Sometime ago there was a discussion on RP regarding the founding of the town and place name of Wrexham i.e. whether the town was of Anglo-Saxon origin and whether the name ‘Wrexham’ is derived from the people known as ‘Wreocensęte’ or the people of Wrekin.
I have looked into this further and can find no etymological links between the place name ‘Wrexham’ and the Ancient Kingdom of Wreocensęte.
Below is a list of the earliest recorded place names relating to the town of Wrexham up to the 16th Century; -
Wristlesha’ 1161 (the letter ‘m’ was uneligible in the original text)
Wrexham 1186
wrechtessham 1200/01
Wrixham 1200-07
Wrechcessam 1222 (1295)
Wrettesham or Wrectesham 1236 (Alfred Neobard Palmer)
Gwrexam 1254
Wyrcesson 1291 (Alfred Neobard Palmer)
Gwregsam 1291 or later
Wrightesham 1294
Wrythelsham 1294
Wrechtessham 1294
Wrightlesham 1316-7 (Alfred Neobard Palmer)
Gwerexham 1366
Wrixham 1416
Wrexham 1536-39 (with a subtext that it was ‘treuly caullid’ (truly called) ‘Wrightelsham’.
Wrexham Vaure 1563/64 (most likely a corruption of the Welsh word ‘Fawr’ as in Abenbury Fawr)
Gwreksam c1570
Gwrexham 1699
When the Romans invaded Britain, much of modern-day Wales was ruled by Ancient Brittonic/Celtic tribes, including the Deceangli, who occupied most of Flintshire and the lands on the western side of the town of modern-day Wrexham; the Ordivices, who occupied mid Wales and parts of the north and south Wales, and the Cornovii who occupied Cheshire, Shropshire, North Staffordshire, north Herefordshire and the eastern parts of Flintshire, Powys and Wrexham.
Although there is plenty of evidence of wars between the native tribes and the Romans, most of the Ancient Britons were eventually subdued and assimilated under Roman law, including the Cornovii, who are believed to have had their capital base at a hill fort, called ‘Uiroconion’ (now known as Wrekin Hill, and also previously known as ‘Wrocen’). When Cornovii resistance finally ceased, the Romans established a new administrative capital (civitas) of the Cornovii, nearby, close to the end of the Roman trunk road- Watling Street, and they referred to the civitas as both ‘Viroconium Cornoviorum’ and ‘Uriconium’ (now modern-day Wroxeter).
The tribal range of the Cornovii would also come to be known as The Ancient ‘Welsh’ Kingdom of Powys and after the Romans had left Britain, the Cornovii briefly retained the capital of their Kingdom at Uriconium, whilst changing its name to Caer Guricon.
Most historians believe that Uriconium is merely a slight Latin variation of the Ancient Brythonic place name that was reconstructed from ‘
Uiroconion’ to ‘
Uriconium,
Wrocen, Caer
Guricon and ultimately to
Wroxeter. Moreover, the region is also believed to have briefly given rise to a sub kingdom of Anglo-Saxon Mercia, known as The Ancient Kingdom of Wroconset, or Wreocensęte, though the sub kingdom had been fully absorbed into Mercia by King Offa in 760.
The literal meaning of Wreocensęte is ‘those dwelling at Wrocen’ or ‘the Wrekin dwellers’ relating to the area around the Wrekin.
Meanwhile, an outbreak of bubonic plague sometime around 546 and pressure from Anglo-Saxon encroachment had forced the Powysian king- Brochwel Ysgrithrog to move his capital from Caer Guricon to Pengwern, near Shrewsbury, but this region was also contested by the Anglo-Saxons and the Welsh were finally driven out of Pengwern by King Offa in 779.
