Selattyn ( Welsh: ''Sylatyn'') is the name of a village close to Oswestry in

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

, England, on the

England–Wales border The England–Wales border ( cy, Y ffin rhwng Cymru a Lloegr; shortened: Ffin Cymru a Lloegr), sometimes referred to as the Wales–England border or the Anglo-Welsh border, runs for from the Dee estuary, in the north, to the Severn estuary i ...

. The village is near

Offa's Dyke Offa's Dyke ( cy, Clawdd Offa) is a large linear earthwork that roughly follows the border between England and Wales. The structure is named after Offa, the Anglo-Saxon king of Mercia from AD 757 until 796, who is traditionally believed to ha ...

, which bounds the parish on the west. The parish includes the townships of Upper and Lower Porkington (which was adapted into Welsh as ''Brogyntyn''), and also the hamlet of Hengoed (Welsh for 'old forest'). The topography is undulating and well timbered, with soils of various qualities; the substratum abounds with limestone. There are quarries of good building-stone. Close to Selattyn lies the ruined Castle Brogyntyn dating to the 12th century. The area only became confirmed as part of Shropshire and therefore also a part of England in the 16th century. E. G. Ravenstein's look at the geographical extent of the Welsh language in 1878, from a lecture he gave in that year, reported Welsh services and Welsh being spoken in Selattyn and the surrounding area.

Church of St Mary

The church, dedicated to St. Mary, stands in the middle of the village. It was first mentioned in Papal Tax records in 1291. The church is situated within an oval churchyard in which can be found a number of extremely old Yew trees. This points to the likelihood that Christian worship has been offered here for well over 1000 years. The bowl of the font dates from the 13th century and the beautiful barrel roof over the chancel is perhaps as old as the 14th century. In the Middle Ages the church would have been a simple oblong, consisting of the nave and chancel, perhaps a tower. The internal nave roof timbers are from about the end of this period, namely the 15th century. The north and south transepts were not added until 1821–28. Then in 1891–92 the church was extensively rebuilt, with the addition of the north aisle and the red sandstone arches, while red roof tiles replaced slates. There are two Kempe windows in the church. Inside the church is a framed

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Roll of Honour listing parish men who served, indicating those among them who died, how and when. Nearby hang a picture and details of Selattyn's only

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

loss, Robert Hanmer, killed returning from a bombing mission over Germany, with display of his medals, pictures of the crash site and his grave. There is a memorial from the

Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...

, in form of brass plaque, to Trooper G. Evans (

Imperial Yeomanry The Imperial Yeomanry was a volunteer mounted force of the British Army that mainly saw action during the Second Boer War. Created on 2 January 1900, the force was initially recruited from the middle classes and traditional yeomanry sources, but s ...

), who died of fever at Mafeking in 1900. The parish is unique in England to have voted to belong to the disestablished Church in Wales. The church was restored in 1996, and again in 2001. The parish war memorial, in the churchyard, is in the form of a carved stone Celtic cross with names of the war dead of both World Wars. Former Rectors of the parish include

Henry Sacheverell Henry Sacheverell (; 8 February 1674 – 5 June 1724) was an English high church Anglican clergyman who achieved nationwide fame in 1709 after preaching an incendiary 5 November sermon. He was subsequently impeached by the House of Commons and ...

, who held the living 1710-1713 despite being suspended from preaching after being tried for politicized sermons he made in London.Article by the Hon Mrs Bulkeley-Owen. Former Curates included, from 1859 to 1864, David Thomas, later Archdeacon of Montgomery and historian.

Notable people

* Richard Jones (1871–1940), cricketer

References

External links

St.Marys Church, Selattyn
{{authority control History of Shropshire Villages in Shropshire

Church of St Mary

Notable people

See also

References

External links