Denbighshire
Contents
Chirk
"A parish in the Union of Oswestry, hundred of Chirk, county of Denbigh. ..... This parish is bounded on the north by the river Dee, and on the south by the Ceiriog, which unite on its eastern side. It lies at the foot of the Berwyn range of mountains, which skirt it on the west, and its surface is somewhat uneven, rising from the village to an eminence on which the castle is situated, on the western side, with the Berwyns beyond, and on the eastern to another elevation, from the brow of which there is a delightful prospect of the plain of Salop, on the one side, and on the other a nearer view of part of the Vale of Llangollen. ..... The village is pleasantly situated on the northern bank of the river Ceiriog, which, flowing through a small vale of great beauty, here separates the counties of Denbigh and Salop, and consequently Wales and England."
[A Topographical Dictionary of Wales, 1833 & 1849, Samuel Lewis]
The parish comprises the townships of Chirk, Bryncynallt, Halton, Gwernospin and Penyclawdd.
Church History
Ordnance Survey reference SJ 291376.
There is believed to have been a Christian church on the site since the 7th century. The earliest written records, which date from 1163, refer to "Warinus, priest of Chirklands". The church was mentioned in the Lincoln Taxation of 1291.
There were extensive alterations to the Norman structure during the late 15th century; and various renovations and restorations during the early 19th century. The church was partly rebuilt after being damaged by fire in the early hours of Christmas Day, 1853. Further restoration work was carried out in 1877.
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 Civil parish of Chirk :
| Name of Chapel |
Denomination |
Number of "adherents" |
| Black Park
|
Primitive Methodists (English language)
|
400
|
| Pont y Blew
|
Primitive Methodists (English language)
|
100
|
| Chirk Green
|
United Methodist Free Church (English language)
|
300
|
| Jubilee
|
Wesleyans (English language)
|
50
|
| Waen
|
Wesleyans
|
40
|
Church Records
Parish Registers
- The following Parish Registers have been deposited at the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth.
They may be viewed on microfilm at the Denbighshire and Flintshire Record Offices, at the A.N. Palmer Library, Wrexham, and at the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth.
These microfilms are not available elsewhere.
| Baptisms | Marriages | Burials |
| 1678 - 1956 |
1611 - 1971 |
1611 - 1975 |
- Clwyd FHS has published full transcriptions of the registers (complete with indexes) for the following years :
| Baptisms | Marriages | Burials |
| 1666 - 1812 |
1612 - 1812 |
1611 - 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 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.
| Deposited at the National Library of Wales |
Microfilmed copies |
| 1663 - 1852 |
1666 - 1852 |
I.G.I.
-
There are no official I.G.I. entries for St. Mary's, Chirk.
Civil Registration
When Civil Registration was introduced (on 1 July 1837), the parish of Chirk was assigned to the No. 4 ("St. Martin's") sub-district of the Oswestry Registration District;
which was co-extensive with the Oswestry Incorporation poor law Union.
In the GRO indexes to civil registration, entries for Chirk are in the format :
- Years 1837 - 1851: Oswestry XVIII.nnn
- Years 1851 - 1930: Oswestry 6a.nnn
(GRO index references have no relevance at the local Superintendent Registrar's Office)
Population
- In 1831- the population was 1598.
- In 1901- the population was 2611.
[Royal Commission on the Welsh Church - October 1907]
Statistics
- Archdeacon Thomas gives the area of the parish as 2649 acres.
[ The History of the Diocese of St. Asaph , 1908-1913, Ven. D.R. Thomas]
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Last Updated 22 Nov 2009 - Gareth Hicks
