Eglwyseg
Encyclopedia
The Eglwyseg valley is an area to the north east of Llangollen
in Denbighshire
, Wales
; it is within the boundaries of Llantysilio
Community
. The name also refers to a widely-scattered hamlet in the valley.
Formerly the old township
of Eglwysegl or Eglwysegle, the area is now best known for its dramatic rock formations and unspoiled historic landscape.
escarpment
, the Eglwyseg Rocks, , which runs north–south for around 4.5 miles (7.2 km). The high point of the area is at 511 metres (1,676.5 ft) on Mynydd Eglwyseg (Eglwyseg Mountain, 53.0089°N 3.1471°W). Various parts of the escarpment have specific names; these include Craig y Forwyn
, the Maiden's Rock, Craig Arthur (Arthur's Rock), Tair Naid y Gath (the Three Leaps of the Cat) and Craig y Cythraul (Devil's Rock). The Afon Eglwyseg (Eglwyseg River) flows through the valley, joined by a number of tributary streams such as the Nant Elli and Nant Craig y Moch.
The head of the valley is known as World's End, and is a popular spot with walkers, cyclists and tourists. The lower end of the valley joins the Vale of Llangollen
, the Eglwyseg River flowing into the River Dee near Pentrefelin.
and Landscape of Special Historic Interest. The upland moors
have several Bronze Age
burial mounds, and there is evidence of agricultural use of the area from the Bronze Age onwards, with the higher pastures being used for summer grazing and the valleys for winter grazing and as arable land, the latter indicated by remaining lynchet
s. Historically, the crags have been quarried for limestone, and there are also several disused lead
mines; the land use is currently a mixture of heather
moorland
managed for Black Grouse
, improved sheep pasture and oak
woodland, with conifer plantation
s dating from the second half of the twentieth century.
The ancient township
of Eglwysegl (also spelt "Eglwysegle" or "Egloysegle", and the root of the modern name Eglwyseg) occupied part of the area. Some antiquaries, such as Edward Lhuyd
and Thomas Pennant
, speculated that it may have taken its name from Eliseg (Elisedd ap Gwylog), a historical king of Powys. It is, however, more likely that the name Eglwysegl was in fact derived from the Latin ecclesicula, a diminutive
of ecclesia - a "churchlet or chapel".
The relatively remote area continued to be farmed under freehold tenure; Pennant alluded to this when, writing around 1778, he described the valley:
A medieval church, perhaps the chapel referred to in the name Eglwysegl, was marked on Speed
and Saxton
's 17th-century maps of the valley, but it had disappeared by 1808. The school church of St Mary's, built on land donated by Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn
, was opened in 1871; it held its last service in 1985 and has now been converted to residential use. The valley also contained a nonconformist (Calvinistic Methodist) chapel, built in 1856, closed in 1930, and now ruinous. Until the early 20th century, when they were culvert
ed, there were many fords
across Eglwyseg's numerous streams (the road from Esclusham Mountain
still fords the river at World's End), and there are also a number of 18th-century stone bridges.
, was recorded at Corwen
, amongst other localities.
The manor house of Plas Uchaf yn Eglwyseg was said to stand on the site of a hunting lodge belonging to Owain ap Cadwgan
, a prince of Powys: a story related that it was place to which Owain took Nest ferch Rhys, when he abducted her and her children from Gerald de Windsor
, her husband, in 1109. There was also a local tradition that a Prince Llewelyn had once hidden in a cave in the rocks near Plas Uchaf (there were several Welsh princes of this name). Plas Uchaf was later the home of John Jones Maesygarnedd
, a prominent Republican in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms
, and one of the regicides of Charles I
.
passes through the area, and Eglwyseg is also popular with rock climbers, with around 800 routes, both sport
and traditional
.
