Landscape History Today:

the Bulletin of CSLH

September 2014 Number 55

First World War Themed Bedding Display, Erddig Contents

Chair’s Message 3

Lead ... a backdrop to Mold 4

Landscape History Beyond Our Shores 23

Nantwich Then and Now 26 Member’s Research Day 28 Field Visit Reports 29 New Publication 45 Erddig Gardens and Summer Buffet 46

Date for the diary

Members may be interested in the following event ... Saturday 25th October - CLHA History Day ‘Legacies of Conflict in Cheshire’

Editor: Sharon Varey, Meadow Brook, 49 Peel Crescent, Ashton Hayes, Cheshire, CH3 8DA Email: [email protected] Web: www.chesterlandscapehistory.org.uk

Page 2 Chair’s Message

As I type this message, with the sun streaming through the window, it is hard to believe that the autumn season will soon be upon us.

This year a number of our field visits were bathed in glorious sunshine. Tea, coffee and cakes ‘topped off’ a very enjoyable day exploring the Weaver Valley; ice creams were enjoyed by many members following our visit to Parkgate in May and cool drinks were certainly the order of the day at the Carden Arms in Tilston during the President’s visit in June. In July, the sun blessed our evening visit to Erddig where a wholesome buffet followed an extremely enjoyable stroll around the gardens.

Monday 29 September sees the start of our autumn lecture season with Della Hooke speaking about the Staffordshire Hoard. This will undoubtedly prove a popular lecture and it will be followed by the launch of our latest publication Field-names in Cheshire, Shropshire and North-East . Wine, soft drinks and nibbles will be available along with a chance to chat informally to the contributors of this volume.

With no residential visit this year we have designed an extended Discovery Day offering something for everyone. This event takes place on Saturday 4 October. Come along and discover something you never knew about Nantwich. With an early evening meal to round off the day, this promises to be a day of discovery with a difference (more details p.26).

2015 sees something new for CSLH – our very own Member’s Research Day. You can read more about this exciting new venture on p.28 So put the date – Saturday 10 October 2015– in your diary/mobile/calendar today!

Finally, I would like to extend a big ‘thank you’ to everyone who has contributed towards this newsletter. I hope you enjoy reading it. Sharon Varey

Page 3 Lead: a backdrop to Mold

Mold is situated close to the belt of lead bearing carboniferous limestone which runs from Prestatyn, in the north-west through Mountain and Maeshafn to Minera in the south-east. As a result of this proximity, Mold has long been associated with the mining and smelting of lead, especially in the nineteenth century. Figure 2 shows Mold in the centre of the main distribution of mines, from Halkyn Mountain, through the Alyn Valley to Llanferres and Maeshafn.

Figure 1 Lead pig with Deceangli inscription.

There is evidence of the Romans exploiting this resource when lead was required at their fort at Deva (). The discovery of a Roman smelting works at Pentre, near Flint and of pigs of lead stamped with the inscription ‘Deceangli’, the name of the local British tribe, support this assumption. There is no direct evidence of the Roman mining effort as subsequent mining activities have destroyed them. After the departure of the Romans the industry went into decline and it was not until a resurgence of building works under the Normans (a time of castles, abbeys and churches) and during the Middle Ages that there was an increase in demand, but this was on a relatively small scale. There is a record that, in 1280, 24 wagons loads of lead were bought at Mold for Edward I’s castle at Builth. It is not until the beginning of the seventeenth century that increased interest in the industry is evidenced. In 1589 the Crown granted the mineral rights in the lordships of Coleshill and Rhuddlan, of which Halkyn Mountain forms a part, to a William Ratcliffe of London. In 1597, the same William Ratcliffe was granted the lease of a lead smelting mill and a small plot of land called ‘Y Thole’ by Edward Lloyd of

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Figure 2 Map of lead mines in the Mold area.

Page 5 Pentrehobin. This suggests that the industry was already established. These two rights were then sold to Richard Grosvenor in 1601 and thus began the family’s connection with lead mining. Around this time they also accumulated the mineral rights in the lordships of Bromfield and Yale in Denbighshire. These acquisitions enabled the family to control a huge swathe of the industry in the Mold area. At the time of the sale of the Mold lead mill in 1601, an inventory was produced which gives an idea of how a smeltery functioned. The site’s proximity to the allowed the water to power two great pairs of bellows and these were valued at £6 13s 4d. Ladles for transferring the smelted lead from the fore-hearth into one ‘greate iron moulde’ and the twelve ‘small mouldes’ were also mentioned. Shovels and iron bars, for charging the furnace; 10 stampers for crushing the ore before ‘budding’ it; tools, a grind stone and a pair of bellows in the smithy were also recorded. Other items mentioned included three pairs of panniers for the carrying of the smelted lead to the warehouse in Chester; 414 sacks of ‘white coal’ (dried chopped wood), some black coal (charcoal) as fuel for the furnace; a new fire-bottom and a beam and scales for weighing the lead. The presence of some pig lead at the smeltery along with 2000 dishes of ore (each one weighing 66 pounds) at Halkyn and 189 more dishes at the mill show that this was a ‘going’ concern. A rather poignant note is struck by the inclusion of a bedstead and personal effects, probably from the agent’s house which was situated beside the mill. Other information we have about the mill is that it was worked by Charles and Nigel Coar of Mold with three assistants and a Hugh Thomas of Nerquis with one assistant. They were to smelt lead weekly at two streams, one to be ‘wrought in the day and the other in the night’. In 1640 the head smelter, Richard Gerard, was paid 5s per week plus ‘house and meat’. The site is still recalled in the name, Leadmills, an area of Mold, adjacent to the Bridge Inn public house. Once the lead had been smelted, it was transported from Mold, firstly to Chester and then on to London. Overland transportation by packhorse cost 8s 4d per ton whereas the costs by sea were 15s per ton. This was on a purchase price of £7 10s per ton. During the seventeenth century, as the industry gained in importance, a new mill was built (1661) and output doubled. From the 1670s smelting operations

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became more concentrated on , probably due to better transport links by using the River Dee. One of the best examples of this is from the early eighteenth century when the Quaker London Lead Company built a large smelting house at Gadlys at . The Grosvenor’s main interests initially lay in exploiting the reserves on Halkyn Mountain. In 1614 they entered into a partnership with Thomas Jones, a local landowner whose estate was based on Halkyn Old Hall, to exploit the lead reserves. This relationship did not last long and it ceased in 1619 but the Grosvenors, over the following centuries, accumulated more and more land and estates on the Mountain. From the end of the eighteenth century the Halkyn estate and mineral properties were administered by an agent at Halkyn while their Denbighshire mines were managed from Eaton. In 1825-26, the Grosvenors built Halkyn Castle along with a new church designed by John Douglas of Chester. They retained these lands until 1913. From the early days of this industry, the mine owners found it necessary to ‘import’ labour and expertise from more well-established lead-mining areas as there was insufficient local knowledge. These workers came mainly from Cornwall and Derbyshire and their legacy lives on in many of the local surnames in this part of north-east Wales: Hartley, Ingleby, Stubbing and Hooson. Not only did these men bring their talents but they also operated under the laws pertaining to these other districts whereby the miners kept 9/10ths of the ore and giving the owner or lessees the remainder. This was a situation that Sir Richard did not find to his liking and c.1619 he embarked on a course of litigation against the miners who had petitioned that they had been forbidden to work the mines and been forced to sell to the Grosvenors at his price. The case resulted in victory for Sir Richard in the Court of Star Chamber in 1623. The family consolidated their position in 1634 and thereafter they controlled the mining of lead on Halkyn Mountain either by direct working or by the granting of leases. This was not the only time that the Grosvenors resorted to the law or were in dispute with the mining fraternity. There was, for example, in 1698 an instance when Sir Thomas Grosvenor was fighting the Quaker London Lead Company, their lessee. By this time outside investment in the area was becoming a necessity. Miners had been removed from the disputed holdings on Halkyn and

