Hanmer
Encyclopedia
Hanmer is a village and a local government community
, the lowest tier of local government, part of Wrexham County Borough in Wales
. At the 2001 Census
the population of the Hanmer community area, which includes Hanmer village itself, Horseman's Green
and Arowry
along with a number of small hamlets, was recorded at 726.
s which was formed during the last ice-age; the name is thought to have either originally been "Handmere", or "Hagenamere", taking its name from a Mercia
n lord.
The area became the estate of (and gave its name to) the prominent Hanmer family, who were descended from Sir Thomas de Macclesfield, an officer of Edward I
. Sir Thomas settled in Maelor Saesneg and his family consolidated their possessions in the area through a series of marriages to heiresses of important Welsh families.
The oldest recorded reference to a church in Hanmer dates from 1110, though this building was destroyed in 1463 during the Wars of the Roses
. It was rebuilt in 1490, destroyed again by fire in 1889 along with many irreplaceable architectural features, and rebuilt between 1892 and 1936, when the chancel
was finally reconstructed.
Until the reorganisation of Welsh local government on 1 April 1974, Hanmer was in the detached part of the historic county of Flintshire
known as the Maelor Saesneg (the English-speaking Maelor
). Its local speech was recorded in depth in the Survey of English Dialects
; Hanmer was the only site in North Wales to be included in the survey, so it was grouped together with the sites in Cheshire
.
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...
. At 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 Hanmer community area, which includes Hanmer village itself, Horseman's Green
Horseman's Green
Horseman's Green is a village in the County Borough of Wrexham, Wales. The village, also simply called "the Green" by locals, is situated in the rural south-east of the borough in the community of Hanmer, close to the border with Shropshire....
and Arowry
Arowry
Arowry is a small village in the community of Hanmer in the rural south-east of Wrexham county borough, Wales, near the border with England. The origin of its name is unclear but is thought to have a Welsh-language root...
along with a number of small hamlets, was recorded at 726.
History
The village of Hanmer lies at the northern end of Hanmer Mere, part of the 'Shropshire lake district' of mereMere (lake)
Mere in English refers to a lake that is broad in relation to its depth, e.g. Martin Mere. A significant effect of its shallow depth is that for all or most of the time, it has no thermocline.- Etymology :...
s which was formed during the last ice-age; the name is thought to have either originally been "Handmere", or "Hagenamere", taking its name from a Mercia
Mercia
Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands...
n lord.
The area became the estate of (and gave its name to) the prominent Hanmer family, who were descended from Sir Thomas de Macclesfield, an officer of Edward I
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...
. Sir Thomas settled in Maelor Saesneg and his family consolidated their possessions in the area through a series of marriages to heiresses of important Welsh families.
The oldest recorded reference to a church in Hanmer dates from 1110, though this building was destroyed in 1463 during the Wars of the Roses
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...
. It was rebuilt in 1490, destroyed again by fire in 1889 along with many irreplaceable architectural features, and rebuilt between 1892 and 1936, when the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
was finally reconstructed.
Until the reorganisation of Welsh local government on 1 April 1974, Hanmer was in the detached part of the historic county of Flintshire
Flintshire (historic)
Flintshire , also known as the County of Flint, is one of thirteen historic counties, a vice-county and a former administrative county, which mostly lies on the north east coast of Wales....
known as the Maelor Saesneg (the English-speaking Maelor
Maelor
Maelor is a border area of north-east Wales. It originated as a Cantref of the Kingdom of Powys, focused on Bangor-on-Dee.-History:The Maelor was first divided from the rest of Wales by the construction of Offa's Dyke in the eighth century, but was reclaimed for Wales during the reign of Stephen...
). Its local speech was recorded in depth in the Survey of English Dialects
Survey of English Dialects
The Survey of English Dialects was undertaken between 1950 and 1961 under the direction of Professor Harold Orton of the English department of the University of Leeds. It aimed to collect the full range of speech in England and Wales before local differences were to disappear...
; Hanmer was the only site in North Wales to be included in the survey, so it was grouped together with the sites in 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...
.
Important buildings
- Saint Chad's Church
- The Hanmer Hotel
- Magpie Cottage
Notable residents
- Dafydd ab EdmwndDafydd ab EdmwndDafydd ap Edmwnd was one of the most prominent Welsh language poets of the Later Middle Ages.-Life:Dafydd was born into a family of Norman ancestry in Hanmer, in Flintshire , north-east Wales...
(fl. c. 1450–97), one of the most prominent Welsh poets of the later Middle Ages, was born in Hanmer. - Margaret HanmerMargaret HanmerMargaret Hanmer , sometimes known by her Welsh name of Marred ferch Dafydd, was the wife of Owain Glyndŵr and was thus, technically, Princess of Wales for the time her husband was known by the title of Prince of Wales...
(d. of Sir David HanmerDavid HanmerDavid Hanmer, SL was an English judge who lived in Wales, and is best-known as the father-in-law of Owain Glyndŵr.- Border family :...
), who married Owain GlyndŵrOwain GlyndwrOwain 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...
circa 1383 - Lorna SageLorna SageLorna Sage was a Welsh-born academic, as well as an award-winning literary critic and author, known widely for her contribution to the consideration of women's writing.-Biography:...
, the author of Bad BloodBad Blood (Lorna Sage)Bad Blood is a 2000 work blending collective biography and memoir by the Welsh literary critic and novelist Lorna Sage.Set in post-war North Wales, it reflects on the dysfunctional generations of a family its problems, and their effect on Sage...
(winner of the 2000 Whitbread Briography Award2000 Whitbread AwardsThe Whitbread Awards are among the United Kingdom's most prestigious literary awards. They were launched in 1971, are given both for high literary merit but also for works that are enjoyable reading and whose aim is to convey the enjoyment of reading to the widest possible audience...
) grew up in Hanmer during the 1940s and 1950s and the book is about her grandfather's tenure as vicar of St. Chad's parish church.