Chirk
CHIRK, a parish, in the union of Oswestry,
hundred of Chirk, county of Denbigh, North
Wales, 5¾ miles (N.) from Oswestry, on the road
from London to Holyhead and Dublin; containing
1611 inhabitants, of whom 475 are in the township
of Chirk. This parish is remarkable in history as
the scene of a conflict between part of the forces of
Henry II. and the Welsh, which took place in 1165,
in a deep and picturesque valley, along which runs
the river Ceiriog, on the west and south sides of
Chirk Castle. Henry, with a view to the conquest
of Wales, collected an army at Oswestry, whilst the
Welsh prince, Owain Gwynedd, mustered his forces
at Corwen; and being eager to decide the struggle,
the English monarch hastened to meet the enemy,
but was interrupted in this valley by almost impenetrable woods, which he commanded his men to cut
down, in order to secure himself from ambuscade,
posting the pikemen and flower of his army to protect those at work. When thus engaged, a strong
party of Welsh fell upon the English with indignant
fury, and a battle ensued, which, while it ended in
the retiring of the former, so reduced the strength of
Henry, that although he contrived to advance to
Corwen, yet, harassed by the activity of Owain, who
cut off his supplies, he was at length compelled to fall
back into the English territory, and relinquish his
design. This encounter, in which numbers of men
were slain on both sides, is called the battle of
Crogen, and the place where it was fought Adwy'r
Beddau, "the pass of the graves."
The exact period of the erection of Chirk castle
is uncertain. John Myddelton, Esq., in a communication to the Society of Antiquaries, in 1729,
says, that "it was begun 1011, and finished 1013:
the repair of one of the wings, in Cromwell's time,
cost £28,000. The front is 250 feet long, the court
165 by 100, and five round towers 50 feet in
diameter; Adam's tower, 80 feet high, the wall
near the dungeon nine feet deep, and the dungeon
as deep as the walls of the castle are high." But,
though the description applies to the present structure, the period is more probably that of the erection
of a prior edifice, called Castell Crogen; since both
Bishop Gibson in his additions to Camden, and Mr.
Pennant, ascribe it to Roger Mortimer, in the reign
of Edward I. Mortimer, on the death of Grufydd
ab Madoc, lord of Dinas Brân, on which lordship
the territory around Castell Crogan, called Trêv-yWaûn, was dependent, was appointed by Edward I.
guardian of Llewelyn, one of Grufydd's sons, the
other, named Madoc, having been entrusted to John,
Earl Warren. These noblemen are stated, after having
given orders for putting the youths to death, to have
seized upon their possessions, Mortimer taking the
lordships of Chirk and Nanheudwy, and Earl Warren
those of Bromfield and Yale. John, the grandson
of Roger, sold the lordship of Chirk to Richard FitzAlan, Earl of Arundel, whose descendants possessed
it for three generations, when it was conveyed by
marriage to Thomas Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk, on
whose disgrace and exile, in 1397, it was forfeited to
the crown, and soon after granted to William Beauchamp, lord of Abergavenny, who had married the
other heiress of the Fitz-Alans. His grand-daughter,
sole heiress of Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Worcester, having been married to Edward Neville,
afterwards Lord Abergavenny, in the reign of Henry
VI., it became the property of that family. It came
afterwards to the Stanleys, and at length to the
crown, and was conferred by Queen Elizabeth on
her favourite, Dudley, Earl of Leicester. At his
death it passed to Lord St. John, of Bletso, whose
son sold it, in 1595, to Sir Thomas Myddelton, Knt.,
who served the office of lord mayor of London, in
1614, and to whose descendants it has ever since belonged. On the decease of Richard Myddelton,
Esq., who died unmarried in 1796, it was divided
among his three sisters and co-heiresses, of whom
the late Mrs. Myddelton Biddulph, after a protracted
suit in Chancery, succeeded to that portion on which
the castle and village are situated. The present
lord of the manor is Robert Myddelton Biddulph,
Esq., lord-lieutenant of the county.
During the civil war of the seventeenth century,
Sir Thomas Myddelton, son of the purchaser of the
estate, having espoused the cause of the parliament,
orders were issued by Charles I. in 1642 to Col.
Robert Ellyce, to take possession of the castle, and
apply the money and plate found in it to the payment of his regiment, and then deliver it up to Sir
Thomas Hanmer, who was appointed governor. The
following notices of the castle, relating to this period,
are extracted from a manuscript account of the civil
war in North Wales, by William Maurice, preserved
at Wynnstay: "1643, Jan. 15, Chirk Castle taken
and plundred by Colonell Ellis." "1644, 20 March,
Prince Robert (Rupert) cam to Chirk Castle, and
so went to Chester." "20 Nov., Sir Tho. Midleton and Coll. Mitton attempted suddenly in the
night to surprize Chirke Castle, but were disappointed." "1655, Feb. 5, Prince Maurice cam to
Shrewsbury, and having stayed there 9 dayes in
ordering his forces, advanced towards Chester: the
first night he lay at Chirk Castle; from thence went
to Ruthyn." "22 Sept., the king marched from
Llanfyllin by Brithdir (where he dined, and gave
proclamation among his soldiers that they should not
plunder any thing in Denbighshire), and thence
passed through Mochnant and Cefnhirfynydd, and so
along the topp of the mountains to Chirk Castle,
where he lay that night." Afterwards, "from Chester
the king retreated to Denbigh Castle, and having
layed there two or three nights, returned to Chirk
Castle. The next morning, viz. 29 Sept., he advanced from thence with his army through Llansilin."
