31-527: Edeirnion or Edeyrnion is an area of the county of Denbighshire and an ancient commote of medieval Wales in the cantref of Penllyn . According to tradition, it was named after its eponymous founder Edern or Edeyrn. It was included as a Welsh territory of Shropshire in the Domesday Book . Edeirnion was nominally a part of the Kingdom of Powys but was often subject to border intrusions by
62-604: A bro , or region, in Denbighshire, located around Corwen and near the Berwyn Range . Edeirnion Rural District was created under the Local Government Act 1894 from that part of Corwen Rural Sanitary District which was in the former administrative county of Merionethshire . It consisted of six civil parishes and covered 47,460 acres (192.1 km); it continued in existence until 1974, when it
93-498: Is also home to several medieval castles, including Castell Dinas Brân , Denbigh , and Rhuddlan , as well as St Asaph Cathedral . Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod takes place in the town each July. The main area was formed on 1 April 1996 under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 , from various parts of the county of Clwyd . It includes the district of Rhuddlan (formed in 1974 entirely from Flintshire),
124-491: Is served by Transport for Wales and Avanti West Coast services. Trains leaving Crewe to pass through Chester, cross the River Dee into Wales, and continue through Flint , Shotton , Holywell Junction (closed in 1966), Prestatyn , Rhyl , and stations to Bangor and Holyhead, which has a ferry service to Ireland. There are no motorways in Denbighshire. The A55 dual carriageway runs from Chester through St Asaph to
155-399: Is the coast, where Rhyl and Prestatyn form a single built-up area with a population of 46,267. The next-largest towns are Denbigh , Ruthin , and Rhuddlan , while St Asaph is its only city. All of these settlements are in the northern half of the county; the south is even less densely populated, and the only towns are Corwen and Llangollen . The geography of Denbighshire is defined by
186-478: The Irish Sea to the north, Flintshire to the east, Wrexham to the southeast, Powys to the south, and Gwynedd and Conwy to the west. Rhyl is the largest town, and Ruthin is the administrative centre. Its borders differ from the historic county of the same name . Denbighshire has an area of 326 square miles (840 km ) and a population of 95,800, making it sparsely populated. The most populous area
217-578: The Quarter Sessions courts. The county council was based at County Hall in Ruthin, a building which was designed by Walter Douglas Wiles and completed in March 1909. The administrative county was subdivided into municipal boroughs and urban and rural districts . Two civil parishes : Llaneilian yn Rhos and Llansanffraid Glan Conway were administered as part of Conwy Rural District in
248-542: The Welsh Conservatives in the 2019 general election for the first time. The following MPs were elected from Denbighshire in 2019: From 2024, Denbighshire is covered by four constituencies. These are Bangor Aberconwy , Clwyd North , Clwyd East and Dwyfor Meirionnydd . Denbighshire is also represented in the Senedd by three members elected in 2021: In 2019, research by UnHerd in association with
279-409: The history of Wales is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Denbighshire location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Denbighshire Denbighshire ( / ˈ d ɛ n b i ʃ ər , - ʃ ɪər / DEN -bee-shər, -sheer ; Welsh : Sir Ddinbych [ˌsiːr ˈðɪnbɨχ] ) is a county in the north-east of Wales . It borders
310-516: The 2011 Census returns, 24.6 per cent stated they could speak Welsh. Since the 20th-century demise of the coal and steel industries in the Wrexham area, there is no heavy industry in the county. Although most towns have small industrial parks or estates for light industry, the economy is based on agriculture and tourism. Much of the working population is employed in the service sector . The uplands support sheep and beef cattle rearing, while in
341-608: The Church in Wales. Chapelries are in italics . Many of these parishes ended up in modern Denbighshire , but those marked C are in Conwy , those marked P are in Powys , and those marked W are in Wrexham . An administrative county of Denbighshire was created in 1889 by the Local Government Act 1888 . The county was governed by an elected county council , who took over the functions of
SECTION 10
