WHITFORD, a parish, in the union of HOLYWELL, Holywell division of the hundred of COLESHILL, county of FLINT, NORTH
WALES, 3 miles (N. W. by W.) from Holywell; containing 4084 inhabitants. This parish rises for the most part gear dually
into hills of considerable elevation, from the shore of the wide estuary of the Dee, by which it is bounded on the east
and north-east; it comprises an extent of 6859 statute acres, and contains a lake called Helig, of about fifty acres. A
tract of waste land, including 3500 acres, lying in the parishes of Whitford, Ysceiviog, and Nannerch, was allotted and
inclosed some years ago, pursuant to two acts of parliament obtained for that purpose. The village, which is of small
size, but contains several neat houses, is pleasantly situated at no great distance from the Chester and Holyhead road,
and near the head of a small valley, which, deepening in its course, stretches towards the sea, having its sides
beautifully fringed with woods. The surface of the parish is ornamented with several gentlemen's seats. Mostyn Hall is the
property and residence of the Hon. Edward M. Lloyd Mostyn, to whom it was bequeathed by the late Sir Thomas Mostyn Bart.,
whose name he assumed: it has descended from their ancestor, Ievan Vychan, (a descendant of Tudor Trevor, Earl of
Hereford,) who obtained it by marriage, in the reign of Richard I., with Anghared, -heiress of Howel ab Tudor ab Itbel
Vyclian, of Mostyn, who derived his descent from Edwyn, lord of Tegengle, or Englefield. The mansion is situated in a
small but beautifully undulated park, clothed in some parts with fine oaks and magnificent beeches, and was formerly
approached by a venerable avenue. It is an ancient irregular edifice, erected at successive periods, and devoid of
architectural character; the oldest portion was built probably so early as the reign of Henry VI., but the greater part of
the present house was erected in 1631. The various apartments contain many good paintings and portraits, the latter
chiefly of members of the family, and are likewise adorned with antique busts; and in the library, together with a
valuable collection of books and manuscripts (the latter mostly on vellum, and many of them richly illuminated), are
numerous elegant Roman antiques, and other rare relics of former ages, among which are, a cake of copper found at Caerhn,
in Carnarvonshire; the silver harp which Queen Elizabeth gave to Thomas Mostyn, in 1568, to bestow upon the most skilful
bard at the Eisteddvod held at Caerwys, in the above year; and a golden torques, dug up near Harlech Castle, in 1692. In
this mansion, Henry Earl of Richmond was concealed, whilst planning the overthrow of the house of York, and the place of
his retreat having been discovered by Richard III., a party of armed men was despatched to apprehend him; but Richmond
contrived to escape through a hole in the back part of the building, which is still called "the king's," and was
subsequently joined at the battle of Bosworth Field by Richard ab Hovel, then lord of Mostyn, to whom, after the victory,
he presented, in token of gratitude for his preservation, the belt and sword he wore on that day, which were kept for ages
here. In the parliamentary war, the house was garrisoned by Sir Roger Mostyn, who also repaired the castle of Flint, and
raised an army of fifteen hundred men at his own charge, in support of the cause of his royal master. Downing, in the
hamlet of Edenowain, is the birthplace, and was the residence, of the distinguished antiquary and naturalist, Thomas
Pennant, and is now the property of his three grand-daughters. It is a mansion in the form of the Romaa letter H, witilhe
wings terminating in gables, and is seated on the slope of a narrow valley, well sheltered by the finely wooded grounds
which surround it; its name is a corruption of that of the township. The present house was built in 1627, and, together
with the grounds, received great improvement from the late owner, of literary celebrity, who conducted the extensive
walks, with the greatest taste and judgment, through the deep and darkly-wooded dingle* to the more elevated points,
commanding noble views of the estuaries of the Dee and the Mersey, and of the distant hills of Westmorland and Cumberland;
these varied walks exceed three miles in length. The library, a room forty feet in length, built in the year 1814,
contains a large collection of books and papers, among whicl are great numbers of valuable manuscripts, drawings, &c.; in
the different rooms are numerous pictures, consisting chiefly of subjects in natural history, and of family portraits; and
there is likewise a cabinet of fossils and minerals. In the grounds, which contain several oaks of great age and girth, of
which the most remarkable is called "the Fairy Oak," is a deserted water-mill, skilfully altered by the late proprietor,
