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{{short description|County in Wales}}
{{About||the historic county|Flintshire (historic)|the racehorse|Flintshire (horse)}}
{{Lead extra info|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Flintshire
| settlement_type = [[Principal areas of Wales|County]]
| image_skyline = {{multiple image
| border = infobox
| perrow = 1/2
| total_width = 270
| image1 = View from Waen y Llyn Country Park - geograph.org.uk - 3257293.jpg
| image2 = St Winefride's Well, Wales - Ffynnon Gwenffrewi, Treffynnon, Sir y Fflint 40.jpg
| image3 = Deeside Power Station Amp Flintshire Bridge (140025579).jpeg
}}
| image_alt = View of the Clwydian Hills from Waen y Llyn in Llanfynydd
| image_caption = {{ubl|Left to right:|[[Clwydian Range]] from Waen y Llyn in [[Llanfynydd, Flintshire|Llanfynydd]]|[[St Winefride's Well]] in [[Holywell, Flintshire|Holywell]]|[[River Dee, Wales|River Dee]], [[Deeside]], with the [[Flintshire Bridge]]}}
| image_shield = Arms of Flintshire County Council.svg
| shield_size = 100px
| shield_alt = Coat of arms of [[Flintshire County Council]]
| shield_link =
| image_blank_emblem =
| blank_emblem_alt =
| image_map = File: Flintshire UK location map.svg
| map_alt =
| map_caption = Flintshire shown within [[Wales]]
| coordinates = <!-- {{coord|||region:GB_type:adm2nd_scale:300000|display=inline,title}} -->
| subdivision_type = [[List of sovereign states|Sovereign state]]
| subdivision_name = {{flag|United Kingdom}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[Countries of the United Kingdom|Constituent country]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[Preserved counties of Wales|Preserved county]]
| subdivision_name1 = {{flag|Wales}}
| subdivision_name2 = [[Clwyd]]
| established_title = Established
| established_date = [[Local Government (Wales) Act 1994|1 April 1996]]
| seat_type = Administrative HQ
| seat = [[Mold, Flintshire|Mold]]
| seat1_type = Largest town
| seat1 = [[Connah's Quay]]
| government_type = [[Principal council]]
| governing_body = [[Flintshire County Council]]
| leader_title = [[Political make-up of local councils in the United Kingdom#England: unitary authorities|Executive]]
| leader_name = {{Welsh council control|GSS=W06000005}}
| leader_title1 = Leader
| leader_name1 = Ian Roberts ([[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]])
| unit_pref = Imperial
| area_total_km2 = 438
| area_rank = [[List of Welsh principal areas by area|12th]]
| population_total = {{Welsh council population|POP=W06000005}}
| population_as_of = {{Welsh council population|TXT=Year}}
| population_density_km2 = {{Welsh council population|DEN=W06000005}}
| population_rank = [[List of Welsh principal areas by population|{{Welsh council population|RNK=W06000005}}]]
| population_blank1_title = Ethnicity
| population_blank1 = 97.8% white
| postal_code_type = [[List of postcode areas in the United Kingdom|Postcode areas]]
| postal_code = [[CH postcode area|CH]]<br/>[[LL postcode area|LL]]
| area_code = 01352<br/>01745<br/>01244
| area_code_type = [[List of dialling codes in the United Kingdom|Dialling codes]]
| blank_name_sec1 = [[Government Statistical Service|GSS]] code
| blank_info_sec1 = W06000005
| website = [http://www.flintshire.gov.uk/ www.flintshire.gov.uk]
| leader_title2 = Chairman
| leader_name2 = Marion Bateman
| leader_title3 = Chief Executive
| leader_name3 = Colin Everett
| leader_title4 = [[List of MPs elected in the 2024 United Kingdom general election|MP]]
| leader_name4 = [[Mark Tami]] ([[Labour Party (UK)|L]])
| timezone = [[Greenwich Mean Time]]
| utc_offset = +0
| timezone_DST = [[British Summer Time]]
| utc_offset_DST = +1