"1646, 23 February, the Montgomeryshire forces
(parliamentary) began to fortifie Llansilin churche,
for the straightninge and keeping-inn of Chirk Castle
men, where Sir John Watts was governor, who shortly
after deserted the castle." "13 June, Sir Thos.
Mydleton cam first to Chirk Castle after it was deserted." The manuscript containing these notices
has been printed in the Archæologia Cambrensis,
from which the above extracts are taken. Sir
Thomas Myddelton, lord of Chirk, had exerted himself with great zeal for the parliament; but being
disgusted at the events of the war, he passed over to
the other side, and, in 1659, joined Sir George
Booth, in attempting to restore the ancient constitutution. Sir George, however, having been defeated
by Gen. Lambert, Sir Thomas was obliged to seek
refuge in his castle, which was besieged by Lambert,
to whom it was surrendered after a defence of two or
three days, in which the western side and three of
its towers were demolished, the victor, it is said,
plundering the estate to the amount of £80,000.
The injury sustained by the castle in this siege was
soon after repaired by Sir Thomas Myddelton, in the
course of one year. The lordship of Chirk, otherwise "Chirkland," includes the parishes of Chirk,
Llangollen, and Llansantfraid-Glynn-Ceriog.
This parish is bounded on the north by Ruabon,
on the east and south by St. Martin's in the county
of Salop, and on the west by Llangollen; the river
Dee runs along the boundary on the north and northeast, and the Ceiriog, which takes its course along
the southern and south-eastern limits, unites with the
former on the eastern side of the parish. It lies at
the foot of the Berwyn range of mountains, and
comprises by admeasurement 4635 acres, of which
3050 are arable, 1150 pasture, and 435 woodland, in
the last of which oak predominates; the soil in general
is a loam incumbent on gravel, and the chief produce
wheat, barley, potatoes, and turnips. The surface is
undulated and hilly, 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
side to another elevation. From the brow of the
latter is a delightful prospect of the plain of Salop,
in the one direction, and in the other a nearer view
of part of the Vale of Llangollen, including the celebrated Pont-y-Cysylltau aqueduct, which conveys the
Ellesmere canal over the valley of the Dee, with the
meanderings of that river between its wood-fringed
banks towards the grounds of Wynnstay. This hill
also embraces a complete view of Chirk Castle,
towering on its elevated site, and the princely
grounds that surround it, which, adorned with noble
plantations, and interspersed with clumps of trees
tastefully arranged along the side of the mountain,
combine to present, with the picturesque village of
the Cevn, and the woody scenery of Newbridge and
Nant-y-Belan, on the right, the beautiful grounds
of Brynkinalt and the village of Chirk on the left,
and various intermediate objects of picturesque beauty,
a home view highly diversified, rich, and cheerful.
The village is pleasantly situated on the northern
bank of the river Ceiriog, which, flowing along a
small vale of great beauty, here separates the counties
of Denbigh and Salop, and consequently Wales and
England. It is exceedingly clean and neat, and
contains some highly respectable houses and wellbuilt cottages, having been greatly improved by the
late Mrs. Myddelton Biddulph, who, on coming into
possession of the Chirk Castle estate, pulled down
several dilapidated buildings, and erected others of
uniform appearance for her tenants, on more eligible
sites. The Holyhead road, on both sides of the
village, has been widened and altered within the last
few years, so as to avoid the inequalities and windings
in its course. Chirk Hill, which was previously very
abrupt, has been partially levelled, and the road conducted more circuitously across the vale by means of
an embankment. On the north side of the village,
also, its course has been diverted; but these improvements, though greatly conducive to the convenience
of passengers, have probably lessened the picturesque
character of the route.
There is a valuable mine of coal in the parish, at
Black Park, which is worked on an extensive scale,
by Mr. T. E. Ward, who holds it on lease from the
owner of the Chirk Castle estate, and employs here
about 200 workmen; the pits are 240 yards deep,
and the annual sale exceeds 50,000 tons: a tramroad
leads from them to the Ellesmere canal, where is a
wharf for loading barges. At the Vron, within the
parish of Llangollen, and on the banks of the canal,
are extensive lime-works, belonging to the same estate, affording employment to about one hundred persons. Pont-y-Blew forge, in the township of Halton,
and on the river Ceiriog, was erected in the year
1710, for making charcoal iron, and was enlarged in
1795, when the manufacture of puddled iron was
introduced: about twenty tons are now made weekly,
and about ten men are employed. The Ellesmere
canal enters the parish from Shropshire, and is conveyed across the Vale of Chirk and the river Ceiriog,
by means of the Chirk aqueduct, 232 yards long,
consisting of ten arches, the piers of which are 65
feet high. It then immediately enters a tunnel,
220 yards long. On emerging from this, it proceeds
in its course through the parish, passing near the
village, and then enters another tunnel, soon after
which it is carried over the Vale of the Dee by the
stupendous aqueduct of Pont-y-Cysylltau, noticed
under the head of Llangollen. The Shrewsbury
and Chester railway also enters the parish from Shropshire, crossing the river Ceiriog by a viaduct parallel
and almost close to the Chirk aqueduct; this viaduct
is at least 850 feet long, upwards of 129 feet
high, and has ten arches of 45 feet span, and one
arch of 120 feet span. The line thence passes
through the parish, and crosses the Dee valley, into
the parish of Ruabon, by a grand viaduct above 1530
feet in length, which is about half a mile lower down
the river than Pont-y-Cysylltau: see the article on
Llangollen. There is a grist-mill, which is turned
by water-power. Fairs are held at the village annually on February 10th, June 10th, August 12th,
and November 12th, for the sale of live-stock and
pedlery; and a court leet for the manor of Chirk
takes place once a year.