so as to exhibit the appearance of a monastic ruin. Bychton, an old house built in 1752, in an adjacent township of the
same name, was the original seat of the Pennants, who had been settled here ever since the tenth century, and a younger
branch of which family removed to Downing early in the seventeenth, on his marriage with the heiress of that house, whose
descendant bequeathed it to David, the father of Thomas Pennant. Downing Ucha is a respectable mansion; and Mertyn is also
situated in the parish. The soil of the lower parts is stiff and clayey; that of the upper, thin, light, and dry, resting
on limestone, with occasional beds of gravel. The MINERALS consist of valuable beds of coal, limestone, and petrosilex, or
chertz, and of rich and extensive veins of lead-ore and calamine; some copper-ore, and not uncommonly, black jack, or
sulphate of zinc, have also been found. The parish comprises a large portion of the coal tract of North Wales, the
richness of the strata in this part of which will be best shown by a notice of those through which a pit has been sunk at
Bychton, to a depth of six hundred and fourteen feet: the total number of strata here composing the measures is twenty-
seven, of which the following are of coal, viz.—the fourth, which is of the peculiarly inflammable species called "
cannel," found also at Mostyn, and is three feet thick, and rests on a bed of common coal, six feet thick, making a total
of nine feet; the sixth, which is two feet three inches thick; the eighth, fifteen feet; the tenth, nine feet; the
twelfth, cannel coal, fourteen inches; the fourteenth, common coal, one foot; the sixteenth, six feet; the nineteenth,
seven feet; the twenty-first, three _feet; the twenty-second, three feet nine inches; and the twenty-fifth and twenty-
seventh, each also of the same thickness; making in all sixty-four feet eight inches of coal, and being equal to about one
foot of coal in every nine feet depth. The thickest seam in the parish is found at Mostyn, and is sixteen feet thick; the
dip of the strata varies from one yard in four to two in three. The coal-mines of Mostyn and Bychton have been worked for
a very great length of time, having been discovered in the reign of Edward I., by whom they were granted to the abbot and
convent of Basingwerk. Throughout the seventeenth century, Dublin and the eastern coast of Ireland were supplied from the
Mostyn colliery; but since the year 1710, the accumulation of sand upon this coast has been so great as to prevent
vessels of even sixty tons' bur-then coming within two miles of the shore, until the recent formation of a channel and
basin by the late Sir Thomas Mostyn; in addition to which the increased operation of the mines at Whitehaven and
Workington, in Cumberland, has withdrawn the export trade from this place. The Mostyn collieries only are now wrought, and
produce about three hundred tons daily, the coal been chiefly sent coastwise to the more distant parts of North Wales.
Here are nine separate beds of coal, varying in thickness from three-quarters of a yard to upwards of five yards, the
latter being two hundred and ten yards below the sea, and worked for nearly a mile under it: a large steam-engine has been
erected upon the sands, which raises the water from the mines: five hundred persons are constantly employed. Mines of
lead and calamine have also been wrought in the hilly part of the parish, from time immemorial, until within the last few
years, when the latter were discontinued, owing to the low price which the article bore in the market: the Llanerch-y-Mor
reverberating furnaces, however, for smelting and refining lead-ore, erected in 1750, on the site of some very ancient
lead-works, smelt sixty tons of ore per week, exclusively for the Manchester market, and afford employment to fifty
persons. Several years ago, copper-ore was obtained to a limited extent; but, though diligent search has been made, none
has since been found.. Beds of sandstone and freestone exist in the lower parts of the parish, and in the higher are
strata of limestone and petrosilex, a great quantity of the last of which has been conveyed of late into Staffordshire,
where it is made into a coarse stone ware, or formed into stones for grinding and pulverizing burnt flints. The c/iffi in
the hamlet of Mostyn present a singular appearance, being vitrified throughout their whole extent, as if emitted in a
melted state from a volcano. This phenomenon is ascribed to the conflagration of some pyritical matter, which has
destroyed the appearance of the regular strata of shale and sandstone, and converted the substance into an unbroken semi-
vitrified mass, partially porous, but of the hardness of flint, and in some places of a beautiful vermilion colour, but in
most of a mottled red and blue. This transformation is not confined to the face of the cliff; but extends generally
through the rock, though diminishing gradually toward the interior, which at some distance from the side appears only
