Flintshire

Parishes

Contents

Hope / Yr Hôb

"The parish is divided by the river Alyn into two parts; that above the river, called Hope Medachiad, comprises the townships of Uwchmynydd (subdivided into Uwch and Issa), Cymau, Caergwrle and Rhanberfedd; and that below the river those of Hope Owen, Estyn and Shordley. The total area contains 9171 acres, but a portion was transferred to the daughter parish of Llanfynydd in 1843, leaving to the mother church an area of 5171 acres, with a population of 3075."
[From The History of the Diocese of St. Asaph , Ven. D.R. Thomas, 1908]

Cemeteries Church History Church Records

Civil Registration Population

Cemeteries

• 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

There is evidence that a wooden church stood on the site during the 12th century. This was replaced by a stone building in the late 13th century. The north nave was built circa 1500, with the tower being added some years later. Extensive "restoration" took place in 1859, and again in 1885.

Before the restoration of 1885 :

"The Churchwarden's boxes rose majestically to the height of seven feet, and some large holes cut in the front through which the head might be emerged were the only means by which the occupants could obtain a satisfactory view of the outer world."
[From The History of the Diocese of St. Asaph , Ven. D.R. Thomas, 1908]

Urgent and extensive structural repairs to the fabric of the church were undertaken during the year 2000; and the church was re-opened, and re-dedicated by the Bishop of St. Asaph, on Sunday, 17 December 2000.

The church is currently dedicated to Saint Cynfarch and Saint Cyngar; although at various times in the past it appears to have been dedicated to either one or the other.

The Clwyd FHS website has a photograph of the church.

Nonconformist Churches

Name of Chapel	Denomination	Number of "adherents"
Cymau	Calvinistic Methodist	210
Ffrith	Calvinistic Methodist	60
Horeb	Calvinistic Methodist	125
Sion, Coed Talon	Calvinistic Methodist	150
Bethel, Caergwrle - Welsh	Congregational	110
Castle Farm, Caergwrle - English	Congregational	80
Cromwell's Hill, Caergwrle - English	Congregational	Not stated
Penuel, Llanfynydd - Welsh	Congregational	50
Not named, Pontybodkin - Welsh	Congregational	115
Bethlehem, Cefnybedd	English Presbyterian	180
Not named, Caergwrle	English Presbyterian	220
Sion, Penyffordd	English Presbyterian	85
Not named, Caergwrle	Primitive Methodist	35
Not named, Penyffordd	Primitive Methodist	150
Not named, Caergwrle	United Methodist Free Church	103
Carmel, Cymau - Welsh	Wesleyan	73
Moriah - Welsh	Wesleyan	105
Ffrith - Welsh	Wesleyan	125
Not named, Caergwrle - English	Wesleyan	100

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Church Records

Parish Registers

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

Baptisms	Marriages	Burials
1668 - 1904	1668 - 1907	1668 - 1943

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

Baptisms	Marriages	Burials
1668 - 1812	1668 - 1812	1668 - 1812

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 Flintshire and Denbighshire Record Offices, and at the National Library of Wales.
  In general, the Bishop's Transcripts are less complete than the parish registers.

Deposited at the National Library of Wales	Microfilmed copies
1662 - 1851	1662 - 1851

I.G.I.

• There are no official I.G.I. entries for St. Cyngar's, Hope.

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Nonconformist Records

• The following nonconformist registers for the Hope 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, the Denbighshire 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 Chapel	Denomination	Type of Record	Years Covered
Penuel and Gyfynus	Independent	Births and Baptisms	1820 - 1837

• The following nonconformist registers for the Hope area are held at the Flintshire Record Office, Hawarden (FRO), or at the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth (NLW).
  They have not been filmed; and they have not been incorporated into the I.G.I. :

Name of Chapel	Denomination	Type of Record	Years Covered	Held at
Bethlehem, Cefnybedd	English Presbyterian	Baptisms Marriages Burials	1875 - 1897 1873 - 1887 1873 - 1888	NLW
Sion, Penyffordd	English Presbyterian	Marriages	1937 - 1970 1972 - 1975	NLW
Caergwrle (not named)	Wesleyan	Marriages	1935 - 1967	FRO

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Civil Registration

On 1 August 1871, Hope was transferred to the Hawarden poor law Union (established 1853); and for civil registration purposes, it was assigned to the No. 4 (" Hawarden") sub-district of the Chester Registration District.

On 1 January 1903, the sub-district of Hawarden was upgraded to a Registration District in its own right.

In the GRO indexes to civil registration, entries for Hope are found under:

• Years 1837 - 1851: Wrexham XXVII.nnn
• Years 1852 - 1870: Wrexham 11b.nnn
• Years 1871 - 1902: Chester 8a.nnn
• Years 1903 - 1946: Hawarden 11b.nnn

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

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Population

• In 1831- the population was 2747.
• In 1901- the population was 3075.
  [Royal Commission on the Welsh Church - October 1907]

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