Flint, Flintshire
Encyclopedia
Flint is a town
in Flintshire
, North
Wales
, lying on the estuary
of the River Dee
. It was the county town
of the historic county of Flintshire and today is the third largest town in Flintshire. According to the 2001 Census
the population of the community
of Flint was 12,804. The demonym
of Flint is off Flint.
, to the north of the town of Mold
. Across the River Dee, the Wirral
can be seen from Flint and views to the south of the town include Halkyn
Mountain.
Flint has the oldest town charter in Wales, dating from 1284.
Edward I of England
began to build Flint Castle
in 1277. Both castle and town were attacked by the forces of Madog ap Llywelyn
during the revolt of 1294-5; the defenders of the town burnt it in order to deny its use to the Welsh.
Richard II
was handed over to his enemy Henry Bolingbroke in the castle in 1399. As a consequence, it is the setting for Act III, Scene III of the Shakespeare play Richard II
. The castle was the first of Edward I's 'iron ring' of royal castles to be built in Wales, and the design served as the basis for larger castles such as Harlech
and Rhuddlan
. Owain Glyndwr
unsuccessfully assaulted it at the commencement of his revolt in 1400.
The town did not have a wall, but a protective earthen and wooden palisaded ditch. The outline of this remained visible in the pattern of streets until the mid-1960s, and the medieval boundary can still be traced now. This can be seen in John Speed
's map of Flintshire.
In 1969 Flint hosted the National Eisteddfod, and so the town has a circle of Gorsedd stones
. In July 2006 the stones were centre stage in the National Eisteddfod Proclamation Ceremony which formally announced Mold
as the 2007 host town of the event.
and is represented by Labour MP David Hanson
.
The town is part of the Welsh Assembly constituency of Delyn
.
At local government level, Flint is a community
administered by Flintshire County Council
.
, but the great majority (82%) do not (source: 2001 Census). Many people in Flint have some knowledge of the Welsh language
, although competence does vary. English is the main spoken language to be heard across the town. There are more Polish language
speakers in Flint since the relaxation of trade and immigration laws within the European Union
. Many shops have English and Polish information displayed and there is a Polish shop (Polski Sklep) specialising in Polish products.
The Flint accent is most often mistaken for a Liverpool
accent. It is in fact a unique combination of speech patterns shared with other Welsh speakers, old Irish
settlers and those found in nearby Cheshire
, Wirral
and Merseyside
.
There are several songs associated with Flint. The most widely sung is "The Yard". Another popular song is "Fifty German bombers over Flint", which tells the story of a wartime bombing raid over nearby Liverpool that accidentally targeted the town of Flint instead. Verses describe the arrival of the bombers over Flint, and how they were shot down by the "Bagillt
Navy". Eventually, the ill-fated German aircrew were fished out by the "Greenfield Fishers". The song is often sung in a drunken, friendly manner to the accompaniment of much hand clapping and revelry.
and Flint High School. Primary schools in Flint include the Gwynedd School, Cornist Park School, Ysgol Croes Atti (Welsh Medium), St Mary's Catholic Primary School and Ysgol Maes Hyfryd.
, designed to provide improved coverage of Welsh channels in an area that would otherwise receive only English television signals.
Perhaps one of the town's most striking images, in addition to the castle, is the group of three tower block
s of flats near the town centre. The first two blocks were built in the 1960s and named Bolingbroke Heights and Richard Heights, with a third, Castle Heights, added shortly afterwards.
Flint has a local football team Flint Town United F.C.
. They play in the Cymru Alliance
.
Brian Fell's sculpture Footplate can be seen at Flint railway station
. Initially it was thought to be an imitation of the famous Monty Python
foot drawn by Terry Gilliam
.
The library and leisure centre and the town centre have been renovated. Flint Retail Park has also expanded and now Flint is the only town in Flintshire with a Sainsbury's.
and Wales football (soccer)
captain Ian Rush
attended St. Richard Gwyn Catholic High school in Flint, some of his family live in the area. Other famous footballers who are from Flint include Ron Hewitt
who starred in Wales' only Football World Cup appearance and his nephew Andy Holden
. Other famous people connected with the town include the chemist John Thomas best known for his research into plant dyes and Thomas Totty
, an Admiral who served with Lord Nelson and inherited Cornist Hall
, Flint.
