GENUKI : Colwyn Bay, St. Paul's

Colwyn Bay

The new parish of Colwyn Bay was created on 15 May 1893, by an Order in Council, from the townships of Llwytgoed, Rhiw, and part of Dinerth, which until then had been in the ancient parish of Llandrillo-yn-Rhos.
On 5 May 1900, Llwytgoed and part of Rhiw were transferred to the new parish of Bryn-y-Maen.

Church History
Church Records
Civil Registration

Population
Statistics

Church History

During the Victorian period, Colwyn Bay developed rapidly as a holiday resort. The first church services in the new town were held in a carpenter's shed on 18 June 1872. An iron "Mission Church" was opened on 23 June 1880, but this was destroyed in a fire on 31 October 1886.

The present parish church (SJ 850788), dedicated to St. Paul, was consecrated on 13 July 1888; the chancel being opened on 7 April 1895; and the tower on 12 November 1911.
The Clwyd FHS website has a photograph of the church.

The foundation stone of St. David's (SJ 850788), which was intended for the use of the Welsh-speaking congregation, was laid on Whit Monday 1902, the church being dedicated on 1 March 1903. St. David's is adjacent to St. Paul's.
The Clwyd FHS website has a photograph of the church.

The foundation stone of St. Andrew's (SJ 841793), to serve the westerly end of the new parish, was laid on 2 November 1908.
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 Colwyn Bay :

Name of Chapel	Denomination	Number of "adherents"
Not named	Baptists (English language)	160
Tabernacl	Baptists	223
Not named	Calvinistic Methodists (English language)	245
Bethlehem	Calvinistic Methodists	362
Engedi	Calvinistic Methodists	640
Hermon	Calvinistic Methodists	74
Mochdre	Calvinistic Methodists	147
Zion, Upper Colwyn Bay	Calvinistic Methodists	58
Not named	Congregationalists	270
Not named	Congregationalists (English language)	450
Bron y nant	Wesleyans	100
Horeb	Wesleyans	293
Nantyglyn Road	Wesleyans (English language)	170
St.John's	Wesleyans (English language)	500
Congo Institute School Chapel	Christians	Not stated
Friends' Meeting House	Society of Friends	Not stated

Return to top of page

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.
(No separate registers have been deposited for either St. David's or St. Andrew's)

Baptisms	Marriages	Burials
1893 - 1955	1891 - 1952	1931 - 1964

Bishop's Transcripts

No Bishop's Transcripts have been deposited for the parish of Colwyn Bay.

I.G.I.

There are no official I.G.I. entries for Colwyn Bay.

Return to top of page

Civil Registration

The new parish of Colwyn Bay was assigned to the Conwy Registration District.

In the GRO indexes to civil registration, entries for Colwyn Bay are in the format :

Years 1837 - 1851: Conwy XXVII.nnn
Years 1851 - 1930: Conwy 11b.nnn

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

Return to top of page

Population

In 1831- this was not a separate parish.
In 1901- the population was 5975.
[Royal Commission on the Welsh Church - October 1907]

Return to top of page

Statistics

Archdeacon Thomas gives the area of the parish as 757 acres.
[ The History of the Diocese of St. Asaph , 1908-1913, Ven. D.R. Thomas]

Return to top of page

Find help, report problems, and contribute information.

Last Updated 22 Nov 2009 - Gareth Hicks