| blank2_name_sec1 = [[ISO 3166-2:GB|ISO 3166-2]]
| blank2_info_sec1 = GB-FLN
| blank3_name_sec1 = [[NUTS of the United Kingdom|NUTS 3 code]]
| blank3_info_sec1 = UKL23
| blank4_name_sec1 = [[ONS coding system|ONS code]]
| blank4_info_sec1 = 00NJ
| official_name =
| native_name = {{native_name|cy|Sir y Fflint}}
}}
'''Flintshire''' (
The county covers {{Convert|169|sqmi|km2}}, with a population of 155,000 in 2021. After Connah's Quay-Shotton (23,000) the largest settlements are [[Flint, Flintshire|Flint]] (13,736), [[Buckley, Flintshire|Buckley]] (16,127) and Mold (10,123). The east of the county is industrialised and contains the [[Deeside]] conurbation, which extends into Cheshire and has a population of 53,568. The adjacent coast is also home to industry, but further west has been developed for tourism, particularly at [[Talacre]]. Inland, the west of the county is sparsely populated and characterised by gentle hills, including part of the [[Clwydian Range and Dee Valley]] [[Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty|AONB]].
The county is named after the [[Flintshire (historic)|historic county of the same name]], which was established by the [[Statute of Rhuddlan]] in 1284 and has notably different borders. The county is considered part of the [[Welsh Marches]] and formed part of the historic [[Earl of Chester|Earldom of Chester and Flint]].
[[File:Dinbigh flint Atlas.jpg|thumb|250px|Hand-drawn map of Denbigh and Flint by Christopher Saxton from 1576]]
==History==
Flintshire takes its name from the historic county of Flintshire, which also formed an administrative county between 1889 until 1974 when it was abolished under the [[Local Government Act 1972]]. The re-establishment of a principal area in 1996 under the [[Local Government (Wales) Act 1994]] does not share the same boundaries and covers a smaller area.
''{{Further|Flintshire Historical Society journal}}''
=== Early history ===
At the time of the Roman invasion, the area of present-day Flintshire was inhabited by the [[Deceangli]], one of the Celtic tribes in ancient Britain, with the [[Cornovii (Midlands)|Cornovii]] to the east and the [[Ordovices]] to the west. Lead and silver mine workings are evident in the area, with several sows of lead found bearing the name 'DECEANGI' inscribed in Roman epigraphy.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Celtic tribes of Britain|url=http://www.roman-britain.org/tribes/deceangi.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011226142244/http://www.roman-britain.org/tribes/deceangi.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 December 2001|publisher=Roman Britain Organisation|access-date=3 May 2014}}</ref> The Deceangli appear to have surrendered to Roman rule with little resistance. Following Roman Britain, and the emergence of various [[petty kingdom]]s, the region had been divided into the Hundred of [[Tegeingl|Englefield]] ({{lang-cy|Cantref Tegeingl}}), derived from the Latin Deceangli. [[File:Cheshire-Domesday-Hundreds.svg|thumb|left|The Domesday Hundreds of Atiscross and Exestan later forming the principal area of Flintshire are shown in pink.]] It became part of the Kingdom of [[Mercia]] by the 8th century AD, with much of the western boundary reinforced under [[Offa of Mercia]] after 752, but there is evidence that [[Offa's Dyke]] is probably a much earlier construction.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Current Archaeology|date=June 2014|volume=XXV, No. 3|issue=291|pages=6|title=Offa's Dyke: built by multiple kings?}}</ref> By the time of the Norman conquest in 1066 it was under the control of [[Edwin of Tegeingl]], from whose Lordship the Flintshire coat of arms is derived.
