- Bronygarth
Bronygarth is a small village in the
Ceiriog Valley nearOswestry inShropshire ,England at gbmapping|SJ268370.History
Bronygarth lies on
Offa's Dyke , the massive earthwork, stretching fromChepstow in the south toPrestatyn in the north, which was constructed in the late8th century by Offa, King ofMercia , as a boundary between Saxon Mercia andCelt ic Wales. The section of the dyke between Castle Mill and Craignant remains well preserved. Although the dyke passed directly through Bronygarth, the area remained strongly Welsh in culture, customs and language. Settlements were mainly in the valley, along the banks of the River Ceiriog, but with a small number of farms extending higher up the mountainside.Two Celtic carved stone heads were uncovered at Well Cottage in Bronygarth and are now on display at the
British Museum .The name Bronygarth appears in documents as far back as the
12th Century and translates into English as "Breast of the Hill" and is thought to have formed part of a hunting estate.Bronygarth became part of the "Traian" in the Lordship of Oswestry which was associated with the Fitzalan dynasty for many centuries. In 1536, the Act of Union of England and Wales placed all of the Lordship of Oswestry within the county of Shropshire in England.
Throughout the
Middle Ages the area was dominated byChirk Castle and the Myddleton family.Bronygarth was formerly part of the ancient Parish of St. Martin's. However, in 1870, the neighbouring townships of Weston Rhyn and Bronygarth were formed into the new Parish of
Weston Rhyn .The first school was built in Bronygarth in 1872. Opposite the school stood a toll house on the Bronygarth and Wern
turnpike road, which connected to the mainCardiff toChester highway at Pontfaen.The area was highly dependent on agriculture but limestone was also quarried.
Leisure
Bronygarth lies on both the Offa's Dyke
long-distance footpath and the shorter "Ceiriog Trail".ources
* G. G. Lerry, "Collieries of Denbighshire", 1968
* C. Neville Hurdsman, "A History of the Parishes of St. Martin's & Weston Rhyn" 2003
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