Denbighshire (historic)

The old Denbighshire (Sir Ddinbych) is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, and a former administrative county, which covered an area in north-east Wales. It was a maritime county, bounded to the north by the Irish Sea, to the east by Flintshire, Cheshire and Shropshire, to 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 April 1, 1974, with the creation of the new county of Clwyd. The present county of Denbighshire was created on April 1, 1996, covering a substantially different area.

History

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 Gwynedd:

• Rhos
• Rhufoniog
• Dyffryn Clwyd

From Powys Fadog:

• Iâl
• Maelor Gymraeg
• Nanheudwy
• Cynllaith

Geography

In the south and west of the former county, the mountains of the Clwydian Range rise from 1000 to high. The east is hilly. There is some level ground along the coastal strip. The highest points are Moel Sych and Cader Berwyn at . Pistyll-y-Rhaeader is a spectacular waterfall. The chief rivers are the Clwyd and the Dee. The River Conwy runs north along the western boundary. The modern county of Denbighshire borders Powys to the south, Flintshire and Wrexham to the east and Gwynedd to the west.

The main towns in the area today are Rhyl, Denbigh, Llangollen, Llanrwst, and Ruthin. The most important industries are agriculture and tourism.

Places of special interest

• Bodnant Gardens, Tal-y-Cafn ();
• Chirk Castle ();
• Denbigh Castle ();
• Eliseg's Pillar ();
• Plas Newydd, Llangollen ();
• Valle Crucis Abbey ().

Municipal reform

A county and 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 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 Conway Rural District in the neighbouring county of Carnarvonshire. 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 county and administrative county were abolished in 1974, with the bulk becoming part of the new county of Clwyd. The urban district of Llanrwst and five rural parishes were included in Gwynedd.

References

External links

• Denbighshire genealogical information
• Denbighshire archaeological information