In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Chirk like this:
CHIRK, a small town, a parish, and a hundred, in Denbigh. The town occupies a commanding site on the verge of Wales, the river Ceiriog, the Ellesmere canal, and the Shrewsbury and Chester railway, near Offa's dyke, 9¼ miles S by W of Wrexham. It has a post office‡ under Ruabon, a railway station, and a chief inn; and is a seat of petty sessions. ...
Fairs are held on 10 Feb., 10 June, 12 Aug., and 12 Nov. An aqueduct of the canal here, constructed by Telfer, and a viaduct of the railway, constructed by Robertson, vie in grandeur with those of the Dee; and form striking features amid a rich scene of vale and mountain, wood and stream.—The parish contains also the townships of Brynkinalt, Halton, and Penyclawdd; and is in the district of Oswestry. Acres, 4, 635. Real property, £10, 355. Pop., 1, 630. Houses, 293. The property is divided between R. Myddelton Biddulph, Esq., and Lord Dungannon. Chirk Castle, the seat of Mr. Biddulph, stands on the line of Offa's dyke, on the eastern slope of the Berwyn hills, about ½ mile NW of the town; occupies the site of an ancient fortress, called Castell-Crogen; was erected, in the time of Edward I., by Roger Mortimer; belonged afterwards to the Fitzalans, the Stanleys, and others; is a bold, castellated, quadrangular structure, well preserved by renovation, and partly mantled with ivy; commands a view into seventeen counties; and contains many interesting antiquities and some curious works of art. A battle was fought in its vicinity, in 1164, between Henry II. and Owen Gwynedd. Brynkinalt, the seat of Lord Duncannon, is a fine Gothic edifice, and was much visited, in early life, by the late Duke of Wellington. Limestone and coal are worked; and there are paper mills. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of St. Asaph. Value, £570.* Patron, the Bishop of St. Asaph. The church contains monuments of the Myddelton and Duncannon families; and is very good. Charities, £114. -The hundred contains also five other parishes, and parts of three others. Acres, 75, 568. Pop., 12, 469. Houses, 2, 588.
Chirk through time
Chirk is now part of Wrexham district. Click here for graphs and data of how Wrexham has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Chirk itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Chirk, in Wrexham and Denbighshire | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/3844
Date accessed: 23rd April 2024
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