BANGOR-ISCOED, a parish comprising the townships of Eyton, Pickhill, Ryton, and Sesswick, in the hundred of BROMFIELD,
county of DENBIGH, and the township of Bangor, in the hundred of MAELOR, county of FLINT, NORTH WALES, all which
separately support their own poor, and containing 1389 inhabitants, of which number, 648 are in the township of Bangor, 5
miles (S. E.) from Wrexham, on the road to Whit-church. This place, which has received the adjunct of Iscoed, to
distinguish it from the city of Bangor in Carnarvonshire, was the station Banchorium of Richard of Cirencester, and is
generally thought to have been the Bovium, or Bonium, of Antonin. It was the site of the most ancient and extensive
monastery founded in Britain, which, having also been intended as a school for religious instruction, became a great
seminary for learning: from this institution, the foundation of which is ascribed to Lucius, King of Britain, under whose
auspices Christianity was firmly established in this country, it obtained its British name Ban-G6r, which was changed by
the Saxons into Banchorna-byrig, a name descriptive of its importance as a privileged town. Pelagius, the noted arch-
heretic, who is affirmed to have been a native of Britain, and whose paternal name was Morgan, was educated in this
monastery, of which he became abbot, about the commencement of the fifth century: the Pelagian heresy was principally
eradicated by St. Germanus, who is said to have introduced considerable improvement into this institution. Augustine,
having been sent by Pope Gregory to re-establish Christianity in England, by converting the Saxons, endeavoured to extend
the power of the church of Rome, by usurping an authority over the British prelates. But the latter resisting, a great
council of the clergy was convened, at which seven bishops and many learned men from the monastery of Bangor were present:
the British deputies continued firm in their refusal to submit to St. Augustine, or aid him in his intended conversion
of the Saxons; in consequence of which the mortified missionary denounced against them the judgment of God, predicting
that, as they would not accept peace with their Christian brethren, they would soon have war with their pagan enemies, and
that they would speedily find death by the swords of those to whom they had refused to preach the word of life: this
threat was accomplished, a few years afterwards, in the battle of Chester, by the slaughter of eleven hundred and fifty,
out of twelve hundred, monks who had gone forth to pray for the success of their countrymen, the Welsh, against the
Northumbrian Saxons, by whom, under Ethelfrid, that ancient city had been attacked. The Saxons, having defeated their
opponents and taken possession of Chester, advanced to Bangor, where they entirely destroyed the monastery, and committed
its valuable library to the flames they then intended to penetrate into Wales, but their passage over the Dee at this
place was disputed by Brochwel Yscithrog, Prince of Powys, who successfully resisted all their attacks, until relieved by
Cadvan, King of North Wales; Meredydd, King of South Wales; and Bledrus, sovereign of Cornwall. The confederate princes
called to their aid the services of Dunawd, or Dunothus, abbot of Bangor, and one of the fifty monks that had escaped the
general massacre of his brethren, who delivered an oration to the army, which he concluded by ordering the soldiers to
kiss the ground, before the action commenced, in commemoration of the communion of the body of Christ, and to take up
water in their hands out of the river Dee, and drink it, in remembrance of his sacred blood. This act of devotion infused
a confident courage among the Welsh, already ardent for revenge for the calamities which they had recently endured; and
they encountered the invaders with such bravery as entirely to defeat them, with the loss of above ten thousand men,
compelling Ethelfrid, with the remainder of his army, to retreat into his own country. From this disastrous infliction the
monastery of Bangor never recovered: the surviving monks were dispersed throughout the interior of the country, many of
them having settled in North Wales, and others probably serving as a supply to the ministry of the church in South Wales,
and in Armorica. At one period the entire establishmeat here is said to have consisted of two thousand four hundred
brethren, of whom one hundred officiated by turns for one hour, thus performing divine service both day and night, whilst
many of the others laboured for the benefit of the community. Of the vast pile of buildings that composed the monastery,
the ruins of which are described by William of Malmesbury, a short time after the Norman Conquest, as consisting of
numerous half-demolished churches and mutilated remains, the only vestiges are parts of the foundations, extend. ing for a
considerable distance along the eastern bank of the river Dee, which flows between the sites of two of the ancient gates,
of which they still retain the names; the one being called " Porth Kleis," one mile to the south of the church, on the
road to Overton; and the other " Porth Wgan," one mile and a quarter west-north-westward from it, on the road to Wrexham.
The village is pleasantly situated on the eastern bank of the Dee, which is navigable to this place, and is here crossed
by a handsome bridge of five arches, connecting the counties of Denbigh and Flint. The parish contains about eight
thousand acres, of which about five thousand are composed of a stiff clay, the remainder being meadow land, generally of a
sandy loam: the ground is chiefly flat, and about two thousand acres are subject to inundation from the overflowing of
the Dee. The adjacent scenery in many places is beautiful and richly picturesque, the noble sweeps of the Dee being
frequently overshadowed by thick hanging woods, which fringe its elevated banks. The living is a rectory, with the
perpetual curacy of Overton annexed, in the arch-deaconry and diocese of Chester, rated in the king's books at £39. 6. 8.,
and in the patronage of the Marquis of Westminster. The church, dedicated to St. Dinoth, who was abbot of the monastery
when Augustine landed in England, and canonized after his death, appears to have been built at various periods, though the
greater part of it is of modern erection. The communion table of white marble, and the floor within the rails, of black
and white marble, were the gift of Mr. Lloyd; and the altar-piece and tablets of mahogany, with gilt mouldings, were
presented by Mr. Peter Lloyd, in 1775: the font, which is very ancient, is ornamented with sculptured heads and shields
bearing the Cross of Calvary, surmounted by the Welsh plume. The arms of the several rectors of the parish, from the year
1662 to the present time, with the dates of their respective induction, are arranged in the hall of the rectory. A
parochial free school was founded in 1728, by Lady Dorothy Jeffreys, widow of Chief Justice Jeffreys, who gave £500 to be
laid out in the purchase of lands for teaching and apprenticing poor children. There are several charitable donations and
bequests for distribution among the poor, of which the principal are, a legacy of £60 by Mr. Thomas Lloyd, £50 by Mr. E.
Price, Sen., a tenement in Iscoed by Mr. E. Price, Jun., £50 by the Rev. Hugh Morris, £40 by Thomas Tunna, a plot of
ground by Margaret Lloyd, and a tenement called the Graig and £200 in money by Mr. Peter Lloyd, the proceeds of which are
periodically distributed in bread and money. The Roman road to the station Banchorium passed through the village, a little
to the south of the church; and, in digging graves in the churchyard, Roman pavements are occasionally found. The average
annual expenditure of the parish for the support of its poor amounts to £598. 6., of which sum £197'. 1. is assessed on
the township of Bangor.