TREUDDYN
LOCAL HISTORY
“This place, which is situated among lofty hills in a rich mineral district, in the south eastern part of the county, abounds with coal and ironstone of superior quality; and within the last few years some very extensive works have been established here, which are carried on with very great success… About four hundred and fifty men are constantly employed in the collieries and other works at this place.”
[A Topographical Dictionary of Wales, S. Lewis, 1834]
Early History
Carreg-y-Llech
Neolithic and Bronze Age remains are still visible within the village boundaries. The sandstone monolith Carreg-y-Llech sits on the hillside of Carreg-y-Llech Farm and is thought to be the remains of either a megalithic tomb or simply a standing stone. This stone dates back to the Neolithic period c.4500 – c.2500 BC.
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Bronze Age (c.2500 – c.600 BC) tumuli or burial places are also found on the surrounding high ground; these include Bryn Tirion, Cae Boncyn, Pen-y-Stryt and Pentre.
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Offa’s Dyke – the earthworks generally attributed to Offa, King of Mercia (757 – 796) – also runs along the Llanfynydd Road (the A5101). The Dyke was constructed to mark the boundary between England and Wales and runs from Sedbury in Gloucestershire to Prestatyn. 800 metres of the Dyke were traced in Treuddyn in the 1925 survey by Sir Cyril Fox.
It is believed that Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, Prince of Wales stayed in Treuddyn in 1275 during a period when he was trying to negotiate with Edward I to recognise his claim to power in Wales in return for him paying homage to the new King, Edward I. Edward I summoned Llywelyn ap Gruffydd and travelled to Chester, Llywelyn ap Gruffydd travelled to Treuddyn prior to a planned audience at Gresford but both parties returned home without meeting. This is documented in Llywelyn ap Gruffydd’s letter to Pope Gregory X requesting assistance and advice in the situation.
Over time the spelling of the village name has varied since written records were kept. The present spelling of Treuddyn was adopted by the authorities after a local campaign in approximately 1938.
Trefthyn, 1275
Treffdyn, 1372
Trefdyn vechan, 1382
Treythin, 1590, 1667, 1701, 1705
Trythyn, 1609
Trithen, 1620
Treddhyn, 1699
Trythin, 1723
Treyddin, 1795
Treuddyn, 1805
Treiddyn, 1840
Tryddin, 1848, 1884
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Acknowledgement to sources Canon Ellis Davies : Prehistoric and Roman Remains of Flintshire, Dewi Roberts, Ken Ll. Gruffydd, Ken Jones.
Industrial History
Coed Talon Works
Before the 18th Centuary, the Treuddyn area (including the neighbouring village of Coed Talon) depended primarily on agriculture with some additional quarrying works to support the local economy. Some coal measures were also worked using pits and drift mines but on a small scale.
With the onset of the Industrial Revolution previously unexplored coal seams were suddenly investigated as demand for coal soared. Pits were opened up to extract the coal using a variety of methods – adit/drift mines, bell-pits and deep vertical shaft mining. The output from these mines had to be transported to their markets and in 1849 railway companies extended the track from Padeswood (via Pontblyddyn) to Coed Talon. By 1868 this track had been extended to encompass Mold, and later extensions linked Treuddyn to Llanfynydd, Ffrith, Brymbo and Wrexham. As new pits were established in the area the network was extended to link them up.
As well as the coal deposits found and exploited, a major iron ore seam was located and the Coed Talon Ironworks were set up and linked to the coal mines by narrow-gauge tramways. By 1815 a network of inter-related industries had built up and eventually comprised coke-ovens, brickworks, furnaces as well as the ironworks and mines.
Acknowledgement to sources Canon Ellis Davies: Prehistoric and Roman Remains of Flintshire, Dewi Roberts, Ken Ll. Gruffydd, Ken Jones
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People
The 1801 census shows Treuddyn’s population as 464, by 1851 this had risen dramatically to 1123. The village population peaked at 1951 persons in 1871 and then tapered off to 1360 by 1891. The population remained remarkably stable for the next 90 years hovering around 1300 persons but rose to 1541 for the 1991 census.
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Prior to 1753 education in the area was largely limited to school masters funded by benefactors but which generally meant, at best, basic schooling one day a week. In January 1753 a school room was built and was to be run using the funds from a bequest administered by Trustees from the Hyde family of Nerquis Hall. Families were expected to also pay for instruction and books so this was not a Charity School in the true sense. By 1820 additional rooms were built, paid for by another member of the Hyde family, to accommodate the growing number of children in the area. It should be noted that it would probably only have been village boys who were educated at this time.