About a mile and a half to the west of the
village is Chirk castle, proudly situated on an eminence backed by the Berwyn mountains. It is a
venerable quadrangular embattled structure, defended by a low massive tower at each corner, and
another in the centre of the north front, where is the
principal entrance, under an arched gateway guarded
by a portcullis, leading into a square area of considerable dimensions, round which the various apartments are ranged. On the east side of this area
extends a low embattled corridor, conducting to the
principal apartments, which were greatly altered,
modernised, and embellished by Mrs. Biddulph:
the old entrance to the hall is by a flight of steps on
the north side of the area. The picture-gallery, at
the south end of which is the ancient chapel, is one
hundred feet in length, by twenty-two in width, and
contains several good portraits and other paintings.
The park is extensive, and is disposed with picturesque effect, the inequalities of its surface, and the
declivity of the hill extending behind it and toward
the north, having afforded a favourable scope for the
arrangement of the trees and plantations. A new
road, also, leading to the castle, in a winding direction through the park, so as to embrace a view of
much interesting scenery in the valley of the Ceiriog,
and avoid a steep hill, has been made of late, in
lieu of that which formerly led from the village.
Near New Hall, which is described as an old seat of
the Myddeltons, rebuilt many years ago as a farmhouse, and surrounded by a moat, stands a pair of
iron gates of the richest and most delicate and exquisite workmanship, designed and executed by a common blacksmith; they originally stood immediately
in front of the castle, and now form the entrance into
the park from Llangollen and Wrexham. The summit of the castle embraces a wide prospect of great
beauty and magnificence, offering to the naked eye,
on a clear day, it is said, an uninterrupted view into
seventeen different counties. Brynkinalt, in the
parish, the seat of Lord Viscount Dungannon, passed
in the female line to his lordship's family from the
Trevors, whose great ancestor, Ednyved Gam, was
a descendant of Tudor Trevor; it was built in
1619, from a design by Inigo Jones, but has been
enlarged and embellished by the present noble
owner, and stands in a beautifully secluded spot on
the western bank of the Ceiriog, surrounded by fine
plantations.
The living is a discharged vicarage, rated in the
king's books at £6. 11. 5½., and endowed with £200
royal bounty; patron, the Bishop of St. Asaph; impropriator, Viscount Dungannon: the vicarial tithes
have been commuted for a rent-charge of £565; and
there is a glebe-house, with a glebe of about two
acres and a half valued at £2 per annum. The
church, dedicated to St. Mary, is a handsome edifice,
with a square tower containing a ring of bells, and
measures fifty-seven feet in length and thirty-nine in
width. It has been renovated and embellished, in
the later style of English architecture, by subscription among the parishioners, and has received an
addition of 173 sittings, of which 133 are free, the
Incorporated Society for Building and Enlarging
Churches and Chapels having granted £100 for that
purpose. It contains divers marble effigies of the
Myddeltons of Chirk Castle, mostly ill-executed,
with the exception of a bust of Sir Thomas Myddelton, the active parliamentary commander, represented
with a peaked beard, long hair, and armed; near
which is another, of his lady, of the Napier family of
Luton. Here was interred Dr. Walter Balcanqual,
a Scottish divine of some note, who represented his
country at the famous synod of Dort, in 1618, and
was successively raised to the deaneries of Rochester
and Durham. Having, in consequence of his loyalty,
rendered himself obnoxious to his countrymen, he
was, in 1645, obliged to seek an asylum at Chirk
Castle, where he died on Christmas-day ensuing;
and a small mural tablet was erected to his memory
in the church by Sir Thomas Myddelton, at whose
request an elegant epitaph was composed for him by
Dr. Pearson, then Bishop of Chester. A school for
boys was founded in the village by Mrs. Myddelton
Biddulph, in 1820: the master receives the interest
of £20 left by Mrs. Mary Bennett, of £20 by an
unknown benefactor, and of £5 by Major Charles
Myddelton; he likewise receives some school-pence,
but is principally supported by Colonel Myddelton
Biddulph. In 1843, a handsome school for the instruction of girls was built by subscription of the vicar
and some of the parishioners, aided by the National
Society, on a site given by Col. Biddulph: it is
supported by subscription, and a few school-fees.
