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Flint

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"Flint, the nominal county town of the Shire of that name .... is beautifully situated on the estuary of the Dee, about 5 miles E.S.E. of Holywell (opposite Parkgate) and is 203 miles distant from London. It was formerly a place of considerable importance, on account of its maritime situation and its extensive fortress." [From Gleanings of the histories of Holywell, Flint, St. Asaph and Rhuddlan, J. Poole, 1831.]

There is reason to believe that at one time Flint was a chapelry within the parish of Northop, but it has functioned as a separate parish for at least 400 years.

The townships of Leadbrook Major and Leadbrook Minor were added to the parish of Flint (from the parish of Connah's Quay) in 1872.

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Bibliography

  • A short history of the Flint & Denbigh Hunt. London: Published and produced for The Flint and Denbigh Hunt by Reid-Hamilton, [1953]
  • An early Flint deed Flintshire Historical Society journal, Vol.11 1925 Welsh Journals Online
  • Burgess, John. Denbigh and Flint Carlisle : John Burgess, 2000.
  • Courtaulds and the Flint connection : Country Quest 29/1-2 (1988), p. 26
  • Crasters, O E The supposed outer ditch of Flint Castle Flintshire Historical Society journal, Vol. 22 1965/6 Welsh Journals Online
  • Davies, Huw Powell Fflam y ffydd yn y Flint Cristion. Rhif 142/143 (Haf 2007), p. 14-15
  • Edwards, J Goronwy Prof. The building of Flint Flintshire Historical Society journal, Vol.12 1951 Welsh Journals Online
  • Eisteddfod swydd y Flint : Chester : M. Galway, pr., [1823]
  • Erasmus, T P. The Flint Boroughs by-election of January 1913 Flintshire Historical Society journal, Vol. 31 1983/4 Welsh Journals Online
  • Fawcett, William. The Flint and Denbigh Hunt London : The Hunts Association, 1936.
  • Flint Castle & environs : 1987.
  • Flint Old Parish Church : Hel achau, 40 (1993), p. 8
  • Flint excavation report [+ second report] Flintshire Historical Society journal, Vol.10 1924 Welsh Journals Online
  • Hannaford, H R. Flint Castle, Clwyd : Archaeology in Wales, Vol. 33 (1993), p. 30-33.
  • Hurst, J G Early eighteenth-century pottery from Flint Castle Flintshire Historical Society journal, Vol. 22 1965/6 Welsh Journals Online
  • Jones, Arthur Petitions to King Edward I, by the Burgesses of Flint, 1295-1300 Flintshire Historical Society journal, Vol.9 1922 Welsh Journals Online
  • Jones, Thomas Rees (Senior). Memories of Flint. Part One Hel achau. 42 (1994), p. 5
  • Jones, Thomas Rees (Senior). Memories of Flint. Part Two Hel achau, 43 (1994), p. 12-13
  • Miles, Trevor J. Flint: excavations at the castle and on the town defences 1971-1974 Archaeologia Cambrensis, Vol. 145 (1996), p. 67-151
  • Old Flint. Mold : 1980
  • O'Leary, T.J. with Kevin Blockley and Chris Musson. Pentre Farm, Flint 1976-81 : Oxford : B.A.R., 1989.
  • O'Neill, Eric. Flint beginnings and Salford endings Hel achau, No. 83 (January 2005), p. 15-18
  • Poole, J. Gleanings of the histories of Holywell, Flint, Saint Asaph, and Rhuddlan Holywell : J. Davies, 1831.
  • Renn, Derek and Richard Avent. Flint Castle, Ewloe Castle Cardiff : Cadw: Welsh Historic Monuments, 1995.
  • Taylor, A J The earliest burgesses of Flint and Rhuddlan Flintshire Historical Society journal, Vol. 27 1975/76 Welsh Journals Online
  • Taylor, A J. Scorched earth at Flint in 1294 Flintshire Historical Society journal, Vol. 30 1981/2 Welsh Journals Online
  • Taylor, A J The building of Flint: a post script Flintshire Historical Society journal, Vol.17 1957 Welsh Journals Online
  • Taylor, Henry Flint borough election 1697 Flintshire Historical Society journal, Vol.11 1925 Welsh Journals Online
  • Taylor, Henry Articles for the surrender of Flint Castle to the parliamentary forces in 1646 Flintshire Historical Society journal, Vol.6 1917 Welsh Journals Online
  • Taylor, Henry. Notes upon some early deeds relating to Chester and Flint [S.l, : s.n., 1889]
  • Taylor, Henry. A few notes upon the history of the county town of Flint Chester : Printed by G. R. Griffith, 1875.
  • Taylor, Henry. A guide to Flint Castle 2nd ed. Flint : Borough Printing Works, [1899].
  • Taylor, Henry. Historic notes of Flint Mold : Clwyd County Council Library and Information Service, 1994.
  • Taylor, Henry. Historic notices, with topographical and other gleanings descriptive of the borough and county-town of Flint; with illustrations by Miss Louise Rayner, Mr. Randolph Caldecott, and others. London : Elliot Stock, 1883.
  • The ancient market town of Flint, Flintshire. Wyn Williams (Publishers) Ltd., 1968
  • The official guide to the county of Flint. 2nd ed. London : County Associations, 1953.
  • The register of electors, entitled to vote in the choice of a member to serve in parliament for the borough of Flint, and the several contributing boroughs sharing therewith...1852. Mold : Pring & Price, pr., [1851]
  • The story of Flint Evangelical Church. Evangelical Magazine of Wales. Vol. 31, no. 3 (June/July 1992), p. 19-21
  • Thomas, I D Representation and borough opinion: Liberal parliamentary politics in the Flint district of boroughs, 1852/74 Flintshire Historical Society journal, Vol. 34 1996 Welsh Journals Online
  • Thomas, Peter D G Sir George Wynne and the Flint Borough Elections of 1727/41 Flintshire Historical Society journal, Vol. 20 1962 Welsh Journals Online
  • Tucker, Norman The final sieges of Flint Flintshire Historical Society journal, Vol. 24 1969/70 Welsh Journals Online
  • Wilkes, D R. Flint in old photographs Chorley, Lancs. : Countryside Publications, 1986.
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Cemeteries

