Northop ( cy, Llaneurgain) is a village,

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...

and

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...

situated in

Flintshire , settlement_type = County , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = , image_flag = , image_shield = Arms of Flint ...

, Wales, approximately 12 miles west of the city of

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

, midway between

Mold A mold () or mould () is one of the structures certain fungus, fungi can form. The dust-like, colored appearance of molds is due to the formation of Spore#Fungi, spores containing Secondary metabolite#Fungal secondary metabolites, fungal seco ...

and

Flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and start fir ...

, and situated just off junction 33 of the A55 North Wales Expressway. At the 2001 Census, the population of Northop was 2,983, increasing to 3,049 at the 2011 census. The community includes

Sychdyn Sychdyn or Soughton (meaning ''South Town'') is a village in Flintshire, Wales. It is situated on the A5119 road, and is just over 1000 yards (1 km) north of the county town of Mold. In 1086, the village was listed in Domesday Book as a s ...

. The village is home to two

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

s, a

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

club, and a

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

course. At the centre of the village stands the church of St Eurgain and

St Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupation ...

, towering 98 feet above the village.

Northop College Northop College in Flintshire, North Wales is jointly operated by Glyndwr University and Coleg Cambria. Formerly known as the Welsh College of Horticulture and Northop College, it became part of Coleg Cambria when Deeside College merged with Y ...

based in Northop, offering horticultural courses for students of all ages, in areas such as Animal Care,

floristry Floristry is the production, commerce, and trade in flowers. It encompasses flower care and handling, floral design and arrangement, merchandising, production, display and flower delivery. Wholesale florists sell bulk flowers and related sup ...

, Horse Care, Horticulture and

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating Plant, plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of Sedentism, sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of Domestication, domesticated species created food ...

machinery.

Glyndŵr University Glyndŵr was one of six local government districts in the county of Clwyd in Wales from 1974 to 1996. History The district was created on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972. It covered the area of six former districts and two p ...

has a campus based in Northop; this is the university's home for land-based and rural education, and a centre for courses on animal studies and biodiversity.

English toponym

The name seems to be derived from ''North Hope'', to distinguish it from the nearby village of

Hope Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large. As a verb, its definitions include: "expect with confidence" and "to cherish ...

, which has also been known as East Hoped. Another source claims the name originates from ''North'' and ''Thorpe'', the latter word meaning village or town in the Saxon language. Written in ancient records as ''Northorpe'', the name ''Northop'' was in use after the surrender of

Egbert of Wessex Ecgberht (770/775 – 839), also spelled Egbert, Ecgbert, Ecgbriht, Ecgbeorht, and Ecbert, was King of Wessex from 802 until his death in 839. His father was King Ealhmund of Kent. In the 780s, Ecgberht was forced into exile to Charlema ...

, circa AD 828, when Flintshire was brought under

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

rule.

St Eurgain and St Peter's Church

There has been evidence of a church in Northop since the 6th century. It is said that Eurgain, a niece of

Saint Asaph Saint Asaph (or Asaf, Asa) was, in the second half of the 6th century, the first Bishop of St Asaph, i.e. bishop of the diocese of Saint Asaph. Biography No traditional Welsh account devoted to the life of Asaph exists. He is, though, well- ...

, passed through Northop and founded the church here on a Celtic mound, upon which it still stands. The

Welsh placename The place-names of Wales derive in most cases from the Welsh language, but have also been influenced by linguistic contact with the Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, Anglo-Normans and modern English. Toponymy in Wales reveals significant features of ...

for Northop, ''Llaneurgain'' translates as "The holy enclosure of Eurgain". Records indicate that there was a stone church erected here during the 12th century, with the tower being completed to its 98-foot height in 1571. The present building was extensively rebuilt during 1840, with further alterations being carried out in 1877. The churchyard of St Eurgain and St Peter still houses the old grammar school for Northop, constructed during the 16th century.
St Eurgain and St Peter's church
is the seat of the

Parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

of Northop, which comprises the districts of Northop,

Northop Hall Northop Hall ( cy, Neuadd Llaneurgain) is a large village and community near Mold, in Flintshire, Wales. Located to the east of Northop, near the A55 North Wales Expressway, the village is largely residential in character. At the 2001 Census, ...

Halkyn Halkyn ( cy, Helygain ; Flintshire Welsh: ''Lygian '') is a village and community in Flintshire, north-east Wales and situated between Pentre Halkyn, Northop and Rhosesmor. At the 2001 Census the population of the community was 2,876, increasi ...

Rhosesmor Rhosesmor is a small village near Mold, Flintshire, in north-east Wales. The village lies near the parishes of Halkyn and Rhes-y-cae. The hamlet of Wern-y-Gaer is encompassed by the boundaries of the village. The hill fort site affords views ...

, and Flint Mountain. Formerly it also included

Connah's Quay Connah's Quay ( cy, Cei Connah), known locally as "The Quay" and formerly known as Wepre, is a town and community in Flintshire, lying within the Deeside conurbation along the River Dee, near the border with England. It is the largest town in F ...

