Denbighshire (historic)

Denbighshire
*Sir Ddinbych* (Welsh)
Denbighshire Sir Ddinbych (Welsh)
	;
Area
• 1831	386,052 acres (1,562.30 km2)
• 1911	426,084 acres (1,724.30 km2)
• 1961	427,978 acres (1,731.97 km2)
Population
• 1831	83,629
• 1911	144,783
• 1961	174,151
Density
• 1831	0.2/acre
• 1911	0.3/acre
• 1961	0.4/acre
Chapman code	DEN
Government	Denbighshire County Council (1889–1974)
• HQ	Denbigh and Ruthin

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 created in 1536 by combining several marcher lordships. Denbighshire was a maritime county, with a coast to the north onto the Irish Sea. It was named after its original county town of Denbigh. Other towns included Abergele, Colwyn Bay, Llangollen, Llanrwst, Ruthin and Wrexham. The central part of the county included much of the Vale of Clwyd. The neighbouring counties (clockwise from east) were Flintshire, Cheshire, Shropshire, Montgomeryshire, Merionethshire, and 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 the historic county.

History

The area which became Denbighshire had historically been divided into multiple cantrefi under the control of various Welsh rulers. The area was fought over by English and Welsh rulers between the 11th and 13th centuries. Following the Conquest of Wales by Edward I, the area was divided into marcher lordships in 1284 under the Statute of Rhuddlan. The lordships were then controlled by English lords and subordinate to the English monarchs, but were not formally part of England nor subject to English law. Under the Laws in Wales Act 1535, the marcher lordships and the pre-existing Welsh counties were formally incorporated into the Kingdom of England, and the marcher lordships were grouped into counties with effect from 1 November 1536. Denbighshire was one of the new counties, and was defined in the act as "the lordships, townships, parishes, commotes and cantreds" of:^[3]

Denbighland (the Lordship of Denbigh)
Ruthin (also known as Dyffryn Clwyd)
St Asaph
Kinllethowen (or Cynllaith)
Bromfield (or Welsh Maelor)
Yale (Iâl)
Chirk and Chirkland
Molesdale
Hopesdale

Geography

In the east of what was Denbighshire, the mountains of the Clwydian Range rose from 1000 to 2,500 ft (760 m) high. The south was hilly. There was some level ground along the coastal strip, and the Vale of Clwyd formed the central part of the county. 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 formed much of the county's western boundary.

The main towns in the county were Abergele, Colwyn Bay, Denbigh, Llangollen, Llanrwst, Ruthin, and Wrexham. Villages such as Glan Conwy, Eglwysbach, Holt and Llansannan were also in Denbighshire. The most important industries were agriculture and tourism, but around Wrexham 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.

Civil parishes

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 the Church in Wales.^[4] Chapelries are in italics.

Hundred	Parishes
Bromfield	Erbistock/Erbistog^W • Gresford/Gresffordd^W (Holt/Yr Holt) • Marchwiail/Marchwiel^W • Rhiwfabon/Ruabon^W • Wrexham/Wrecsam^W
Chirk	Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog^W • Llangollen (Llansantffraid Glyn Ceiriog^W) • Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant^P (Llanarmon Mynydd Mawr • Llangadwaladr • Llangedwyn) • Llansilin^P • Y Waun/Chirk^W
Isaled	Cerrigydrudion^C • Gwytherin^C • Henllan • Llanfair Talhaiarn^C • Llanfarchell (Dinbych/Denbigh) • Llanfihangel Glyn Myfyr^C • Llangernyw^C • Llangwm^C • Llannefydd^C • Llanrhaeadr-yng-Nghinmeirch • Llansannan^C • Nantglyn • Ysbyty Ifan/Yspytty Ifan^C
Isdulas	Abergele^C • Betws-yn-Rhos^C • Eglwysbach^C • Llanddoged/Llanddoget^C • Llanddulas^C • Llandrillo yn Rhos^C (Rhos Trillo) • Llanelian^C • Llanrwst^C (Capel Garmon) • Llansantffraid Glan Conwy^C • Llansansior/St George^C
Ruthin	Clocaenog • Derwen • Efenechtyd • Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd • Llandyrnog • Llanelidan • Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd • Llanfwrog • Llangwyfan • Llangynhafal • Llanrhydd • Llanychan • Llanynys (Cyffylliog) • Rhuthun/Ruthin
Yale/Ial	Bryneglwys • Llanarmon-yn-I âl • Llandegla • Llandysilio-yn-Iâl/Llantysilio • Llanferres

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.

Places of special interest

Bodnant Garden, Tal-y-Cafn (grid reference SH7972);
Chirk Castle (grid reference SJ2638); (now in Wrexham County Borough)
Denbigh Castle (grid reference SJ0565);
Pillar of Eliseg (grid reference SJ2044);
Plas Newydd, Llangollen (grid reference SJ2241);
Valle Crucis Abbey, Llangollen (grid reference SJ2044).

Municipal reform

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 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.^[5]

The administrative county was subdivided into municipal boroughs and urban and rural districts.

The boroughs of Denbigh and Ruthin were reformed in 1835 by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835. The county's third borough, Wrexham was incorporated in 1857. Colwyn Bay urban district was incorporated in 1934.
Three urban districts were formed by the Local Government Act 1894: Abergele and Pensarn (renamed Abergele in 1935), Colwyn Bay and Colwyn (renamed Colwyn Bay in 1926, and incorporated as a borough in 1934) and Llangollen, as successors to urban sanitary districts. in 1897 Llanrwst urban district was formed.
Eight rural districts were formed (also by the 1894 Act), based on existing rural sanitary districts: Chirk, Llangollen, Llanrwst, Llansillin, Ruthin, St Asaph (Denbigh), Uwchaled and Wrexham.

Two civil parishes: Llaneilian yn Rhos and Llansanffraid Glan Conway were administered as part of Conwy Rural District in the neighbouring county of Caernarfonshire. This area was sometimes called Glan Conway Rural District.

In 1935 the rural districts were reorganised by a County Review Order, and reduced to five in number: Aled, Ceiriog, Hiraethog, Ruthin and Wrexham.

The administrative county was abolished in 1974, with most of its territory becoming part of the new districts of Colwyn, Wrexham Maelor and Glyndŵr in Clwyd. The urban district of Llanrwst and five rural parishes were included in Gwynedd.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Vision of Britain - Denbighshire population (area and density)
^ Vision of Britain - 1831 Census
^ "Section VIII". Laws in Wales Act. 1535. p. 247. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
^ "GENUKI: Denbighshire Towns and Parishes". Retrieved 28 September 2024.
^ "The architects". Save our Heritage. Retrieved 5 October 2021.

External links

[vision_pop-1] Vision of Britain - Denbighshire population (area and density)

[census_1831-2] Vision of Britain - 1831 Census

[1535act-3] "Section VIII". Laws in Wales Act. 1535. p. 247. Retrieved 20 March 2025.

[4] "GENUKI: Denbighshire Towns and Parishes". Retrieved 28 September 2024.

[5] "The architects". Save our Heritage. Retrieved 5 October 2021.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]