Page 7 in the Grosvenor papers there are accounts of legal actions being undertaken. On a more personal note, they also tell of an allowance being made to a miner who had been injured in a ‘riot at Whitford Lane’ and the provision of ale to miners when they were incarcerated in Flint jail. The most famous legal action that involved the Grosvenors, concerned their disagreement with the Lords of Mold in 1752. By the mid-eighteenth century easily accessible veins on Halkyn had been worked out and their focus had moved to the Maeshafn-Llanarmon region of Denbighshire where they held the mineral rights of the lordships of Bromfield and Yale. The actual demarcation of these lordships and ownership of these mineral rights had long been in contention. The problem stemmed from the confiscation of the manors of Mold, Hope and from the Earl of Derby during the Civil War. The shares of the manor of Mold were subdivided among several individuals who called themselves the ‘Lords of Mold’. The legal fight that ensued was over which of these two rival factions had the right to win the minerals at mines at Cathole, () at Loggerheads.1 The county boundary had always been obscure, hence the uncertainty. This had not been an issue whilst the land was just regarded as unenclosed waste, but as soon as mineral extraction was being contemplated and royalties could be paid to the mineral owners, clear definition of the land became necessary. This whole area was called Mold Mountain. Decades of legal argument followed, with a final decision being reached in 1763, when the Court of the Exchequer in Westminster decreed that a boulder called Carreg Carn March Arthur (‘the stone of the hoof-print of Arthur’s horse’) was the true boundary. The Lords of Mold had won the case. To commemorate this and to delineate the boundary a monument was erected in the same year on the spot above the stone. This is now regarded as the official boundary between and Denbighshire. The actual monument has subsequently been repositioned and can be seen outside Loggerheads Country Park. The Grosvenors were not the only family to become enriched by lead. Another notable local who benefited was George Wynne, son of John Wynne of . He had inherited a field on Halkyn from his mother in 1703 and an extremely rich vein of lead was found on it. (As this land was privately owned, it was beyond the reach of the Grosvenors!) This resulted in George Wynne amassing a vast fortune, becoming a baronet and an MP. He built a very grand

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mansion, Leeswood Hall, in 1724-1726 but more spectacular are the magnificent White Gates which he commissioned from the Davis Brothers of Bersham, (figure 8). Another set of gates, known as the Black Gates, were also commissioned. These used to be situated between two beautifully decorated lodge houses on the old Mold - Wrexham road, nicknamed, ‘Heaven’ and ‘Hell’, but are now at the entrance to Tower.

Figure 3 Leeswood Hall. Wynne’s prosperity meant he was in a position to give his young kinsman, the aspiring artist Richard Wilson, sponsorship and support. This allowed Wilson to pursue his career in Italy which he did very successfully. He was later to become one of the leading British landscape painters and was a founding member of the Incorporated Society of Artists, a fore-runner of the Royal Academy. However, he returned to his cousin’s house, Colomendy, near Llanferres, in poverty and broken in health. He died there in 1782 and was buried in Mold Churchyard. Like many other lead mining speculators during the eighteenth century, George Wynne overreached himself in trying to raise more and more monies to invest in other mines. This had a disasterous result for he died in a debtor’s prison in London in 1756. The other dominant local mineral owner was Davies (later the Davies-Cooke family) of Gwysaney. They owned a large tract of land near Rhydymwyn2 in a loop of the River Alyn and it included the whole of a major vein of lead and several mines were dug to extract the ore. In the late eighteenth century, one

Page 9 of these mines, the Pen-y-Fron, made the fortune of Richard Ingleby who worked it with only very rudimentary equipment such as pickaxes, buckets, windlass and wheelbarrows! He smelted the ore at the site and then took it further down-stream to his rolling-mill to form it into sheets which were then sent to Flint for export. A series of watercolours by Ingleby give some idea of the Alyn landscape with all the industrial buildings at this time. However, it is still possible to see remains of the masonry from the rolling-mill on the side of the banks of the Alyn. Although the main landowners and mineral right holders controlled the industry, the perceived ‘lead rush’ led to many individuals becoming involved. Leases were granted to miners themselves or groups of speculators including local gentry, business men, widows and even vicars. This was especially true in the seventeenth, eighteenth and the beginning of the nineteenth centuries. Not all these enterprises were successful or profitable. The price of lead was constantly in flux and when the price fell, unemployment and poverty followed. It had been hoped, with the beginnings of hostilities against Napoleon in the 1790s, that this would lead to an increase in demand and therefore a corresponding rise in the price of lead. These expectations were never realised due to Napoleon’s successes and his economic blockade of Europe. Flintshire was badly affected as most of the lead was exported to the continent. Lead continued to be used in Chester and in 1800 a shot tower was added to the existing leadworks by Walkers Maltby and Company for the manufacture of lead shot for use in the Napoleonic Wars. This tall tower is still a feature of the Chester landscape. However overall, the period 1810-1815 was very depressing for most of the lead mine owners in Flintshire and this led to Rowton and Marshall’s Chester New Bank at Mold stopping payment in 1810. In 1812 the lead smelters, the Inglebys, went bankrupt.

Exploitation of the accessible surface veins meant that mine workings were being dug much deeper. Constant flooding was a problem due to the porous nature of the limestone which meant that surface water seeped through and accumulated in the lower levels making mining very dangerous and unproductive. As a result a number of mines in the area ceased working all together. In the Alyn Valley water-driven pumps were used to try and pump out the water. This was not very efficient and so the latest technology had to be

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employed, the steam engine! These problems were also apparent in the mines at Minera which were following the same pattern as those round Mold.

Newcomen’s steam engines had long been employed in the lead industry in Derbyshire, the first being recorded in 1717. These early engines were inefficient and in 1769 James Watt patented an improved engine. He then entered into a partnership with Matthew Boulton and they involved the iron- master, John Wilkinson in the production of the cylinders for their new engines. These were produced at Wilkinson’s ironworks at Bersham, near Wrexham. Wilkinson, although mainly known for being involved with iron, was one of the investors in the lead industry in the eighteenth century and owned mines both at Minera and at Llyn-y-Pandy, in the Alyn Valley. He was so impressed by the quality of the Boulton and Watt engines that he bought several for his own enterprises. The lead from Wilkinson’s mines was probably shipped via Chester to Rotherhithe on the Thames where it was made into lead pipes.

Figure 4 Diagram of a steam engine.

Page 11 The effect of the introduction of this new technology can be seen at Maesfafn, where the mine, having closed in the 1790s, was reopened in the 1820s after a massive injection of funds allowed the water problem to be overcome by the use of Cornish steam engines. Cornish engines were similarly derived from the Boulton and Watt design. The mine remained open until 1907.

The introduction of this new technology at the end of the eighteenth century brought an end to the system of small scale ventures, dependent on the investments of local gentry and by the granting of leases based on royalties derived from the sale of the ore. Capital and investors were now needed on a large scale to allow the industry to continue. Evidence from the Grosvenor records gives some indication of the diverse nature of the investors. In 1834 these ranged from local gentry, gentlemen from London, merchants from Manchester and even a merchant, formerly of Liverpool, now of Portau Prince on the island of St Domingo. One wonders if this could this have a slavery connection.

New personnel were needed to meet the new challenges faced by the industry. The majority came from Devon and Cornwall and one of the most influential was John Taylor who had been working at the mines in Tavistock in Devon where he proved to be very successful. He was invited to manage the Grosvenors mines at Halkyn in 1813. Taylor originally came from Norwich but due to family connections with the Martineau family, he was given the opportunity to manage their mines at Tavistock at the age of nineteen in 1798. He believed in using the latest technologies and invested heavily in mechanisation. These management principles set him apart from most other mine managers of the day who tried to keep investment as low as possible and looked only for a quick profit.

In his first ten years at Tavistock, Taylor emerged as the leader and spokesman for local mining interests. In 1812 he moved to London and set up other businesses with his brothers. It was probably during this period that he made contacts in London with regard to acquiring finance for future projects. This experience made him an ideal recruit to north-east Wales to oversee all the changes required in the first decades of the nineteenth century. He arrived in

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1813 and thus began nearly a century of involvement of the Taylor family in Flintshire, both in mining and associated engineering businesses.