St. Mary's churchyard was closed in 1856, by an Order in Council, and a cemetery, complete with chapel, was opened off Northop Road, a short distance to the south-west (OS ref. SJ 242728). The first burial in the cemetery was on 18 November 1856.
Until 1900, this cemetery was to all intents and purposes the "remote" churchyard of St. Mary's parish church, all burials being recorded in St. Mary's burial register.
The cemetery was extended by two acres on Friday, 13th September 1889. The Bishop of St. Asaph officiated at the consecration service, which was conducted with considerable pomp and ceremony.
At the turn of the century, maintenance of the cemetery was handed over to the local authority.
In 1941, the local authority opened a second cemetery, in London Road (OS ref. SJ 233731). Both cemeteries are still in use, and are now administered by Flintshire County Council. The opening time for each cemetery is 8.00 a.m. until sunset.
The cemetery records, from 1890 to date (Northop Road), and 1941 to date (London Road), are held at the Flintshire County offices in Flint.
Researchers who wish to see the cemetery records must make a prior appointment, by contacting :

  • Flintshire County Council,
    Housing and Community Services,
    Cemeteries Section,
    County Offices,
    Flint,
    Flintshire.
    CH6 5BD.

    Tel: 01352 703360
    Fax: 01352 703373

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Church History

Ordnance Survey reference SJ 243730.
The earliest recorded reference to St. Mary's Church dates from the thirteenth century. The original church was on the plan of a parallelogram. It had a north aisle, a porch, and a small wooden steeple at its west end. By 1846, the condition of the church had deteriorated so badly that it was considered to be unsafe. Permission was granted to worship in the Town Hall. The church was completely demolished and a new building, designed by the architect Ambrose Poynter, was erected on the same site. At the time, a number of old coffin lids and inscribed slabs were discovered in the foundations. The new church was consecrated on 5th December 1848. It consists of a nave, with north and south aisles, a short chancel, and a north-west clock tower with an octagonal spire.
In 1992, the local authority initiated a programme of pedestrianisation in the area around the church. During this work, some 60 memorials, mainly of the flat slab type, were discovered, many with most interesting inscriptions.