Edwin's mother is believed to have been Ethelfleda or Aldgyth, daughter of Eadwine of Mercia. At the time of the establishment of the Earldom of Chester, which succeeded the Earl of Mercia, the region formed two of the then twelve [[Hundreds of Cheshire]] of which it remained a part for several hundred years.<ref>{{cite book|last=Higham|first=Nick|title=The origins of a County|year=1993|publisher=Manchester University Press|isbn=0-7190-3160-5}}</ref>
Flintshire today approximately resembles the boundaries of the Hundred of [[Atiscross]] as it existed at the time of the [[Domesday Book]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://domesdaymap.co.uk/search/?geo=atis's+cross|title=Index of /search/|website=domesdaymap.co.uk|access-date=1 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140423010756/http://domesdaymap.co.uk/search/?geo=atis%27s+cross|archive-date=23 April 2014}}</ref> Atiscross, along with the Hundred of [[Exestan]], was transferred from the [[Earl of Chester|Earldom of Chester]] to the expanding [[Kingdom of Gwynedd]]<ref name=handtpage340341>{{Harvtxt|Harris|Thacker|1987|pp=340–341}}</ref> from the west in the 13th century following numerous military campaigns. This region, as well as an exclave formed from part of the Hundred of Dudestan (known as [[English Maelor|Maelor Saesneg]]), later formed the main areas of Flintshire, established by the [[Statute of Rhuddlan]] in 1284 under [[Edward I]]. It was administered with the [[County palatine|Palatinate]] of Chester and Flint by the [[Justice of Chester|Justiciar of Chester]]. The county was consolidated in 1536 by the [[Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542]] under the Tudor King [[Henry VIII]], when it was incorporated into the [[Kingdom of England]]; it included the detached exclave of [[Welsh Maelor]].
Flintshire as a separate local authority remained in existence until 1974 when it was merged with those of Denbighshire and [[Edeyrnion Rural District]] to form the administrative county of [[Clwyd]]. Clwyd was abolished 22 years later and Flintshire reorganised in its present form in 1996. However, some parts of the historic country are not included within the present administrative boundaries: significantly [[English Maelor]] was incorporated into Wrexham County Borough, and [[St Asaph]], [[Prestatyn]] and [[Rhyl]] into [[Denbighshire]].
=== Modern history ===
The current administrative area of Flintshire (a [[unitary authority]] and [[Principal area]]) came into existence [[Local Government (Wales) Act 1994|in 1996]], when the former [[administrative counties]] in Wales were split into smaller areas. The principal area was formed by the merger of the [[Alyn and Deeside (district)|Alyn and Deeside]] and [[Delyn (district)|Delyn]] districts. In terms of pre-1974 divisions, the area comprises:
*the former borough of [[Flint, Flintshire|Flint]]
*the urban districts of [[Buckley, Flintshire|Buckley]], [[Connah's Quay]], [[Holywell, Flintshire|Holywell]], [[Mold, Flintshire|Mold]]
*the rural district of [[Holywell Rural District]]
*all of [[Hawarden Rural District]] except the parish of [[Marford|Marford and Hosley]]
The district of [[Rhuddlan (district)|Rhuddlan]], which was also formed entirely from the administrative county of Flintshire was included in the new [[Denbighshire]] instead. Other parts of the pre-1974 administrative Flintshire to be excluded from the principal area are the [[Maelor Rural District]] and the parish of [[Marford and Hoseley]], which became part of the [[Wrexham Maelor]] district in 1974 and are now part of [[Wrexham County Borough]].
==Geography==
{{hatnote|See [[List of places in Flintshire]] for a list of towns and villages.}}
Flintshire is a maritime county bounded to the north by the [[Dee Estuary|Dee estuary]], to the east by [[Cheshire]], to the west by [[Denbighshire]] and to the south by [[Wrexham County Borough]]. The coast along the Dee estuary is heavily developed by industry and the north coast much developed for [[tourism]]. The [[Clwydian Range]] occupies much of the west of the county. The highest point is [[Moel Famau]] (1,820 feet/554 metres). Notable towns include [[Buckley, Flintshire|Buckley]], [[Connah's Quay]], [[Flint, Wales|Flint]], [[Hawarden]], [[Holywell, Flintshire|Holywell]], [[Mold, Flintshire|Mold]], [[Queensferry, Wales|Queensferry]], and [[Shotton, Flintshire|Shotton]]. The main rivers are the [[River Dee, Wales|Dee]] (the estuary of which forms much of the coast), and the [[River Alyn]].
