The A-Z of Curious Flintshire E-Book

David Rowe

• Herausgeber: The History Press
• Kategorie: Sachliteratur, Reportagen, Biografien
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 277

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Beschreibung

Flintshire, the northern gateway to Wales, is a county rich in heritage. It is home to ancient artefacts, medieval buildings and country houses, and has had many fascinating residents such as the grand old man of politics, W.E. Gladstone, and the famous naturalist and writer, Thomas Pennant. As with much of Wales, Flintshire is also a place of myth and legends, from missing monks to maids in wells. This wonderful compendium of curious anecdotes and curiosities relates tales from the county's rich history. Beautifully illustrated, it is great for dipping into, but can equally be enjoyed from cover to cover.

Leseprobe

For Judith and Ken Lloyd Gruffydd (1939–2015) for his knowledge, humour and inspiration to aspiring local historians

Acknowledgements

BOOKS OFTHIS nature would not be possible without the assistance of many people, and my grateful thanks go to the following, who have generously contributed without hesitation. However, any errors or omissions rest with no one but myself:

Abergele Field Club; Brian Taylor of Holywell & District Society; Dr Shaun Evans; the Right Hon. Lord Mostyn and the Mostyn estate; the late Mrs Nancy Hansford; the family of Jim Bentley, who did so much to record the life and times of Buckley life, and a special mention to his eldest daughter Sue, who sadly died in 2012. To Paul Davies of the Buckley Society; Tom and Iris Dillon; Chris Bailey of ‘Dawnswyr Delyn’; Mick Tems of Folkwales online magazine; Dr Miranda Kaufmann; Peter and Johanna Kaufmann; Dale Hemphill; Roy Greaves; Mrs Louise Ankers, Head of Ysgol y Waun, Gwernaffield; Jane Forking-Russell of the Black Lion in Babell; Miss Hazel Formby; Mairi and the late Charles Wynne-Eyton; the late Major Basil Heaton; Debbie Barton and Mold Golf Club; Reverend Eirlys Gruffydd; Mike Grant of the RAF Historical Society; Len Buckley; Rhiannon Griffiths, for her uncanny knack of identifying obscure stories; the USA-based Early Television Museum; Neville Dykins; Geraint Lewis; the Venerable Bill Pritchard; Reverend Ian Foster; Reverend Paulette Gower; Rowland and Irene Tennant; Reverend Neil Kelly; Simon Gerrard; Debbie Seymour; Sylvia Jones-Davies; the Grosvenor estate; Ray Davies; Eric Keen; Colin Sheen and Bagillt History Club; John King; Jonathan Evans MP; Lyndon Jones; Lachlan Mackay; Alan Roberts; Fr John Cavanagh OFMCap; Fr Anthony Innes OFMCap; Peter Robinson; Judge Geoffrey Kilfoil; Charles Ley; Quentin Dodd; Bill Carnegie; Phil Douglas; Reverend Alan Cliff; Paul Harston of Roman Tours Ltd; Dave Healey; John Williams; Chris Bithell: Michael Owens; Peter Jones; Fr Rory Geoghegan SJ; Michael Johnson; Bernie Trickett; Jeremy Evans; Mrs Doreen Jones; Paul Buck of the British Museum; Mrs Elaine Hinks-Edwards; Mrs Gill Grunwald; Kevin Matthias; the late Dr Malcolm Seaborne; Mrs Shirley Walls; Tegwyn Thomas; Noel Barnes and Hawarden Community Council; the late Hughie Owen; Colin Barber and Rhydymwyn Valley History Society; Ian Brown and the Friends of the Froth Blowers; Viv and Eifion Williams; Clive Sparrow; Richard O. Thomas; Philip Lloyd; Mold & District Civic Society Community Archive, and the Pub History Society.

The staff of Flintshire Record Office and Mold Town Library @nswers Centre have once again provided wonderful support, and I am deeply grateful to all the personnel for their patience and considerable expertise in second-guessing my requirements. Susan Phillips for her assistance, support and helpful suggestions throughout the whole lengthy process. Paul Brighton for his reading of the draft and his helpful comments and suggestions. The editorial team at The History Press for turning the draft manuscript into the book you are reading today.

No acknowledgement page would be complete without mention of my wife, Judith, who has not only given me encouragement to tackle a third book but has proofread and provided suggestions as to the content.

