Willington Worthenbury

Summary

Willington Worthenbury (Welsh: Willington Wrddymbre) is a community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales, and is situated near the England–Wales border.

Willington Worthenbury
  • Welsh: Willington Wrddymbre
St. Deiniol's Church, Worthenbury
Map of the community.
Willington Worthenbury is located in Wrexham
Willington Worthenbury
Willington Worthenbury
Location within Wrexham
Population827 (2011)
OS grid referenceSJ420461
Community
  • Willington Worthenbury
Principal area
CountryWales
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townWREXHAM
Postcode districtLL13
Post townMALPAS
Postcode districtSY14
Dialling code01948
PoliceNorth Wales
FireNorth Wales
AmbulanceWelsh
UK Parliament
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament
List of places
UK
Wales
Wrexham
53°00′32″N 2°51′50″W / 53.009°N 2.864°W / 53.009; -2.864

It has an area of 2,146 hectares and a population of 730 (2001 census), increasing to 827 at the 2011 census.[1] It contains the villages of Worthenbury and Tallarn Green.

It is located on the eastern side of the River Dee in the English Maelor area which is within the boundaries of the historic county of Flintshire. It has the lowest proportion of Welsh language speakers of all the communities in Wrexham county borough, with 88.81% having no knowledge of Welsh according to the 2001 census.

Worthenbury edit

Settlement at Worthenbury may have begun as early as the tenth century. The name Worthenbury may stem from the Saxon name for a stronghold 'burgh', indicating that a fortification may have been situated there. In 1086, when the Domesday Book was compiled, Worthenbury was listed as a relatively small settlement and it was within the hundred of Duddeston and the county of Cheshire.[2]

There has been a parish church in the village since at least 1388. The current building was built in 1739; it is dedicated to Saint Deiniol and has many Georgian features. South of the village lay Emral Hall, home to the influential Puleston family until 1936 when it was demolished.

 
St Mary Magdalene's, Tallarn Green (Welsh: Talwrn Green), where R. S. Thomas was curate.

Tallarn Green edit

Tallarn Green also has a small church, completed in 1873 and dedicated to Mary Magdalene. The famous poet R. S. Thomas was curate here in the 1940s. The churchyard contains the war grave of a Manchester Regiment soldier of World War I.[3]

The word "green" in the name of the village indicates an area of grassy common land.

References edit

  1. ^ "Community population 2011". Retrieved 17 November 2015.
  2. ^ Worthenbury in the Domesday Book
  3. ^ [1] CWGC Casualty record.
  • Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust. Maelor Saesneg: The Settlement Landscape. Accessed 5 June 2008.
  • Davies, John; Jenkins, Nigel; Baines, Menna & Lynch, Peredur I. (2008) The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales, University of Wales Press, Cardiff.
  • Roberts, Vic (2004) Worthenbury, Genuki. Accessed 5 June 2008.
  • Wrexham County Borough Council. St Mary Magdalene Church. Accessed 5 June 2008.