Denbighshire ( ; cy, Sir Ddinbych; ) is a
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
in the
north-east
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sep ...
of
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
. Its borders differ from the
historic county of the same name. This part of Wales contains the country's oldest known evidence of habitation –
Pontnewydd (Bontnewydd-Llanelwy) Palaeolithic site has
Neanderthal
Neanderthals (, also ''Homo neanderthalensis'' and erroneously ''Homo sapiens neanderthalensis''), also written as Neandertals, are an Extinction, extinct species or subspecies of archaic humans who lived in Eurasia until about 40,000 years ag ...
remains of some 225,000 years ago. Castles include
Denbigh,
Rhuddlan, Rhyl, Prestatyn, Trefnant, Llangollen and Ruthin
Ruthin ( ; cy, Rhuthun) is a market town and community in Denbighshire, Wales, in the south of the Vale of Clwyd. It is Denbighshire's county town. The town, castle and St Peter's Square lie on a hill, skirted by villages such as Pwllglas ...
,
Castell Dinas Bran,
Bodelwyddan and
St Asaph Cathedral.
Denbighshire is bounded by coastline to the north and hills to the east, south and west. The
River Clwyd
The River Clwyd ( Welsh: ''Afon Clwyd'') is a river in Wales that rises in the Clocaenog Forest () northwest of Corwen. Its total length is .
It flows due south until, at Melin-y-wig, it veers north-eastwards, tracking the A494 and passing ...
follows a broad valley with little industry: crops appear in the
Vale of Clwyd and cattle and sheep in the uplands. The coast attracts summer visitors; hikers frequent the
Clwydian Range, part of the
Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod takes place each July.
Formation
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), the communities of
Trefnant and
Cefn Meiriadog
Cefn Meiriadog (sometimes Cefnmeriadog) is a rural community in Denbighshire, Wales, just south-west of the city of St Asaph. The boundary of the community on three sides is the river Elwy, which here forms the county boundary with Conwy County ...
from the district of
Colwyn
Colwyn was a local government district with borough status from 1974 to 1996, being one of six districts in the county of Clwyd, north-east Wales.
History
The borough was created on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972. It covere ...
(entirely Denbighshire) and most of the
Glyndŵr district. The last includes the former
Edeyrnion Rural District Edeyrnion could refer to:
* Edeirnion
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 ...
, part of the administrative county of Merionethshire before 1974, covering the parishes of
Betws Gwerfil Goch,
Corwen,
Gwyddelwern
Gwyddelwern is a small village and community of 508 residents, reducing to 500 at the 2011 census, situated approximately north of Corwen in Denbighshire in Wales. Historically the village was part of the Edeyrnion district of Meirionnydd. Ede ...
,
Llangar, Llandrillo yn Edeirnion and Llansanffraid.
Other principal areas including part of historical Denbighshire are
Conwy, which picked up the remainder of 1974–1996 Colwyn, the Denbighshire parts of 1974–1996
Aberconwy, and
Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
, which corresponds to the pre-1974 borough of
Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
along with most of
Wrexham Rural District
Wrexham was a rural district in the administrative county of Denbighshire from 1894 and 1974.
The rural district took over the existing Wrexham Sanitary district, Rural Sanitary District. It consisted of the following civil parishes:
*Abenbury
* ...
and several parishes of Glyndŵr. Post-1996
Powys includes the historically Denbighshire parishes of
Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant,
Llansilin and
Llangedwyn
Llangedwyn is a village in Montgomeryshire, Powys, Wales. The population of the community at the 2011 census was 402. The community includes the hamlet of Pen-y-bont Llanerch Emrys.
It lies in the Tanat Valley near to the Wales/ England border ...
, which formed part of Glyndŵr district.
[
]
Early history
Researchers have found signs that Denbighshire was inhabited at least 225,000 years ago. Bontnewydd Palaeolithic site is one of the most significant in Britain. Hominid remains of probable Neanderthal
Neanderthals (, also ''Homo neanderthalensis'' and erroneously ''Homo sapiens neanderthalensis''), also written as Neandertals, are an Extinction, extinct species or subspecies of archaic humans who lived in Eurasia until about 40,000 years ag ...
s have been found, along with stone tools from the later Middle Pleistocene.
Archaeology
In 2021 February, archaeologists from Aeon Archaeology announced a discovery of over 300 Stone Age tools and artifacts in Rhuddlan. They revealed scrapers, microlith
A microlith is a small stone tool usually made of flint or chert and typically a centimetre or so in length and half a centimetre wide. They were made by humans from around 35,000 to 3,000 years ago, across Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. Th ...
s, flakes of chert
Chert () is a hard, fine-grained sedimentary rock composed of microcrystalline or cryptocrystalline quartz, the mineral form of silicon dioxide (SiO2). Chert is characteristically of biological origin, but may also occur inorganically as a ...
(a hard, fine-grained, sedimentary rock composed of microcrystalline or cryptocrystalline quartz), flint
Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and start ...
s and other rudimentary tools. An expert, Richard Cooke, believes the lithic remains belonged to ancient peoples, who while passing through the area, made camp by the river more than 9,000 years ago.
Geography
:''See also List of places in Denbighshire
''Map of places in Denbighshire compiled from this list'':See the list of places in Wales for places in other principal areas.
This is a list of towns and villages in the principal area of Denbighshire, Wales.
__NOTOC__
A
* Aberwheeler
B
*Ber ...
.''
