Mold, Flintshire
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Mold (Yr Wyddgrug in Welsh) is the county town of Flintshire in Wales and lies on the River Alyn. It was formerly the county town of Clwyd. According to the 2001 UK census, it has a population of around 9,500 people.
The town grew up around a now ruined castle, built by William II of England, and was the site of frequent battles between English and Welsh forces. The castle was captured for the Welsh by Owain Gwynedd in 1144, was lost to the English, and recaptured by the Welsh in 1201 and 1322. About a mile west of the town is Maes Garmon, (The Field of Germanus), which is the traditional site of the Alleluia Victory by British forces led by Germanus of Auxerre over invading Picts and Scots, fought shortly after Easter 430.
Attractions in Mold include the 13th-century parish church and a small museum. Famous people from the town include the artist Richard Wilson and Daniel Owen, the foremost novelist in the Welsh language.
Mold hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1923 and 1991, as well as an unofficial National Eisteddfod event in 1873.
The Mold Riot
In the summer of 1869 a riot occurred in the town which had considerable effects on the future policing of public disturbances in Great Britain. On 17 May 1869, John Young, the English manager of the nearby Leeswood Green colliery, angered his workers by announcing a pay cut. He had previously strained relationships with them by banning the use of the Welsh language underground. Two days later, following a meeting at the pithead, the miners attacked Young before frogmarching him to the police station. Seven men were arrested and ordered to stand trial on 2 June. All were found guilty and the alleged ringleaders, Ismael Jones and John Jones, were sentenced to a month's hard labour. A large crowd had assembled to hear the verdict, and the Chief Constable of Flintshire had arranged for policemen from all over the county, and soldiers from Chester to be present. As the convicts were being transported to the railway station the crowd grew restive and threw missiles at the officers. The soldiers opened fire on the crowd, killing four people including one completely innocent bystander. Although he strenuously denied the connection, Daniel Owen's first novel, Rhys Lewis, published in installments in 1882-1884, was heavily based on these events.
External link
- The Riot at Mold, Flintshire, (http://www.gtj.org.uk/blowup.php?lang=en&id=20419&t=1) Illustrated London News, June 1869.cy:Yr Wyddgrug