The massive Wrexham AFC history thread (The sad case of a founding members and player of Wrexham...)

[eastsussexred]

Attached are photos of The Turf Tavern, as it was in 1976.
Briefly known as The Grandstand at the end of the 1840’s, the tavern was first recorded on a town map in 1819, and in the same year, the name of the tavern was also recorded in the parish register when Margaret- the wife of the landlord- Joseph Ffoulkes, gave birth to a son.
The original date of construction of the tavern is not yet known, although it is known that in the early 19th Century the tavern and the fields that adjoined it were leased to successive landlords by Sir Watkin Williams Wynn. The current Turf Hotel was built as an extension onto the old tavern in the late 1840’s/early to mid 1850’s, but the name ‘Turf Tavern’ was still being used as late as the 1860’s.
Newspaper reports of the time show that the upper floor of the tavern was frequently used for functions, including the end of season dinner for The Denbighshire County Cricket Club, during which, Edward Manners announced his intention to buy a football, on 8th October 1864, and thus gave rise to Wrexham Football and Athletics Club. The following year, Thomas Hanmer, the landlord of the tavern and founding member and player of the football club, also presented the club with a new silver trophy ‘The Thomas Hanmer Cup’ which was to be presented to the winner of athletics events at the club’s annual athletics day. The trophy was eventually retained by another of our early players- Thomas Buchanan Taylor after winning the event for three years running. All of the early Turf’s landlords were members of the football club and quite a few have played for the club, over the years.
The Turf Tavern originally had its own stables, and gardens, which stretched from the current Turf Hotel, down to the junction at Crispin Lane, and temporary grandstands were built and dismantled each year at either side of the tavern for the annual October race meetings, until a new permanent grandstand was built on Mold Road in the late 1840’s/early 1850’s. At the same time, it appears that the current Turf Hotel was also built on the town side of the existing tavern, and a section of the original building was converted into offices for race officials, The upper floor was also used as changing rooms for football players in both club and international matches (above the old club shop) and as far as I know these rooms are now the oldest changing rooms at any football stadium in the world, although I believe that all original fixtures and fittings have long since been removed. As far as I can ascertain, this section of the original Turf Tavern is also the oldest public house at any football stadium in the world.

[jonesfach]

Great work as always..

[eastsussexred]

Originally Posted by eastsussexred

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 ‘Wreocensæte’ 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 Wreocensæte.


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 Wreocensæte, though the sub kingdom had been fully absorbed into Mercia by King Offa in 760.
The literal meaning of Wreocensæte 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 Wreocensæte.
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.

Originally Posted by eastsussexred

To add to this, it seems likely that 40 years later, Madog ap Gruffyd Maelor-The Prince of Powys Fadog, moved the population of a settlement at Llangwestl (Valle Crucis) some 16 miles to Stansty, before he built Valle Crucis Abbey in 1201, specifically to ensure that Stansty retained a Welsh population. Stansty (and The Racecourse) is located on the western side of Wat's Dyke, which at that time formed the boundary between Marchia Wallia and Pura Wallia.
The Norman Marcher Lords had encouraged immigration from all Norman-Angevin realms (Brettons, Flemings and Normans-as well as English settlers) into Marchia Wallia, as part of the Norman expansion into Wales. It would therefore seem that Madog ap Gruffyd Maelor was reinforcing demographics by shoring up the Western (Racecourse) side of the boundary with a Welsh population, before the Normans could expand east into Pura Wallia.
The land that The Racecourse was built on has been fought over for millennia and played a significant role in the birth of a nation.