There are also two or three Sunday schools. In
1698, Mrs. Catherine Trevor bequeathed an estate
in the parish of Llantysillio, and another in the parish
of Llanrhaiadr, to the churchwardens and overseers
of "Cherque," the rental of which, amounting to
£46, together with £17 per annum received by
bequest from the Chirk Castle estate, is regularly
distributed at Christmas and Easter among the poor.
Another charity, a charge on the same estate, consists
of a measure of corn annually, made into bread, and
distributed every Thursday, except the two Thursdays
in the Christmas holidays, to twenty poor persons of
the parish. Also a sum of 36s. is paid quarterly to
six widows, being 6s. to each, on the 29th of March,
June, September, and December.
Offa's Dyke, crossing the river Ceiriog, enters the
parish, and passes through it in a direction from
south-west to north-east; it runs through Chirk
Castle park, where it is plainly visible, and soon
afterwards crosses the Dee. In a garden immediately on the right of the entrance into the village
from Oswestry, on the verge of the vale, is an artificial mound of earth, opposite to which, on the other
side of the road, was another: these Mr. Pennant
supposes to have been constructed by the Saxons, at
the period of the formation of Offa's Dyke, as exploratory camps, and also to command the pass through
the valley. Black Park is said to have been anciently
an inclosed park, noted for its deer, but it has for
ages been disparked, and there are now no vestiges
of its appropriation to this purpose, except in the
name.
Christyonydd (Cristionydd)
CHRISTYONYDD (CRISTIONYDD), a
township, in the parish of Ruabon, union of Wrexham, hundred of Bromfield, county of Denbigh,
North Wales, 2 miles (N. W. by W.) from Ruabon;
containing 4554 inhabitants. It is situated in the
western and more elevated portion of the parish,
where are some extensive and valuable mines of coal,
in which the principal portion of the population is
employed. A tithe rent-charge of £286. 18. 9. is
paid to the impropriators, and one of £62. 10. to the
vicar of Ruabon.—See Ruabon.
Churchstoke
CHURCHSTOKE, a parish, in the incorporation of Forden, partly in the Lower division of the
hundred of Cawrse, and partly in that of the hundred of Montgomery, county of Montgomery,
North Wales, and comprising the townships of
Brompton and Riston (which support their poor
separately from the rest of the parish) in the hundred
of Chirbury, county of Salop, England, 4 miles
(E. S. E.) from Montgomery; containing 1527 inhabitants, of whom 593 are in Churchstoke township.
The parish is situated on the road from Bishop'sCastle to Montgomery, and is bounded on the north
by Chirbury, in Shropshire; on the south by the
Clun forest, which runs nearly parallel with the
boundary of the county; on the east by Hyssington,
and on the west by Kerry, &c. It comprises 10,071
acres, of which 8665 are inclosed and cultivated, and
the remainder chiefly rough sheep-pastures, or land
just inclosed. Of the former portion about one-third
is arable, and the rest, with the exception of a little
woodland, meadow and pasture, the soil of the whole
of which is slightly clayey, but in general rich and
fertile, especially in the valleys, which afford fine
pasture, and are well wooded with oak and ash. The
land under tillage produces good wheat, barley, and
oats, and the sheep and cattle which here traverse
the mountains, are of good average breed. The surface consists of hill and dale, valleys and mountains;
and the scenery is frequently striking and beautiful:
from some of the high grounds are fine views, extending over the vales of Churchstoke and Montgomery, with the surrounding hills, and comprehending a rich variety of scenery. The parish is
distributed into several manors, the principal of which
are, Overyoether, comprising the townships of Bachelden and Weston Madoc; Chirbury, in which are
the townships of Brompton and Riston; Halcetor, in
which are the townships of Churchstoke and Hurdley;
and parts of Hopton, Mellington, and Bishop's Tiertref. The chief gentlemen's seats are Pentrenant,
Mellington, Broadway, and those of T. Wollaston,
and Thomas Jones, Esqrs. Considerable quantities
of lead-ore have been found in the parish; and on the
Churchstoke hills are evident traces of mines, which
are supposed to have been worked by the Romans.
The village, in which is a post-office, is situated near
the confluence of the river Caebitra with the Camlet,
which, after passing along the romantic dingle of
Marrington, falls into the Severn near Forden: from
the flatness of the ground above it, and the contracted channel of the Camlet, the adjacent meadows
are subject to inundation, and during the winter have
been frequently entirely covered with water.
The living is a perpetual curacy, endowed with
a rent-charge of £20 per annum, and £600 private
benefaction, £1000 royal bounty, £600 parliamentary grant, and a further augmentation of £1200
from the bounty commissioners; net income, £151,
with a glebe-house; patron, the Earl of Powis. The
impropriate tithes of the townships of Churchstoke
and Hurdley have been commuted for a rent-charge
of £254. 18., with a glebe of one acre. The church,
dedicated to St. Nicholas, and formerly dependent
on the priory of Chirbury, is a plain neat edifice,
with a square embattled tower surmounted by a
spire, and contains about 600 sittings. The body
was taken down and rebuilt, at an expense of £2500,
in 1815, previously to which the porch and other
parts of the structure exhibited indications of the
damage it sustained from an attack during the parliamentary war, by the men of Montgomery Castle, in
order to seize a party of royalists, commanded by Sir
John Watts, which had taken refuge in the church,
and which after an obstinate resistance was obliged
to surrender. A school-house, consisting of two
rooms, has been erected on land belonging to the
Earl of Powis; the expenses, amounting to £500,
being defrayed by the parishioners: the master receives the interest of an endowment of £60, and is
otherwise supported by school-fees, and subscription.
