Overton
| |
|---|---|
 The main street of Overton-on-Dee | |
  Overton Location withinWrexham | |
| Population | 1,382 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | SJ372417 |
| Community |
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| Principal area | |
| Preserved county | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WREXHAM |
| Postcode district | LL13 |
| Dialling code | 01978 |
| Police | North Wales |
| Fire | North Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| UK Parliament | |
| Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament | |
52°58′08″N2°56′06″W / 52.969°N 2.935°W /52.969; -2.935  Map of the community | |
Overton (Welsh:Owrtyn) orOverton-on-Dee is a village andcommunity inWrexham County Borough,Wales. A formerborough andmarket town, it is situated close to theWelsh-English border on the edge of anescarpment that winds its way around the course of theRiver Dee, from which Overton-on-Dee derives its name.
The community of Overton, which also includes the village of Lightwood Green and a number of small hamlets includingKnolton, had a total population of 1,276 at the 2001 census,[1] increasing to 1,382 at the 2011 Census.[2]
Overton is 7 miles (11 km) fromWrexham and exactly 22 miles (35 km) from bothChester andShrewsbury. Its neighbouring villages areBangor-on-Dee andPenley whilst the small towns ofEllesmere andRuabon are only a short distance away.
Thehamlet of Overton Bridge is a distinct settlement west of the village atgrid referenceSJ356426 above the Dee and the road bridge that carries theA528 road across the river.
The settlement is not mentioned in theDomesday Book, but was first recorded in 1195, via a 14th-century source, asOuerton.[3] Its name was also recorded asOvertone in 1201,Awtun, in the 14th century andOrtyn in the 15th, all of which are forms of a name meaning "settlement on the bank [of the Dee]".[3] A castle was built here in the 12th century byMadog ap Maredudd, a prince of Powys: Overton was granted the right to a weekly market and annual fair in 1279 by the English kingEdward I and became aborough by royal charter in 1292, at which time 56 taxpayers lived there, and was later referred to as a "market town".[3] One of Overton's earliest appearances in history was as one of the first targets ofthe revolt of 1294–95, led byMadog ap Llywelyn.
Overton is situated in a formerexclave of the traditional county ofFlintshire known asMaelor Saesneg (English:"English Maelor"). In 1536, under the rule ofHenry VIII, it was included into the county ofFlintshire, forming theHundred of Maelor. Although part of Flintshire, Overton was within an exclave, surrounded by Cheshire, Shropshire and Denbighshire, and became the administrative centre of the area, often referred to asFlintshire Detached, which included the villages ofBangor on Dee,Bettisfield,Bronington,Hanmer,Knolton,Penley,Tybroughton, Willington andWorthenbury.
In 1887 aBoundary Commission was appointed to review the boundaries of counties in England and Wales. At an inquiry in Overton, it was found that most of the population of the area favoured it becoming part ofShropshire and this was later supported by resolution of the Flintshire justices of the peace.[4] However, whenlocal government legislation was introduced no change was made.
Under theLocal Government Act 1894 the area becameOverton Rural District, remaining as a detached part of Flintshire until 1974.
Between 1974 and 1996 Overton was administered as part of the short-lived county ofClwyd. The community (parish) and county boundary between it andErbistock (in historicDenbighshire) is, in part, on the west side of the river due tooxbow formation in the river. It is now in Wrexham borough.
The churchyard of St Mary the Virgin dominates the high street and is famous for twenty-one very ancientyew trees. The yew trees are traditionally one of theSeven Wonders of Wales and are commemorated in an anonymously written rhyme:
At 1,500 to 2,000 years old, the oldest tree predates the church, whose earliest stonework is probably Norman. In 1992 the village celebrated the 700th anniversary of the granting of aRoyal Charter to Overton byEdward I in 1292 with a royal visit fromElizabeth II, who planted a new yew tree.
Overton has a fine collection of 18th and 19th-century buildings, many of which arelisted as buildings of architectural or historic interest. Even the old telephone box has been "listed". The village centre is also designated as a Conservation Area.
Most of the village was once owned by the Bryn-y-pys Estate. The 1848 sale particulars, with 4,300 acres (17 km2) and a majority of the houses and farms in the village, run to several pages. It was made clear that the estate wielded "Great Political Influence", as without the secret ballot at general elections, the purchaser, who would be virtually everyone's landlord, was guaranteed of a place in Parliament.[citation needed]
There are several interesting buildings in the village including: the "Cocoa and Reading Rooms", aterracotta building of 1890, built to promulgatetemperance, now the library;almshouses and a Victorian village pump.
Anelectoral ward in the same name exists. This ward stretches south east toMaelor South and at the 2011 census had a total population of 3,315.[5]
The village has the usual sporting recreational areas of cricket, football, bowls and tennis. Overton is also an excellent rendezvous point for walkers as it finds itself on the map of theMaelor Way, a24 mile (38 km) long-distance footpath; this in turn links up withOffa's Dyke PathNational Trail at Bronygarth and theSandstone Trail,Llangollen Canal,South Cheshire Way, and theMarches Way.
