# 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 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 the historic county.

## 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 the Lordship of Denbigh:
* Rhos
* Rhufoniog
* Dyffryn Clwyd
From Powys Fadog:
* Iâl
* Maelor Gymraeg
* Nanheudwy
* Cynllaith

## Geography

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 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 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. 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-Iâl • 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.
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.