are also obtained at Glyn Ceiriog. There is plenty of limestone with china stone at Brymbo. Cefn Rhiwabon yields sandstone (for hones) and millstone grit. The great Minera Mine has produced great quantities of lead ore. Woollen manu factures centre around Llangollen and Llansantffraid (St. Bridg it's). The extensive development of coal-mining in the south east of the county in the latter half of the 19th century has trans formed the old world market towns of Chirk, Ruabon and Wrex ham into coal-mining and industrial centres. The proximity of the Lancashire and Staffordshire industrial areas ensure a market for the coal, while modern developments on the Wirral and the North Wales coast and the extended interest in by-products may help in the future. The rapid development of the industrial area (south-east) with its new populations and new ideas, provides a social and political contrast over against the other section of Den bighshire (north-west) which has remained rural and agricultural. These distinct geographical and social units illustrate the diffi culty of the county as an administrative unit.

Communications.—The Holyhead road to London, a one time famous coaching route, runs down the Llangollen valley. The L.M.S. railway (Holyhead line), with the Conway and Clwyd valleys branches, together with the lines connecting Denbigh with Ruabon (Rhiwabon), via Ruthin and Corwen, Wrexham with Connah's Quay (L.N.E. railway) and Rhosllanerchrhugog with Glyn Ceiriog (for the Great Western and L.N.E. railways) have opened up the county.

The area of the ancient county is 423,499 ac., with a population in 1931 of 157,645. The area of the administrative county is acres. The chief towns are : Wrexham, Denbigh, Ruthin, Llangollen, Llanrwst and Holt. The county has two parliamentary divisions. The urban districts are : Abergele and Pensarn, Colwyn Bay and Colwyn, Llangollen and Llanrwst. Denbighshire is in the north Wales circuit, assizes being held at Ruthin. Denbigh and Wrexham boroughs have separate commissions of the peace, but no separate quarter-session courts. The ancient county, which is in the diocese of St. Asaph, contains 75 ecclesiastical parishes and districts and part of a parish.