===Historic buildings and structures===
{{See also|List of churches in Flintshire}}
<gallery>
File:Flint Castle 01.JPG|{{center|[[Flint Castle]]}}
File:The corner.jpg|{{center|[[Hawarden Castle (medieval)]]}}
File:New Hawarden Castle.JPG|{{center|[[Hawarden Castle (18th century)]]}}
File:Ewloe Castle.JPG|{{center|[[Ewloe Castle]]}}
File:Maen Achwyfan 655181.jpg|{{center|Ancient Cross at [[Whitford, Flintshire|Whitford]]}}
File:Flintshire bridge.jpg|{{center|[[Flintshire Bridge]]}}
File:Jubilee Bridge - Queensferry, Wales (2015).jpg|{{center|[[Jubilee Bridge (Queensferry)|Queensferry Jubilee Bridge]]}}
File:Llyfrgell Sant Deiniol and Gladstone's Library Hawarden Penarlâg 07.JPG|{{center|[[Gladstone's Library]]}}
</gallery>
==Railways==
Located on the [[North Wales Coast Line]] ([[Holyhead railway station|Holyhead]] to [[Chester railway station|Chester]]) with services run by [[Avanti West Coast]] and [[Transport for Wales Rail|Transport for Wales]] specifically calling at Flintshire stations such as [[Flint railway station|Flint]] and [[Shotton railway station|Shotton]] with an interchange at Shotton with the [[Borderlands Line]], which links it and other Flintshire stations with the [[Liverpool]] area and [[Wrexham]].
==Industry==
Parts of Flintshire have major manufacturing industries. Amongst these are an advanced [[Toyota]] plant that manufactures engines, [[Eren Holding|Eren Paper]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.printweek.com/news/article/eren-paper-s-plans-for-shotton-gain-green-light|title=Eren Paper's plans for Shotton gain green light | website=Printweek|last=Francis|first=Jo|date=1 November 2022|access-date=6 May 2023}}</ref> and [[Airbus UK]], making the wings for the [[Airbus A320|A320]], [[Airbus A330|A330]] and [[Airbus A350|A350]] aircraft at [[Broughton, Flintshire|Broughton]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.airbus.com/en/our-worldwide-presence/airbus-in-europe/airbus-in-the-united-kingdom|title=Airbus in the United Kingdom | website=Airbus | access-date=6 May 2023}}</ref>
There are daily flights of the [[Airbus BelugaXL]] transport aircraft of [[Airbus]] wings from [[Broughton, Flintshire|Broughton]].
Flintshire is also known for its internet companies, the largest and most well known being [[Moneysupermarket.com]] based in [[Ewloe]].
Flintshire included much of the [[North Wales Coalfield]], with the last colliery at [[Point of Ayr]] closing in 1996.
Flintshire is home to [[Shotwick]] Solar Park, currently the largest [[Solar power in the United Kingdom|photovoltaic solar array]] in the UK. It was built in 2016 and covers 250 acres of the south western edge of the [[Wirral Peninsula]] near the village of [[Shotwick]]. It has a maximum generating capacity of 72.2 MW and is connected directly to the largest paper-mill in the UK, [[UPM (company)|UPM Shotton Paper]].{{Update inline|date=May 2023|reason=UPM have sold the site.}}
Flintshire was home to a thriving [[steel]] industry with many of the local communities and homes being built around this sector. Steelmaking came to an end in 1980 with the loss of 6500 on one day. The Shotton Steelworks site, now owned by Tata Steel, continues to produce coated steel products, mainly for the construction industry. <ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/events-north-wales-shotton-steelworks-14935801|title=Events that shook North Wales: How Shotton steelworks closure saw 6,500 jobs lost in one day|date=21 July 2018|work=The Daily Post|access-date=13 December 2018}}</ref>
==Fairtrade==
On
==Education==
{{Main|List of schools in Flintshire}}
Flintshire County Council is the [[Local Education Authority]] of Flintshire. It runs 72 [[primary school]]s, 2 [[special school]]s and 11 [[secondary school]]s. Six of the primary schools and one comprehensive are Welsh medium schools.