A Sunday school is held in the same building.
The principal benefactions of the parish are invested in two mortgages of £200 and £60 from the
corporation of the guardians of the poor in the parishes
of Montgomery, Pool, &c., producing an interest of
£11. 10., of which £2. 14. are paid to the schoolmaster, as already mentioned, under the grant of
certain donors for the purpose, and the remaining
£8. 16. are distributed among the poor in small
sums. The contributors for the endowment of the
school were, Andrew Griffith, who in 1776 left £10;
George Morris, who in 1776 bequeathed £40, half
of which was for the relief of the poor, and the other
half for teaching children; and Thomas Morris, of
Pentre Nant, who bequeathed £60, and made a
similar distribution. The bequests for the general
relief of the poor, besides the two by George and
Thomas Morris, just noticed, are, a grant of £40 by
Thomas Dunne, in 1720; another of £30 by Charles
Evans, in 1754; another of £10 by John Roberts,
in 1756; and a similar sum given by Edward Baxter
in 1773, by Judith James in 1720, and by Mrs.
Barbara Downes in 1780. Independently of these,
which are all included in the mortgages, is a yearly
rent-charge of £2 distributed in bread monthly,
arising from a grant of £40 by Andrew Myddelton,
in 1775, charged on the Swan public-house; and a
few other charities and small rent-charges have been
either lost by change of ownership in the lands
charged with them, or were rendered void under the
statute of mortmain.
On the summit of a prominent rock, in the vale of
Churchstoke, are the remains of Symond's Castle, an
ancient fortification; and on Llanvawr Hill, a craggy
and precipitous eminence, are the remains of an encampment, the origin of which has not been ascertained. On Churchstoke Hill are vestiges of a
Roman camp, and on the declivity called Todleth
are the remains of old walls, and a piece of water
named the Churchpool, probably belonging to some
religious house, near the site of which, according to
an absurd popular tradition, the church was originally
to have been erected. There are remains of British
encampments on the Aldres farm, Pentre wood, and
at Galet-y-din, or Coldtown, in this parish, in which
also is included the greater part of Corndon Hill.
Near Offa's Dyke, which passes through the parish,
are several tumuli, one of which was opened many
years since: the bottom of the tumulus, sunk about
a foot below the level of the surrounding land, was
paved, and the sides were formed with flag-stones,
on one of which was an inscription, very much obliterated; within was only some black dust, with a
coin bearing a legend quite unintelligible. At a
place on Offa's Dyke, called the Three Jacks, a coin
of Agricola was found, about thirty years since.
Ciliau-Aëron
CILIAU-AËRON, a parish, in the union of
Aberaëron, partly in the hundred of Troedyraur,
and partly in the Lower division of the hundred of
Ilar, county of Cardigan, South Wales, 10½
miles (N. W.) from Lampeter; containing 307 inhabitants. This parish is situated on the river Aëron,
by which it is bounded on the north-east, and from
which it derives the adjunct to its name. The living
is a discharged rectory, rated in the king's books at
£5, and endowed with £400 royal bounty; patron,
the Bishop of St. David's: the tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge of £115. The church, dedicated to St. Michael, is a small edifice, consisting
of a nave and chancel. There is a place of worship
for Presbyterians, and a Sunday school is held in
connexion with the Established Church.
Cîlmachalt
CÎLMACHALT, a township, in the parish, and
Upper division of the hundred, of Llanidloes,
union of Newtown and Llanidloes, county of
Montgomery, North Wales: the population is
returned with the parish. The manufacture of flannel is carried on here, and affords employment to the
greater part of the inhabitants. The hamlet surrounds the town of Llanidloes on the north, east, and
south, and a large portion of it is included within the
limits of the new borough. Three-fourths of the
tithes belong to Sir Watkin Williams Wynn, Bart.,
and the remaining fourth is the property of the
vicar of Llangurig.
Cîlmargh (Cîl-Y-March)
CÎLMARGH (CÎL-Y-MARCH),with Iscoed,
a hamlet, in the parish of Llandeveylog, hundred
of Kidwelly, union and county of Carmarthen,
South Wales, 5½ miles (S. by W.) from Carmarthen;
containing 160 inhabitants. It is situated close to
the left bank of the river Towy, near its mouth, and
contains a few respectable residences, standing on
the gentle elevations within view of that river.
