Denbighshire

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Ysbyty Ifan

"A parish, composed of the townships of Tir-Evan and Trebrys, in the hundred of Isaled, county of Denbigh, and the township of Eidda, which is partly in the above-named hundred and county, and partly in the hundred of Nant Conway, county of Carnarvon; 3 miles (SW) from Pentrevoelas, and containing 847 inhabitants. This parish, which is intersected by the river Conway, a few miles below its source, derives its name from a preceptory belonging to the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, founded by Ivan ab Rhys, about the year 1189, which continued to flourish with the suppression of that order, affording a sanctuary to travellers and others during the period of the conflicts between the English and the Welsh: this privilege continuing with the lords of the manor, after the abolition, and the place being exempted from all civil jurisdiction, rendered it an asylum for robbers and other malefactors, who became the pest of the surrounding country until the reign of Henry VII, when they were extirpated by the courage and firmness of Meredydd ab Ievan: the site of the hospital, or preceptory, is now occupied by the parish church, and there is not a single vestige of the buildings."
[ A Topographical Dictionary of Wales, 1833 & 1849, Samuel Lewis]

The parish consists of the township of Tir Eidda (in Caernarfonshire); Tir Ifan, Trebrys and Prys Ucha (in Denbighshire); and Gwernihowell (in Merionethshire) which was transferred from the parish of Corwen (in Merionethshire) during the late nineteenth century.

Bibliography

• Dathlu canrif a hanner :         [Ysbyty Ifan] : Ysgol Ysbyty Ifan, 2007.
• Davies,  Edward J. J.    The Church of St. John the Baptist, Ysbyty Ifan       Transactions (Caernarvonshire Historical Society), Vol. 56 (1995), p. 37-46.
• Owen, Huw Selwyn.      Y bwrdd bwyd yn Ysbyty Ifan       Llafar Gwlad 27 (1990), p. 6-8
• Roberts, Dewi.    Ysbyty Ifan       Country Quest. (November 2004), 36-37

Church History

The Clwyd FHS website has a photograph of the church.

Nonconformist Churches "Welsh Church Commission - County of Denbigh - The Statistics of the Nonconformist Churches for 1905"lists the following nonconformist places of worship in the Civiladministrative district of Tir Ifan :

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Church Records

Parish Registers

• The following Parish Registers have been deposited at the Denbighshire Record Office, Ruthin.
  They may be viewed on microfilm at the Denbighshire and Flintshire Record Offices, and at the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth.
  These microfilms are not available elsewhere.

• A curious feature of these registers is that the marriages from 1837 to 1842 have been recorded twice - illegally, in the old-style book (which should have been discontinued after 1 July 1837); and correctly, in the new-style book.

• Clwyd FHS has published full transcriptions of the registers (complete with indexes) for the following years :

Bishop's Transcripts

• Bishop's Transcripts for the years shown below have been deposited in the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth.
  Around the year 1951, most of the Bishop's Transcripts which had been deposited at that time were microfilmed by the LDS; and the films are available on request at Family History Centres of the LDS.
  The films may also be viewed at the Denbighshire and Flintshire Record Offices, and at the National Library of Wales.
  In general, the Bishop's Transcripts are less complete than the parish registers.

I.G.I.

• There are no official I.G.I. entries for St. John's, Ysbyty Ifan.

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Civil Registration

In the GRO indexes to civil registration, entries for Ysbyty Ifan are in the format :

• Years 1837 - 1851: Llanrwst XXVII. nnn
• Years 1851 - 1930: Llanrwst 11b. nnn

(GRO index references have no relevance at the local Superintendent Registrar's Office)

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Description and Travel

Ysbyty Ifan - on wikipedia

Ysbyty Ifan Community site

Ysbyty Ifan photographs - on geograph.org.uk

Population

• In 1831- the population was 847.
• In 1901- the population was 663.
  [ Royal Commission on the Welsh Church - October 1907]

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Statistics

• Archdeacon Thomas gives the area of the parish as 9514 acres.
  [ The History of the Diocese of St. Asaph , 1908-1913, Ven. D.R. Thomas]

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Last Updated  9 Jan 2013 - Gareth Hicks