As previously stated, the town area that would come to be known as Wrexham was not recorded in the Domesday Book, but the fact that it later took the name of William the Conqueror (‘W.Rex’ ham) strongly suggests that this specific land, located at a bend in the river, next to Wat’s dyke and on the eastern boundary of Pura Wallia, was considered as important to the Anglo-Saxons, the Welsh and the Normans alike.
The Domesday Book tells us that during the reign of King Edward the Confessor (before the Norman Conquest) an Anglo-Saxon named as ‘Toret, Thoret or Thurold’ held the manors of Gresford and Allington; the Anglo-Saxon bishop of St Chad (Chester) held Eyton and Sutton and the Anglo-Saxon church of St Werburgh (Chester) held the manor of Hodesley. Additionally, the book tells us that after the conquest, these lands were retained by the Marcher Lords and the Norman churches, but also tells us that when the Normans arrived in the area, the lands had been ‘lain waste’ – a term that was used to describe the impact of the border feuds between the Welsh and the Anglo-Saxons. Undoubtedly, by the time that the Normans arrived at Wrightelesham, the Welsh had regained their lands on the western (Racecourse) side of Wat’s Dyke from the Anglo-Saxons and they were pushing the extent of Pura Wallia, back eastward into the ancestral lands that had also been taken by the Anglo-Saxons.
William the Conqueror was fully aware of the plight of the Anglo-Saxons in the region, due to his cousin- the Anglo-Saxon king, Edward the Confessor, who had been exiled in Normandy for much of his life; hence, King William left his nobles to deal with the troublesome Welsh. But the Welsh continued to fight back and the region to the east of Wat’s Dyke continued to change hands, leading the Normans to change the name of this strategically important settlement from Wrightelesham to ‘W.Rex’ ham. Within a Century, the Norman king- Henry II had suffered humiliating defeats at Ewloe and The Ceiriog Valley as the Welsh periodically pushed eastwards, but the name of Wrexham had already been established and was soon lenited into its Celtic form by a Welsh population who added the letter ‘G’ as in the name of Gwrexam, first recorded in 1254.

[eastsussexred]

Not sure if this team photo has been seen before. Taken from The Express, Liverpool on Saturday 26th November 1910.

[eastsussexred]

Most successful season in terms of silverware- 1904/05? having won four challenge cups- The Combination, Denbighshire (Soames) Charity Cup. The Shropshire Mayor's Charity Cup and The Welsh Association Cup. (taken from Athletic news May 1905)
The photo from the previous post is also found in Images of Sport, Wrexham Football Club 1872-1950 by Gareth Davies and Pete Jones.
The 04/05 team photos with the trophies are also shown in the book

[eastsussexred]

Another connection between The Racecourse and The Ancient Kingdom of Powys can be found in a transfer of land that was granted between William Mathew of Stansty and William Meredith of Stansty, in 1593. (William Meredith built Plas Coch soon after). The transfer consisted of four parcels of land called ‘Kae Newith’ (Cae Newydd- new field) Kae Moel (bare field) Kyvie Gwaringe (Kyvie is a corruption of a Welsh word Cyfiau, or Cyfai, which was used around the Wrexham area to describe a field of joint ownership that was divided into separate strips of ploughed land, lying parallel to each other, with each strip being owned by different persons. This system of ownership was specific to Wales and signified a much earlier tradition of Welsh ownership) and ?lle taliesin (Taliesin was a 6th Century Brythonic poet, whose work is believed to have been copied to a now famous manuscript that was compiled sometime between the 10th and 14th Century, called ‘The Book of Taliesin’. He was a renowned bard who was also believed to have served in the courts of the ancient Powysian king- Brochwel Ysgrithrog (as previously mentioned) and his son and heir, Cynan Garwyn).

[eastsussexred]

Originally Posted by eastsussexred

To add to this, it seems likely that 40 years later, Madog ap Gruffyd Maelor-The Prince of Powys Fadog, moved the population of a settlement at Llangwestl (Valle Crucis) some 16 miles to Stansty, before he built Valle Crucis Abbey in 1201, specifically to ensure that Stansty retained a Welsh population. Stansty (and The Racecourse) is located on the western side of Wat's Dyke, which at that time formed the boundary between Marchia Wallia and Pura Wallia.
The Norman Marcher Lords had encouraged immigration from all Norman-Angevin realms (Brettons, Flemings and Normans-as well as English settlers) into Marchia Wallia, as part of the Norman expansion into Wales. It would therefore seem that Madog ap Gruffyd Maelor was reinforcing demographics by shoring up the Western (Racecourse) side of the boundary with a Welsh population, before the Normans could expand east into Pura Wallia.
The land that The Racecourse was built on has been fought over for millennia and played a significant role in the birth of a nation.