Taylor rented the newly built house of Coed Du on the River Alyn near to (figure 5). It was a rather grand mansion with a very elaborate Italianate tower. His family remained there, using it as their base to oversee all their local enterprises until 1845. As John Taylor became more and more established as a leading authority on mining, he prospered and this enabled him to have a London residence in Bedford Row during the 1820s. Here he entertained widely and his most famous guest was Felix Mendelssohn who was later invited to stay with the family at Coed Du in 1829. He was royally entertained and in gratitude composed his ‘Three Fantasies’ or ‘Caprices’ for piano for the three Taylor daughters. The third one, the most famous, is sub- titled the ‘Rivulet’ and is supposed to have been inspired by the gently flowing river that they used to walk along as they went on their rambles around the Hall.

Figure 5 Coed Du Hall, Rhydymwyn.

On arrival at Halkyn Taylor was requested to survey and report on the state of the mines for Earl Grosvenor. He found that although the mines had been extraordinarily productive, most had been worked out to the level of water and were not yielding sufficient ore. There was also a problem with over-manning with workmen ‘injudiciously crowded together’. Taylor’s recommendations to Earl Grosvenor were rather radical. He suggested that the existing mine manager, whose family had been involved in the mines for over three

Page 13 generations, should just deal with leases and bargains (rates of payment to the miners) and that mining operations should be put in the hands ofan underground manager brought in from another mining district who would have the appropriate experience. The reduction in manpower recommended would mean a loss of over 200 jobs between the two mines but, as the distress that would be caused was acknowledged, he suggested that around 60-80 men could be kept on prospecting for new veins and then dismissed gradually. Taylor felt that if these ideas were pursued, the profitability of the mines could be reinstated. Earl Grosvenor agreed with these recommendations and in December 1821 Taylor sent his clerk to the Grosvenor solicitor in London to introduce the new underground agent for the Halkyn mines, Absolom Francis. He was an experienced man with glowing references from people who were ‘perfect judges of what is required’. This was the beginning of yet another Cornish family’s long association with the lead mining industry in .

Needless to say, these rationalisations, which included new rules and conditions for annual bargains, were not met with approval by the local miners and this led to unrest. The focus of this discontent was directed towards the Cornish men who had been brought in to enforce the new rules. The Grosvenor estate had even provided accommodation for all the Cornishmen in the vicinity of the Old Hall, Halkyn, which in the first editions of the Ordnance Survey was even called ‘Cornish Place’. The mine captains, Thomas Williams and James Trenear, were actually driven from the area. Mining stopped immediately and Taylor urged firm action to be taken by the magistrates against the main troublemakers. In response the miners petitioned Earl Grosvenor but to no avail. However, these strong measures meant that the Halkyn mines soon became the most profitable in the district. Nevertheless, there was still underlying resentment which flared up occasionally. Disturbances occurred at the Pen-y-Fron mine over Cornish practices being introduced there.

These rather harsh reforms enabled the Flintshire industry to withstand a serious price depression during the 1820s and Taylor was given the credit for this and was honoured at a celebration dinner at Holywell in 1829. Although working for the Grosvenors, Taylor began investing in and working other local mines throughout the region for himself and held many leases.

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From 1823 onwards a process of amalgamation of nearly all the mines on Mold Mountain into one enterprise was undertaken. This company was known as Mold Mines and it was managed by John Taylor. He appreciated that a large amount of investment would be required for the purchase of new steam engines and to improve the water power infrastructure to make these mines profitable. Taylor’s financial contacts in London meant he was able to bring a whole new type of investor to this company. Previously it was mainly the local gentry investing in their own mines, now there was a situation where the investors in the Mold Mines had no local connections at all. In the 1827 report of Mold Mines the list of shareholders included: the astronomer Francis Baily; Colonel Thomas Colby, director of the Ordnance Survey; John Gorwood, later the Duke of Wellington’s private secretary; Dr. Edward Maltby, later Bishop of Durham; Charles Stuart, the British Ambassador to Paris. The largest shareholder was Samuel Hoare, of the banking family. Other investors were the Martineau and the Hudson families from Norwich, probably old family friends. They all obviously had respect for the capabilities of Taylor to make this commitment but the company is unlikely to have yielded large profits in respect to the outlay that had been expended.

One of the lasting legacies of all this investment was the construction in 1823 of a major watercourse channel, known as the Leete. It was built by Taylor to allow water from the River Alyn to be diverted so as to keep the operation of water wheels continuing even during times when the river disappeared down swallow holes. These water wheels in turn powered pumps which drained the mines further down the valley. The Leete was a considerable engineering feat for the channel was three miles long. It is interesting to note that the Leete Walk follows this old route to this day. Additional leats were also built to service other mines and uses. Figure 6 The Leete.

Page 15 Although Taylor was very involved in his enterprises in North Wales and still retained his base at Coed Du, his influence in the field of mine management meant he was in great demand elsewhere. As a result he had interests all over the British Isles and he even diversified into areas abroad such as Mexico.

In 1839 the Taylors leased land on the banks of the Alyn at Rhydymwyn from the Gwysaney Estate where they built a foundry to make their own machinery for the mining industry. Water wheels fed by the River Alyn gave power to all the various processes that went on there. The majority of their output was in fact more water wheels. Sadly nothing remains of the foundry for it disappeared under the Second World War, Valley Site. The Taylors quit possession of the site in 1863 and the works were resited at on the banks of the Dee. This business remained in the hands of the Taylors for many years. All types of mining machinery, like stamps for the crushing of all kinds of ores, winding and hauling engines and rock drills were manufactured there. It was said that there was no mine anywhere in the world that did not have some piece of Sandycroft equipment. The company also diversified into electrical motors from the 1890s. It ceased operating in 1925.

Although the family left Coed Du in 1845, John Taylor, followed by his son John Taylor Jnr continued to have a huge influence in the area. John Snr died in 1863 and his son continued with reforms, but like with his father before him, he had to deal with the animosity of the miners. This time the issue was over the reintroduction of the eight-hour day. The problem arose at the Pant-y-Gof mine in Halkyn when the miners went on strike in December 1865. The Halkyn miners had been used to working a six hour day which allowed time to pursue other occupations such as farming or even operating some of the small shafts on the Mountain on their behalf. This issue was crucial to both sides. Taylor’s argument was that he could not afford to operate the six hour system whilst the miners felt that in the long run, although Taylor had promised to pay more or less 20s per week compared with 14 to 17s for the six hour shift, they would be disadvantaged financially. The miners refused these terms stating that as the mines were ill-ventilated, working longer hours would be prejudicial to their health.

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The first disturbance came on 11 January 1866 when around 2000 miners and colliers marched through Holywell towards Halkyn with the purpose of taking vengeance against the mine captain and those miners who had accepted the new terms. This action so convinced John Taylor that the miners were going to be obstructive that he appealed in person to the Magistrates at the Quarter Sessions in Mold for the protection he claimed he was entitled to. As a result a detachment of the militia, based in Chester, arrived in Holywell a week later. This force, along with constables, with drawn cutlasses, marched to Halkyn to address the miners. This did not resolve the issue and the militia remained in Holywell with the miners remaining on strike. By February, although damage had been done to the mine in the meantime, it was felt that the situation had calmed down sufficiently for the regiment to return to Chester. The miners then tried to lobby the House of Commons Committee on Mines via their MP, Sir Richard Grosvenor, for their six hour shift pattern. However, this did not meet with much success and the strike continued.