Cîlvawr (Cîl-Fawr)
CÎLVAWR (CÎL-FAWR), a chapelry, in the
parish of Manerdivy, union of Cardigan, hundred of Kîlgerran, county of Pembroke, South
Wales, 4 miles (S. E.) from Cardigan: the population is returned with the parish. It is situated near
the right bank of a small stream, which falls into the
river Teivy at Castle Maelgwn. The great and
small tithes, the property of W. O. Brigstocke, Esq.,
of Blaenpant, have been commuted for a rent-charge
of £80: the chapel has fallen into ruins.
Clarach
CLARACH, a township, in that part of the
parish of Llanbadarn-Vawr which is in the Upper
division of the hundred of Geneu'r-Glyn, in the
union of Aberystwith, county of Cardigan,
South Wales, 3 miles (N. E.) from Aberystwith,
below the road from that town to Machynlleth; containing 283 inhabitants. The river Clarach, which
gives name to the township, flows along a pleasing
vale here, and falls into the bay of Cardigan, where
the shore expands into a fine sandy beach. From
the northern part an extensive bank of sand, termed
Sarn Cynvelyn, stretches in a south-western direction for several miles into the bay of Cardigan, terminated by sunken rocks, and with only two fathoms
of water on its surface at ebb tide. The vale is celebrated for its early harvest, and more particularly for
the superior quality of its barley crops; an advantage
derived partly from its sheltered situation and genial
soil, and partly from the facility of gathering the sea
weed or wrack after storms, to be used as a manure.
In the hamlet of Pont-Llangorwen, in the township,
a church has lately been erected, a very beautiful
structure in the early English style, consisting of a
nave seventy-two feet long by thirty-three feet, and
a chancel twenty-nine feet long by twenty-seven
feet. It is built of the harder veins of the slatestone of the country; parts of the interior are of a
superior kind of stone, and the whole of the woodwork is of Welsh oak or Spanish chestnut. The site
for the building, as well as the burial-ground, was
given by a friend of the Church, who also endowed
the living with £1000, and contributed the greater
part of the cost of erection, aided however by the
liberal subscriptions of some of the neighbouring
gentry, clergy, and parishioners. It was consecrated
on the 16th December, 1841, by the Bishop of St.
David's, who performed the service of its dedication
in the Welsh language. The living is a perpetual
curacy, distinct from the mother church, with an
ecclesiastical district annexed to it. There are two
day and Sunday schools; one of them, the Clarach
school, founded in 1795, and supported by an endowment of £11. 14. per annum, and by school-pence;
the other, at Llangorwen, founded in 1843, and supported by subscription, with the aid of a few fees.
Clarbeston
CLARBESTON, a parish, in the union of
Narberth, hundred of Dungleddy, county of
Pembroke, South Wales, 8 miles (N. E.) from
Haverfordwest; containing 244 inhabitants. The
parish is detached from any high road, and situated
near the East Cleddy river. The living is a perpetual curacy, endowed with £800 royal bounty, and
£400 parliamentary grant; net income, £60; patron,
the Rev. Thomas Thomas; impropriator, W. H.
Scourfield, of the Mote, Esq., whose tithes have been
commuted for a rent-charge of £44. 10., with a glebe
of 48a. 2r. 25p., valued at £24. 7. per annum. The
church, dedicated to St. Martin, has been rebuilt, and
is a very neat edifice. The Baptist denomination
have a place of worship here, and two Sunday schools
are held, one of them in connexion with the Established Church, and the other supported by the Baptists. In the parish is an artificial mount, which is
surrounded by a hedge, about fifty yards in diameter,
and is supposed to have been formed for defence at
some early period.
Clâs, Higher and Lower
CLÂS, HIGHER and LOWER, a township,
in the parish of Llangyvelach, union of Swansea,
partly within the new limits of the borough of
Swansea, and partly in the hundred of Llangyvelach, county of Glamorgan, South Wales,
3 miles (N.) from Swansea; containing 5924 inhabitants, the population having greatly increased
since the census of 1821. Morriston, a considerable
and thriving village, with a large population employed in copper-works, is situated in this hamlet,
but is described under its appropriate head. The
Swansea canal, part of which, called Morris's, was
constructed at the expense of the Duke of Beaufort,
who receives the tolls, passes close to the village,
between it and the Tawy, and hence pursues its
course through the rest of the hamlet, both that river
and the canal being crossed by bridges on the road
leading to the town of Neath. The bridge over the
Tawy, called Wych-Tree Bridge, from a tree of that
description which grew near its eastern end, is admired for its lightness and elegance: it consists of
one arch, ninety feet in the span, with cylindrical
holes in the abutments, and was executed by Edwards, the celebrated architect of Pont-y-Pridd.
Clasemont, late the seat of Sir John Morris, situated within a short distance north-west of the village,
has been taken down; there are, however, numerous
other respectable residences scattered over the hamlet,
which is in general well wooded, and presents many
agreeable rides and walks, especially along the banks
of the canal, and the Vale of the Tawy. Coal is found
in abundance. Part of Higher Clâs is included in
the ecclesiastical parish or district of Clydach, formed
under the act 6th and 7th Victoria, cap. 37.