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In 1844 plans were submitted to build a National School at what is now Llys Degwm on Queen Street and Ffordd Y Llan. The title ‘National’ is taken from the full name of the authority which was the National Society for Promoting the Education of the Poor in the Principles of the Established Church. This was opened in 1845 and promoted by the Church. Records show approximately 40 children registered at the school although 200 children were in the village. By the 1870s a new school was planned to accommodate increased numbers and was built at the junction of Queen Street and Ffordd Y Llan. – this was to be the infant’s school. Both schools continued to run until 1953.
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In 1885 a school was also established in Coed Talon, originally called the ‘Tryddyn Board School’ although the name was changed in 1904 to ‘Coed Talon Council School’. This school started with 43 pupils but grew rapidly and by 1904 it had 157 pupils on the roll. Over time additional rooms were added to house the increasing numbers. In 1950 the school briefly became a Welsh-medium school, this ended in 1953 when the newly built Ysgol Terrig became the Welsh-medium school for the area and Ysgol Coed Talon resumed English-medium teaching. Ysgol Coed Talon remained open until September 1992 when the school closed and moved its function to the newly built Ysgol Parc Y Llan which was built adjacent to Ysgol Terrig on the Treuddyn Campus.
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Acknowledgement to sources Canon Ellis Davies : Prehistoric and Roman Remains of Flintshire, Dewi Roberts, Ken Ll. Gruffydd, Ken Jones
Treuddyn War Memorial – behind the names…
A dedicated group of people have been researching the War Memorials of Flintshire towns and villages. This is being coordinated by Eifion and Viv Williams on a completely voluntary basis and recorded on their website -www.flintshirewarmemorials.com.
They are concentrating on the names of men and women from the First World War listed on the village war memorials. Each name from the memorial is expanded to give any information gathered from official sources – such as birth records, census records, army records etc – together with any local anecdotal information provided by interviews or comments.
This is a huge task for the county as a whole but the entry for Treuddyn is now complete and the results can be found on their website here.
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You can help with the research – if you know any of the families mentioned and can provide more information please contact either Eifion or Viv Williams via the Flintshire War Memorials website or pass any comments to the Treuddyn Community Website and we will forward them on.
If either of the chapels or the church have access to any records which might give a fuller picture of these men it would be added to this history.
If you know any local people who don’t have access to computers but who are familiar with Treuddyn residents of the WWI era please pop round and ask them if they might have more information for this project. All information gratefully received.
At present nothing is known of the history of William Jones mentioned on the war memorial – if anyone has any leads on this person it would be especially welcome.
Memories of Treuddyn
These three photographs (below) were taken in Treuddyn infants school. I think the harvest festival was in 1951 or 1952. The Christmas party was also in 1951 and the nativity was in 1954 – I am the first angel, my maiden name was Jones. I lived in Pant-y-ffordd – a row of five houses on the Corwen road, they were demolished many years ago.
I treasure my childhood memories of roaming fields and cycling the lanes on my new bike in Treuddyn.
Submitted by Jennifer Johnson.
Church Walk in the 1930’s
Llanfynydd Parish Council in 1913 with Helen from the Cylch’s great-grandfather in the back row fourth from the right.
“Although I’m not from Treuddyn I found your website and as you ask for any information and photographs about the village I thought I’d share these photos with you to see if they jog any memories. I was rooting through some boxes in the spare room and came across some photos and certificates belonging to my great aunty Myfanwy.
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Marian Myfanwy Gordon, Anti Fanwy to us (my nain’s sister). Originally from Llys Farm, Denbigh. Trained and qualified as a midwife and district nurse at the Plaistow Maternity Hospital, West Ham, London (where the picture enclosed of her was taken). She nursed in the East End slums of London between the wars.
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She returned home to North Wales and married William Gordon, Red House, Treuddyn. Lived in Ffrith, then Llys Awel, Llanfynydd but known to many as Nurse Gordon, on her bike, then a car around Treuddyn & Llanfynydd for 35 years as the district nurse and midwife. The original “call the midwife.
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I hope they are of interest to your website
Many thanks Gareth Evans"