The actor Ian Puleston-Davies
also comes from Flint.
Tom Cruise
's paternal great-great grandfather, Dylan Henry Mapother, emigrated to Louisville, Kentucky
from Flint in 1850.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in Flintshire
Flintshire
Flintshire is a county in north-east Wales. It borders Denbighshire, Wrexham and the English county of Cheshire. It is named after the historic county of Flintshire, which had notably different borders...
, North
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, lying on the estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
of the River Dee
River Dee, Wales
The River Dee is a long river in the United Kingdom. It travels through Wales and England and also forms part of the border between the two countries....
. It was the county town
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
of the historic county of Flintshire and today is the third largest town in Flintshire. According to the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
the population of the community
Community (Wales)
A community is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest-tier of local government in Wales. Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England....
of Flint was 12,804. The demonym
Demonym
A demonym , also referred to as a gentilic, is a name for a resident of a locality. A demonym is usually – though not always – derived from the name of the locality; thus, the demonym for the people of England is English, and the demonym for the people of Italy is Italian, yet, in english, the one...
of Flint is off Flint.
Geography
Flint is located in north east Wales, adjoining the River DeeRiver Dee, Wales
The River Dee is a long river in the United Kingdom. It travels through Wales and England and also forms part of the border between the two countries....
, to the north of the town of Mold
Mold, Flintshire
Mold is a town in Flintshire, North Wales, on the River Alyn. It is the administrative seat of Flintshire County Council, and was also the county town of Clwyd from 1974 to 1996...
. Across the River Dee, the Wirral
Wirral Peninsula
Wirral or the Wirral is a peninsula in North West England. It is bounded by three bodies of water: to the west by the River Dee, forming a boundary with Wales, to the east by the River Mersey and to the north by the Irish Sea. Both terms "Wirral" and "the Wirral" are used locally , although the...
can be seen from Flint and views to the south of the town include Halkyn
Halkyn
Halkyn is a village in Flintshire, north-east Wales and situated between Pentre Halkyn, Northop and Rhosesmor. At the 2001 Census the population of the community was 2,876.- History :...
Mountain.
History
Edward I of England
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
began to build Flint Castle
Flint Castle
Flint Castle located in Flint, Flintshire, was the first of a series of castles built during King Edward I's campaign to conquer Wales.The site was chosen for its strategic position in North East Wales...
in 1277. Both castle and town were attacked by the forces of Madog ap Llywelyn
Madog ap Llywelyn
Madog ap Llywelyn, or Prince Madoc, was from a junior branch of the House of Aberffraw and a distant relation of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the last recognised native Prince of Wales.-Lineage:...
during the revolt of 1294-5; the defenders of the town burnt it in order to deny its use to the Welsh.
Richard II
Richard II of England
Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
was handed over to his enemy Henry Bolingbroke in the castle in 1399. As a consequence, it is the setting for Act III, Scene III of the Shakespeare play Richard II
Richard II (play)
King Richard the Second is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to be written in approximately 1595. It is based on the life of King Richard II of England and is the first part of a tetralogy, referred to by some scholars as the Henriad, followed by three plays concerning Richard's...
. The castle was the first of Edward I's 'iron ring' of royal castles to be built in Wales, and the design served as the basis for larger castles such as Harlech
Harlech
Harlech is a town and seaside resort in Gwynedd, within the historical boundaries of Merionethshire in northwest Wales. Lying on Tremadog Bay and within the Snowdonia National Park, it has a population of 1,952, of whom 59% speak Welsh...
and Rhuddlan
Rhuddlan
Rhuddlan is a town and community in the county of Denbighshire , in north Wales. It is situated to the south of the coastal town of Rhyl and overlooks the River Clwyd. The town gave its name to the Welsh district of Rhuddlan from 1974 to 1996...
. Owain Glyndwr
Owain Glyndwr
Owain Glyndŵr , or Owain Glyn Dŵr, anglicised by William Shakespeare as Owen Glendower , was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales...
unsuccessfully assaulted it at the commencement of his revolt in 1400.