Correction. Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor -The Prince of Powys Fadog, did not move the population of Llangwestl (Valle Crucis) to Stansty and Northcroft to provide Welsh occupation of the eastern side of Wat’s Dyke, in order to avoid Norman occupation. Stansty was already occupied by Welsh inhabitants, prior to the population of Llangwestl being re-located.

To understand the political situation of the area, at that time, it should first be mentioned that the Anglo-Saxons who conquered England, were not just one tribe, but of many different nationalities, with different loyalties and aspirations. The Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms that developed in Britain were frequently at war with each other, as each had tried to extend their own influence across the country. Consequently, the Welsh, and particularly the rulers of The Kingdom of Powys, found it beneficial to periodically form alliances with the Anglo-Saxons, and particularly The Kingdom of Mercia, which bounded its eastern edge. Sometimes they were at war and sometimes they formed alliances to defeat a common enemy, but when they weren’t in an alliance, either the Mercians were expanding into Wales, or the Welsh were taking back land from the Mercians. Likewise, the separate kingdoms of Wales frequently fought over territory, and likewise, they sometimes formed alliances to defeat the foreign invaders. In North Wales, the Ancient Kingdoms of Powys and Gwynedd were most often distinct from each other, but occasionally linked together, in times of strong rulers. Similarly, when the Normans invaded, some Welsh Princes formed alliances with the invaders, if it was deemed to be beneficial, and sometimes formed alliances with neighbouring Welsh kingdoms in order to defeat the common enemy, though sometimes they would also join the enemy in order to defeat the neighbouring Welsh rulers. Added to this, the Vikings had also been raiding North Wales since the 9th Century; such was the chaos of the period.

The Lordship of Bromfield and Yale (of which Stansty was included) was formed from a part of the old Welsh principality of Powys Fadog.
Following the defeat of Llewelyn ap Gruffydd- the last independent Prince of Wales, in 1282, Edward I of England gave the Lordship to John de Warrene- Earl of Sussex, and in 1315, King Edward II of England commissioned a survey of this lordship. The survey was copied to another manuscript, soon after, and this Latin copy of the survey was finally translated and published in a book ‘The first extent of Bromfield and Yale’ by Thomas Peter Ellis, in 1924.
In the book, T.P. Ellis gives a brief summary of early Welsh land-ownership, which was based on ancestral ties; i.e. Welsh society of the time was made up of groups, or tribes, who claimed proprietorship over a particular defined region, and within these tribes, there were also smaller groups, or clans, who occupied land within the tribal range through a connected bond to a common ancestor who might have lived any number of generations ago: so, for example, David ap John ap Madog ap Ken would be;- David who claimed descendancy and rights of land ownership from his ancestor ‘Ken’
Moreover, Ellis also tells us that during the expansion of the Kingdom of Mercia, small numbers of Anglo-Saxons had established and settled in towns, whereas the Welsh tribes, and the clans within them, mostly occupied agricultural and pastoral land. One such tribe, which Ellis calls ‘The Progenies (Descendants) of Ken’ later swept down from their base at Tryffydd Bychain, near Llangwestl (Valle Crucis) and drove the English back across the river Dee, sometime between 1087 and 1100. In The First Extent of Bromfield and Yale (1315) we find that the progenies of Ken had divided into a number of groups and occupied land in the villes of Cristionydd Kenric, Esclusham, Morton, Bersham, Broughten Brymbo, Acton, Erddig, Burras, Hova, Gorton and Cacca Dutton. Likewise, the Welsh occupants of Stansty in 1315 are likely to have been the descendants of a similar group of Welsh tribesmen who took possession of the area from the Anglo-Saxons that had originally established the settlement.