#1732783808743372-590: The Denbigh Moors from south-east to north-west, and the A525 links Ruthin with St Asaph. There are local bus services between the main towns. Several services by Arriva Buses Wales run along the main coast road between Chester and Holyhead, linking the coastal resorts. Another route links Rhyl to Denbigh. Denbighshire was last represented in the House of Commons by three MPs . The Welsh Labour Party lost to
403-560: The North Wales coast at Abergele, then parallel to the railway through Conwy and Bangor to Holyhead. The A548 run from Chester to Abergele through Deeside and along the coast, before leaving the coast and terminating at Llanrwst . The main road from London, the A5 , passes north-westwards through Llangollen , Corwen and Betws-y-Coed to join the A55 and terminate at Bangor. The A543 crosses
434-684: The Vale of Clwyd dairy farming and wheat and barley crops predominate. Many towns have livestock markets and farming supports farm machinery merchants, vets, feed merchants, contractors and other ancillaries. With their incomes on the decline, farmers have found opportunities in tourism, rural crafts, specialist food shops, farmers' markets and value-added food products. The upland areas with their sheep farms and small, stone-walled fields are attractive to visitors. Redundant farm buildings are often converted into self-catering accommodation, while many farmhouses supply bed and breakfast. The travel trade began with
465-432: The Wales . The Denbigh Moors (Mynydd Hiraethog) are in the west of the county and the Berwyn Range adjacent to the southern edge. The River Clwyd has a broad fertile Vale running from south–north in the centre of the county. There is a narrow coastal plain in the north which much residential and holiday-trade development. The highest point in the historic county was Cadair Berwyn at 832 m or 2,730 ft), but
496-477: The appeal by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd to Edward I of England to see the resolution of this dispute settled by Welsh Law was one of the reasons the principalities in the north of Wales were unable to unite in opposition to English hegemony and was a contributing factor to the final war between the Principality of Wales and England, which ultimately saw the end of Welsh independence. Edeirnion still exists as
527-481: The arrival of the coast railway in the mid-19th century, opening up the area to Merseyside . This led to a boom in seaside guest houses. More recently, caravan sites and holiday villages have thrived and ownership of holiday homes increased. Initiatives to boost the economy of North Wales continue, including redevelopment of the Rhyl seafront and funfair . The North Wales Coast Line running from Crewe to Holyhead
558-502: The boundary changes since 1974 make Cadair Berwyn North Top the highest point. Denbighshire borders the present-day principal areas of Gwynedd , Conwy County Borough , Flintshire , Wrexham County Borough , and Powys . Rhyl and Prestatyn form a single built-up area in the north of the county, with a population of 46,267. They are immediately adjacent to the Kinmel Bay and Abergele built-up area in neighbouring Conwy , and at
589-676: The broad valley of the River Clwyd , which is surrounded by rolling hills on all sides except the north, where it reaches the coast. The Vale of Clwyd , the lower valley, is given over to crops, while cattle and sheep graze the uplands. The Clwydian Range in the east is part of the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty . This part of Wales contains the country's oldest known evidence of habitation – Pontnewydd (Bontnewydd-Llanelwy) Palaeolithic site has Neanderthal remains of some 225,000 years ago. The county
620-713: The coastal strip. The highest points were Moel Sych and Cader Berwyn at 2,728 feet (831 m). Pistyll-y-Rhaeader , a 240 feet (73 m) waterfall, was located in the county. The chief rivers were the Clwyd and the Dee . The River Conwy ran north along its western boundary. The main towns in the county were Rhyl , Abergele , Mochdre , Denbigh , Kinmel Bay , Llangollen , Llanrwst , Wrexham , Colwyn Bay and Ruthin . Villages such as Glan Conwy , Eglwysbach , and Llansannan had also come under Denbighshire. The most important industries were agriculture and tourism, but near Wrexham
651-533: The communities of Trefnant and Cefn Meiriadog from the district of Colwyn (entirely Denbighshire) and most of the Glyndŵr district. The last includes the former Edeyrnion Rural District , part of the administrative county of Merionethshire before 1974, covering the parishes of Betws Gwerfil Goch , Corwen , Gwyddelwern , Llangar , Llandrillo yn Edeirnion and Llansanffraid. Other principal areas including part of historical Denbighshire are Conwy , which picked up