As the months passed, a few miners were prepared to accept the new shifts and this so infuriated the strikers that direct action was planned. On 1 May 1866, a large crowd, estimated at anything from 100-1000, assembled at the mine and manhandled and bound the working miners. This action was brought to a stop by the police who warned the perpetrators of the legal consequences of their actions so they released the men. In response to this violent act against his miners, Taylor demanded firm action from the authorities and this time they responded in a very efficient manner. On the 28 May the main body of police assembled at Chester before midnight and were taken by two omnibuses to meet up with a contingent of police from Holywell at Halkyn Castle. They were equipped with sledge-hammers and crowbars and given instructions on leading a coordinated attack on the houses of the suspected ring leaders. A reserve force was to remain at Halkyn Castle under the Chief Constable. The operation was largely successful and eight men were arrested and taken to the lockup in Mold. Another group of the alleged leaders were also rounded up later. A Special Magistrates Court was convened in Mold County Hall on 11 June to hear the charges of riot and assault. The town was packed and in case of disturbances in support of the miners, the authorities took the precaution of having a strong presence of local constabulary and a detachment of militia from Chester.

Page 17 Figure 7 Halkyn Castle.

The result of the hearing was to commit fourteen men to the Assizes but because of the possibility of there not being a fair trial in Flintshire, the case was heard at Chester. The case was not heard until April 1867. After hearing all the evidence, the jury found four men guilty Two were given six months with hard labour and the others one month with hard labour. During this period between the trials the strike continued but with an undercurrent of unrest. This resulted in a permanent presence of the local constabulary in the village of Halkyn. They were never required and the strike finally ended in December 1866 with the miners agreeing to work the eight hour shift.

Whilst the disturbance was on-going the problems related to making the mines profitable was demanding attention. Water continued to be the main obstacle and different ways of dealing with it had to be considered. As early as 1818, the Halkyn Deep Level drainage project was conceived. This was an ambitious project which involved driving a tunnel from a valley in Flint beneath the mines on the southerly slopes of Halkyn Mountain. When work began in the 1850s, its effect was immediate and dramatic. The unwatering of existing workings meant a reduction in costs thus enabling increased profits to be made even in the face of lower lead prices. In addition, new rich lodes of lead were discovered as work on the tunnel and associated branches progressed. Optimism was high. Taylor sent a letter to the Flintshire Observer due to his concern about the possible loss of capital to the area with the miner’s unrest explaining that the driving of the Halkyn Deep Level would do more good for the region than any

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other event. The tunnel was continued intermittently until 1875 when the Halkyn District Mines Drainage Company was formed under the auspices of the Duke of Westminster, with John Taylor and Sons as the engineers. The company secured an Act of Parliament empowering them to charge and levy royalties on mines drained by the level. Between 1878 and 1883, the drainage tunnel was extended to the . The mines at Hendre benefited from the drainage level when it reached there in 1893. It was then continued to tap into the mines of the Alyn Valley reaching its furthest point south in 1903.

The success of this venture led to the proposal, in 1896, for a second, even deeper tunnel to drain the mines north of the Halkyn District Mines Company area. Work commenced in 1897 by the Holywell-Halkyn Mining and Tunnel Company, an amalgamation of several mining companies. The tunnel began at Bagillt at sea level and was driven in a south-easterly direction, draining the mines as it progressed. By 1913 it had reached the Halkyn District Mines Drainage Company’s mining area and so an Act of Parliament was obtained, allowing the tunnel to extend into their district and this was achieved in 1919. One unfortunate effect of the tunneling was that at one point the water supply to St Winifride’s Well at Holywell was cut off but fortunately an alternative source was found. Following the First World War, there was a period of stagnation with no further extensions to the tunnel and this resulted in a very depressed industry. In 1928 the various mining and drainage interests came together to form a new company, the Halkyn District United Mines Company and work recommenced on pushing the tunnel onwards. The world tunneling record was achieved by the workers in 1930 advancing 2037 feet in 14 weeks! This extension had the desired effect of removing the water and allowed for the discovery of profitable new lodes. For a few short years the area became a major source of lead ore. Between 1934 and 1937 1-2% of the world’s lead output came from the Halkyn drainage tunnels.

One of the many features that the miners found as they tunneled through the limestone was underground caverns. The largest of these was discovered under Rhosesmor in 1931 and it contained a lake of indeterminable depth of crystal clear water.

Page 19 The water disgorged from the tunnel was a useful resource for Courtaulds when they established a viscose rayon factory at Greenfield and could utilise this plentiful supply.

Work was suspended during the Second World War. However, the tunnel complex allowed for the secret extraction of high quality limestone for specialised glass manufacture by Pilkingtons for the war effort and the Ministry of Defence used the underground limestone caverns to store quantities of TNT . After the war, an increase in lead ore prices prompted renewed activity at the main tunnel face in 1948 from beneath Pantymwyn reaching Cadole in 1957, just yards before the Mold – Ruthin road where the operation finally ceased. Lead prices were so low at this time that it was limestone that was the important commodity to be worked. This was processed to be used in the agricultural and chemical industries. No lead was mined from 1958 to 1964 until a boost in the price of ore kept a few men working until 1977 by extracting ore from the existing lodes. However, the workforce consisted of no more than 40 men.

This was the end of the era of lead mining around Mold. It had lasted for several hundred years, surviving all the fluctations of the market until it could no longer compete with cheap imports from abroad due to the high cost of the ore’s retrieval. The smelting industry had already come to an end with the closure, in 1906, of the Dee Bank works at Bagillt. The industry had declined when it had not able to compete with the smeltering works in South Wales and Bristol. The Dee also proved to be unsuitable for the larger ships that were being used to transport the lead due to the problem of silting.

The legacy of the lead mining industry on Mold and district is immense. It is still recalled in some of the town’s place names: Leadmills and Grosvenor Street to name but two. Some of the most common surnames hark back to the miners who came from counties such as Derbyshire, Cornwall and Devon during the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to give of their expertise and perhaps to make their fortune. Some of the grandest structures in the area such as Leeswood Hall with its White Gates, Halkyn Castle and its new church and Coed Du give us some indication of the type of wealth that was generated during periods of prosperity. Many important people of the day, in all walks of

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life, from science and technology to the arts, had some contact with the industry during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Figure 8 White Gates at Leeswood Hall, Mold.

However, the most enduring reminder of the industry can be seen in the landscape around Mold. The rugged contours of Halkyn Mountain with its spoil heaps, pattern of small settlements and beehive-capped mines can all be seen and it was only in 1987 that the head frames of two of the mines were removed. Traces of the Leete in the Alyn valley can still be seen as they survive as a walker’s route. However, very little of the engine houses as depicted in Ingleby’s paintings survive. The Clive engine house between Dyserth and Meliden and the restored example at Minera give a sense of what they must have been like. The Milwr Tunnel still excites people’s imagination with its large scale and mystery. These remnants of the industry bring alive what it must have been like to have participated in lead mining over the centuries and reminds us of those whose labour made this area of north-east Wales one of the richest lead producing areas in the country. Diane Johnson End Notes 1 The name Cathole has at least two possible explanations; one that a cat had been found in an old shaft; the other, apparently coming from the Cornish miners who originated in the town of Mousehole, giving their settlement the name Cathole. The name Loggerheads has also become synonymous with conflict and dispute. 2 Rhydymwyn means the ‘ford of the mine’. The name appears on an Ogilvy road map of 1675.

Page 21 Further Reading/Information

I. Brown, Discovering a Welsh Landscape (Bollington, 2004). R. Burt, John Taylor, Mining Entrepreneur and Engineer 1779-1863 (Buxton, 1977). C. Ebbs, The Milwr Tunnel, Bagillt to Loggerheads 1897-1987. B. Ellis, The History of Halkyn Mountain (Holywell, 2000). Flintshire Record Office, Early Industry in Flintshire (1966). S. Langtree and A. Comyns (eds), 2000 Years of Building (Chester, 2001). W.J. Lewis, Lead (Cardiff, 1967). J. Manley (ed.), The Archaeology of (1991). National Museum of Wales, Richard Wilson C.J. Williams, ‘The Lead Mines of the Alyn Valley’, Journal Flintshire Historical Society, XXIX (1979-80). C.J. Williams, Industry in Clwyd (Mold, 1986). L. Williams, Lead and Leadmining (1982).

Can You Help?

CSLH member John Lowe would like information on dismantled railways in north-east Wales for his research project. If you can help please contact him directly or via Sharon at [email protected] or Mike H. at [email protected].