. It is a member of the

diocese of St Asaph The Diocese of Saint Asaph is a diocese of the Church in Wales in north-east Wales, named after Saint Asaph, its second bishop. Geography The Anglican Diocese of St Asaph in the north-east corner of Wales stretches from the borders of Chester in ...

Church in Wales The Church in Wales ( cy, Yr Eglwys yng Nghymru) is an Anglicanism, Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses. The Archbishop of Wales does not have a fixed archiepiscopal see, but serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishop ...

. The church is a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

Present

The village shop also incorporates a one-counter

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

. There are two pubs, one at either end of the High Street: the Red Lion, and The Boot, the last remaining

coaching inn The coaching inn (also coaching house or staging inn) was a vital part of Europe's inland transport infrastructure until the development of the railway, providing a resting point ( layover) for people and horses. The inn served the needs of tra ...

in the village that served the

Holyhead Holyhead (,; cy, Caergybi , "Cybi's fort") is the largest town and a community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales, with a population of 13,659 at the 2011 census. Holyhead is on Holy Island, bounded by the Irish Sea to the north, and is ...

stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...

route. There is also a hairdresser and a

MOT Mot or MOT may refer to: Media * Ministry of Truth, the propaganda ministry in George Orwell 1949 novel ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' * ''mot'' (magazine), former German car magazine * Mot (Star Trek), a minor character in ''Star Trek: The Next Gene ...

garage. Northop previously had a larger number of shops and services, but due to retail developments in neighbouring towns these have disappeared, including: butchers;

fish and chip Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...

shop;

tea shop A teahouse (mainly Asia) or tearoom (also tea room) is an establishment which primarily serves tea and other light refreshments. A tea room may be a room set aside in a hotel especially for serving afternoon tea, or may be an establishment whic ...

; cobblers; Smithy; and a

working men's club Working men's clubs are British private social clubs first created in the 19th century in industrial areas, particularly the North of England, Midlands, Scotland and South Wales Valleys, to provide recreation and education for working class me ...

. Northop is also an

, coterminous with the community. It elects one county councillor to

Flintshire County Council Flintshire County Council is the unitary local authority for the county of Flintshire, one of the principal areas of Wales. It is based at County Hall in Mold. Elections take place every five years. The last election was on 5 May 2022. Histor ...

Notable people

* William Parry (died 1585), courtier and spy, planned to assassinate

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

and was executed. * Thomas Edwards (1779–1858), writer and lexicographer. * Sir John Eldon Bankes (1854–1946), judge of the

King's Bench Division The King's Bench Division (or Queen's Bench Division when the monarch is female) of the High Court of Justice deals with a wide range of common law cases and has supervisory responsibility over certain lower courts. It hears appeals on point ...

of the

High Court of Justice The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Courts of England and Wales, Senior Cou ...

* Thomas Bartley (1908 in

– 1964),

Test match Test match in some sports refers to a sporting contest between national representative teams and may refer to: * Test cricket * Test match (indoor cricket) * Test match (rugby union) * Test match (rugby league) * Test match (association football) ...

umpire. *

Kerry Peers Kerry Peers (born 1 November 1964) is a British actress who is best known for her role in ''The Bill'' where she played Suzi Croft from 1993 to 1998. She has also been in ''Casualty (TV series), Casualty'', ''Doctors (2000 TV series), Doctors'' ...

(born 1964 in

), actress, she played '' Suzi Croft'' in ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused on ...

'' * Rob Roberts (born 1979

), politician, Member of Parliament (MP) for Delyn

Northop Silver Band

In 1892 a group of young men met at Soughton (

) and committed themselves to playing for a year with the newly formed

silver band In Britain, a brass band (known regionally as a silver band or colliery band) is a musical ensemble comprising a standardized range of brass and percussion instruments. The modern form of the brass band in the United Kingdom dates back to the 1 ...

. Within two years they had relocated to nearby Northop. A bass drum, which was in use until fairly recently, has the mark 'Northop 1894' as proof of this fact. Very little is known of the early years as there are no written records but it is known that the bands' first contest success was in 1921 at Flint. The band at that time rehearsed at the Boot Inn which now supplies refreshments after practices. As a result of its success and professional attitude, the band has been fortunate enough to play at some of the most prestigious venues in the country including, the

Liverpool Philharmonic Hall Liverpool Philharmonic Hall is a concert hall in Hope Street, Liverpool, Hope Street, in Liverpool, England. It is the home of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society and is recorded in the National Heritage Lis ...

, St. David's Hall, in Cardiff and the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

in London. The 1980s saw the band become 'internationals' with a visit to Menden in Germany where, again, they performed with great professionalism. Recently band members joined forces with Parc and Dare Band from South Wales in a return visit to Germany to play at a Police Festival in Hamburg.

References

General

*Lewis,
''A Topographical Dictionary of Wales''
1834 *Edge, Roy. Jones, Rosemary. ''The Pride of Northop, a collection of stories of Northop'', 2000.

External links

Northop village websiteNorthop College, part of Deeside CollegeNorthop Silver Band (official site)Northop Parish Church (official site)
{{authority control Villages in Flintshire Communities in Flintshire Wards of Flintshire