The survey shows that in 1315, Stansty consisted of two parts- upper and lower, with upper (uchaf) Stansty being occupied by-
Ithel ap David.
Madoc Fychan ap Madoc of Hwfa.
Ithel ap Eigon.
Ior ap Ithel ap Ken.
Ienna ap Ienna Goch.
Gronw ap Gonwy ap Eden, and David- his brother.
David ap Eigon Fychan and Ienna- his brother (as well as their families).
These were all unfree men who were bonded to the lord of Stansty, whereas; -
Ior ap Ithel ap Ior,
Cadwgan ap Ior,
David ap Madoc ap Ior,
Ienna ap David,
Ior ap Meiller, and Madoc- his brother,
David ap Ken Foelgan,
Madoc ap Ken ap Meiller,
Ior Fillog,
William ap Meiller,
and Eigon ap Madoc were free tenants, who held this half of Stansty without render to the lord, because the other half of Stansty was taken from them by Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor and given to Valle Crucis Abbey. Therefore, they did no other services to the lord of the manor, except that each of them gave the lord a fee of 7s. 6d. after the death of his predecessor, and if his daughter was married, or led astray, they gave 2s. They were also required to go to war with the lord, as required.
The tenants of lower Stansty were not recorded in the survey, as that section of land belonged to Valle Crucis Abbey.


When we look at the later occupants of Stansty, we find that the Edwards’s of Stansty, who occupied the manor until 1783, had claimed ascendancy from David ap Meilir (also spelt Meiller, as above) who had bought the manor of Upper Stansty, two years after the survey was taken, in 1317. Little has been written about David ap Meilir, although I have found that he might also have owned land around Oswestry, and in his work ‘ The History of The Princes, The Lords Marcher And Ancient Nobility of Powys Fadog’ (1882) J.W.Y. Lloyd claimed that David ap Meilir was the son of Meilir ap Owain, who had been killed by Cadwallon ap Gruffydd, in 1125.
Meilir ap Owain was the son of Owain ab Edwin- The Prince of Tegeingl (Clwyd and Deeside) who was elected Prince of Gwynedd, in 1096, whereas Cadwallon ap Gryffydd was the brother of Owain Gwynedd- The King of Gwynedd (previously mentioned) who had defeated the forces of King Henry of England and Madog ap Meredudd, (the last prince of the entire kingdom of Powys) at The Battle of Ewloe in 1157. The battle occurred, at least in part, because Owain Gwynedd (Owain the Great) was expanding his territory eastwards into Powys and the Norman King- Henry II brought his forces to help his ally- Madog ap Mereddud of Powys. They were both defeated in the battle and Owain Gwynedd continued his quest of taking land from Madog ap Mereddud, as the Kingdom of Gwynedd expanded further into Powys.
With Welsh heritage and land-ownership based firmly on conquest and blood ties, then it is difficult to envisage that the population of Stansty would have been happy with the situation, when Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor confiscated a part of their land and relocated the population of Llangwestl some 16 miles (on modern roads) to Stansty. Moreover, in the sparsely populated area of the early 13th Century, it would have been much easier to relocate the population, closer to its origin. But as the records have shown, the politics of the region were complex at that time, and so abbey lands with Welsh tenants might have been somewhat protected from the onslaught of Norman expansionism into Wales, at that time. Subsequently, the township of Stansty was divided into its respective parts -Lower Stansty (Stansty Issa) became Stansty Abbatis, which was owned by Valle Crucis, and Upper Stansty (Stansty Ucha) became Stansty Regis, under jurisdiction of a representative of the king.
The unfree families of Llangwestl were bonded into service as the tenants of the Abbot of Valle Crucis Abbey, at Lower Stansty, until the abbey was dissolved by royal decree in 1537.

[eastsussexred]

Confirmation in The Denbighshire Archives that the first Mold Road grandstand was already in existence in 1848.
Around this time, The Turf Tavern was also briefly re-named as The Grandstand. Soon after- probably around early to mid 1850's, The Turf Hotel was built as an extension onto the existing Turf Tavern

[jonesfach]

Originally Posted by eastsussexred

Confirmation in The Denbighshire Archives that the first Mold Road grandstand was already in existence in 1848.
Around this time, The Turf Tavern was also briefly re-named as The Grandstand. Soon after- probably around early to mid 1850's, The Turf Hotel was built as an extension onto the existing Turf Tavern

So I guess that our first match ever was witnessed by people sat down. Most likely that we were the first football club to have seated spectators.Yet another historic fact that the racecourse and club holds.