Rhosesmor is a small village near

Mold, Flintshire Mold ( cy, Yr Wyddgrug) is a town and community in Flintshire, Wales, on the River Alyn. It is the county town and administrative seat of Flintshire County Council, as it was of Clwyd from 1974 to 1996. According to the 2011 UK Census, it had ...

, in north-east

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. The village lies near 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 ...

es of

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 ...

and Rhes-y-cae. The

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

of Wern-y-Gaer is encompassed by the boundaries of the village. The hill fort site affords views across the Clwydian Hills to the west and the whole sweep of Wirral to the Sefton coastline and Liverpool and further east.

History

The new parish of Caerfallwch (the traditional

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 the village) was created on 23 October 1876, from part of the township of Caerfallwch, which until that time had been in the parish of

Northop Northop ( cy, Llaneurgain) is a village, community and electoral ward situated in Flintshire, Wales, approximately 12 miles west of the city of Chester, midway between Mold and Flint, and situated just off junction 33 of the A55 North Wale ...

. The ''

London Gazette London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

'' of the 27 October 1876 defined the boundaries of the new parish: :"''All that part of the parish of Northop in the county of Flint and in the diocese of Saint Asaph which is comprised within and is co-extensive with the limits of that portion of the township of Caerfallwch wherein the present incumbent of the said parish of Northop now possesses the exclusive

cure of souls Pastoral care is an ancient model of emotional, social and spiritual support that can be found in all cultures and traditions. The term is considered inclusive of distinctly non-religious forms of support, as well as support for people from rel ...

, or in other words, which consists of that portion of the said township of Caerfallwch which is not included within the limits of the consolidated chapelry of Saint John, Rhydymwyn, in the county and diocese aforesaid.''" The Handy Guide to Mold and the Neighbourhood; Tweddel, 1890 records: :"''This quiet little village, on the confines of Halkyn mountain, forms a remarkably pleasant excursion from Mold, from which it is about four miles distant. ... The highway branches off to the right, along a narrow lane that will prove attractive to the botanist, and the lover of wild flowers, for here nature displays her varied chorus, according to the season of the year, primroses, hyacinths, cowslips, wild roses, honeysuckle, ferns, foxgloves, and innumerable other wayside flowers gladden the sight, and give the air the redolence of their perfume.''" A significant part of the village is now included in the designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The village is rich with flora, fauna and ancient hedgerows. Sheep roam freely on the mountain and often decide to sit in the middle of the road. The village has a

lead mining Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cut, l ...

history and several of the buildings, particularly in the Wern-y-Gaer area of the modern village are more than three hundred years old. The

Celt The Celts (, see pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples () are. "CELTS location: Greater Europe time period: Second millennium B.C.E. to present ancestry: Celtic a collection of Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient ...

hill fort A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...

of Moel-y-Gaer, which dates to pre-

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

times, is above the village.

Geography

There are extensive natural and man-made tunnels, caves and caverns under the village. This is because it has been a mining centre from pre-Roman times, as well as having an interesting subterranean structure. These features are documented in various books by Cris Ebbs and have been explored by the Grosvenor Caving Club. There is also an underground lake under Rhosesmor, accessed through the Milwr tunnel, which passes beneath the area.

Community

Local facilities include a

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

, a children's playground / park, a

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

and a

village hall A village hall is a public building in a village used for various things such as: United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building which contains at least one large room (plus kitchen and toilets), is owned by a local ...

References

External links

Photos of Rhosesmor and surrounding area on geograph.org.uk
Rhosesmor in included in the community website: www.halkyn.org {{authority control Villages in Flintshire