Penycae
Encyclopedia
Penycae is a village and a local government community
, the lowest tier of local government, part of Wrexham County Borough in Wales
The village was part of the ancient parish of Ruabon
and the district was known as Dynhinlle Uchaf (but also known as Y Dref Fechan or Cristionydd Fechan).
The new parish of Penycae was formed 1879, from parts of the existing parishes of Ruabon
, Rhosllannerchrugog and Rhosymedre
. The parish church of St. Thomas had been consecrated in 1878. However, most of the population of the parish were nonconformists and attended the Baptist
chapels of Salem and Sion in Groes; the Calvinistic Methodist chapels in Groes and Tainant; the Wesleyan
chapel of Soar in Stryt Issa; or the Primitive Methodist chapel in Copperas.
Coal
was extracted from pits at Plas Bennion, Wynn Hall, Afon Eitha, Cristionydd, Groes and Plas Isaf. Zinc
was worked at Copperas.
Most inhabitants find employment outside the village in Wrexham
with only a few local shops or public buildings providing jobs.
Dee Valley Water operates two reservoirs in Penycae: Penycae Upper and Penycae Lower.
company. Wrights', the last surviving independent local company, ceased operations in 1993 leaving Crosville as the sole service provider in the Wrexham area.
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....
, the lowest tier of local government, part of Wrexham County Borough in 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...
History
Ruabon
Ruabon is a village and community in the county borough of Wrexham in Wales.More than 80% of the population of 2,400 were born in Wales with 13.6% speaking Welsh....
and the district was known as Dynhinlle Uchaf (but also known as Y Dref Fechan or Cristionydd Fechan).
The new parish of Penycae was formed 1879, from parts of the existing parishes of Ruabon
Ruabon
Ruabon is a village and community in the county borough of Wrexham in Wales.More than 80% of the population of 2,400 were born in Wales with 13.6% speaking Welsh....
, Rhosllannerchrugog and Rhosymedre
Rhosymedre
Rhosymedre is a village near Ruabon in north east Wales. The village is within the community of Cefn and the county borough of Wrexham.The Anglican church, which was consecrated in 1837, is dedicated to St John the Evangelist, and is part of the Diocese of St Asaph...
. The parish church of St. Thomas had been consecrated in 1878. However, most of the population of the parish were nonconformists and attended the Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
chapels of Salem and Sion in Groes; the Calvinistic Methodist chapels in Groes and Tainant; the Wesleyan
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
chapel of Soar in Stryt Issa; or the Primitive Methodist chapel in Copperas.
Industry/employment
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
was extracted from pits at Plas Bennion, Wynn Hall, Afon Eitha, Cristionydd, Groes and Plas Isaf. Zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
was worked at Copperas.
Most inhabitants find employment outside the village in Wrexham
Wrexham
Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
with only a few local shops or public buildings providing jobs.
Dee Valley Water operates two reservoirs in Penycae: Penycae Upper and Penycae Lower.
Transport
Wright & Son, ran a bus service from Penycae to Wrexham via Rhos, and later via Ponciau also. When the bus industry was de-regulated in 1986 there was fierce competition between Wright's and the much larger CrosvilleCrosville Motor Services
Crosville Motor Services was a bus operator running within the north west of England and north and mid Wales.-History:The company was formed as Crosville Motor Company Limited on 27 October 1906 in Chester, by George Crosland Taylor and his French business associate Georges de Ville, with the...
company. Wrights', the last surviving independent local company, ceased operations in 1993 leaving Crosville as the sole service provider in the Wrexham area.
Famous people
- The WalesWales national football teamThe Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
and Bolton WanderersBolton Wanderers F.C.Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
footballer, Robert RobertsRobert Roberts (footballer born 1864)Robert "Bob" Roberts was a Welsh professional footballer who played at wing half for several clubs, spending most of his career with Bolton Wanderers in the English Football League...
, was born in Penycae in July 1864. - Children's entertainer, Rob Jones, hails from Penycae. He has performed many times for celebrity clients such as Dean SaundersDean SaundersDean Nicholas Saunders is a former Wales international footballer who played as a striker in a professional career which lasted from 1982 until 2001. He is the manager of Doncaster Rovers....
and Jan Molby. He performs his well acclaimed magic shows a few times a year at the little theatre in WrexhamWrexhamWrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
.