Whitford () is a village,

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

and an

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 t ...

near Holywell in

Flintshire Flintshire () is a county in the north-east of Wales. It borders the Irish Sea to the north, the Dee Estuary to the north-east, the English county of Cheshire to the east, Wrexham County Borough to the south, and Denbighshire to the west. ...

, northeast

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

. The population of both the community and the ward taken at the 2011 census was 2,332. The

includes the villages of Carmel, Lloc,

Gorsedd Gorsedd Cymru (), or simply the Gorsedd (), is a society of Welsh-language poets, writers, musicians and others who have contributed to the Welsh language and to public life in Wales. Its aim is to honour such individuals and help develop and p ...

and Pantasaph. Whitford first enters recorded history with its entry in the Domesday Book (1086) as, 'Widford'. The name is English in origin, translating as, perhaps unsurprisingly, 'White Ford'. Ellis Davies, amongst others, attributes this to the foaming of the waters at a ford at nearby Glanrafon. As is often the case, the name evolved through the centuries that followed, and in 1240 the village was known as, 'Quitfordia'. In the same century it was known as 'Chwtforth', 'Chwitforth' and by the 13th century, 'Wittefordd' – a name with a Welsh flavour, if confused as a consequence. 'Whitford' was first recorded a little later in the 13th century, and by some miracle, seems to have managed to hang on to this name ever since. Whitford’s history before the Norman Conquest is little known, though there is good reason to believe that St Beuno may well have been the founder of the Church of St Mary and St Beuno, which would set a 7th century foundation for the village. The abundance of Bronze Age tumuli and cairns about the village, and the nearby Mesolithic settlements as Dyserth, Hendre and Prestatyn would suggest Whitford stands in a very ancient environment. Today, Whitford is chiefly known for its close association with the Pennant Family, most notably Thomas Pennant (1728 -1798), the antiquarian travel writer to whom all those with a fascination with North East Wales owes an immeasurable debt. He lived at nearby Downing Hall, which became a sort of ground zero for his research. The influence of the Mostyn Family at Whitford is also keenly felt. The Whitford

is coterminous with the community and 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 Tŷ Dewi Sant, Ewloe since 2025. It was previously based at County Hall in Mold. Elections take place ...

References

External links

Photos of Whitford and surrounding area on geograph.org.uk
Villages in Flintshire Communities in Flintshire Wards of Flintshire {{Flintshire-geo-stub