Page 22

Landscape History Beyond Our Shores

Two years ago, readers might remember John Whittle’s ‘A Slice of French History and Landscape’ in which John focused upon the Étang de Montady which he had seen on a recent holiday to France (September 2012). This edition of the Bulletin brings to reader’s attention two further European landscape features. Perhaps you can think of others. If so, let us know and we’ll include your contribution in our January edition.

The Ochre Hills of Roussillon

It’s not often that you’re warned when visiting a tourist site to wear appropriate footwear in dry weather. We explored the Ochre Hills – disused ochre quarries at the village of Roussillon in the Luberon (Provence). Samuel Beckett lived here during the occupation, and the quarries have left a surreal landscape that would be well suited to the performance of one of his plays. Ochre emerges at the surface in the Luberon and so can be quarried rather than mined as it has to be elsewhere.

Figure 1 The Ochre Hills.

Page 23 Ochre is a combination of kaolin and iron lightly seasoned with quartz and in which kaolin is dominant. It was worked in the area in Roman times and was carried by donkey to Marseilles for shipping to other Mediterranean ports. The modern industry reached its peak between 1850 and 1940, with the ochres being used by manufacturers of wallpaper, linoleum and textiles, as well as in polishing workshops. The clay was extracted and washed in a strong current before being mixed and guided through baffles which held back the sand while the ochre remained floating; it was then drawn towards evaporation basins where itwas concentrated by the warm sun. After drying for a month, the ochre was cut up into bars and ground until it became a fine powder which was subsequently baked until the required colour was obtained.

The ochre hills have sandy, ferrous, acid soil that favours vegetation unusual in the region, such as heather, furze and broom, alkanet (dyer’s bugloss), chestnut, maritime pine and rockrose; the ochres also stimulate a number of very rare plants including 26 species of orchid. Broom is not only useful for sweeping houses but is also used by ochre makers to guide the flow of ochre at the discharge from the washing pipes. Dyer’s bugloss has roots that yield a red dye useful for perfume and confectionary makers. Chestnut leaves are used to wrap goat’s cheeses. Maritime pine and acacia spread and stabilise land made unstable by underground ochre galleries.

The whole place was so unusual it inspired Pamela to create some embroidery pieces after we returned.

A great place to visit under the Provençal sun, but make sure you take a good strong clothes brush!

Figure 2 Embroidery inspired by the landscape.

Mike and Pamela Headon

Page 24 Hidden but not forgotten: the remarkable Eupalinos Tunnel

Whilst on holiday on the Greek island of Samos, we visited the remarkable Eupalinos Tunnel which is considered one of the greatest engineering achievements of ancient times. Constructed in the sixth century BC using picks, shovels and chisels, the tunnel was dug through solid limestone to supply the ancient capital of Samos with fresh water. It is 1036m (3999 feet) long and what makes the tunnel such a remarkable feat of engineering is the fact that it was dug from both ends simultaneously! The man behind its construction was the Greek engineer Eupalinos.

Figure 1 The tunnel. The tunnel is approximately 1.8m (6 feet) high and 1.8m (6 feet) wide although some parts are much narrower than this. The water flowed through pipes in a separate channel about a metre below the main access channel as can be seen in figure 1.

The tunnel was in use for about a thousand years. During the seventh century it was used for refuge when the island of Samos was attacked by the Persians and then the Arabs. It was later filled in and not rediscovered until the late nineteenth century. In 1971 excavations began to remove the infill and during the process a number of artefacts were discovered. These include numerous buckles and the bread stamp which is shown here.

Sharon Varey Figure 2 Bread stamp.

Page 25 Nantwich Then and Now

Discover, Discuss and Dine Saturday 4 October 2014

Discovery Days offer the ideal opportunity to investigate, learn … and socialise. This year we take a closer look at the market town of Nantwich.

Based at the Café de Paris in Hospital Street we will meet at 10am in our own private room for a brief familiarisation session of local maps and sources. Members can then explore Nantwich through a number of self-guided trails – whether singly, in pairs or groups.

Over lunch at the café we’ll share observations. Afterwards there should be chance to fit in another short trail. Mid-afternoon we transfer to the Museum where eminent local historian Graham Dodd will reveal more about ‘Tudor Nantwich’ before leading a stroll to view architectural curiosities.

Page 26 Then, why not finish off the day in style, by joining us after Graham Dodd's ‘talk and walk’ for an early evening meal at Romazzino's Italian restaurant situated in Love Lane? Here there will be time to discuss the day’s findings over drinks prior to our meal.

Of course we hope members will join us for the whole day, but the itinerary allows members the flexibility to opt in or out of our evening gathering. Alternatively, some might like to join us purely for our early evening social. If members wish to extend their visit, there are B&Bs and hotels in the town for those who would prefer not to drive home until the Sunday.

Our day in Nantwich is designed with flexibility to suit all tastes and interests. Come and see.

Please note bookings must be made by Friday 19th September using the booking form accompanying this bulletin. We do hope you will join us.

Situations Vacant

CSLH is in need of a Librarian to store and manage our collection of journals and books. The role is not an onerous one and you do not even need to be a member of the planning team.

If you would like to know more about what the role involves please contact:

Sharon at [email protected] or Mike H. at [email protected].

Page 27 New for 2015

Member’s Research Day Saturday 10th October 2015 CSLH is organising a Member’s Research Day to be held on Saturday 10th October 2015 at St Mary’s Centre in Chester. The idea behind this venture is to disseminate information about current research projects being undertaken by CSLH members. Although the Research Day is aimed primarily at members, other local history societies will be invited, and we hope for an attendance of 60-plus. This event will take the form of a number of short presentations based upon members’ current research/research interests, which we hope will inspire others to engage in their own research in future. Following the event, CSLH plans to publish a selection of the papers to celebrate the Society’s 30th anniversary in 2016. The publication will be broadly similar in format to Landscape History Discoveries in the North West.

Would you like to participate in this event? Would you like to present a twenty minute paper based upon your research? We are looking for a small number of ‘reserve’ speakers who would be willing to speak at short notice should the need arise. Your paper could be an overview of your current research or an outline of progress to date or could focus upon just one aspect of a larger project. We envisage that presenters will be at different points in their research and that papers will reflect this. Alternatively, could you produce a display or poster about your research and talk on a more informal basis during tea and coffee?

If you are interested in taking an active part, either as a ‘reserve’ speaker or by producing a poster or another form of display, please contact Sharon or Graeme by 30th September 2014 indicating your research topic and proposed title. We shall be pleased to hear from you.

Page 28

Field Visit Reports

This year’s field visits took us from the Weaver Valley to Buckley via Parkgate, the Elwy Valley and the A41. The Planning Team would like to thank all those who led and assisted with our visits; in particular Mike and Maggie Taylor for putting together the programme and for showing the ropes to Jan and Gwilym Hughes.

We do have a programme in mind for 2015 but suggestions for and offers to lead visits are always welcome.

Weaver Valley Landscape (3rd May)

The first field visit of the 2014 season to Aston by Sutton and the surrounding area was blessed by a warm sunny spring day. Aston village and the surrounding estate, though so close to Runcorn, have an almost timeless feel and are almost cut off from the rest of Cheshire by railway lines, the M56 and the Weaver navigation itself. The visit started in the morning from St Peter’s Church in the village with the party splitting into two groups for guided walks, returning for picnic lunch. The more energetic group took a four mile route down to the Weaver and back passing several of the sections cut for the Navigation, the impressive 500 yard long Dutton Figure 1 Half sunken ship.