My apologies to anyone I have missed; I can assure you it was not deliberate but an oversight on my part.

Diolch yn fawr

Contents

Title

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Foreword

Introduction

The A–Z of Curious

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

Bibliography and Sources

About the Author

Copyright

Foreword

FLINTSHIREISAN old county and is listed in the Domesday Book; Flint Castle features in Shakespeare, and whilst the county retained its detached portion until Clwyd came into being, the county of Caernarfon had lost the detached parts of its area to Denbighshire in the late 1920s.

Despite its age, Flintshire can, as Dr John Davies said in a lecture to the Flintshire Historical Society, be considered an overlooked part of Wales, too easy to pass through on the way westward. Its heritage is rich, whether it be historic, cultural or industrial.

The county has had distinguished historians in the last century: Sir J. Goronwy Edwards, Professor Maldwyn Jones and Professor J. Gwynn Williams, all pupils at Holywell Grammar School, are just a few examples, and still today we see others following in their footsteps.

One heartening development in recent years has been the establishment of local history societies, which have enriched our knowledge of so many parts of the county. This has been due to the enthusiasm of many individuals, and David Rowe is one of them. Although not a native of Flintshire, he has immersed himself in its history and has been especially active in the Mold area; many societies have benefited from his research.

This book, because of its nature, covers much that would be lost in longer articles but at the same time deserve mention. I am sure that it will be of interest to anyone with a love of the county and its history.

MAE SIR Y FFLINT yn hen sir ac fe’i rhestrir yn Llyfr Domesday; mae Shakespeare yn rhoi sylw i Gastell Y Fflint, a thra cadwodd y sir ei darn tir gwahanedig hyd at sefydlu Sir Clwyd, trosglwyddwyd darnau gwahanedig o Sir Gaernarfon i Sir Ddinbych yn y 1920au hwyr.

Er yn cydnabod bod Sir Y Fflint yn hen, dywedodd y Dr John Davies wrth annerch Cymdeithas Hanes y Sir ei bod yn rhan o Gymru y gellir yn hawdd ei hanwybyddu wrth deithio drwyddi tua’r gorllewin. Mae iddi dreftadaeth gyfoethog, yn hanesyddol, yn ddiwylliannol ac yn ddiwydiannol.

Magwyd haneswyr o fri yn y sir yn ystod y ganrif ddiwethaf, sef Syr J Goronwy Edwards, yr Athro Maldwyn Jones a’r Athro J Gwynn Williams, pob un wedi bod yn ddisgybl yn Ysgol Ramadeg Treffynnon. A gwelwn rai eraill yn dilyn ôl eu traed heddiw.

Un datblygiad calonogol yn y blynyddoedd diweddar yw twf cymdeithasau hanes lleol, sydd wedi cyfoethogi ein hadnabyddiaeth o lawer ran o’r sir. Mae hyn yn ganlyniad i frwdfrydedd ambell unigolyn, megis David Rowe. Er nad yw’n frodor o Sir Y Fflint, mae David wedi trwytho ei hun yn ei hanes, yn weithgar yn Yr Wyddgrug a’r cylch yn arbennig; ac mae llawer o gymdeithasau wedi elwa ar ei ymchwiliadau.

Oherwydd ei natur, mae’r llyfr hwn yn delio â llawer na châi sylw mewn ysgrifau hirach ond eto i gyd sy’n haeddu sôn amdanynt. Rydw i’n siwˆr y bydd o ddiddordeb i’r sawl sy’n caru’r sir a’i hanes.

R.O. Thomas, Chairman of Council – Flintshire Historical Society

Cymdeithas Hanes Sir Y FFlint

Introduction

‘If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.’

THE QUOTATION, by Rudyard Kipling, is very fitting for a compendium of local history stories dedicated to my adopted county of Flintshire. When The History Press first suggested I write the book as part of their nationwide ‘A–Z’ series, my first concern was whether there was enough fresh material available so that the book would not be just a retelling of previously published stories.

It would not be possible to tell tales of Flintshire without the inclusion of certain well-known places and events, but hopefully much will be new to many readers, and the more well-known tales will be viewed from a different angle. From the initial research the problem clearly became a matter of what was going to be left out, so who knows, there may be a demand for a follow-up book!