Clâs-Garmon
CLÂS-GARMON, a hamlet, in the parish of
St. Harmon, union and hundred of Rhaiadr,
county of Radnor, South Wales, 5 miles (N.)
from Rhaiadr; containing, with the hamlet of Bwnneiaid, 433 inhabitants. It forms the north-western
portion of the parish, which borders on Montgomeryshire. Two roads from Rhaiadr to Llanidloes pass
through it, one along the left bank of the Wye, and
the other, the more direct, after crossing the Mertyd
brook, through the mountainous part of it. Clâs
Hill is an extensive and bleak elevation in the township, chiefly appropriated to pasturing sheep.
Clawddmadoc (Clawdd-Madog)
CLAWDDMADOC (CLAWDD-MADOG),
a hamlet, in the parish of Llanwrtyd, union of
Llandovery, hundred of Builth, county of Brecknock, South Wales, 10½ miles (W. by N.) from
Builth; containing 341 inhabitants. It occupies a
romantic and highly picturesque situation in the
upper division of the parish, and is environed on two
sides by lofty mountains: the small stream of the Cammarch, which falls into the Irvon, has its source in
the vicinity.
Clear's, St. (St. Clare's)
CLEAR'S, ST. (ST. CLARE'S), a parish, in
the Higher division of the hundred of Derllŷs,
union and county of Carmarthen, South Wales,
on the road from Carmarthen to Haverfordwest, 9
miles (W. by S.) from Carmarthen; containing 1167
inhabitants. This place, which is of considerable
antiquity, is supposed to have derived its name from
a pious lady, named Clara, who founded a church
here in the fifth or sixth century, and, after being
canonized, became its tutelar saint. Some, however,
are of opinion that it owes its name to the assembly
of the Welsh bards, which used to be held here,
called in the Welsh language Clair; pointing out, in
support of the hypothesis, a lofty tumulus as the
place of meeting. Soon after the Norman invasion
of this portion of the principality, a castle was erected
here by some of the conquerors, the ruins of which
are noticed by Leland, who wrote in the time of
Henry VIII., but have since entirely disappeared.
It is frequently mentioned in the Welsh annals, and
was taken and partially demolished by Llewelyn ab
Iorwerth, Prince of North Wales, in the year 1215;
it afterwards shared the fate of nearly all the Welsh
fortresses, until the struggle between the natives
and the Norman settlers was decided by the conquest
of Wales by Edward I. A small Cluniac priory, for
a prior and two monks, was founded here before 1291,
as a cell to the monastery of St. Martin de Campis
at Paris: it was dissolved with the other alien
priories, in the reign of Henry V., and its possessions
were given by Henry VI. to the Warden and Fellows of All Souls' College, Oxford, to whom, together
with two-thirds of the tithes of the parish, they still
belong.
The town is situated at the confluence of the
Guinning with the Tâf, which discharge their united
waters into the bay of Carmarthen, at the small town
of Laugharne, a few miles to the south. It consists
of one straggling street, nearly a mile in length,
neither lighted nor paved, but well supplied with
water, and contains many good dwelling-houses.
Several respectable shops have been lately built; the
old houses renovated, and other improvements made.
The surrounding district is highly productive of corn
and butter, which are here shipped for Bristol, Cardiff, Bridgwater, Southampton, and other ports; this
trade at present affording constant employment to
two vessels of fifty-five tons' burthen each: there
are also eight small craft, each of about twenty-five
tons' burthen, engaged in the coal, culm, and limestone trades between this place and Milford Haven;
and there is a limited export trade in cheese and
bark. The port is a creek within the limits of the
port of Llanelly, and a new quay, 150 yards in extent, has been constructed, which affords increased
facility for loading and unloading. The great South
Wales railway will pass a little to the north of the
town. St. Clear's is commonly reputed a markettown, but it has no market for the sale of provisions,
&c.; Tuesdays and Fridays being here called the
market-days, in consequence of the opening of the
merchants' stores on those days for the reception of
the staple commodities of the vicinity.
The place appears to be a borough by prescription, and is under the control of three portreeves,
a recorder, a town-clerk, two common-attorneys, a
crier, and an indefinite number of burgesses. Two
principal courts leet are held for the borough every
year, the one on the first Monday in May, and the
other on the first Monday after Michaelmas-day, at
the latter of which the portreeves and common-attorneys are appointed, from among the burgesses, by
presentment of the jury. The recorder, town-clerk,
and crier are chosen in a similar manner, but for
life; and the freedom is also conferred solely by the
jury, who present candidates to the portreeve to be
sworn in. The duties and fees of the officers are
slight: the portreeves hold the courts, superintend
the property of the burgesses, and act as treasurers;
the common-attorneys have the care of a wharf upon
the river Tâf, belonging to the corporation; and the
crier has merely to act as such at the courts leet.
The limits of the borough are not correctly known,
though believed to be co-extensive with those of the
parish; the perambulations of the authorities are
therefore confined to those lands which belong to
them, or from which they derive chief-rents, this,
indeed, being all that is absolutely necessary. The
property of the corporation consists partly of some
quit-rents paid to them by certain burgesses, or
their successors, who, having been favoured with
liberty to occupy some waste lands on payment of a
small acknowledgment, have built upon or inclosed
them, still paying only the original sum; and partly
of land which was assigned to the corporation in
lieu of right of common, under an act for inclosing
lands passed in the 47th of George III., and of
which thirteen acres are let to yearly tenants at a
rent of £15. 10., and the remainder upon lease at an
annual sum of £11. The total income of the borough is about £45, which, after payment of some
fees to the officers, is divided among the principal
part of the resident burgesses. The county magistrates hold a court of petty-session once a month;
the corporation, which was formerly of some note,
once had its courts of session, and its gaol was standing about seventy years ago.