Page 29 Railway Viaduct of 1836 with its twenty arches, Dutton Locks and the half sunken ship ‘Chica’ (a recent relic from 1993) and Dutton Horse Bridge. The Horse Bridge of 1915 is thought to be the only laminated greenheart timber bridge in Britain. It carries the towpath over the old river and has two 100 foot spans with semi-elliptical wooden arches set on cast iron bearings. The eight foot wide deck was originally wooden too and made of close-set timber slabs covered in asphalt. The less intrepid party took a shorter route down to the Navigation and turned the other way towards the estuary, passing interesting features on the banks such a reed-bank containing several scuttled wooden salt barges. After lunch, we all went into the Grade 1 listed Church for an excellent talk by Philip Littlemore about the building itself and the Aston estate. A chapel at what was known then as Middleton Grange was built on the site in earlier medieval times but was in ruins in the 1400s and was replaced by a timber-framed building in about 1540. The Church’s pre-reformation silver, the only such in Cheshire, dates from this period. Another period of decline followed the Dissolution before Sir Thomas Aston restored the building in the 1630s only for it to be damaged again in the Civil War. Sir Willoughby Aston built a new Aston Hall in 1668 and again enlarged the church in 1697. Between 1736 and 1740 the Church took on its present-day external appearance with the construction of a new fine nave in Runcorn stone, tentatively connected with Vanbrugh. A Victorian make-over in 1857 was followed by severe damage from German bombing on successive nights in November 1940, which lifted the roof and left marks in the stonework of the building and gravestones. The Church only reopened in 1950 after Figure 2 Gravestone of Mary Illidge. much repair.

Page 30

Philip also mentioned some of the more interesting burials, including poor Mary Illidge, whose stone says died in 1842 from dropsy after nine operations in 23 months to drain 78 quarts of fluid from her body (more detail than perhaps necessary!) and the ex-slave Chloe Gambier. Chloe died in 1858 aged 78 after becoming head housekeeper at the Hall but Figure 3 Georgian Dower House. she had started life in slavery before entering service there aged seven. After a splendid afternoon tea provided by local ladies in aid of theChurch, some of us encroached into the otherwise out-of-bounds estate briefly (with the permission of a Talbot family member!) to look at the late Georgian Dower House, which is sadly unoccupied and deteriorating rapidly. Thanks to Maggie and Mike Taylor for organising the event and to all those helping with the walks and refreshments. Julian Tweed

The following detailed report, written by Katy Percival, focuses upon the longer circular walk to Dutton Locks on the Weaver Navigation. On a pleasant day, the group met at St. Peter’s Church, Aston by Sutton, on the minor road from Sutton Weaver to Dutton. This is a rural area overlooking the Weaver Valley to the SW, industrial Runcorn (NW) and the Cheshire Plain (E). The Aston Estate was owned by the Aston family from around the twelth century when they were given it by Henry II. They could have lived in a hall on a moated site near the River Weaver. The estate was developed throughout the seventeenth century with marriage dowries enabling a large stone hall to be built (demolished in 1938). The estate passed through the female line in 1744 to the Harvey Astons and then the Talbots in 1859, who own it today.

Page 31 We walked along Aston Lane with its brick and sandstone estate walls; there were estate buildings no longer in use, a gatehouse and then we came to Aston Grange, a large modern farm. We followed the footpath between fields to a wood – fantastic bluebells, wild garlic and red campion – spring in all its glory! Then, through a field to the Weaver where we walked along the embankment to Pickering’s Cut and on towards the Dutton Viaduct. As suggested by ‘Cut’, the construction of a manmade development, the Weaver Navigation, began in 1721 to make the river navigable from Frodsham to Winsford and was completed in 1732 at a cost of £5,885. Dutton Viaduct, a railway viaduct from 1836, is 500 yards long with 20 arches of 20 yard span, linking Liverpool, Crewe and Scotland. Figure 4 Dutton Viaduct. We saw the meanders of the original course of the Weaver on the right hand side of the Navigation, passed under the viaduct and reached Dutton Locks. Originally high tide allowed the boats, carrying coal and china clay inland and salt out to the Mersey, to reach this point where they were unloaded/loaded with packhorses used for the old onward transport. The Weaver Navigation originally had eleven locks but this was reduced to five to speed passage. The biggest boat to use the passage was the St Michael from the Netherlands (1080 tonnes and 208’ x 33’), the big lock at Dutton being 225’ x 42’. Today the river is used mainly by pleasure craft. Then we retraced our path across the footbridge to follow the old course of the Weaver to Dutton Lodge Farm, across open fields to Aston Grange back to the church and a picnic lunch, looking forward to the family history in the afternoon. Katy Percival

Page 32

Parkgate: Port and Resort (17th May) Nearly forty members had booked for this trip and Anthony Annakin-Smith kindly offered to lead parties in the morning and afternoon of what was a fine day.

Parkgate is now a residential area that attracts numerous visitors to its promenade and ice-cream shops. It has however a long history as a sea-port and fishing-port with all the attendant trades including ship-building, which Anthony demonstrated with the aid of historical maps and sketches. He indicated an area by Seward House that has never been built Figure 1 Dover Cottage. on, which may have been a small inlet that would have been used for ship-building. On a different tack from ship-building, Emma Hamilton is believed to have taken the waters from the adjacent Dover Cottage. There were at least twelve public houses located in the village, the oldest being the Red Lion.

At one stage Dublin was the world’s second largest English speaking city and communications with it were vital. Trade flourished in minerals, livestock and Irish labourers, not only with Ireland but also with the Baltic, Mediterranean and North America. Many notables also passed through such as Handel, Wesley, Swift and Turner who would have travelled in coaches from Chester along the shore of the Dee. This traffic reached its peak about 1800 after a history of some 150 years; it then declined following the building of the railway line to Holyhead and the silting up of the Dee.

After seeing Seward House and Dover Cottage the party walked the length of

Page 33 the promenade and sea wall; passing the recently refurbished donkey stand on the way. The wall dates from about 1800 and the stand was built on the site of the Assembly Room, which was the only building on the seaward side of the wall. Balcony House and another Assembly Room building are located opposite the stand.

Only the highest spring tides now reach the wall following the spread of Spartina grass on the sand, which has led to the sands becoming grassed from about 1945 onwards.

The party then passed Square and the 1843 sandstone church of St Thomas. Following that Anthony pointed out the attractive Seven Steps house; this contains eighteenth century murals uncovered during the course of redecoration. Nearly every building on the promenade has entrance steps as a defence against high tides. Adjacent to this was the Middle Slip, which was the site of the fishing port. Fishing was mainly for herring, which were salted and exported, and shellfish. We then passed the Old Watchhouse, which was the Custom House from the 1790s.

We reached the Boathouse Inn at the north end of the sea wall; this was the area of the earliest development in Parkgate as a consequence of the eight fathom deep inlet enabling a ferry to North Wales to run from the early seventeenth century. Parkgate had developed as a holiday destination from the early eighteenth century and the village ends in this direction at the Grenfell Baths of the 1820s, which remained in use until the 1950s.

We then walked inland through countryside and Figure 2 Railway Subway. returned via the Wirral Way.

Page 34

A railway was built from Hooton to Parkgate in 1860 and was later extended to West Kirby. Following closure of the line it was successfully converted into the UK’s first Country Park outside the National Parks. Remains of the subway that joined the two platforms of the old Parkgate railway station are still visible. Finally Anthony showed us the site of the old Neston Deer Park that was in existence from 1250 to 1600 and later used as a race-course.

Anthony was thanked for an enjoyable and informative day. Gwilym Hughes

Brogyntyn (31st May)

A group from the society had a very informative visit to Brogyntyn Hall and grounds. Unfortunately for the last fifteen years or so it’s been left unused and is now in a sorry state but the good news is the Hall, estate farm, the gardens, and about 234 acres of the estate have now been purchased from a developer with the intention of restoration. It would be good to go back in the future to see the hall, garden and grounds in something like its former glory.

Although the present Hall dates back to 1730 and was refaced in the 1820s, the estate dates back to the late medieval period. We were not able to go inside the Hall but it is possible to peek through some of the shuttered windows. It’s now empty but grand fireplaces are visible and if you look on some of the websites it is possible to see pictures of the Figure 1 Brogyntyn Hall. interior including the

Page 35 staircase and some of the telecommunications equipment that was left when BT owned the building.

The estate was owned by Lord Harlech but its recent history is one of tragedy for the family with suicides and fatal car crashes leaving crippling death duties leading to the estate being sold to a developer which accounts for its present condition.