Offa then expanded westwards and he and his successors consolidated Anglo-Saxon victories with a new defensive embankment and ditch, called Offa’s Dyke, which ran from the mouth of the River Dee to that of the River Wye. Within this boundary, the Mercian’s established settlements around the area that would come to be known as Wrexham, such as Gresford (Anglo-Saxon ‘Graes’ and ‘ford’ meaning ‘grassy ford’) Hoseley (Anglo-Saxon ‘Oda or Hoda’s Lea’ meaning ‘Oda’s meadow’) Sutton (Anglo-Saxon ‘sudh, soth or suo’ meaning ‘south’ and ‘ton/tun’ meaning ‘farm or homestead’) Eyton (Anglo-Saxon ‘ea’ meaning ‘river’ and ‘ton/tun’ which translates as ‘homestead on the river’) Marford (Anglo-Saxon ‘Mere or mearc’ and ‘ford’ meaning ‘boundary at a crossing of the river’) and Stansty from the Anglo-Saxon word ‘stan’ meaning ‘stone’ and ‘sti’ or ‘sty’ relating to a road, pathway or enclosure. But the area was always contested by the Welsh and by 820 the Anglo-Saxons had been pushed back, forcing them to build a new defensive barrier, called Wat’s Dyke, on the outskirts of the town of modern-day Wrexham, which is situated just to the east of Offa’s Dyke The conflicts lasted for centuries and territory frequently changed hands, but by 1039, Gruffydd ap Llewelyn- the King of Gwynedd and Powys, had extended his kingdom east and south into Flintshire and Wrexham. Thirteen years later and allied with Aelfgar of Mercia, Gruffydd’s forces raided Hereford and defeated a combined host of Saxons and Normans near Leominster. Harold Godwinson, the Earl of Wessex and later- King Harold of England, was dispatched to Hereford to avenge the attack, by King Edward the Confessor, and eventually Harold negotiated an agreement by which, Gruffydd swore fealty to King Edward.
The close alliance between Gruffydd and King Aelfgar of Mercia had ensured security for Wales, but when Aelfgar died in 1062, Harold Godwinson attacked the troublesome Welsh ruler’s court at Rhuddlan, and although Gruffydd escaped, he was captured and killed at Snowdon in 1063. Welsh lands were again under Anglo-Saxon control and when Edward the Confessor died in January of 1066, Harold Godwinson was crowned the new king of England, although his reign would be short-lived. In September of the same year, Harold’s forces defeated an invading Viking army, led by Hardrada of Norway, at Stamford Bridge, before being forced to march to East Sussex to meet a much larger army of invading Normans, led by the cousin of Edward the Confessor- William, Duke of Normandy. Harold- the last Anglo-Saxon king of England was killed at The Battle of Hastings on 14th October and William the Conqueror was crowned the new Norman king of England, on Christmas day 1066. William the Conqueror then left his trusted nobles to expand his territory across England as far as the troublesome borderland or ‘marches’ of Wales, (The term "march" is derived from the Anglo-Saxon ‘mearc’ which means ‘boundary’ and the Anglo-Norman ‘marche’ meaning ‘frontier’). Here, William installed three of his most favoured confidants, Hugh d’Avranches, Roger de Montgomery and William FitzOsbem, as Earls of
Chester, Shrewsbury and Hereford respectively, with responsibilities for containing and subduing the Welsh. It was these three earldoms, which were collectively known as the Welsh Marches (Marchia Wallia), while the native Welsh lands to the west were considered as Wales proper (pura Wallia). The boundary between these two nations was then recorded in a manuscript of a ‘Great Survey’ (The Domesday Book) which was possibly commissioned by King William near to the end of his reign in 1086. It lists all of the land in England and parts of Wales, telling us who owned it prior to 1066, who owned it in 1086, and often telling us how and when it changed hands. While the town area that would come to be known as Wrexham was not recorded in the book, many other local settlements (as previously stated) were recorded. Moreover, from details within the Domesday Book, it can be ascertained that when the survey was taken, land to the western (Racecourse) side of Wat’s Dyke was governed under Welsh law, while land to eastern (town side) of the dyke was still being governed under Anglo-Saxon law.
So in terms of the history of Wrexham, there is very strong evidence to indicate that when the Normans invaded England, the Anglo-Saxons had already been pushed back by the Welsh, from Offa’s Dyke to a new border at Wat’s Dyke, but also, that Anglo-Saxon settlers were still in occupation of the land to the east of Wat’s Dyke, including the area that would come to be known as Wrexham.
The Marcher Lords then attempted to consolidate and expand their territories further into Wales, but the kingdoms of Gwynedd and Powys survived and began to push back the Norman advance from the end of the 11th Century, and it was during this period that the town that would come be known as Wrexham was first recorded in terms of a castle- ‘castellum de Wristlesha’ in 1161.
The timing of this record has significance as it occurs soon after the death of Madog ap Meredudd, in 1160.