discoloured. In forming a new line of road, a perpendicular face of rock has been laid bare to a considerable extent, and
seems more compact than near the surface. The same cause extended its operations under the sea, entirely consuming the
coal throughout its progress; and the miners are now employed in penetrating through this indurated substance, at the
depth of forty-eight feet beneath the bed of the Dee. The rock is procured in large masses, to form breakwaters, and to
repair the roads, for which_ it is peculiarly adapted by its extreme durability. The mineral productions of this district
are shipped at Mostyn quay, where a pier and suitable warehouses, wharfs, and basins have been constructed; and steam-
packets for the conveyance of passengers sail to Liverpool regularly, by which, and the frequent trading vessels, an
uninterrupted intercourse is maintained with that port. The LIVING is a discharged vicarage, endowed with one-fourth part
of the corn tithes, and one-fourth of the small tithes throughout the parish, rated in the king's books at £9. 11. 54.,
and in the patronage of the Bishop of St. Asaph; present net income, £359, with a glebe-house, a good residence, and about
6 acres of glebe-land. The bishop also presents to the sinecure rectory, which is rated at £28. 17. 6., and is of the net
annual value of £739, with a house called the Parsonage, and some land. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, and situated iu
the hamlet of Tre Lan, is a spacious unadorned edifice, with a square western tower; the aisle was built by one Bleddyn
Drow, of the house of Mostyn, to which family it belongs. Under a niche in the south wall is a small elegant monument, by
Westmacott, to the memory of the celebrated Thomas Pennant, who died at Downing, on December 16th, 1798, aged seventy-
three, and was interred here; it consists of an upright pillar of white marble, bearing on its front a medallion profile
of the deceased, and surmounted by a Grecian vase; at the base kneels the Genius of Cambria, lamenting the loss of her
able and ingenious tourist. There are two places of worship each for Calvinistic and Wesleyan Methodists, and one for
Baptists. A school-room was built in the village, in 1711, by Mr. Pierce Jones, who endowed it with £45, and bestowed it
on the inhabitants, directing them to appoint a master, to teach gratuitously twelve children to read; to which number
fifteen more were added by Mrs. Mary Bradshaw, in 1745, who gave for their instruction £140, whereof £100 were lost on the
Halkin turnpike trust, but the residue is in the Mostyn family, and produces an annual interest of £2. 1. Mr. John Davies
also, by will, dated October 10th, 1802, left £300 for the education of nine more boys; Mary ap Rogers bequeathed £10,
the interest to be applied to the use of the school; Mrs. Catherine Jones, and Mrs. Sydney Edwards, gave £20, the
interest also for teaching two children; and Jane Ball, in 1763, left £10 for one. There are twenty-three children upon
the foundation, who are taught reading, writing, and arithmetic; and about the same number are paid for by their parents:
the school-house has been recently much extended by the liberality of the Pennant and Mostyn families. Two other day
schools are also carried on, in one of which about 75 children are educated at their parents' expense; and the other,
consisting of about the same number, is supported by aid of a salary allowed by the Pennants. A day and Sunday school is
maintained by a lady, and contains 24 girls; the salary of the mistress is £12 per annum, of which £4 are paid for rent;
and seven Sunday schools, appertaining to various denominations of dissenters, afford gratuitous instruction to about 500
males and females. Poor persons of this parish receive annually clothing to the amount of £35, arising from part of the
interest of legacies of £100, £600, and £300, bequeathed respectively by Mrs. Sarah Pennant, David Pennant, Jun. Fmq., and
by Louis Gold, the faithful servant of Thomas Pennant; some of the aged indigent are also clothed out of the rental of
lands, amounting to £45 per annum, in the parish of St. Asaph, purchased under the will of Mr. William Pennant, at the
beginning of the seventeenth century; and children and others are supplied with stockings, blankets, &c. Twelve persons,
too, annually receive certain articles of clothing to the amount of £12, from the rental of a farm called Pant, in the
parish, the joint property of Miss Garnons and Miss Pennant, and supposed to have been derived from bequests of Hugh and
Thomas Edwards in 1624 and 1719. Margaret Vaughan likewise bequeathed a rent-charge of £4, in 1707, for apprenticing a
child, and another of £1. 10. for annual distribution on the 4th of December among 60 poor people; and a similar class
receive £20 worth of flannel on St. Thomas's-day from the agent of Mr. Mostvn, said to arise from a grant of £250 by Peter