Flintshire is a county rich in heritage, sadly not always fully appreciated or promoted, and in this book I have attempted to illustrate its wide and varied history by recounting tales of people, places and events. As an incomer, and a Sais (Englishman) at that, I have had immense pleasure from researching the area and listening to residents’ stories, but I have only scratched the surface of this fascinating county.

Throughout the centuries there have been significant changes to towns and villages in Flintshire, many of which were at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution because of their large number of mines and factories. The immigration of workers impacted greatly on many places, but the majority of communities have managed to maintain their identities throughout. The distinctive Welsh culture and language has survived all of these changes, and indeed the national identity appears to be getting stronger. One thing remains constant; the friendship and hospitality shown to incomers, like myself, who respect the uniqueness of this small nation.

There is still so much to learn about this border county and I look forward to continuing with my research. Many of the stories could justify a book of their own, but hopefully this one will enthuse the reader to look deeper into subjects that specifically interest them and share their knowledge with others. Are all the stories true, or are some ‘urban myths’? Getting to the truth, or even determining facts, can be a major challenge, as often the local belief suggests a story may be true, although there is no substantive evidence to support such a claim. In this book I have written some stories I have been unable to fully substantiate, but I will leave it to you, the reader, to decide whether they are true. The following quotation by Robin Bruce Lockhart highlights the dilemma: ‘The whole truth I suggest, can rarely, if ever, be written by historians either of today or tomorrow, however conscientious they may be.’

The A–Z of Curious Flintshire

A

AGRICULTURE, ANIMALS AND AMPHIBIANS

The Flintshire-born writer and naturalist Thomas Pennant in his book published in 1796, The History of Whiteford and Holywell, describes the pry llwyd (badger) as ‘an animal found in our parish: but neither here nor in other parts of the kingdom a common animal’. How things have changed, as it is now a common animal witnessed by the number of road signs warning of badgers. In the same book, he writes about another animal we see in great numbers: ‘The sheep are numerous. They likewise are left to themselves; and become in hard weather great nuisances by their trespasses on the cultivated lands of us low-landers’.

Close the gate. (David Rowe)

The roaming of sheep across common land remains with us today and, at Moel-y-Crio on Halkyn Mountain, the gates pictured on page 13 were erected to celebrate the millennium but with the practical purpose of preventing sheep entering the bus shelter.

The winter of 2007 brought another hazard, when Flintshire County Council started to use a new type of grit made from sugar, starch and cereal, with the result that as soon as the gritter went past, large numbers of sheep converged on the road, licking off the grit. To make matters worse, they would not move to allow the passage of cars. To add to the poor motorists’ frustration, on Halkyn Mountain they now have to face the hazard of toads, as can be seen from the pictured road sign, one of a few such signs within Flintshire.

Prior to the establishment of a permanent beast market in Mold, the markets were held in the High Street, but this did not meet everyone’s approval, as highlighted by a report to a local newspaper in 1871:

Mr Bellis would like to call the attention to the Board of another great nuisance, fairs particularly cattle fairs held in the main street and principal thoroughfares. These are a great nuisance to shopkeepers as side paths are full of dung and cows staring through the windows is not pleasant for shopkeepers and their customers.

Don’t count them! (David Rowe)

Where is a zebra when you need one? (Jonathan Hulson)

The good people of Holywell had more to worry about than sheep or toads when, on 1 April 1859, Wombwell’s Travelling Menagerie visited Holywell from Mold. It arrived at about 4 p.m. and set up in a field near Halkyn Street. The weather was not too good and the various coaches were placed in position rather hastily. The canvas that formed part of the roof was not well secured to the outer of the coaches and caravans. At about 8.30 p.m. a severe storm broke out, with heavy rain and high winds. The wind caught the underside of the canvas sheeting and turned three coaches over.

Mr Benjamin M’Bane, who had been with Wombwell’s for over thirty years, had just finished his performance with his thirteen tigers. Mr M’Bane was standing on a ladder introducing the next part of his act, where he would enter a cage with five full-grown African lions, when the accident occurred. Mr M’Bane and two schoolboys, Edward Jones and David Oxford, were killed by the lions. Panic broke out amongst the audience, with people running everywhere. Houses, shops and pubs closed up and barred their doors with animals on the loose.

