Nantglyn is a small village and

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, ...

Denbighshire Denbighshire ( ; cy, Sir Ddinbych; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. 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 (Bontnewy ...

, Wales. The population of the community taken at the 2011 census was 323. It is situated in a rural location about away from the nearest

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

, Denbigh. Nantglyn is located on a small river, the Lliwen. This river and its parent, the Afon Ystrad, provided the water to power several corn and

fulling Fulling, also known as felting, tucking or walking ( Scots: ''waukin'', hence often spelled waulking in Scottish English), is a step in woollen clothmaking which involves the cleansing of woven or knitted cloth (particularly wool) to elimin ...

mills in the parish. According to tradition, a monastery was founded here by Mordeyrn, grandson of

Cunedda Wledig Cunedda ap Edern, also called Cunedda ''Wledig'' ( 5th century), was an important early Welsh leader, and the progenitor of the Royal dynasty of Gwynedd, one of the very oldest of western Europe. Name The name ''Cunedda'' (spelled ''Cunedag ...

. The community includes Cader.

Amenities

The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

is dedicated to St James. It was extensively renovated in 1777 and again in Victorian times. A notable feature of its churchyard is the "pulpit in a tree" built into an ancient yew, which traditionally was once used by John Wesley. A memorial to the fallen of the two

World War A world war is an international conflict which involves all or most of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World WarI (1914 ...

s sits at the centre of the village.

Recent history

There are now no shops remaining in Nantglyn. But previously there was a

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, gr ...

's forge, a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional ser ...

, a

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

and a leather-craft shop that also sold candles (located in the old smithy). There was also a local infant / junior school, but a decline in the number of pupils led to its closure in the 1990s. There were also several Nonconformist chapels in the village, including Capel-y-Waen (Waen Nantglyn is a secondary settlement about a mile northwest of the main village), Capel Soar and Capel Salem. One of the corn mills, Segrwyd Mill, served the neighbourhood farmers until 1960.

Notable residents

Nantglyn has had several notable residents over the centuries, including

David Samwell David Samwell (15 October 1751 – 23 November 1798) was a Welsh naval surgeon and poet. He was an important supporter of Welsh cultural organisations and was known by the pseudonym Dafydd Ddu Feddyg. Personal history Samwell was born in Nan ...

(1751–98), the ship's surgeon aboard the ''

Discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discover ...

'' during

Captain Cook James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean and ...

's final voyage of exploration. Samwell kept a journal that provides a detailed record of the voyage, and he witnessed Cook's death at the hands of hostile natives in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

in 1779. Dr. William Owen Pughe (1759–1835), a well-known literary figure who compiled a Welsh-English dictionary and a Welsh grammar, among other works, lived in the village for the last 10 years of his life, although he was not born there. His son Aneurin Owen also lived here. *

Twm o'r Nant Twm o'r Nant was the pseudonym of a Welsh language dramatist and poet, Thomas Edwards (January 1739 – 3 April 1810), also known as ''Tom of the Dingle''. He was famous for ''anterliwtau'' (interludes or short plays), which he performed mainly ...

, composer, was born in Llannefydd but grew up in Nantglyn * Robert Davies, poet and author *

Tom Pryce Thomas Maldwyn Pryce (11 June 1949 – 5 March 1977) was a British racing driver from Wales known for winning the Brands Hatch Race of Champions, a non-championship Formula One race, in 1975 and for the circumstances surrounding his death ...

, Formula 1 racing driver, spent his youth in the village

References

External links

www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Nantglyn and surrounding area
{{authority control Communities in Denbighshire Villages in Denbighshire