Top y Vron is a neat brick box, standing on a small eminence, which commands a beautiful view of the Dee and Cheshire; the grounds are prettily decorated with plantations. The place belongs to the occupier, a Mrs. Ocken, widow of the late Mr. Ocken, surgeon, of Chester. Upper Sychtyn, in the township of Sychtyn, is a pretty brick house, rather of the modern cast; and the grounds are much of the same character. It is the property of a Mrs. Lloyd, who, for many years, has resided out of this parish; the present occupier is Mrs. Johnson, widow of an attorney of that name. Middle Sychtyn, in the same township, is the noblest fabric in the parish; it was formerly the seat of John Wynne, late Bishop of St. Asaph, who left behind him a valuable library and some manuscripts, now lost. His lordship was born at Maes y Coed, in Caerwys parish, Flintshire; he received the early part of his education in Northop school, from whence he went to Ruthin, where he was instructed for some time; afterwards, he was removed to Jesus college, Oxford. He succeeded Bishop Fleetwood to the bishoprick of St. Asaph in 1714, and was translated to Bath and Wells Nov. 11, 1727, and died July 15, 1743. He was buried in Northop church, as we have already noticed. Bishop Wynne left two sons and two daughters; John, the eldest, inherited Sychtyn estate, which was purchased in 1732. The youngest, the Right Hon. Sir William Wynne, knight, doctor of laws, of the commons, official principal of the Arches court of Canterbury, master keeper, or commissary, of the prerogative court of Canterbury, commissary of the deanery of the Arches, and one of his Majesty's privy counsellors. The approaches to the house are lined and flanked with rows of stately trees; and in front of it is a fine avenue of lofty timber, "waving their heads in the gale." The grounds are well laid out, and beautifully wooded. The remains of a very ancient oak, of great dimensions and spread, are to be seen in a field near the road leading to Lower Sychtyn. The present proprietor and occupier, William John Banks, M.P. has added a new wing to the building, and made several other alterations and improvements. Lower Sychtyn, in the same township, is the property of John Conway Potter, for many years a magistrate of the parish. This gentleman, I believe, derives his descent from Grufydd Goch, lord of Rhos and Rhyvoniog; in consequence of some property left him lately, he has assumed the name of the bequeather, and is now John Conway Conway. The house is an irregular structure, bearing marks of antiquity: on the premises is a fine well of water, with a stone over it thus inscribed: E M L 1710 The rivulets, or brooks, are six: 1. The Vechlas, 2. Eulo, 3. Northop, 4. Nant y Flint, 5. Wigle, 6. Conwy; besides two other rills. The Vechlas runs into the river Alun, and is the boundary between Northop and Cilcain. Eulo brook rises about Aberllannerch, by Buckley mountain, and runs to Wepra, where it is called Wepra brook, dividing Northop from Hawarden. Northop brook is a collection of several streams of wells, which unite above the village, runs through it, and straight across the middle of the parish into the sea. Nant y Flint brook is a boundary for a short way between Northop and Holywell. Wyglais, which means a small rivulet, runs from Sychtyn mountain, down to Lower Sychtyn house, thence along the side of the Chester road and the valley, to Wepra gutter; it is often dry in summer. Conwy brook, as it is called, rises in Halkin parish, receives a few tributary streams, and passes by the Midlest and the Wern farm-houses, skirts Llwyn Huwcyn, and runs at the foot of Coed Iolyn, where the hanging woods dip their leafy fingers in its stream, while it chatters its way to the deep. There are four mills on this stream, called y Velin Uchav, or Upper Mill; y Velin Ganol, or Middle Mill; y Velin Isav, or Lowest Mill; and Melin y Nant, or Nant Mill; all in this parish: three are corn mills, the other is for clover. About 300 yards below the bridge thrown over the Conwy river, near Pen y Capel, was to be seen, some years ago, the remains of another mill, of which no tradition remains. It might have belonged to Edwin, for in general the prince had a palace, a chapel, and mills, in every cantrev or hundred. In the Conwy stream are trouts and eels, the latter, in the mill ponds, are found in great abundance. The largest pond in the parish is Pwll y Gaseg, or Mare's pool, on Sychtyn common, which contains a variety of fish. Beds of excellent freestone are frequent here; the stone which composes the steeple was dug out of a quarry near a place called Farm. Coals in abundance are to be found in the lower parts of the parish, and are sold at the pits at about eight shillings a ton, of 112lbs. In the townships of Sychtyn and Northop, extensive works have been and are still carried on; and immense quantities of coals conveyed, by iron rail-roads, down to the seaside, to be shipped for Chester, Liverpool, and Dublin. The place is called Cwna's quay, a handsome pier, jutting into the channel; it was built by the River Dee company, for the protection and convenience of shipping; and from the accommodation it affords in that respect, it is become a place of considerable importance and advantage. Dross of smelted ore has been discovered in the brook near the Wern, which shews that lead used to be smelted there formerly. NO. XV. Bb Lead ore, in small quantities, is found in the township of Caer Allwch. According to an Act of Parliament, which fixed the boundaries of the several parishes of Flintshire and Cheshire adjoining the Dee, this parish claims all the sands, formerly marches, west of the channel of the river, from the line of the parish of Hawarden downwards, to the boundary line between Northop and Holywell. Collated RECTORS OF NORTHOP. 