Four of the secondary schools have come together with [[Coleg Cambria]] to form the [[Deeside Consortium]].
In December 2022, the [[Climate change|Climate Change]] Committee met and [[Buckley, Flintshire|Buckley]] Bistre West councillor Carolyn Preece recommended weekly [[Vegan school meal|vegan school meals]] in the local schools to combat climate change.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sheehan |first=Rory |date=2022-12-01 |title=Vegetarian or vegan school dinner days should be mandatory, says councillor |url=https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/vegetarian-vegan-school-dinner-days-25653456 |access-date=2022-12-14 |website=North Wales Live |language=en}}</ref>
==Media==
Flintshire's local newspapers include two daily titles, [[Daily Post (North Wales)|North Wales Daily Post]] and ''[[The Leader (Welsh newspaper)|The Leader]]''.
There are two radio stations broadcast in the area – [[Communicorp]] station [[Heart North and Mid Wales]] and [[Global Radio]] station [[Capital (radio network)|Capital North West and Wales]] broadcast from ''the studios'' based in Wrexham. Whilst [[BBC Cymru Wales]] runs a studio and newsroom for their radio, television and online services located at [[Glyndŵr University]] but does not base their broadcasting there.
Local TV coverage is mainly served by [[BBC Cymru Wales|BBC Wales]] and [[ITV Cymru Wales]] with [[BBC North West]] and [[ITV Granada]] can be also received. Television signals in the county are received from the [[Moel-y-Parc transmitting station|Moel-y-Parc]] transmitter which is situated close to [[Caerwys]], [[Winter Hill transmitting station|Winter Hill]] transmitter can also be received as well as the [[Storeton transmitting station|Storeton]] relay transmitter which is transmitted from both transmitters. <ref>{{cite web |url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Storeton|title=Full Freeview on the Storeton (Wirral, England) transmitter|date=1 May 2004|website=UK Free TV|access-date=22 June 2024}}</ref>
An online news website covering the Flintshire area, [http://www.deeside.com/ Deeside.com], operates from Deeside.
== Politics and government ==
[[File:2024 Wales Flintshire Constituencies map.svg|thumb|166x166px|The two UK Parliament constituencies covering Flintshire (in pink) from 2024. 1 = [[Clwyd East (UK Parliament constituency)|Clwyd East]] and 2 = [[Alyn and Deeside (UK Parliament constituency)|Alyn and Deeside]].]]
Flintshire has been traditionally a [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] stronghold, but in the [[2019 United Kingdom general election|2019 general election]], the [[Welsh Conservatives]] won the [[Delyn (UK Parliament constituency)|Delyn]] constituency.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/general-election-2019-candidates-delyn-17398564|title=General Election 2019 result for Delyn|last=Mosalski|first=Ruth|date=2019-12-13|website=walesonline|access-date=2019-12-13}}</ref>
The [[Alyn and Deeside (UK Parliament constituency)|Alyn and Deeside constituency]] is a historically and still is a [[Welsh Labour|Welsh Labour Party]] constituency, which is represented by [[Mark Tami]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://whocanivotefor.co.uk/person/688/mark-tami|title=Mark Tami for Alyn and Deeside in the UK Parliament elections|website=WhoCanIVoteFor?|access-date=10 July 2022}}</ref>
From 2024, Flintshire is covered by two UK parliament constituencies, [[Alyn and Deeside (UK Parliament constituency)|Alyn and Deeside]] and [[Clwyd East (UK Parliament constituency)|Clwyd East]], with [[Delyn (UK Parliament constituency)|Delyn]] being abolished.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2023 Parliamentary Review - Revised Proposals {{!}} Boundary Commission for Wales |url=https://bcomm-wales.gov.uk/reviews/10-22/2023-parliamentary-review-revised-proposals |access-date=2023-06-20 |website=[[Boundary Commission for Wales]]}}</ref> The Senedd uses the old set of Alyn and Deeside, and Delyn.