Eglwyseg is one of the few sites where the Whitebeam Sorbus anglica
is known to grow, and one of only three sites where the Welsh Hawkweed (Heiracium cambricum) has been recorded. The rare Limestone Oak Fern Gymnocarpium robertianum
and Rigid Buckler-Fern Dryopteris submontana have also been recorded here.
Llangollen
Llangollen is a small town and community in Denbighshire, north-east Wales, situated on the River Dee and on the edge of the Berwyn mountains. It has a population of 3,412.-History:...
in Denbighshire
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 within the boundaries of Llantysilio
Llantysilio
Llantysilio is a community in the Welsh county of Denbighshire. It has a population of 472.The community includes the site of Valle Crucis Abbey and the Horseshoe Pass; it also includes the villages of Pentredwr and Rhewl, as well as the areas of Eglwyseg, Llandynan, and Llidiart Annie....
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....
. The name also refers to a widely-scattered hamlet in the valley.
Formerly the old township
Township (England)
In England, a township is a local division or district of a large parish containing a village or small town usually having its own church...
of Eglwysegl or Eglwysegle, the area is now best known for its dramatic rock formations and unspoiled historic landscape.
Topography
The area is best known for the prominent limestoneLimestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
escarpment
Escarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations.-Description and variants:...
, the Eglwyseg Rocks, , which runs north–south for around 4.5 miles (7.2 km). The high point of the area is at 511 metres (1,676.5 ft) on Mynydd Eglwyseg (Eglwyseg Mountain, 53.0089°N 3.1471°W). Various parts of the escarpment have specific names; these include Craig y Forwyn
Craig y Forwyn, Denbighshire
Craig y Forwyn is a crag that encloses the northern side of World's End, near the town of Llangollen in Denbighshire, Wales. It is part of the limestone escarpment that separates the Eglwyseg Valley from the higher Ruabon Moors and, along with nearby Craig Arthur, is a popular site for rock climbing...
, the Maiden's Rock, Craig Arthur (Arthur's Rock), Tair Naid y Gath (the Three Leaps of the Cat) and Craig y Cythraul (Devil's Rock). The Afon Eglwyseg (Eglwyseg River) flows through the valley, joined by a number of tributary streams such as the Nant Elli and Nant Craig y Moch.
The head of the valley is known as World's End, and is a popular spot with walkers, cyclists and tourists. The lower end of the valley joins the Vale of Llangollen
Llangollen
Llangollen is a small town and community in Denbighshire, north-east Wales, situated on the River Dee and on the edge of the Berwyn mountains. It has a population of 3,412.-History:...
, the Eglwyseg River flowing into the River Dee near Pentrefelin.
History
The entire valley has been designated a Site of Special Scientific InterestSite of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
and Landscape of Special Historic Interest. The upland moors
Ruabon Moors
Ruabon Moors are an area of upland moorland in Wales to the west of Ruabon and Wrexham. They lie partly within Wrexham county borough and partly within Denbighshire....
have several Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
burial mounds, and there is evidence of agricultural use of the area from the Bronze Age onwards, with the higher pastures being used for summer grazing and the valleys for winter grazing and as arable land, the latter indicated by remaining lynchet
Lynchet
A lynchet is a bank of earth that builds up on the downslope of a field ploughed over a long period of time. The disturbed soil slips down the hillside to create a positive lynchet while the area reduced in level becomes a negative lynchet. They are also referred to as strip lynchets.They are a...
s. Historically, the crags have been quarried for limestone, and there are also several disused lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
mines; the land use is currently a mixture of heather
Calluna
Calluna vulgaris is the sole species in the genus Calluna in the family Ericaceae. It is a low-growing perennial shrub growing to tall, or rarely to and taller, and is found widely in Europe and Asia Minor on acidic soils in open sunny situations and in moderate shade...
moorland
Moorland
Moorland or moor is a type of habitat, in the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome, found in upland areas, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils and heavy fog...
managed for Black Grouse
Black Grouse
The Black Grouse or Blackgame is a large bird in the grouse family. It is a sedentary species, breeding across northern Eurasia in moorland and bog areas near to woodland, mostly boreal...