The three victims were buried in St Peter’s cemetery with most of the town turning out for probably the largest and most elaborate funeral witnessed in the town. The band from the menagerie led the cortège and the trumpeter played a solo from The Messiah (‘The Trumpet Shall Sound and the Dead Shall be Raised’) over the graves. What happened to the lions is not recorded.

Visiting a Wombwell event appears to have been dangerous, as they had a series of ‘incidents’. Near Newhaven, in 1835, a lion and tigress escaped, killing four people as well as a number of cows. In 1889, at Birmingham, an African lion escaped, and the lion and the onlooker who grabbed its tail disappeared into the city sewers, from where the lion was recaptured. Sadly the onlooker did not survive the encounter.

As well as the menagerie, Holywell boasted a circus, and this curious advert appeared in the 3 August 1895 edition of the London-published The Era:

Wanted; a Good Leader, also Euphonium, to join at once. Term: Leader £2; Euphonium 32s 6d. Wire Alexandra Circus, Holywell, North Wales. NB the Leader will be required to bring a little music with him, as he will not be able to borrow the First Cornet’s Books, the late leader having worn them out. Bye, bye, my gentle Austrian; sorry you forgot to take away the Cigar Box you carried your music in. Does the new suit hurt you much?

What is the story behind this, and was this an acrimonious parting of the ways?

AMERICANS AT SEALAND

For travellers entering Wales along the M56 motorway, they will see on the left-hand side the now decommissioned RAF Sealand. The runways, hangars and accommodation blocks that were located on the opposite side of the road have long since been demolished and Deeside Industrial Park now covers most of the former airfield.

The airfield dates back to the First World War, where it was the home of a variety of aeroplanes, including Sopwith Pups, Camels, and Avro 504s. In the 1920s, it also housed a packing depot and, prior to the Second World War, an aircraft storage unit was added to the site. At the outbreak of the Second World War, there was a major shortage of pilots and the base was used for flying training. Maintenance work was also carried out on Mosquitos, Lancasters and Wellington bombers.

On 15 March 1951 the United States Air Force (USAF) took over Sealand, as a satellite of USAF Burtonwood, and it became the home of the 30th Air Depot Wing. However, this was not the first that Sealand had seen of our American cousins. In St Michael’s churchyard, Shotwick, can be found the grave of Lieutenant S. Morange, who was one of two American airman killed at RAF Sealand during the First World War. The body of the other airman was taken back to America for burial.

A more famous – and fortunate – renowned American aviator was Colonel Charles A. Lindbergh, who landed at Sealand on 24 November 1936. Flying in a Miles M12 Mohawk, the only one assembled and built by Phillips & Powis Aircraft Ltd at Woodhey. He was on a round-trip test flight, from Croydon to Shannon Airport, but due to fog on the return trip he landed at RAF Sealand, instead of Croydon. The RAF was requested not to publicise his arrival and, as a result, panic set in as to his whereabouts. The Times of 26 November 1936 carried a report stating that, due to the lack of any information, enquiries as to his whereabouts had been instituted. However, all was well in the end when he informed people where he was.

Following the takeover of the base by the USAF in 1951, the normal facilities expected by American servicemen were installed, including a ten-pin bowling alley. Rationing was still in place for locals and, with a fully stocked commissary on the base, the servicemen were naturally very popular and were regular visitors to the pubs and dance halls around the area. Certain locations were out of bounds for the enlisted men; for example, admission to the Grosvenor Hotel in Chester was restricted to officers only.

However, not everyone was happy about the presence of Americans, and on May Day the base would have to go on ‘lockdown’. This was to prevent incidents between American servicemen and placard-carrying demonstrators, who were parading and chanting anti-American slogans around the perimeter. This was not a view shared by all locals, and Anglo-American relations were often fully restored by marriages between servicemen and local girls. USAF Sergeant Dale Hemphill and Audrey Henderson married in Mold, and the couple returned to Gig Harbour, Washington, on completion of Dale’s posting, where they continued to live until Audrey’s death in 2012.

ARTS AND ARTISTS

Flintshire is rightly proud of its cultural heritage in all fields of the arts, and in 2012 the Visual Arts Trail incorporated seventeen venues.