== Notable people ==
See [[:Category:People from Flintshire|''Category:People from Flintshire'']]
* [[Gareth Allen]] (born 1988 in Mynydd Isa, near Buckley), former professional snooker player.
* [[Saint Asaph]], 6th century Christian saint, the first [[Bishop of St Asaph]]
* [[Claire Fox]] (born 1960), writer, journalist, lecturer and politician; grew up in Buckley
* [[William Ewart Gladstone]] (1809–1898), 12 years as [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]]; retired to [[Hawarden Castle (18th century)|Hawarden Castle]].<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Gladstone, William Ewart | volume= 12 |last1= Russell |first1= George William Erskine |author1-link= George William Erskine Russell | pages = 66–72 |short=1}}</ref>
* [[Jade Jones (taekwondo)|Jade Jones]] (born 1993 Bodelwyddan), taekwondo athlete; 2012 and 2016 Olympic gold medallist
* [[Michael Owen]] (born 1979), footballer with 362 club caps and 89 for [[England national football team|England]] went to school in Hawarden
* [[Ian Rush]] (born 1961 in St Asaph), footballer with 602 club caps and 73 for [[Wales national football team|Wales]]
* [[Gary Speed]] (1969 in Mancot – 2011), footballer and manager with 677 club caps and 85 for [[Wales national football team|Wales]]
* [[Frances Williams (convict)|Frances Williams]] ({{circa|1760}}–1801), first Welsh woman to settle in Australia<ref>{{Cite web |last=Collins |first=Hayley |date=2011-11-08 |title=Flintshire Woman Shipped to Australia for Stealing Clothes
|url=https://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/15934326.flintshire-woman-shipped-to-australia-for-stealing-clothes/ |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=[[The Leader (Welsh newspaper)|The Leader]] |language=en}}</ref>
* Sir [[Jonathan Pryce]] CBE (born John Price; 1 June 1947, Holywell)
==International relations==
Flintshire has one formal [[Town twinning|twinning]] arrangement with:
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Menden]], Germany<ref>{{cite web |title=Flintshire|url=https://www.menden.de/leben-in-menden/kultur-bildung/kulturbuero/staedtepartnerschaften/flintshire/gb/|website=menden.de|publisher=Menden (Sauerland)|language=de|access-date=2020-05-06}}</ref>
==See also==
* [[Lord Lieutenant of Flintshire|List of Lord Lieutenants of Flintshire]]
* [[High Sheriff of Flintshire|List of High Sheriffs of Flintshire]]
* [[List of Scheduled Monuments in Flintshire]]
* [[List of churches in Flintshire]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==Sources==
* {{citation|last1=Harris|first1=B. E.|last2=Thacker|first2=A. T.|year=1987|title=The Victoria History of the County of Chester. (Volume 1: Physique, Prehistory, Roman, Anglo-Saxon, and Domesday)|location=Oxford|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=0-19-722761-9}}
==External links==
{{Commons category|Flintshire}}
{{Wikivoyage|Flintshire}}
*{{curlie|Regional/Europe/United_Kingdom/Wales/Flintshire}}
*[http://www.cpat.org.uk/ Flintshire archaeological information]
*[http://www.theoriginalrecord.com Chester Recognizance Rolls] calendar surname-indexed with scans
* [http://www.rainydayactivities.co.uk Things to do in Flintshire]
{{Flintshire}}
{{Wales subdivisions}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Flintshire| ]]
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[[Category:Principal areas of Wales]]
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[[Category:History of Cheshire| ]]
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