, improved sheep pasture and oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
woodland, with conifer plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
s dating from the second half of the twentieth century.
The ancient township
Township (England)
In England, a township is a local division or district of a large parish containing a village or small town usually having its own church...
of Eglwysegl (also spelt "Eglwysegle" or "Egloysegle", and the root of the modern name Eglwyseg) occupied part of the area. Some antiquaries, such as Edward Lhuyd
Edward Lhuyd
Edward Lhuyd was a Welsh naturalist, botanist, linguist, geographer and antiquary. He is also known by the Latinized form of his name, Eduardus Luidius....
and Thomas Pennant
Thomas Pennant
Thomas Pennant was a Welsh naturalist and antiquary.The Pennants were a Welsh gentry family from the parish of Whitford, Flintshire, who had built up a modest estate at Bychton by the seventeenth century...
, speculated that it may have taken its name from Eliseg (Elisedd ap Gwylog), a historical king of Powys. It is, however, more likely that the name Eglwysegl was in fact derived from the Latin ecclesicula, a diminutive
Diminutive
In language structure, a diminutive, or diminutive form , is a formation of a word used to convey a slight degree of the root meaning, smallness of the object or quality named, encapsulation, intimacy, or endearment...
of ecclesia - a "churchlet or chapel".
The relatively remote area continued to be farmed under freehold tenure; Pennant alluded to this when, writing around 1778, he described the valley:
Long and narrow, bounded on the right by astonishing precipices, divided into numberless parallel strata of white limestone, often giving birth to vast yew-trees [...] this valley is chiefly inhabited (happily) by an independent race of warm and wealthy yeomanYeomanYeoman refers chiefly to a free man owning his own farm, especially from the Elizabethan era to the 17th century. Work requiring a great deal of effort or labor, such as would be done by a yeoman farmer, came to be described as "yeoman's work"...
ry, undevoured as yet by the great men of the country.
A medieval church, perhaps the chapel referred to in the name Eglwysegl, was marked on 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...
and Saxton
Christopher Saxton
Christopher Saxton was an English cartographer, probably born in the parish of Dewsbury, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England around 1540....
's 17th-century maps of the valley, but it had disappeared by 1808. The school church of St Mary's, built on land donated by Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn
Watkin Williams-Wynn
Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 3rd Baronet was a Welsh politician and prominent Jacobite.Sir Watkin was the eldest son and heir of Sir William Williams, 2nd Baronet, of Llanforda near Oswestry; his mother, Jane Thelwall, was a descendant of the antiquary, Sir John Wynn of Gwydir, Caernarfonshire...
, was opened in 1871; it held its last service in 1985 and has now been converted to residential use. The valley also contained a nonconformist (Calvinistic Methodist) chapel, built in 1856, closed in 1930, and now ruinous. Until the early 20th century, when they were culvert
Culvert
A culvert is a device used to channel water. It may be used to allow water to pass underneath a road, railway, or embankment. Culverts can be made of many different materials; steel, polyvinyl chloride and concrete are the most common...
ed, there were many fords
Ford (crossing)
A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading or in a vehicle. A ford is mostly a natural phenomenon, in contrast to a low water crossing, which is an artificial bridge that allows crossing a river or stream when water is low.The names of many towns...
across Eglwyseg's numerous streams (the road from Esclusham Mountain
Esclusham Mountain
Esclusham Mountain is an area in the north-east of Wales and is part of the Ruabon Moors. It rises to a height of 460 m , with the nearby spur of Cyrn-y-Brain, to the west, reaching 473 m . It lies mostly within the community of Esclusham...
still fords the river at World's End), and there are also a number of 18th-century stone bridges.
