Hope ( cy, Yr Hôb) is a small village and
community in
Flintshire, north-east
Wales. The village is located approximately 3 miles / 4.5 km from the
Wales-England border, on the course of the
River Alyn, and less than 5 miles from
Wrexham.
Hope is one of several villages including
Caergwrle,
Abermorddu
Abermorddu () is a village in the county of Flintshire, Wales, in the community of Hope. Approximately 5 miles north of Wrexham along the A541 road, it is contiguous with the main village of Caergwrle and closely related to the village of Hope ...
and
Cefn-y-bedd which together form the
community. At the
2001 Census, community the population was 2,522,
increasing to 4,224 at the
2011 Census partly due to boundary changes. One of the major features in the area is Hope Mountain (''Mynydd yr Hob''), to the west of the village.
History
''Yr Hob'' was originally the name of a
commote within the
cantref
A cantref ( ; ; plural cantrefi or cantrefs; also rendered as ''cantred'') was a medieval Welsh land division, particularly important in the administration of Welsh law.
Description
Land in medieval Wales was divided into ''cantrefi'', which were ...
of
Maelor in the medieval
Kingdom of Powys. Both the Welsh and English language names are derived from an
Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
word ''hop'' meaning "enclosed land in a marsh", a relic of
Mercian settlement in the area.
[Owen, H. W. (2015) ''The Place-names of Wales'', UWP, p.53]
In 1086, when the
Domesday Book was compiled, Hope was listed as a very small settlement and it was within the hundred of Exestan and the county of
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...
.
The old parish of Hope was once divided into two parts by the River Alyn. One part, called Hope Medachied, was made up of the
townships of Uwchmynydd,
Cymau
Cymau is a small village situated in the community of Llanfynydd, Flintshire on the edge of the mountains of north-east Wales. Its name is derived from the Welsh word ''cymau'', an old form of the plural for ''cwm'', "valley" or "hollow".
The vi ...
, Caergwrle and Rhanberfedd: the other was made of Hope Owen, Estyn and Shordley.
[Hope, Flintshire]
GENUKI, accessed 03-10-18 In 1843 a large area of Hope Medachied was transferred to the new parish of
Llanfynydd.
[
The village's long association with neighbouring Caergwrle has given rise to the local expression "Live in Hope, die in Caergwrle".][''The AA touring guide to Wales'', ]Automobile Association
Automobile associations, also referred to as motoring clubs, motoring associations, motor clubs, are organizations, either for-profit or non-profit, which motorists (drivers and vehicle owners) can join to enjoy benefits provided by the club relat ...
, 1975, p.205
Facilities
In 2007, the secondary school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...
Castell Alun High
A ''castell'' () is a human tower built traditionally at festivals in Catalonia, the Balearic islands and the Valencian Community.
At these festivals, several ''colles castelleres'' (teams that build towers) attempt to build and dismantle a t ...
, which is located in the village, became the only school in North Wales to be awarded 7 Grade 1s by Estyn, the school inspection service for Wales. The judgement makes Castell Alun one of the top schools in Wales.
Hope has good transport links with local towns and cities, notably Wrexham, 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 ...
and Mold, with the Borderlands Line running directly through Hope railway station giving access to Liverpool via the Wirral Peninsula.
Hope has a library, a sports centre and football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
, 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 ...
and rugby union clubs. The Castell Alun Colts Football Club play in the Welsh Football League system and are affiliated to the Football Association of Wales and the North East Wales Football Association.Roman Fort
In the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, the Latin word ''castrum'', plural ''castra'', was a military-related term.
In Latin usage, the singular form ''castrum'' meant 'fort', while the plural form ''castra'' meant 'camp'. The singular and ...
in a disused quarry in the village. The project known as "Park in the Past" is set to become a centre for education and leisure activities
Governance
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 to t ...
in the same name exists, which covers the village of Hope 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 County Hall in Mold.
Elections take place every five years. The last election was on 5 May 2022.
Histor ...
. This ward had a population of 2,605 at the 2011 census.
See also
* Hope Hall
Hope Hall, Hope, Flintshire, Wales was a country house, built in 1740 and demolished in 1960.
The building
Hope Hall was built on the site of am old farm house and building. The Hall was described as being an imposing building, two and a half ...
References
External links
Photos of Hope and surrounding area on geograph.org.uk
{{authority control
Communities in Flintshire
Villages in Flintshire
Wards of Flintshire
Commotes