During the twentieth century, the county has produced many eminent and gifted artists and entertainers, and theatregoers at Clwyd Theatr Cymru will be familiar with the Emlyn Williams Theatre. Emlyn Williams (1905–1987) was born at Mostyn, Flintshire, and educated at Holywell Grammar School and Christ Church, Oxford, where he joined the Oxford University Dramatic Society. This introduction to the stage led him to a career as an actor and a renowned writer. A number of his plays reflect his childhood in a Welsh speaking, working-class family. His writing has stood the test of time, and his 1935 thriller Night Must Fall has had two film versions, as well as many stage revivals in both London and on Broadway, New York.

Another former Holywell Grammar School pupil, Jonathan Pryce, who also made his name in the acting profession, was born in Carmel in 1947. Following school, he attended an art college and underwent teacher training, before winning a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. His fellow students included Juliet Stevenson, Alan Rickman and Kenneth Branagh. Since his early days at the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool, his career has blossomed and as well as his many television, radio and theatre successes, both here and on Broadway, he has also appeared in many films. Credits include Tomorrow Never Dies, Pirates of the Caribbean and, of course, as Peron alongside Madonna in the blockbuster Evita. Whilst his work has been recognised over the years with a variety of acting awards and a CBE from the Queen, he has never forgotten his roots and in the foreword he wrote for the Bagillt Heritage Society 2001 publication, Bagillt – A Village of Verse, he recalled the story of his father starting work at the Bettisfied Colliery, aged 14, and working chest deep in water.

Wales has always been quite rightly proud of its singers, and Flintshire has contributed to that reputation. Daniel Owen, the Mold-born author, was reputed to have had a fine tenor voice. Whilst Owen may have been known locally, he did not have the international reputation of the Trelogan-born tenor David Lloyd (1912–1969). Born into a mining family, he left school at age 14 to become an apprentice carpenter, but singing remained his first love, and he competed in local eisteddfodau. After graduating from the Guildhall School of Music, his career blossomed and his talent was recognised not just in the United Kingdom and across Europe, but in the United States of America. He performed in all forms of classical music, but he retained his distinctive Welsh identity and continued to perform Welsh hymns and folk songs.

Holywell boasted an operatic soprano and concert singer, Sarah Edith Wynne (1842–1897), who developed an international reputation and was affectionately known as ‘Eos Cymru’, which translates into English as the ‘Welsh Nightingale’.

Coming more up to date, and with certainly a different type of music, is the Coldplay lead guitarist, Jonny Buckland. Although born in London, his family moved to Pantymwyn when he was 4, and he went to the local primary school, Ysgol y Waun, before moving to the Alun School, Mold. His interest in music started at an early age and when he went to University College, London, he met the other members of what became Coldplay. Described as a ‘multi-platinum and multiple Grammy-winning band’, the internationally renowned group formed in 1996 and were the winners of the prestigious ‘Hollywood Song Award’ at the 17th Annual Hollywood Film Awards in 2013. The award was for the song ‘Atlas’ from the soundtrack of the film Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which they also performed at the ceremony.

Helfa Gelf. (Art in the Community)

The county has also been the home of very different types of artists, and it is thanks to the work of two of these that we have early views of towns which have changed almost beyond recognition and country houses that have long since disappeared or been radically refashioned.

However, we begin with an artist whose work, both portrait and landscape, is not centred on Flintshire. The Welsh Academy Encyclopedia of Wales describes him:

Richard Wilson (1713–82) is the most distinguished painter Wales has ever produced and the first fully to appreciate the aesthetic possibilities of the landscape of his native country. He is considered to be the father of landscape painting in Britain and the pre-curser of Constable and Turner.

High praise indeed. Although born in Penegoes, near Machynlleth, the family moved to Mold when he was a child and, through the sponsorship of his local kinsmen – Hugh Lloyd, vicar of Mold, and Sir George Wynne of Leeswood Hall – he was apprenticed to the Covent Garden portrait painter, Thomas Wright.

Whilst living in London, Wilson gained access to the coterie surrounding Frederick, Prince of Wales. An early Wilson painting shows the Hall of the Inner Temple after a fire on 14 January 1736, and included amongst the spectators shown in the painting was the prince. Frederick was impressed by the work and Wilson was commissioned to paint a portrait of him.

Wilson was also familiar with Hogarth and enrolled in the academy set up by him around 1735. Wilson’s reputation increased, and he was one of fifteen painters selected by Hogarth to produce pictures for London’s newly established Foundling Hospital.