The town did not have a wall, but a protective earthen and wooden palisaded ditch. The outline of this remained visible in the pattern of streets until the mid-1960s, and the medieval boundary can still be traced now. This can be seen in John Speed
John Speed
John Speed was an English historian and cartographer.-Life:He was born at Farndon, Cheshire, and went into his father's tailoring business where he worked until he was about 50...
's map of Flintshire.
In 1969 Flint hosted the National Eisteddfod, and so the town has a circle of Gorsedd stones
Gorsedd stones
Gorsedd Stones are groups of standing stones constructed for the National Eisteddfod of Wales. They form an integral part of the druidic Gorsedd ceremonies of the Eisteddfod...
. In July 2006 the stones were centre stage in the National Eisteddfod Proclamation Ceremony which formally announced Mold
Mold, Flintshire
Mold is a town in Flintshire, North Wales, on the River Alyn. It is the administrative seat of Flintshire County Council, and was also the county town of Clwyd from 1974 to 1996...
as the 2007 host town of the event.
Governance
Flint is within the British parliamentary constituency of DelynDelyn (UK Parliament constituency)
Delyn is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, first used in the 1983 General Election. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
and is represented by Labour MP David Hanson
David Hanson (politician)
David George Hanson is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Delyn since 1992. He was the Minister of State for Security, Counter-Terrorism, Crime and Policing from 2009 to 2010...
.
The town is part of the Welsh Assembly constituency of Delyn
Delyn (Assembly constituency)
Delyn is a constituency of the National Assembly for Wales. It elects one Assembly Member by the first past the post method of election. Also, however, it is one of nine constituencies in the North Wales electoral region, which elects four additional members, in addition to nine constituency...
.
At local government level, Flint is a community
Community (Wales)
A community is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest-tier of local government in Wales. Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England....
administered by Flintshire County Council
Flintshire County Council
Flintshire County Council is the governing body of the principal area of Flintshire , one of the administrative subdivisions of Wales.-Political makeup:...
.
Culture and demographics
18% of the local population identify themselves as WelshWelsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
, but the great majority (82%) do not (source: 2001 Census). Many people in Flint have some knowledge of the Welsh language
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
, although competence does vary. English is the main spoken language to be heard across the town. There are more Polish language
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
speakers in Flint since the relaxation of trade and immigration laws within the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. Many shops have English and Polish information displayed and there is a Polish shop (Polski Sklep) specialising in Polish products.
The Flint accent is most often mistaken for a Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
accent. It is in fact a unique combination of speech patterns shared with other Welsh speakers, old Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
settlers and those found in nearby Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, Wirral
Metropolitan Borough of Wirral
The Metropolitan Borough of Wirral is a metropolitan borough of Merseyside, in North West England. It has a population of 311,200, and encompasses of the northern part of the Wirral Peninsula. Major settlements include Birkenhead, Wallasey, Bebington, Heswall, Hoylake and West Kirby. The city of...
and Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
.
There are several songs associated with Flint. The most widely sung is "The Yard". Another popular song is "Fifty German bombers over Flint", which tells the story of a wartime bombing raid over nearby Liverpool that accidentally targeted the town of Flint instead. Verses describe the arrival of the bombers over Flint, and how they were shot down by the "Bagillt
Bagillt
Bagillt is a small town near Holywell in Flintshire, North Wales. At the 2001 Census the population was recorded as 3,918.-History:http://stmarysbagillt.co.uk/...
Navy". Eventually, the ill-fated German aircrew were fished out by the "Greenfield Fishers". The song is often sung in a drunken, friendly manner to the accompaniment of much hand clapping and revelry.
Education
The town has two high schools: St Richard Gwyn Catholic High SchoolSt Richard Gwyn Catholic High School, Flint
St Richard Gwyn Catholic High School is an oversubscribed 11-18 mixed Catholic comprehensive school serving the population of Flintshire in North Wales...
and Flint High School. Primary schools in Flint include the Gwynedd School, Cornist Park School, Ysgol Croes Atti (Welsh Medium), St Mary's Catholic Primary School and Ysgol Maes Hyfryd.