Griffith, of London. There are various RELICS of ANTIQUITY within the parish, the most interesting of which is Maen
Achwynvan, or " the stone of Saint Gwyvan," an elegant cross, situated on the plain near the bill of Garreg, adjoining
Pen-yr-Alit, and composed of an entire stone, twelve feet high from the ground, two feet four inches in breadth at the
bottom, and ten inches in thickness, with a circular top, containing on each side the figure of a Greek cross, in
altorelievo. About the middle of the pillar, on the east side, is a St. Andrew's cross, beneath which is carved the rude
naked figure of a man, holding in his right hand a staff, or spear; and near that, on the next side, is the representation
of some animal. The other parts of the pillar, on every side, are chequered with fret-work, or adorned with various
wreathings; or knots, and running foliage, in high relief, and of exquisite workmanship: the base is fixed in a pedestal
buried beneath the surface of the ground. At what time or for what purpose this monument was erected, is a matter of
uncertainty. Mr. Pennant considers it to have been a sacred pillar, before which penances were concluded by weeping and
such like signs of contrition, and instances the weeping cross near Stafford; whilst Bishop Gibson, in his annotations on
Camden, mentions a supposition, that it had been set up as a memorial of some great battle fought on the spot, and notices
the existence of numerous large tumuli in the parish, some of which, on being opened, were found to contain funeral urns
of baked clay, celts, and arrow heads made of flint. On the summit of Garreg, the loftiest eminence in the parish, are the
remains of a circular tower, hitherto considered to have been a Roman pharos, or lighthouse, erected to guide mariners
along the estuary of the Dee: it is built of rude limestone, imbedded in hard mortar, and is twelve feet six inches in
diameter within the walls, which are four feet four inches in thickness, and of considerable height; to the basement story
are two entrances, exactly opposite each other, and over each is a square funnel, resembling a chimney, which opens on the
outside, about half-way up the building; above this story appear to have been two floors. A few feet from the ground are
three circular openings through the wall. A staircase within led to an upper story, in the walls of which were eight small
square holes, cased with freestone, and separated by wooden panels; within these partitions were placed the lights: the
building was surrounded by an entrenchment, and approached by a raised road, which may still be traced. The summit of this
hill commands a varied and extensive prospect, including a view of Snowdon, the promontory of Llandudno, part of the Isle
of Anglesey, and the bay of Llandulas, together with the estuaries of the Dee and the Mersey, and, occasionally, the fells
of Cumberland and Westmorland, and the Isle of Man. Clawdd Offa, or Offa's Dyke, intersects the western part of the
parish, and in some parts can be traced only with considerable difficulty. It enters from the parish of Caerwys, and
passes on the west of Ll$11 Helyg, and through the plantations of Pen-y-Gelli, where it is quite perfect, and ten feet
high; it then crosses the fields to Green Lane, where it is connected with a very large carnedd, and thence, proceeding
to Newmarket gate, continues on the right to the turnpike-road to Tre Abbot, where it crosses the road, and is found
nearly perfect on the left, there forming the boundary between Whitford and Llanasaph, and afterwards between the latter
parish and Newmarket; it then recrosses the road to Marian, and, passing on the east of Newmarket, separates the parishes
of Llanasaph and Gwaenyscor, and terminates on the shore near Talacre, though previous writers have fixed its termination
at Tryddin, in the parish of Mold. Near Orsedd, in the hamlet of denowain, stood Castell T9 Moen, a seat of Ednowain
Bendew, or " Owen the Strong-headed," lord of Tegengle in the eleventh century, and of one of the fifteen tribes of North
Wales; there are no remains of this extensive pile, except the lofty mound on which it stood, now covered with a thriving
plantation. The hamlet of Tre Abbot owes its name to its having been the summer residence of the abbots of Basingwerk, to
the society of which place Edward I. made considerable grants of lands and mines in this parish, including the woody tract
called Gelli, which has for ages been stripped of its sylvan features, the monks having received permission from that
monarch to cut down the wood; the name Gelli is now confined to a farm-house, which has been formed out of a chapel
belonging to the abbots. Tre Abbot subsequently became the property of the family of Davies, one of the members of which,
named Miles Davies, distinguished himself as the author of 46 Athence Britannicce," &c., and as a poet of some note.