In June 1746, after Flora MacDonald was captured on Skye, she was brought to the Tower of London and Wilson painted two pictures of her; one hangs in the Edinburgh Portrait Gallery and the other in the National Portrait Gallery.

The next stage of his career is probably related to the visit to London by Canaletto, who is thought to have encouraged Wilson to visit Italy. Whilst in London, they both produced paintings of the construction of the new Westminster Bridge. Wilson had clearly amassed money from the execution of a number of lucrative commissions and embarked on a European tour from 1750, before returning to England in 1756/7. It was during this period that he was persuaded to take up landscape painting, having studied both in Venice and Rome. Whilst in Italy he gained a reputation as a landscape artist, and during his time there, he met fellow artists such as Vernet and Zuccarelli and mingled with the upper echelons of Italian society. Also during the time in Italy, his portrait was painted by Raphael Mengs (1728–1779) and it now hangs in the National Museum of Wales.

On his return to London, he was one of the thirty-four artists who founded the Royal Academy. As tastes changed, he found it more difficult to sell pictures, resulting in a major change in his finances, and as a result he became short-tempered and bitter against the world. By the mid-1770s, his appeal was in freefall and he took to the bottle and struggled with illness, whilst being in a state of poverty. In 1776, his friends found him employment as the academy’s librarian, at a salary of £50 per year. He held this post until his health worsened and in 1780, at the age of 68, he returned to the home of his cousin, Catherine Jones, at Colomendy Hall. The Royal Academy, as a gesture of respect, allowed him to keep his salary, but deducted £15 in order to hire a deputy librarian.

Downing Hall. (Dr Paul Evans)

Local legend has it that he painted the original sign for the We Three Loggerheads Inn, at Loggerheads, near Mold, as payment for his not inconsiderable bar bill. A replica of the sign can still be found in the public house today. He died at his cousin’s house and his grave, marked by a Mold Civic Society plaque, can be found at the rear of Mold parish church. The final part of the inscription on his headstone roughly translates as:

He was a benefactor to his age – he brought to it

The beautiful teachings of Art

And the perfect work he has left behind

Astonishes the present age.

Wilson was a gifted, if troubled, artist whose painting legacy can be found in galleries and other locations throughout the country.

The other two artists have a direct link with the antiquarian Thomas Pennant (1726–1798) of Downing, and both were employed by him.

John Ingleby (1749–1808) was a native of Halkyn, and specialised in watercolour views. His paintings provide a unique insight, particularly into North Wales, and amongst his works are views of Caergrwle Castle, Aston Hall, Plas Mostyn, Mold town and Mold Cotton Mill. (For details of Ingleby’s watercolours, refer to the National Library of Wales website, www.llgc.org.uk.) Ingleby was employed on a commission basis by Pennant and, as well as the urban views, he was also commissioned to copy coats of arms and memorials.

The other notable artist employed by the Pennant family, but on a full-time basis, was the Caernarfonshire-born artist Moses Griffith (1747–1819). Although having received little basic education and no formal art training, he nevertheless developed into a skilled draughtsman and watercolour painter. He accompanied Pennant on his various tours and his paintings and sketches covered everything from churches, country houses and general views to illustrations of birds, animals and fish, which were incorporated into Pennant’s published work. We owe our understanding of long-demolished country houses to his skill, and the results of his work can be found in various establishments, including the National Library of Wales and the National Museum of Wales. Buried in Whitford churchyard, he remained a loyal servant of the Pennant family throughout his working life.

B

BANKS AND GREENFIELD VALLEY COINS

In the twenty-first century, many people have strong views on the current banking system, and the global financial crisis of 2008 did nothing to give anyone confidence in either its ethics or practices. This is not a new phenomenon, and problems have existed from the first days of coinage and, subsequently, paper currency.

The beginning of the Industrial Revolution brought new challenges, particularly as many of the factory workers on relatively low wages required payment in small denomination coins. The industrialists, recognising the need for payments to be made locally, and with insufficient coinage being produced by the Royal Mint based at the Tower of London, started issuing company tokens, such as those of Flint Lead Works.