Community
Flint has its own low-powered television relay transmitterFlint TV relay
The Flint TV relay was an analogue television transmitter housed on a residential tower block called Bolingbroke Heights at the centre of the Town of Flint in North Wales. Flint is situated on the estuary of the River Dee which forms part the Wales border with England.Between 1996 and 2009, the...
, designed to provide improved coverage of Welsh channels in an area that would otherwise receive only English television signals.
Perhaps one of the town's most striking images, in addition to the castle, is the group of three tower block
Tower block
A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, office tower, apartment block, or block of flats, is a tall building or structure used as a residential and/or office building...
s of flats near the town centre. The first two blocks were built in the 1960s and named Bolingbroke Heights and Richard Heights, with a third, Castle Heights, added shortly afterwards.
Flint has a local football team Flint Town United F.C.
Flint Town United F.C.
Flint Town United FC is a Welsh football club representing the Flintshire town of Flint in Wales. They are nicknamed the The Silkmen, and play their home games at Cae-y-Castell, Flint...
. They play in the Cymru Alliance
Cymru Alliance
The Huws Gray Alliance is a football league and forms the second level of the Welsh football league system in north and central Wales....
.
Brian Fell's sculpture Footplate can be seen at Flint railway station
Flint railway station
Flint railway station serves the town of Flint in Flintshire, North Wales. It located on the North Wales Coast Line and is managed by Arriva Trains Wales, who provide most of the passenger trains that call here...
. Initially it was thought to be an imitation of the famous Monty Python
Monty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
foot drawn by Terry Gilliam
Terry Gilliam
Terrence Vance "Terry" Gilliam is an American-born British screenwriter, film director, animator, actor and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. Gilliam is also known for directing several films, including Brazil , The Adventures of Baron Munchausen , The Fisher King , and 12 Monkeys...
.
The library and leisure centre and the town centre have been renovated. Flint Retail Park has also expanded and now Flint is the only town in Flintshire with a Sainsbury's.
Notable people
Former Liverpool FC strikerStriker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
and Wales football (soccer)
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
captain Ian Rush
Ian Rush
Ian James Rush, MBE, is a retired football player from Flint, Wales. He is best remembered as a player for Liverpool, where he was among the top strikers in the English game in the 1980s and 1990s. He also had spells playing at Chester City, Juventus, Leeds United, Newcastle United, Sheffield...
attended St. Richard Gwyn Catholic High school in Flint, some of his family live in the area. Other famous footballers who are from Flint include Ron Hewitt
Ron Hewitt
Ronald "Ron" Hewitt was a Wales international football player.Having failed to break into the first team at Wolves, Hewitt had spells with Walsall and Darlington before moving to Wrexham. During his six years there he finished as the top scorer in three of the seasons and established himself as...
who starred in Wales' only Football World Cup appearance and his nephew Andy Holden
Andy Holden
Andy Holden is a Welsh former football player. He had playing careers at Chester City, Wigan and Oldham Athletic and is the long-serving reserve team manager at Everton...
. Other famous people connected with the town include the chemist John Thomas best known for his research into plant dyes and Thomas Totty
Thomas Totty
-Life:Totty was born at Flint, Flintshire, and was baptised at Holywell parish church on 24 January 1746. He inherited his birthplace, Cornist Hall, from his mother's side...
, an Admiral who served with Lord Nelson and inherited Cornist Hall
Cornist Hall
Cornish Hall is a large house west-southwest of the town of Flint, Flintshire, Wales. Originally known as Lower Cornist, the property was significantly altered by Richard Muspratt in about 1884 then greatly rebuilt by the Summers family – when it became their main residence in 1889.It was the...
, Flint.
The actor Ian Puleston-Davies
Ian Puleston-Davies
-Early life and career:Born in Flint, Wales, Puleston-Davies has starred in the ITV drama Vincent alongside Ray Winstone, and Ghostboat , alongside David Jason. He has also played the lead roles in Conviction and the BBC Three series Funland.He has starred in long-running dramas such as Holby...
also comes from Flint.
Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
's paternal great-great grandfather, Dylan Henry Mapother, emigrated to Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
from Flint in 1850.