1404. Hugh Holbeche, dean of St. Asaph and rector of Hope, and custos of Flint chapel; he died 1417. 1537. P. Fowler. 1531. Thomas Gethin. 1562. Nicholas Robinson, bishop of Bangor, in commendam. He was born at Conwy, and became fellow of Queen's college, Cambridge, and chaplain to Archbishop Parker, after he had suffered calamities for the Protestant cause, in the reign of Queen Mary; archdeacon of Merionydd 1562; Bishop of Bangor, Oct. 5, 1566, and held the archdeanery in commendam till 1573, when he resigned to his kinsman, Humphrey Robinson, in exchange for that of Anglesea, which he held to the time of his death, în 1584; and Rector of Whitney, Oxfordshire. He translated the troublesome life and famous acts of Grufydd ab Cynan, compiled by a most ancient friar of Wales, found by the posterity of the said Grufydd in the house of Gwydir, at the request of Maurice Wynne, esq. into Latin. ****. Peter Conwy, archdeacon of St. Asaph, in his will, dated Dec. 10, 1581, appointed twenty marks to be distributed to each of the churches of Northop, Rhuddlan, Abergele, and Rhyd y Llyvnydd. 1584. George Smith, LL.B. vicar of Llan Gerniw. 1608. David Ellis, D.D. vicar of Caerwys. 1624. John Williams, A.M. He died in 1662, and is supposed to be buried in Llan Rhaiadr yn Mochnant. 1661. Humphrey Lloyd, D.D. bishop of Bangor, on the 19th Dec. 1664. He resigned the sinecure. 1664. William Stone, LL.B. principal of New Inn Hall, Oxford. He gave the sinecure tithes to the vicar, for preaching some sermons in Flint chapel, as appears in the registry office, St. Asaph. 1685. Edward Lloyd, rector of Llan Sanan. Collated 1687. Isaac Backhouse, A.M. rector of Llanarmon yn Ial. Mr. Backhouse was succeeded by Bishop Fleetwood, who contributed towards procuring the Act made in 1712, for taking away mortuaries, in lieu whereof was settled Northop sinecure, being of considerable augmentation, to the bishoprick. Since that period, the bishops of St. Asaph are the rectors of this parish. VICARS OF NORTHOP. 1537. Thomas Woodward. 1539. Thomas Brereton. 1571. Hugh Evans, A.M. dean of St. Asaph; he died Dec. 17, 1587. 1577. Grufydd Davydd. 1582. Hugh Holland. 1590. William Evans, vicar of Nantglyn. 1639. Archibald Spark, B.D. of Aberdeen university. He was buried, March 1669, in Northop church-yard, at the end of the chancel. 1651. William Ball, A.M. vicar of Holywell. 1672. William Williams. 1677. David Lloyd, A.M. prebendary of Yeunol, was born in the parish of Trawsvynydd, in Meirion, on September 28, 1635. He taught the free school, and continued in Northop till towards his dissolution. He published several works; he was a very industrious and zealous person, charitable to the poor, and ready to do good in his neighbourhood; he commonly read the service every day in the church when he was home, and usually gave money to such poor children as would come to him to be catechised. He was buried in Trawsvynydd church, and the following inscription upon him, engraven upon a brass plate. Perpetuæ Memoriæ Doctissimi Viri eximia Qui Northopiæ Pastor vigilantissimus fuit Humanitate fragili deposita Cœlestem inivit Vitam Non citius vivere, quam concionari defuit Posuit Charissimus Frater Johannes Lloyd. 1784. Hugh Jones, A.M. 1825. Henry Jones, A.M. The present worthy vicar, whose hospitality and benevolence will be long remembered after he is gathered to his fathers. SHERIFFS FOR THE COUNTY OF FLINT, FROM NORTHOP PARISH. 1624. Thomas Evans, Northop. 1630. Edward Hughes, Galchog. 1697. John Lloyd, Led Brook. 1716. Josiah Jones, Oaken Holt, who died before his year was expired. 1722. Thomas Hughes, Northop. 1779. John Wynne, Soughton. 1784,7 17 or John Edwards, Kelsterton. EXTRACTS FROM FAMILY PEDIGREES. Catherine, daughter of Cyndrig ap Davydd, married Rondle ap Thomas ap Harri ap Gr. ap Davydd ap Ithel Vychan, of Northop. Elis ap Hywel married Catherine, daughter of Thomas ap Morris, of Northop. John ap Morris ap Ithel, married Margaret, daughter of John ap Thomas, of Northop. Thomas ap Lewis ap Grufydd, married Elizabeth, daughter of Harri ap Davydd ap Grufydd, of Northop. Margaret, daughter of Richard ap Thomas, married Thomas ap Iolyn ap Madoc ap Gr. of Northop. Davydd ap Grufydd, married Margaret, daughter of Grufydd ap Ithel, of Northop. Gwen, daughter of Ino. ap Richart, married Hugh ap Edwart ap Hugh ap Dio, (or Deio,) of Northop. Angharad verch Ithel, married Hywell ap Maredydd ap Grufydd, of Northop. Elis ap Elis, married Elizabeth verch Pierce ap Richard ap Morris, of Northop. |