The living is a discharged vicarage, rated in the
king's books at £4. 17. 1., and endowed with £200
private benefaction, £200 royal bounty, and £600
parliamentary grant; present net income, £133;
patron, J. Lewes Philipps, Esq. The impropriation
belongs to the Warden and Fellows of All Souls'
College, Oxford, whose tithes have been commuted
for a rent-charge of £185. 11. 4.; the vicar's tithes
have been commuted for one of £92. 15. 8., and
attached to the vicarage is a glebe of nine acres,
valued at £11 a year. The church, which is situated
on the bank of the Guinning, is an edifice of considerable antiquity. There are two places of worship
for Independents, and one for Wesleyan Methodists,
with a Sunday school held in each of them. A
donation of £8 per annum to a schoolmaster, for
educating a limited number of children, was made by
Lady Mary Osburne, of Pencoed, in the parish;
who also, by deed in 1719, gave lands now producing
£16. 10. per annum, for distribution among the poor,
and 10s. to the minister for preaching a sermon,
which he delivers on the Sunday previously to the
annual distribution on the first Tuesday in March.
The tumulus mentioned as being considered the
place of meeting of the bards is now called Banc-yBaily, and is stated also to have been the site of the
castle; but it appears to be too small to have been
occupied by the whole of that edifice, and is probably only the mount on which the keep stood. It
was near St. Clear's that the lawless practices of the
Rebecca Insurrection were first enacted.
Cletterwood
CLETTERWOOD, a township, in the parish
of Buttington, incorporation of Forden, within
the jurisdiction of the borough of Welshpool,
county of Montgomery, North Wales, 3 miles
(E. N. E.) from Welshpool; containing 275 inhabitants. It is situated on the banks of the Severn.
The tithes of this township and that of Hope have
been commuted for £207. 10., of which £154 are
payable to the Dean and Chapter of Christ Church,
Oxford.
Cliciedig
CLICIEDIG, with Prion, a hamlet, in the
parish of Llanrhaiadr-in-Kinmerch, hundred of
Isaled, county of Denbigh, North Wales; containing 443 inhabitants. The former place is divided
into Cliciedig Isâv and Cliciedig Uchâv.
Clocaenog
CLOCAENOG, a parish, in the union and
hundred of Ruthin, county of Denbigh, North
Wales, 3½ miles (S. W.) from Ruthin; comprising
the Lower and Upper divisions, and containing 457
inhabitants, of whom 150 are in the Lower, and 307
in the Upper, division. This parish is situated in a
mountainous district, and comprises an area of 6671
acres, of which 3167 are common or waste land.
The village is almost surrounded by unproductive
and widely extended heaths: in the vicinity are some
excellent quarries of stone, among which is that
peculiar kind used for hones. The living is a rectory rated in the king's books at £12; patron, the
Bishop of Bangor: the tithes have been commuted
for a rent-charge of £342.10.; and there is a glebehouse. The church, dedicated to St. Trillo, is a
small neat edifice, with a fine east window. Here is
a place of worship for Wesleyan Methodists. A day
and Sunday school is supported by subscription, by
fees from some of the scholars, and by an endowment
of £3 a year: the school-house was erected by Lord
Bagot. Sunday schools are also held by the Wesleyans and the Calvinistic Methodists, one by each
denomination. There are several benefactions in
land for charitable purposes, the rental of which,
amounting to £52 per annum, is distributed among
the poor. One of these is part of a bequest, in
1669, by Griffith Thomas ab Evan, of a farmhouse and
sixteen acres of land, now yielding £18 per annum,
the rent to be applied for the benefit of the poor of
this and three other parishes, but the larger portion
to be given to those of Clocaenog, amounting to £12
per annum: timber of the value of £22. 10. was
cut from the estate in 1835. Another is a grant of
the estate of Graig Wen, by Hugh Thomas, in 1680,
consisting of a dwelling and several out-buildings,
and twenty-four acres of land, to which is also attached a right of common over five hundred acres;
the whole being let at £25 per annum. A third
benefaction arises from the purchase, for £65, in
1721, of a parcel of land comprising twelve acres;
two acres in addition were gained under the Llanvwrog inclosure act, and the whole now produces an
annual rent of £14. The greater portion of these
rents is distributed in money on St. Thomas's day,
about £12 in clothes, coal, and potatoes, and a small
sum in bread on the first Sunday of each month.
Four other charities of the gross amount of £37 were
lost, either by the insolvency of parties, or the negligence of the parochial officers. In the township of
Maestyddin is a large tumulus, on the summit of
which was an upright stone, inscribed, in Saxon
characters, with the words Aemilini Tovisac: the
stone has been removed to Pool Park.