SECTION 20
#1732783808743682-451: The county had major resources in coal (see Denbighshire Coalfield ) and ironstone, leading to ironworks of significance during the industrial revolution, notably at Bersham Ironworks and Brymbo Steelworks . From the medieval period until 1974, Denbighshire was divided into civil parishes for the purpose of local government; these in large part equated to ecclesiastical parishes (see the table below), most of which still exist as part of
713-445: The eastern end of series of coastal resorts which that also includes Colwyn Bay and Llandudno further west. According to the 2021 United Kingdom census , Denbighshire's population was approximately 95,800. According to previous censuses, the population of Denbighshire was 93,734 in 2011 and 93,065 in 2001. The largest towns on the coast are Rhyl (2001 population c. 25,000) and Prestatyn (2001 population c. 18,000). According to
744-704: The historic county. Denbighshire was created by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535-1542 from areas previously in the Marches. It was formed from Cantrefi taken as follows; From the Lordship of Denbigh : From Powys Fadog : In the south and west of what was Denbighshire, the mountains of the Clwydian Range rose from 1000 to 2,500 ft (760 m) high. The east was hilly. There was some level ground along
775-451: The lithic remains belonged to ancient peoples, who while passing through the area, made camp by the river more than 9,000 years ago. The eastern edge of Denbighshire follows the ridge of the Clwydian Range , with a steep escarpment to the west and a high point at Moel Famau (1,820 ft (555 m)), which with the upper Dee Valley forms an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty , the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley – one of just five in
806-598: The neighbouring Kingdom of Gwynedd . It was the patrimony of prince Owain Brogyntyn . These rumbling border disputes caused a great deal of friction between the two realms. Edeirnion was occupied and annexed by Gwynedd in the reign of Llywelyn the Great but briefly returned to Powys following a treaty forced on Gwynedd by England after Llywelyn's death in 1240. The territory was again occupied by Gwynedd after 1267 before being returned again to Powys. This continuing dispute and
837-528: The pollster FocalData showed that most people across the county support the British monarchy . Denbighshire (historic) Denbighshire ( Welsh : Sir Ddinbych ), or the County of Denbigh , was one of the thirteen historic counties of Wales , in the north of Wales . It was a maritime county, that was bounded to the north by the Irish Sea , to the east by Flintshire , Cheshire and Shropshire , to
868-445: The remainder of 1974–1996 Colwyn, the Denbighshire parts of 1974–1996 Aberconwy , and Wrexham , which corresponds to the pre-1974 borough of Wrexham along with most of Wrexham Rural District and several parishes of Glyndŵr. Post-1996 Powys includes the historically Denbighshire parishes of Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant , Llansilin and Llangedwyn , which formed part of Glyndŵr district. Researchers have found signs that Denbighshire
899-427: The south by Montgomeryshire and Merionethshire , and to the west by Caernarfonshire . Under the Local Government Act 1972 , the use of Denbighshire for local government and ceremonial purposes ended on 1 April 1974, with the creation of the new county of Clwyd . A different county of the same name was created on 1 April 1996, for modern local government purposes, covering a substantially different area from
930-600: Was abolished, as a result of the Local Government Act 1972 , becoming part of the Glyndŵr District of Clwyd . In 1901 it had a population of 5,132, which had fallen to 3,925 by 1961. It was the only part of Merionethshire not included in the Meirionnydd District of Gwynedd . In 1996 Edeirnion became part of Denbighshire . 52°56′49″N 3°25′01″W / 52.947°N 3.417°W / 52.947; -3.417 This article related to
961-714: Was inhabited at least 225,000 years ago. Bontnewydd Palaeolithic site is one of the most significant in Britain. Hominid remains of probable Neanderthals have been found, along with stone tools from the later Middle Pleistocene . In 2021 February, archaeologists from Aeon Archaeology announced a discovery of over 300 Stone Age tools and artifacts in Rhuddlan . They revealed scrapers , microliths , flakes of chert (a hard, fine-grained, sedimentary rock composed of microcrystalline or cryptocrystalline quartz), flints and other rudimentary tools. An expert, Richard Cooke, believes