They also established local banks, initially in Mold and Holywell, but often with mixed success as a number of these had a limited life before bankruptcy put them out of business. These banks started producing their own banknotes, and examples of nineteenth-century £1 and £5 notes issued by Mold and Holywell Banks are still in existence. As can be seen from the coin on page 24, dated 12 August 1811, a Flintshire bank was producing its own coinage, but this did not meet the needs of the growing local economy. In the late 1700s, Greenfield Valley cotton, copper and brass companies were employing in excess of 1,500 people, with weekly wages varying between 2s and 18s. With the shortage of coinage, the cotton mills started importing Mexican coins and over stamping them with the company’s name; they could then be exchanged at the company’s offices for Royal Mint coinage, £5 notes or larger promissory notes.

However, to Thomas Williams (the ‘Copper King’) of the Parys Mine Company, Anglesey, who had a factory at Greenfield, this reused coinage was not the solution. He offered to produce national coinage for the Royal Mint at his Greenfield plant without charge, providing that the copper sheets were purchased from his mills. This offer was ignored but, being a shrewd businessman, Williams was not prepared to let a business opportunity pass and at this time he was already exporting coin blanks to the Dutch East India Company in Holland.

For the home market he employed an engraver from the Royal Mint to create a Druid’s head design for his coins, and hand presses were designed for the purpose. Production started in the late 1700s. On the front there was a Druid’s head encircled by an oak wreath, whilst on the reverse were the initials PMC (Parys Mine Company) and the words ‘We Promise to Pay the Bearer One Penny.’ This not surprisingly became known as the ‘Druid penny’.

Spare a copper? (Flintshire Museum Service)

John Wilkinson, ironmaster, who was a partner with Williams in the Greenfield Copper & Brass Mills, had his own coins produced, featuring on the front a portrait of himself, which attracted much derisory comment including a poem. These were produced in one of the six factories owned by Williams in the Greenfield Valley, before the work was transferred to Birmingham. Ken Davies, in his article ‘The Druid Coinage and the Greenfield Valley’ published in the Journal of the Flintshire Historical Society, states: ‘The coins struck at Greenfield set the example which was then copied throughout Britain … and set a standard which few could match. It was the standard to which the national coinage of the nineteenth century had to aspire.’

BAPTISTERY OF RHUAL AND THE EARLY CHRISTIANS

The history of the Rhual estate on the outskirts of Mold has many stories to tell, including being the site of the famous fifth-century victory of the Christian Britons over heathen invaders. Known as the ‘Alleluia Victory’, this is reported as having taken place at Maes Garmon and the location, adjacent to the Mold–Gwernaffield road, is marked by an obelisk, erected in 1736 by Nathaniel Griffith.

Another significant feature of the estate is located on the opposite side of the road from the obelisk. Hidden within a grove of trees in a secluded part of the Rhual parkland is a baptistery dating from the fifteenth century. After the turmoil of the English Civil Wars and subsequent Restoration of the monarchy, Rhual became a protected haven for Dissenters and their preachers, and consequently religious services were held on the estate. One important preacher, Vavasour Powell, was supported and given refuge by the owner of Rhual, Thomas Edwards (1625–1670).

Rhual Baptistery. (David Rowe)

Whilst the actual date of construction is unknown, it is believed that the baptistery, fed by a natural spring, was built at this time, and became an important base for the Dissenting cause. Thomas II (1649–1700), a former high sheriff of Flintshire, had been warned by his brother-in-law, Mytton Davies, that King Charles II was sanctioning the prosecution of Dissenters, but this did not stop Thomas from pursuing what he saw as a true religious cause.

The baptistery remains in good condition, having been refurbished in 1931 and 1991, and has been used in the recent past. It consists of a tiled rectangular well for immersions reached by a short flight of steps, a changing room (now roofless) and space for spectators, who are surrounded by an oval-shaped screen. The owner at the time of the 1931 restoration, Mrs Helena Philips, was extremely interested in the project and allowed access for the necessary work to be carried out in memory of her late husband, Lieutenant Colonel Basil Philips of the 5th Battalion (Flintshire) Royal Welch Fusiliers (RWF). The cost of the restoration and iron railings was paid for by voluntary contributions, and the granite memorial tablet was given by Mr Edward Williams, chairman of the Baptist Association. A souvenir brochure was also produced to commemorate the event. The 1991 restoration, instigated by the late Major Basil Heaton, was carried out as part of the National Eisteddfod, which was held on the estate that remains in the ownership of Thomas Edwards’ descendants.