Nantglyn
Encyclopedia
Nantglyn is a small village in Denbighshire
, Wales
. It is situated in a picturesque rural location about 4.5 miles (7.2 km) away from the nearest town, Denbigh
. There are several other small villages in the area.
's forge, a post office
, a pub
and a leather-craft
shop that also sold candles (located in the old smithy
). There was also a local infant / junior school, but a decline in the number of pupils led to its closure in the 1990s. A memorial to the fallen of the two World War
s sits at the centre of the village.
The parish church
is dedicated to St James. It is probably quite old but was extensively renovated in 1777 and again in Victorian
times. A notable feature of its churchyard is the "pulpit in a tree" built into an ancient yew
. Tradition has it that it was used by John Wesley
to preach from during the 18th century, although it would seem unlikely that a Methodist minister would be allowed to preach in an Anglican churchyard. There were also several Nonconformist chapels in the village, including Capel-y-Waen (Waen Nantglyn is a secondary settlement about a mile northwest of the main village), Capel Soar and Capel Salem.
Nantglyn is located on a small river, the Lliwen. This river and its parent, the Afon Ystrad, provided the water to power several corn and fulling
mills in the parish. One of the corn mills, Segrwyd Mill, served the neighbourhood farmers until 1960.
(1751–98), the ship's surgeon aboard the Discovery
during Captain Cook's final voyage of exploration. Samwell kept a journal that provides a detailed record of the voyage, and he witnessed Cook's death at the hands of hostile natives in Hawaii
in 1779. Dr. William Owen Pughe
(1759–1835), a well-known literary figure who compiled a Welsh-English dictionary and a Welsh grammar, among other works, lived in the village for the last 10 years of his life, although he was not born there.
Denbighshire
Denbighshire is a county in north-east Wales. It is named after the historic county of Denbighshire, but has substantially different borders. Denbighshire has the distinction of being the oldest inhabited part of Wales. Pontnewydd Palaeolithic site has remains of Neanderthals from 225,000 years...
, 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...
. It is situated in a picturesque rural location about 4.5 miles (7.2 km) away from the nearest town, Denbigh
Denbigh
Denbigh is a market town and community in Denbighshire, Wales. Before 1888, it was the county town of Denbighshire. Denbigh lies 8 miles to the north west of Ruthin and to the south of St Asaph. It is about 13 miles from the seaside resort of Rhyl. The town grew around the glove-making industry...
. There are several other small villages in the area.
Amenities
While there are now no shops remaining in Nantglyn, it previously maintained a blacksmithBlacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
's forge, a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, a pub
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
and a leather-craft
Leather crafting
Leather crafting or simply Leathercraft is the practice of making leather into craft objects or works of art, using shaping techniques, coloring techniques or both.-Dyeing:...
shop that also sold candles (located in the old smithy
Forge
A forge is a hearth used for forging. The term "forge" can also refer to the workplace of a smith or a blacksmith, although the term smithy is then more commonly used.The basic smithy contains a forge, also known as a hearth, for heating metals...
). There was also a local infant / junior school, but a decline in the number of pupils led to its closure in the 1990s. A memorial to the fallen of the two World War
World war
A world war is a war affecting the majority of the world's most powerful and populous nations. World wars span multiple countries on multiple continents, with battles fought in multiple theaters....
s sits at the centre of the village.
The parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
is dedicated to St James. It is probably quite old but was extensively renovated in 1777 and again in Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
times. A notable feature of its churchyard is the "pulpit in a tree" built into an ancient yew
Taxus baccata
Taxus baccata is a conifer native to western, central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, northern Iran and southwest Asia. It is the tree originally known as yew, though with other related trees becoming known, it may be now known as the English yew, or European yew.-Description:It is a small-...
. Tradition has it that it was used by John Wesley
John Wesley
John Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
to preach from during the 18th century, although it would seem unlikely that a Methodist minister would be allowed to preach in an Anglican churchyard. There were also several Nonconformist chapels in the village, including Capel-y-Waen (Waen Nantglyn is a secondary settlement about a mile northwest of the main village), Capel Soar and Capel Salem.
Nantglyn is located on a small river, the Lliwen. This river and its parent, the Afon Ystrad, provided the water to power several corn and fulling
Fulling
Fulling or tucking or walking is a step in woolen clothmaking which involves the cleansing of cloth to eliminate oils, dirt, and other impurities, and making it thicker. The worker who does the job is a fuller, tucker, or walker...
mills in the parish. One of the corn mills, Segrwyd Mill, served the neighbourhood farmers until 1960.
Notable residents
Nantglyn has had several notable residents over the centuries, including David SamwellDavid Samwell
David Samwell was a Welsh naval surgeon and poet. He was an important supporter of Welsh cultural organisations and was known by the pseudonym Dafydd Ddu Feddyg.-Personal history:...
(1751–98), the ship's surgeon aboard the Discovery
HMS Discovery (1774)
HMS Discovery was the consort ship of James Cook's third expedition to the Pacific Ocean in 1776 - 1780. Like Cook's other ships, Discovery was a Whitby-built collier of 298 tons, originally named Diligence when she was built in 1774. Originally a brig, Cook had her changed to a full rigged ship...
during Captain Cook's final voyage of exploration. Samwell kept a journal that provides a detailed record of the voyage, and he witnessed Cook's death at the hands of hostile natives in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
in 1779. Dr. William Owen Pughe
William Owen Pughe
William Owen Pughe was a Welsh antiquarian and grammarian best known for his Welsh and English Dictionary, published in 1803, but also known for his grammar books and 'Pughisms' ....
(1759–1835), a well-known literary figure who compiled a Welsh-English dictionary and a Welsh grammar, among other works, lived in the village for the last 10 years of his life, although he was not born there.