Folklore
Eglwyseg was the setting for a popular legend of St. Collen, who was supposed to have killed a giantess called Cares y Bwlch, despite her call for aid from Arthur, another giant who had made his home in the Eglwyseg Rocks. The legend, related by Sabine Baring-GouldSabine Baring-Gould
The Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould was an English hagiographer, antiquarian, novelist and eclectic scholar. His bibliography consists of more than 1240 publications, though this list continues to grow. His family home, Lew Trenchard Manor near Okehampton, Devon, has been preserved as he had it...
, was recorded at Corwen
Corwen
Corwen is a town and community in the county of Denbighshire in Wales; it was previously part of the county of Meirionnydd). Corwen stands on the banks of the River Dee beneath the Berwyn mountains. The town is situated west of Llangollen and south of Ruthin...
, amongst other localities.
The manor house of Plas Uchaf yn Eglwyseg was said to stand on the site of a hunting lodge belonging to Owain ap Cadwgan
Owain ap Cadwgan
Owain ap Cadwgan was a prince of Powys in eastern Wales. He is best known for his abduction of Nest, wife of Gerald of Windsor.Owain was the eldest son of Cadwgan ap Bleddyn, prince of part of Powys. He is first recorded in 1106, when he killed Meurig and Griffri, the sons of Trahaearn ap Caradog,...
, a prince of Powys: a story related that it was place to which Owain took Nest ferch Rhys, when he abducted her and her children from Gerald de Windsor
Gerald de Windsor
Gerald de Windsor, also known as Gerald FitzWalter, was the nobleman in charge of the Norman forces in Wales in the late 11th century. Notably, he was the progenitor of the FitzGerald and de Barry dynasties of Ireland...
, her husband, in 1109. There was also a local tradition that a Prince Llewelyn had once hidden in a cave in the rocks near Plas Uchaf (there were several Welsh princes of this name). Plas Uchaf was later the home of John Jones Maesygarnedd
John Jones Maesygarnedd
Colonel John Jones was a Welsh military leader, politician and one of the regicides of King Charles I. A brother-in-law of Oliver Cromwell, Jones was born at Llanbedr in North Wales and is often surnamed Jones Maesygarnedd after the location of his Merionethshire estate. Jones spoke Welsh with his...
, a prominent Republican in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms
Wars of the Three Kingdoms
The Wars of the Three Kingdoms formed an intertwined series of conflicts that took place in England, Ireland, and Scotland between 1639 and 1651 after these three countries had come under the "Personal Rule" of the same monarch...
, and one of the regicides of Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
.
Today
Offa's Dyke PathOffa's Dyke Path
Offa's Dyke Path is a long distance footpath along the Welsh-English border. Opened in 1971, it is one of Britain's premier National Trails and draws walkers from throughout the world...
passes through the area, and Eglwyseg is also popular with rock climbers, with around 800 routes, both sport
Sport climbing
Sport climbing is a form of rock climbing that relies on permanent anchors fixed to the rock, and possibly bolts, for protection,...
and traditional
Traditional climbing
Traditional climbing, or trad climbing, is a style of rock climbing in which a climber or group of climbers places all gear required to protect against falls , and removes it when a passage is complete...
.
Eglwyseg is one of the few sites where the Whitebeam Sorbus anglica
Sorbus anglica
Sorbus anglica, the English whitebeam is a species of tree in the Rosaceae family. It is uncommonly found in Ireland and the United Kingdom, with an entire British population estimated at about 600. individuals.-Source:...
is known to grow, and one of only three sites where the Welsh Hawkweed (Heiracium cambricum) has been recorded. The rare Limestone Oak Fern Gymnocarpium robertianum
Gymnocarpium robertianum
Gymnocarpium robertianum is a fern of the family Woodsiaceae.-Description:Gymnocarpium robertianum has small , deltate, two to three pinnate fronds. Fronds arise from creeping rhizomes and have long, delicate rachis. The sori are borne in round clumps on the underside of the blade and lack an...
and Rigid Buckler-Fern Dryopteris submontana have also been recorded here.