The grounds had a formal garden now much neglected. The more intrepid amongst our number ‘discovered’ the remains of the tunnel which used to link the two halves of the formal gardens. There are the remains of a motte and bailey within the grounds. The motte had a bowling green on top during the Hall’s heyday. There are the remains of a tunnel going through the earthwork, dug to create an unusual garden feature, with views of the lake when one emerges. The grounds contain two lakes, a Swiss chalet and a man-made waterfall. The estate also had a Home Farm which is due for restoration. This would bring the dilapidated buildings back into use. Figure 2 Tunnel entrance.

How is the restoration to be funded? With the aid of grants and a small development of houses at the furthest extent of the estate.

Keith Shaw

Page 36

Elwy Valley and the Denbigh Moors (7th June)

There couldn’t have been many of us who didn’t leave home that morning with a feeling of trepidation and to the accompaniment of thunder, lightning and heavy rain. However, by the time we met up at St Asaph, where we were warmly welcomed by Ray (Jones, our leader for the day) and his wife Margaret, the storm had passed. This may have been due to Ray greeting us in shirt sleeves – the eternal optimist!

We gathered by the Elwy Bridge and Ray gave us an overview of the day in which we would be exploring the Elwy River and valley, visiting medieval churches, chapels and wells on the way. He gave us a brief history of St Asaph Cathedral and St Kentigern’s church. He explained how early Christianity flourished in Britain during the late Roman period and was well established by the late fourth century and that a diocesan structure had emerged by this time. By the late fifth and sixth centuries, it seems that monasticism was emerging as an alternative structure for Christianity in Britain although some form of diocesan system appears to have survived in Wales. After discussing the river and its flood defences we all made our way back to the cars to travel to our first stop Ffynnon Fair Medieval Chapel and Holy Well.

To reach the chapel one had first to negotiate a field of bullocks! Thanks to Maggie’s advice ‘not to make eye contact’ this was accomplished without incident. The next obstacle was to cross a very muddy stream (an overflow from the well) by means of slippery stepping stones. Again, thanks to the chivalry of the gentlemen present we all managed to cross Figure 1 Ruins of Holy Well, Wigfair.

Page 37 without mishap. Whilst crossing the field Ray drew our attention to the landscape. The site had been fenced in during the 1840s and a garden constructed around the chapel in the Ruskinite tradition from which rockeries and some bamboo planting still survive. After crossing the field we came to a metal gate through which, hidden from view, were the remains of a chapel and holy well. The well is set within a fifteenth century polygonal stone basin to the north west of the chapel and formerly had a stone canopy. The eight pointed star shape of the stone basin is similar to the well of St Winefride at Holywell and is dedicated to Mary, known as ‘Ffynnon Fair’ (Mary’s Well or spring). The name of the township ‘Wigfair’ is translated as ‘Mary’s Retreat’ and thus the chapel and well may have a long history since the township was mentioned in the Survey of 1334.

As we travelled on to our next stop Llanfair Talhaearn we caught sight of Wigfair Hall in the distance, a neo Jacobean style building built by John Douglas, the eminent Chester architect who incidentally also designed Walmoor House on Dee Banks, Chester - once a private girl’s school which later became Cheshire Fire Brigade’s headquarters. After a coffee break Ray took us back to the Elwy to admire the attractive eighteenth century bridge – a Grade II listed building. Across the bridge lies the valley’s only turnpike road linking Abergele and Llanrwst. Alongside the bridge can be seen the evidence of an earlier ford.

On returning to the cars we made our way to Llangernyw to visit the church of St Digain and have lunch at the Old Stag Inn. On entering the church through the lychgate which dates from 1745 there stands a majestic yew tree, now split into a number of sections, which is believed to be at least 4,000 years old and reputed to be the oldest living thing in Britain. The churchyard itself contains two early Christian pillar stones both inscribed with crosses believed to be ninth or tenth century although one historian, Nash Williams, suggests it could date to the seventh to ninth centuries. The church is an early medieval foundation though the structure seen today is not thought to be earlier than the thirteenth century. It may have been extended in the late medieval period, acquiring its unusual and distinctive cruciform shape at that time (the more usual form in this part of north Wales is a single nave or double nave). To the right as you enter the church is a Tudor font where butchers may have sharpened their

Page 38

knives when a market was held in the churchyard. It still bears the marks today. Vicar John Kenrick regarded the market as ‘so contrary to canon and common decency’ that in 1749 he nailed up the churchyard gate on market day and stationed ‘the clerk and other stout fellows” at the other entrances. They stood firm despite “bitter and sharp reproaches’ from people who argued that markets were held in many other churchyards. The market was soon relocated. On the walls are numerous memorial plaques one of which is dedicated to a local military man who was badly mauled whilst out hunting in Africa in the late 1800s and subsequently died of his wounds. Figure 2 Admiring the view.

As it had started to rain we all made our way to the Old Stag Inn where we enjoyed a very appetising and substantial ‘light lunch’! The Inn itself must be over 300 years old and is filled with memorabilia of a bygone age - treadle sewing machines, old Olivetti typewriters, copper utensils and wall plates, etc in fact an antique dealer’s heaven!

After lunch, the rain had stopped and feeling suitably refreshed we resumed on our journey to Gwytherin following the detailed driving instructions as provided by Maggie and Mike and keeping a sharp lookout for yellow grit bins!

The church at Gwytherin, dedicated to originally to St Eleri and later St James, is the first one encountered moving downstream from the Elwy’s source on Mynyold Hiraethog and is situated on the site of what may have been an Iron Age Promontory Hill Fort. It was rebuilt in the nineteenth century and rededicated to St Winefride. It is not used as a church now but makes a delightful venue for art exhibitions. The churchyard is partly curvilinear and unusually large which indicates that it may have been an ecclesiastical site of

Page 39 pre-Norman date. There is also a trace of a relict bank in front of the stone wall on the north west side. An extension to the south is thought to have once housed the ‘chapel of the grave’ containing the remains of St Winefride who was said to have retired there following her ordeal at Holywell. It is said that in the twelfth century her remains were transferred to Shrewsbury Cathedral but readers of the Ellis Peters’ ‘Cadfael’, will remember that she was left in peace at Gwytherin and the bones were that of a monk! Within the churchyard is a row of four stones one of which contains a Latin inscription which translates as ‘Vinnemagius Son of Senemagius’ a personal memorial dating from around the fifth century. The significance of the stone row is unknown but the inscribed stone could be a memorial to an early chieftain aping the style of a Roman mile- stone. The remaining stones could be those of his descendants. If this is so the stones could pre-date the founding of an early Christian church on this site.

On leaving the church is the site of one of the early Smithies. The local council have thoughtfully turned it into a picnic area and have placed a selection of old horse and cattle shoes within the curtilage which we found very interesting not having seen cow shoes before. The village was one of the main drove routes along which cattle were taken to market.

Our final stop was at a view point on the top of the Denbigh Moors where we were treated to a magnificent view over the valley and across to Snowdonia. To add a special touch to the day a red kite circled overhead no doubt looking for his evening meal but providing us with an added jewel to an already jewel packed day!

Before setting off home Ray and Margaret were warmly thanked by Mike for a superb day. Ray in turn thanked him and Maggie for their wonderful and thorough planning.

Pam and Bob Keir

Page 40

President’s Visit: Landscape Planning along the A41 (22nd June)

The President’s field visit for 2014 focused on the planning of five settlements along the route of the A41 in Shropshire and Cheshire.

Our first port of call on another fine day was Newport, where we assembled at the church of St Nicholas. The dedication to St Nicholas, the patron saint of fishermen, may seem unusual but fishery in the neighbouring low-lying areas was a major activity in the Middle Ages and the town’s coat of arms features three fish. The church was founded about 1148 and gained parish status in 1221. The existing church tower is of the fourteenth century and there was a college of priests at the church from 1432. The medieval market place would have been near the church and the churchyard would have had social and commercial functions indicated by the remains of the market cross. Figure 1 Market Cross, Newport.

