RhosllanerchrugogDavies, Jenkins and Baines (eds) The Welsh Academy Encyclopedia of Wales, 2008, p.752 (; standardised and also spelled as Rhosllannerchrugog,"Rhosllannerchrugog" is the preferred spelling by the Welsh Language Commissioner in English and Welsh; or simply Rhos) is a village and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It lies within the historic county of Denbighshire. The entire built-up area including Penycae, Ruabon and Cefn Mawr had a population of 25,362.
Etymology
The name of the village is derived from that of the old Llanerchrugog estate, once one of the landholdings of Cynwrig ap Rhiwallon, Lord of Maelor Gymraeg.Archaeologia Cambrensis: The Journal of the Cambrian Archaeological Association, 1895, p.225-6 The name Llanerchrugog is usually stated to be based on Welsh ('clearing' or 'glade'), and (with soft mutation), ('heathery'), although an etymology based on ('hilly' or 'rough') has also been suggested.Morgan, A handbook of the origin of place-names in Wales and Monmouthshire, 1887, p.50 The name of the mining village which later grew up on nearby moorland was usually written as , ('the Llanerchrugog moor', literally 'moor, heath of the heather glade'Gelling, Nicholaisen and Richards (eds) The names of towns and cities in Britain, 1970, p.160) in the early and mid-19th century, but later often became written as and finally as a single word. The spelling has also been used since 1997 as an alternative to the legal community name.227. Alternative Community Names, Minutes of the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee, WCBC, 14-07-97
Locally, it is usually known simply as , or (in Welsh English) as the Rhos. In the dialect of the area this is invariably pronounced ['r̥əus], in opposition to the Standard Welsh [r̥oːs].Jones, Language Obsolescence and Revitalization, 1998, p.372
History The village was originally within the ancient parish of Ruabon and the township of Morton Above (i.e. Morton, or moor town, above Offa's Dyke) or Morton Wallichorum (the Welsh Morton). In 1844 Morton Above, along with part of the neighbouring township of Dynhinlle Ucha, became part of the newly created parish of Rhosllanerchrugog.Rhosllanerchrugog, GENUKI, 12-01-18 The Llanerchrugog estate itself was owned by the Jones family from at least the 1400s to the 19th century;Burke's Peerage, v1, 1858, p.635;Burke, B. 1854-5, A visitation of the seats and arms of the noblemen and gentlemen of Great Britain and Ireland, 204. Available, https://archive.org/details/visitationofseat185402burk in 1649 the landowner John Jones of Llanerchrugog claimed a detailed genealogy going back 2400 years to Dyfnwal Moelmud, and attempted to use his ancient rights of ownership to argue he should be exempt from taxes.The Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion, 1948, p.393
The development of the village can be attributed largely to the coal seams of north-east Wales that pass near it. The burgesses of Holt were granted the right to dig for coal at Rhos in their borough charter of 1563. A coal mining community was established during the 18th century, and grew substantially from the 1840s onwards. Unlike many other mining villages in the district and in other parts of Wales, the majority of early immigration to Rhos was from Welsh-speaking upland agricultural areas in West Wales, giving the village a distinct linguistic identityDodd, A.H. Welsh and English in East Denbighshire: a Historical Retrospect, Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion, 1940, p.52 which it has retained until the present day. The proportion of Welsh-speakers in Rhos did not fall below 50% until the time of the 1981 census.
By the early 18th century the Rhosllanerchrugog mines were the property of the future Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 3rd Baronet, of Wynnstay, a member of the area's major landowning family and a prominent Jacobite. At the accession of George I in August 1714, Williams-Wynn incited the miners of Rhos to march to Wrexham, singing Jacobite songs, to sack two Dissenting meeting houses, to smash the windows of Whig tradesmen and to prevent the bells of Wrexham church ringing to celebrate the accession.Evans, A History of Wales 1660-1815, 1976, p.57Hughes, Royal Wales and its people, 1957, p.65
The available notes of Mr Kenrick, minister of the New Meeting, dispute many of these assertions. In Wrexham, it was on July 15, 1715 (before George I's accession), that Tory resentment overflowed into riots that were mainly directed at the Dissenters. The New Meeting House was destroyed and the Old Meeting House was badly damaged. The colliers came into town on July 20, 1715 to help and protect the rioters. Upon request from the Dissenters, Watkin Williams-Wynn interceded and persuaded the men to desist. Sporadic rioting continued, at least until October 20, 1715, which was the King's Coronation Day.Palmer, A.N. 1888, A History of the Older Nonconformity of Wrexham and its Neighbourhood, Wrexham: Woodall Minshall and Thomas., pp. 62-64.