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 (),[ which with the upper Dee Valley forms an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the ]Clwydian Range and Dee Valley
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, iucn_ref =
, photo =Sunny Hillside, Frosty Valley Dee Valley Wales (11014647076).jpg
, photo_width =
, photo_alt =Image of the view of the Dee Valley from Moel Y Gamelin
, photo_caption = ...
– one of just five in the Wales. The Denbigh Moors (Mynydd Hiraethog
Denbigh Moors (Welsh language, Welsh: Mynydd Hiraethog) is an upland region in Conwy County Borough, Conwy and Denbighshire in north-east Wales, between Snowdonia and the Clwydian Range. It includes the large reservoirs Llyn Brenig and Llyn Alwen ...
) are in the west of the county and the Berwyn Range adjacent to the southern edge. The River Clwyd
The River Clwyd ( Welsh: ''Afon Clwyd'') is a river in Wales that rises in the Clocaenog Forest () northwest of Corwen. Its total length is .
It flows due south until, at Melin-y-wig, it veers north-eastwards, tracking the A494 and passing ...
has a broad fertile Vale
A vale is a type of valley.
Vale may also refer to:
Places Georgia
* Vale, Georgia, a town in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region
Norway
* Våle, a historic municipality
Portugal
* Vale (Santa Maria da Feira), a former civil parish in the municipa ...
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 ), but 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.
Population
According to the 2021 United Kingdom census, Denbighshire's population was approximately 95,800. According to previous censuses, the population size 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
Prestatyn is a seaside town and community in Denbighshire, Wales. Historically a part of Flintshire, it is located on the Irish Sea coast, to the east of Rhyl. Prestatyn has a population of 19,085,
History Prehistory
There is evidence that ...
(2001 population c. 18,000). According to the 2011 Census returns, 24.6 per cent stated they could speak Welsh.
Economy
Since the 20th-century demise of the coal and steel industries in the Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
area, there is no heavy industry in the county. Although most towns have small industrial park
An industrial park (also known as industrial estate, trading estate) is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more "heavyweight" version of a business park or office park ...
s 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 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 the arrival of the coast railway in the mid-19th century, opening up the area to Merseyside
Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Mersey Estuary and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wir ...
. 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
North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, ...
continue, including redevelopment of the Rhyl seafront and funfair.
Transport
The North Wales Coast Line running from Crewe to Holyhead is served by Transport for Wales
Transport for Wales (TfW; cy, Trafnidiaeth Cymru; cy, TrC, label=none) is a not-for-profit company owned by the Welsh Government and managed at arms length by its appointed board. TfW oversees the Transport for Wales Group (TfW Group) cons ...
and Avanti West Coast services. Trains leaving Crewe to pass through Chester, cross the River Dee into Wales, and continue through Flint
Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and start ...
, Shotton, Holywell Junction (closed in 1966), Prestatyn
Prestatyn is a seaside town and community in Denbighshire, Wales. Historically a part of Flintshire, it is located on the Irish Sea coast, to the east of Rhyl. Prestatyn has a population of 19,085,
History Prehistory
There is evidence that ...
, 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 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
Betws-y-coed (; '' en, prayer house in the wood'') is a village and community in the Conwy valley in Conwy County Borough, Wales, located in the historic county of Caernarfonshire, right on the boundary with Denbighshire, in the Gwydir Forest. ...
to join the A55 and terminate at Bangor. The A543 crosses 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.
Politics
Denbighshire is represented in the House of Commons by three MPs. The Welsh Labour Party lost to the Welsh Conservatives
The Welsh Conservatives ( cy, Ceidwadwyr Cymreig) is the branch of the United Kingdom Conservative Party that operates in Wales. At Westminster elections, it is the second most popular political party in Wales, having obtained the second-la ...
in the 2019 general election for the first time.
The following MPs were elected from Denbighshire in 2019:
* Simon Baynes (Welsh Conservatives
The Welsh Conservatives ( cy, Ceidwadwyr Cymreig) is the branch of the United Kingdom Conservative Party that operates in Wales. At Westminster elections, it is the second most popular political party in Wales, having obtained the second-la ...
) in Clwyd South, first elected in 2019.
* David Jones (Welsh Conservatives) in Clwyd West, first elected in 2005.
* James Davies (Welsh Conservatives) in Vale of Clwyd, first elected in 2019.
Denbighshire is also represented in the Senedd by three members elected in 2021:
* Ken Skates (Welsh Labour) in Clwyd South, first elected in 2011
*Darren Millar
Darren David Millar (born 1976) is a British politician who has served as the Member of the Senedd (MS) for Clwyd West since 2007. He is a member of the Welsh Conservatives.
Political career
From 2000 to 2001, Millar was mayor of the township ...
(Welsh Conservatives) in Clwyd West, first elected in 2007
* Gareth Davies (Welsh Conservatives) in Vale of Clwyd, first elected in 2021.
In 2019, research by UnHerd in association with the pollster FocalData showed that most people across the county support the British monarchy.
See also
* Denbighshire (historic)
* List of Lord Lieutenants of Denbighshire
* List of Custodes Rotulorum of Denbighshire
* List of High Sheriffs of Denbighshire
* Denbighshire (UK Parliament constituency)
*List of places in Denbighshire
''Map of places in Denbighshire compiled from this list'':See the list of places in Wales for places in other principal areas.
This is a list of towns and villages in the principal area of Denbighshire, Wales.
__NOTOC__
A
* Aberwheeler
B
*Ber ...
* List of schools in Denbighshire
References
External links
*
*
Denbighshire landscape
{{Authority control
Denbighshire
Counties of Wales
Principal areas of Wales
North Wales