Madog ap Meredudd- the last prince of the entire Kingdom of Powys, had made an alliance with the Norman king- Henry II and with the Marcher Lord and 4th Earl of
Chester-Ranulf de Gernon, but after Madog’s death, much of his lands were regained by his brother-in-law, Owain Gwynedd.
Owain- King of Gwynedd had previously fought and defeated the combined forces of Madog and King Henry at the Battle of Ewloe in 1150, as well as capturing the castles of Mold and Rhuddlan as he pushed eastwards from his powerbase at Anglesey. With the area that would come to be known as Wrexham again under threat from resurgent Welsh forces, King Henry II then spent a considerable sum defending the land that had previously been held by Madog ap Maredudd, including £16 18s on each of the garrisons at Castle de Wirstlesha’ and Castle de Hodeslea (Hoseley). Both castles were recorded in the court rolls of Henry II, under ‘the lands of the Earl of
Chester’, in 1161. The castles are believed to have been motte and bailey timber fortifications, which were built by the Normans at Erdigg, near Wrexham, and Roft Mount, Hoseley, near Marford.
As for the etymology of the name ‘Wrexham’ as derived from the first recorded name ‘Wristlesha’ there seem to be three main theories;-
1. Like Wroxeter, Wrekin and Wrockwardine, the name is derived from ‘Wrocen’ and may relate to the Ancient Kingdom of Wreocensęte.
2. From the proto- Germanic and old Saxon word ‘wristuz’ relating to a bend or turning point and from the Anglo-Saxon word ‘ham’ meaning ‘settlement’ so that Wristlesham roughly translates as ‘a settlement at the bend in the river’ (Gwenfro). The word ‘wristuz’ also gave rise to the Middle English word ‘wrist’ which evolved after the Normans invaded in 1066.
3. ‘Wristle’ is s a mispronunciation of the Anglo-Saxon personal name ‘Wyrhta’ meaning ‘craftsman or worker’ i.e. ‘Wyrhta’s settlement’.
Of these three theories, I have not been able to find any sources that are able to provide an etymological link from ‘Wrocen’ and ‘Wrekin’ to ‘Wristlesham’ and ‘Wrexham’: that is not to say that there isn’t one, but rather that I haven’t found it or that the etymology hasn’t yet been established. Additionally, mispronunciation and translation errors appears to have been a common issue throughout the early history of the place name, as can be seen from all of the different recorded names, though it is not really surprising as the academic training of the writers is not known and it is likely that the writer would be interpreting the spelling of a place name that was transferred by word of mouth, which he may, or may not have heard before, and was unlikely to have seen the name written down,
Further interpretation of the spelling errors themselves, then suggests to me that there are three main groups of related origin;-
a. Wristlesham, Wrythelsham, Wrightesham and Wrightlesham are all spelling errors of the place name ‘Wrightelesham’ (as described in texts from 1536-39) from the Anglo-Saxon name ‘Wyrhta’s ham’. The Anglo-Saxon personal name ‘Wyrhta’ gave rise to the surname ‘Wright’ and its original Anglo-Saxon meaning was also carried forward in words such as wheelwright, wainwright, shipwright and playwright, so that Wyrhta’s ham (an Anglo-Saxon craftsman’s settlement) became Wrightelsham.
b. Wrechtessham, Wrechcessam, Wrixham and Wrectesham are all corruptions of the place name ‘Wrexham’.
c. Gwrexam, Gwregsam, Gwerexham, Gwreksam and Gwrexham are all derivatives and/or spelling errors of early Welsh translations, which invariably added the prefix ‘G’.
The leap from ‘Wrightelsham’ to ‘Wrexham’ is much easier to explain in etymological terms, and particularly considering the conflicts in The Welsh Marches when the name ‘Wrexham’ was first recorded in 1161.
When the Normans invaded, William the Conqueror had left his trusted barons to deal with the troublesome Welsh, but under Norman law, all conquered possession and lands remained under the ownership of the king. In both law and commerce, William the Conqueror- the King of England, was styled ‘W.Rex’ and thus, ‘Wyrhta’s settlement/ham’ which had briefly evolved into ‘Wrightelsham’ was subsequently changed to ‘W.Rex’ham- a settlement that belonged to the king, sometime before William died in 1087.
The town of Wrexham would appear to be of Anglo-Saxon origin, with the etymology of the name ‘Wrexham’ being of Anglo-Saxon and Norman (Middle English) conception.