The Jacobite politics of the district's landlord and his tenants is popularly thought to be the source of the nickname "Jackos" or "Jacos" still applied to inhabitants of Rhos.James, A short history of Newbridge, ruabon.com 13-01-18
A symbol of Rhos' coal-mining and labour movement heritage is seen in the "Stiwt", the miners' institute in Broad Street. This was erected and paid for by the miners, during the general strike of 1926, as, a social and cultural centre for the community. The Welsh Religious Revival of 1904 also had a major impact on Rhos. The cynghanedd "Beibl a Rhaw i Bobl y Rhos" ("a bible and a spade for the people of Rhos") reflects the importance of both coal-mining and the chapels on the village's culture and heritage. The later strength of Nonconformity in Rhos became one of the village's distinctive features, along with its dialect, working-class institutions, and tradition of education, which for decades meant that no school in the area "[seemed] complete without a teacher from Rhos on the staff".Cymdeithas Treftadaeth y Capeli Local Information Sheet 5: Rhosllanerchrugog, p.2
Rhos hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1945 and 1961, and the Celtic League was founded there in 1961 during the Eisteddfod. The many informal fringe performances around this event were memorialised in the poem "The Cross Foxes" by Harri Webb, remembering the night when in Rhos "we drank the pub dry".Davies "A oes heddwch?" in Hughes-Freeland (ed) Ritual, Performance, Media 2003, p.156
With a population of over 10,000, the modern community of Rhosllanerchrugog is one of the largest in Wales. The 2011 census showed that the population of the built-up area of Rhosllanerchrugog including adjoining Pen-y-cae is 13,501. The area retains a proportion of Welsh speakers above the national average, despite the loss of older speakers and the impact of non-Welsh speakers moving into the area:Wrexham Local Development Plan, Topic paper 11 : Welsh Language, Feb 2016, pp. 7-8 the 2001 Census showed that 31.5% of the community area was Welsh speaking, declining to 24% at the 2011 census. Welsh medium education is, however, popular and significantly increasing in the area.
Architecture Rhos contains a number of listed public buildings. Notable buildings in the village include:
The Stiwt Theatre, formerly the "Miners' Institute" (Plas Mwynwyr), which was built in 1926 to the designs of John Owen of Wrexham and F. A. Roberts, Mold. The Institute closed in 1977, following which the local council purchased the building in 1978. They decided to demolish the building in 1985, but it was saved as a result of local campaigning. Following fundraising efforts, it was renovated and reopened as a community theatre. The Stiwt Theatre holds the Wrexham young people's music festival since 2006. The Stiwt now do various shows and the grade II* listed building is open to the public to see.
Church of St John Evangelist A grade II listed building, built in 1852 to a design by Thomas Penson and consecrated on 4 October 1853. A good example of a Romanesque Revival church, it is Norman style, with coursed and squared sandstone and slate roofs. It has a cruciform plan with nave, transept and chancel and bell tower in the angle of the south transept and the chancel. The church closed in 2004. The churchyard contains war graves of a British and a Canadian soldier of the First World War. CWGC Cemetery Report, details from casualty record.
St David's Welsh Church, built in 1892 to a design by Douglas and Fordham of Chester. Since the closure of St. John's, this was used as the parish church until its closure in the early 2020s.
Penuel Chapel (Capel Penuel) Two-storey Welsh Baptist chapel built in 1856–59, with a brick façade installed during renovations performed in 1891 to the designs of Owen Morris Roberts, Porthmadog. The chapel was the starting point site of R. B. Jones's campaign in the village during the religious revival in 1904–05. One of the chapel's ministers was Lewis Valentine.
Capel Bach, officially Bethlehem Welsh Independent Chapel, Hall Street. First built in 1812 and rebuilt in 1839, 1876 and (also to designs by architect Owen Morris Roberts of Porthmadog) in 1889. A large, two-storey Romanesque chapel with integral clock tower and canted stair tower: grade II listed as a prominent feature of Rhos and an unusual example of a Rundbogenstil facade. There is a 1908 organ by Norman and Beard: the composer Caradog Roberts was the organist here between 1904 and 1935.
Capel Mawr, officially Jerusalem Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Chapel, Brook Street, is a grade II listed chapel, built of stone in a classical gable-entry style. It was first built in 1770 and rebuilt in 1876 to the designs of Richard Owen of Liverpool. Fittings include a war memorial tablet and a 1927 stained glass window by Jones and Willis.
Religious Revival 1904-1905 Rhos was one of the centres of the Welsh Religious Revival of 1904–1905. R. B. Jones, a visiting Baptist preacher, held a campaign in Penuel Baptist Chapel, Rhosllanerchrugog in November 1904.
Musical heritage
Rhos is known for its musical heritage, and has a concert hall at the Stiwt Theatre. Composers from the village include Caradog Roberts, best known for the hymn tune "Rachie"; and Arwel Hughes, conductor and composer of the hymn tune "Tydi a Roddaist". Notable performers from Rhos include the baritone James Sauvage and pianist Llŷr Williams.
Rhos has several choirs, including the Rhos Male Voice Choir (Côr Meibion Rhosllannerchrugog); the Rhos Orpheus Male Voice Choir (Côr Orffiws Y Rhos); Johns' Boys Male Chorus (Côr Meibion Johns' Boys); a Pensioners' Choir (Côr Pensiynwyr Rhosllannerchrugog); a Girls' Choir (Côr Merched Rhosllannerchrugog); and the Rhos Singers (Cantorion Rhos), a mixed voice choir. The male voice choirs have performed in many countries.
The Rhos Prize Silver Band was formed in 1884, but later became known as the Hafod Colliery Band. After the closure of Hafod Colliery in 1968 the band was renamed Rhos and District Silver Band. In 2001, the band changed its name to Wrexham Brass and is now based at the Glyndŵr University campus in Wrexham.
Dialect
The village is well known for its unique dialect of the Welsh language, which has been the subject of several academic studies. Although having some similarities to the dialects of both North-East and Mid Wales, it has been described as "unlike anything else heard in Wales" and as frequently unintelligible to outsiders.Jones, Language Obsolescence and Revitalization, 1998, pg. 156