Graeme gave us an outline of the early history of Newport; it was established as a royal foundation of Henry I and its charter was issued during the reign of Henry II. It was created purely as a commercial and trading and did not have a castle. ‘Port’ in the place-name is derived from the Old English meaning market. The borough became the property of the Audley family in the thirteenth century.

The town originally had a one street medieval plan, broadening at the church. Graeme pointed out the curved lanes, reverse S in profile, which may follow medieval field strips. The town reached its pre Black Death population of 81

Page 41 burgesses in 1316-17 and by this time had a piped water supply. A fire of 1665 caused extensive damage and the Guildhall of 1613 is a rare example of a surviving timber frame.

Graeme then showed us the British School of 1841, the National School of 1872 and Adams’ Grammar School of 1656 with its adjoining alms-houses.

A short walk took us to the vicinity of the canal and Newport Pool Bridge. The bridge dates to 1770 and was built on what was then a turnpike road on the London-Chester-Holyhead road. The street names Lower Bar and Higher Bar Figure 2 Lane with reverse S curve. relate to turnpike gates. The town prospered in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Canals were constructed to link Newport with Shrewsbury, Birmingham and the Mersey. However, these arrived too late and were quickly superseded by the railways.

After a break for lunch we travelled to the Whitchurch Country Park and Canal. The canal was built as a branch of the Llangollen Canal as a speculative venture by the Bridgewater family to link Whitchurch to Ellesmere. Demand for an extension from the original terminus at Sherryman’s Hill resulted in the construction of an extension to a basin at Mill Street in 1811. We noted the street name Chemistry. Graeme explained that the name referred to the manufacture of tannic acid from oak bark.

We then moved on to Malpas; Graeme explained that the place-name derives from mal pas meaning difficult passage as a result of the hilly surroundings. Malpas is mentioned in the Domesday Book and it is believed that there was an earlier settlement about a mile away at Bradley Brook. It developed as a town with burgage plots with a weekly market from 1281. We met at the fourteenth

Page 42 century church of St Oswald that had been re-built in the fifteenth century. Immediately adjacent to it a typical Norman motte and bailey castle, similar to others in the area such as Shocklach, Aldford and Shotwick. Graeme pointed out how the street plan fanned out from the centre and would originally have had open fields in between them, the place-name Oat Hill being a relic of this.

A short drive along the old Roman road took us to the medieval village of Tilston with a break for refreshments at the Carden Arms.

The visit ended at the hamlet of Aldersey. The settlement was first recorded in the thirteenth century and the lordship of the manor remained in the same family until the twentieth century. The original village would have been clustered around the village green; land for cultivation would have been distributed as tofts and crofts in the village Figure 3 Ridge and Furrow, Aldersey. equivalent of town burgages. Medieval population pressure eventually led to the clearance of woodland and the ploughing of meadows. The visit ended with a walk to farmland where Graeme pointed out to us a fine example of ploughing undulations with the typical long reverse S curve. Graeme was heartily thanked for yet another packed and stimulating trip.

Gwilym Hughes

Page 43 Buckley Heritage Trail (5th July)

Whilst the nation feasted on strawberries before their TVs (something to do with events in the hamlet of Wimbledon), over twenty members of the society chose to be outdoors on a glorious July day to visit Buckley.

The area we covered has wonderful long distance views into Wales and over the Wirral and we even communed with the local sheep and horses, but essentially the trail is a tribute to the remarkable 'boom years' of an often neglected town. A town which employed, at one time, around 6,000 people in its brickworks and potteries, and which drew workers in from North Wales, the Staffordshire potteries and even Italy. Being, essentially, a 'one industry' town, Buckley suffered in the 20th century with the decline in the demand for its earthenware and 'fireclay' products ... the last pottery kiln was fired in 1946. Similarly the brickworks, which once exported bricks as far away as the U.S.A., have all gone.

As we walked around the trail with its pits and water-holes, old tramways and remnants of a single-track railway, we picked up something of the crafts of brickmaking - of the different jobs done over the year. Clays dug in the autumn, clay clamps left to weather over the winter, and then the months of moulding and firing. Today it is hard to imagine the industrial scenes of heat and smoke, or the noise of donkeys and engines hauling the bricks or crockery down to the . There is, however, much evidence of where the local clays were dug and where they were rendered.

In essence, the landscape of Buckley today is one of reclamation - nature reclaiming deserted sites, and man regenerating areas left behind by industry with new houses and 'replanting'. No longer a 'wild west' town, Buckley is still well connected to its distinctive crafts, and is close to the heart of Pete Lewis who talked us round the trail.

If you happen to call in at Buckley, why not visit the library for it contains some appealing examples of 'Buckleyware'. Mike Kennerley

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New Publication

Field-names in Cheshire, Shropshire and North-East Wales Edited by Vanessa Greatorex and Mike Headon

The Society's latest publication is an attractively-produced 128-page volume with contributions by ten members of the Field-names and Forests Research Group. There's an introduction to field-names (Vanessa Greatorex) and detailed studies of Thelwall (Mike Taylor), Erddig (David Kennils), fields called "Harrow" (Mike Headon), and the Forest of Macclesfield (Tom Swailes), as well as shorter pieces by John Hess, Breta Lloyd, Ann Daley, Harry Bradley and Tony Bland. Members won't want to miss the launch following Della Hooke's lecture on 29 September, where it will available at a special members' price of £4.

Page 45 Erddig

Blessed with a fine warm sunny evening 32 members met in the Orchard car park at Erddig to view the extensive historic gardens. We assembled by the interesting herb border with many unusual plants sheltered by the south facing high brick wall, even figs and grapes were developing. Opposite was a grassy area with fruit trees, some less well known such as medlars and a tall ‘furniture’ walnut. We were introduced to our guide, the Head gardener, Glyn Smith who had been supervising the gardens for many years. We stopped in front of the house, where Glyn gave us a brief outline of its history: owned and built originally by the Edisbury family (1685-1709), it passed to the Meller family who added extensions to either end. The Yorke family then owned the estate for seven generations (1733-1973) and having seen fine formal gardens abroad, created their own to mimic these – cleverly using different trees and bushes to give the same effect: neat white square boxes around clipped laurels growing in the ground to make them look like orange trees growing in tubs. The Yorkes maintained the gardens until the First World War, after which the gardens gradually fell into neglect as many of the gardeners were Figure 1 Erddig. lost to the war. In 1973 the

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House was donated to the National Trust. The Trust has continued to keep the gardens as they were, referring to old photos and plans to make any necessary changes. They have planted two long rows of pleached limes running from the House to the pond representing two Figure 2 Garden Vista. walls that had collapsed, taking ones eye to the distant boundary. Each year the Trust have a themed bedding display in front of the House, this year commemorating the First World War anniversary. The beds of cream petunias with spikes of dark aeoniums were really striking; representing the coming of dark times to the innocence of youth. Walking round to the front of the House we had fine views across the valley. This side of the house had an ancient Virginia creeper growing on it, which had to be cut back at times as it was damaging the stone work. The gardens are looked after by Glyn and two other gardeners, although they were just starting an additional trainee. They have help from a number of Figure 3 Listening to Glyn.

Page 47 volunteers although some, we learnt, were more useful than others! To the side of the House was a restful, shaded, circular walled garden with flowers and shrubs including a black mulberry. Walking away from the House, following a long herbaceous border, we Figure 4 The Lake. came to two large rectangular fish ponds (with fish in evidence). The bank of one in particular was spectacular in spring and early summer with wild flowers and orchids. More unusual trees grew here such as swamp cypress. Turning back towards the House we passed through a formal garden whose planting and colours were chosen to be as near the original as possible. There were soft blue waves of edging with particularly fine clumps of blue agapanthus on the corners and old varieties of red and yellow roses in the centre. A row of conically clipped Irish yews led back to the House and to the national collection of ivy. Having seen the extent of the gardens, we appreciated how hard Glyn and his team must work to maintain them. He was heartily thanked by all. The evening concluded with a tasty buffet supper in the Hayloft Restaurant. The President gave a vote of thanks to Jennifer and Mike Kennerley for organising the visit. Ros and David George

© Chester Society for Landscape History, 2014

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