The Clwyd FHS website has a photograph of the church.

Flint Church, s.e on the People's Collection Wales site

There are also two district churches - St. David, Oakenholt, which was opened in 1872; and St. Thomas, Flint Mountain, which was opened in 1875.

Nonconformist Churches

"Welsh Church Commission - County of Flint - The Statistics of the Nonconformist Churches for 1905" lists the following nonconformist places of worship in the Civil parish of Flint :

Name of ChapelDenominationNumber of "adherents"
TabernacleBaptist60
Sion - WelshCongregational100
Not named - EnglishCongregational70
CaersalemCalvinistic Methodist200
Bethania, PentreCalvinistic Methodist140
Cae Coch, PentreCalvinistic MethodistNot stated
BrynCalvinistic MethodistNot stated
Not namedEnglish Presbyterian260
Not namedEnglish Wesleyan110
Peniel, FlintWesleyan250
Bethel, Flint MountainWesleyan150
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Church Records

  • The following nonconformist registers for the Flint area are held at the Public Record Office, Kew.
    They may be viewed on microfilm at LDS Family History Centres; and at the Flintshire Record Office and the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth.
    They have also been incorporated into the I.G.I., as part of an "official extraction" programme :
Name of ChapelDenominationType of RecordYears CoveredI.G.I. Batch Number
Bethesda (Flint Mountain)Calvinistic MethodistBirths and Baptisms1833 - 1836C098331
CaersalemCalvinistic MethodistBirths and Baptisms1826 - 1837C098321
  • The following nonconformist registers for the Flint area are held at the Flintshire Record Office, Hawarden.
    They have not been filmed; and they have not been incorporated into the I.G.I. :
Name of ChapelDenominationType of RecordYears Covered
St. John'sCongregationalBaptisms, Marriages and Burials1929 - 1975 (photocopies)
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Civil Registration

When Civil Registration was introduced (on 1 July 1837), the parish of Flint was assigned to the No. 3 ("Flint") sub-district of the Holywell Registration District, which was co-extensive with the Holywell poor law Union.

In the GRO indexes, entries for Flint are found under:

  • Years 1837 - 1851: Holywell XXVII. nnn
  • Years 1852 - 1946: Holywell 11b. nnn

(GRO index references have no relevance in local register offices)

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Description & Travel

Flint Castle - on castle wales

Journey to the past - Flint

Various landscapes on the People's Collection Wales site

You can see pictures of Flint which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

The transcription of the section for this place from the National Gazetteer (1868), provided by Colin Hinson.

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History

Material on the People's Collection Wales site

  • View from road into town [Flint], woman carrying jug on her head 
  • Church Street, Flint c1913 
  • Horse Mail, Ruthin to Flint. Last Run on August 31st 1913
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Maps

"North-East Wales Churches and Ancient Parish Boundaries" produced by Clwyd Record Office in 1994, published by Genuki with the permission of Flintshire Record Office and Denbighshire Archives

Kain, R.J.P., Oliver, R.R., Historic Parishes of England and Wales: an Electronic Map of Boundaries before 1850 with a Gazetteer and Metadata [computer file]. Colchester, Essex: History Data Service, UK Data Archive [distributor], 17 May 2001. SN: 4348. Here is a gazetteer/finding aid plus a set of overview maps to accurately identify the position of parishes within the county

Map of Flint parish in the County of Flint on the People's Collection Wales site

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SJ245716 (Lat/Lon: 53.23568, -3.132047), Flint which are provided by:

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Newspapers

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Population

  • In 1831- the population was 2216.
  • In 1901- the population was 4630.
    [ Royal Commission on the Welsh Church - October 1907]