Willington Worthenbury
| |
|---|---|
 St. Deiniol's Church, Worthenbury | |
  Willington Worthenbury Location withinWrexham | |
| Population | 827 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | SJ420461 |
| Community |
|
| Principal area | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WREXHAM |
| Postcode district | LL13 |
| Post town | MALPAS |
| Postcode district | SY14 |
| Dialling code | 01948 |
| Police | North Wales |
| Fire | North Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| UK Parliament | |
| Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament | |
53°00′32″N2°51′50″W / 53.009°N 2.864°W /53.009; -2.864  Map of the community | |
Willington Worthenbury (Welsh:Willington Wrddymbre) is acommunity inWrexham County Borough,Wales, and is situated near theEngland–Wales border.
It has an area of 2,146hectares and a population of 730 (2001 census), increasing to 827 at the 2011 census.[1] It contains the villages ofWorthenbury andTallarn Green.
It is located on the eastern side of theRiver Dee in theEnglish Maelor area which is within the boundaries of thehistoric county ofFlintshire. It has the lowest proportion ofWelsh language speakers of all the communities in Wrexham county borough, with 88.81% having no knowledge of Welsh according to the 2001 census.
Willington and Worthenbury were originally separate civil parishes in the detached part ofFlintshire. They became part ofWrexham Maelor in 1974, and were merged sometime between 1985 and 1989.[2] Willington may have been absorbed by Worthenbury in 1985, before the renaming in 1989.
Settlement at Worthenbury may have begun as early as the tenth century. The name Worthenbury may stem from the Saxon name for a stronghold 'burgh', indicating that a fortification may have been situated there. In 1086, when theDomesday Book was compiled, Worthenbury was listed as a relatively small settlement and it was within the hundred of Duddeston and the county ofCheshire.[3]
There has been aparish church in the village since at least 1388. The current building,St Deiniol's, was built in 1739 but an earlier had been dedicated to SaintDeiniol. The church has manyGeorgian features and while no longer in theChurch in Wales, is open to visitors.[4] South of the village lay Emral Hall, home to the influentialPuleston family until 1936 when it was demolished.
Tallarn Green also has a small church, completed in 1873 and dedicated toMary Magdalene. The famous poetR. S. Thomas wascurate here in the 1940s. The churchyard contains thewar grave of aManchester Regiment soldier ofWorld War I.[5]
The word "green" in the name of the village indicates an area of grassycommon land.
