Coordinates: 53°14′39″N 3°07′58″W / 53.24413°N 3.13285°W
| Flint | |
| Welsh: Y Fflint | |
  Flint shown within Wales |
|
| Population | 11,936 (2001 Census) |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| Principal area | Flintshire |
| Ceremonial county | Clwyd |
| Constituent country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | FLINT |
| Postcode district | CH6 |
| Dialling code | 01352 |
| Police | North Wales |
| Fire | North Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| European Parliament | Wales |
| UK Parliament | Delyn |
| Welsh Assembly | Delyn |
| List of places: UK • Wales • Flintshire | |
Flint (Welsh: Y Fflint) is a town in Flintshire, North Wales, lying on the estuary of the River Dee. It was the county town of the historic county of Flintshire and today is the third largest town in Flintshire.
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Geography and administration
Flint has the oldest town charter in Wales, dating from 1284.[citation needed] Across the River Dee, the Wirral can be seen from Flint and views to the south of the town include Halkyn Mountain.
History
Flint is known for Flint Castle which Edward I of England began constructing in 1277. The castle was later where Richard II was handed over to his enemy Henry Bolingbroke in 1399. As a consequence, it is the setting for Act III, Scene III of the Shakespeare play Richard II. The castle was the first of Edward I's 'iron ring' of royal castles to be built in Wales and the design served as the basis for larger castles such as Harlech and Rhuddlan.
The town did not have a wall, but a protective earthen and wooden palisaded ditch, the outline of which remained visible in the pattern of streets until the mid-1960s, although the medieval boundary can still be traced now. This can be seen in John Speed's map of Flintshire.
In 1969 Flint hosted the National Eisteddfod, the town consequently has its own circle of Gorsedd stones. In July 2006 the stones became centre stage in the National Eisteddfod Proclamation Ceremony which formally announced the 2007 host town of the event as Mold.[1]
Present day
Eighteen per cent of the local population identify themselves as Welsh, a much larger proportion (eighty-two per cent) do not (source: 2001 Census). Many people in Flint have some knowledge of the Welsh Language, although competence does vary. English is the main spoken language to be heard across the town. There are more Polish language speakers in Flint since the relaxation of trade and immigration laws within Europe. Many shops have English and Polish information displayed and there is a Polish Shop (Polski Sklep), specialising in Polish products.
Flint has its own low-powered television relay transmitter, designed to provide improved coverage of Welsh channels in an area that would otherwise receive only English television signals.
Flint has a local football team Flint Town United F.C.. They play in the Cymru Alliance.
The Flint accent is most often mistaken for a Liverpool accent. It is in fact a unique combination of speech patterns shared with other Welsh speakers, old Irish settlers and those found in nearby Cheshire, Wirral and Merseyside.[2]
Brian Fell's sculpture Footplate can be seen at Flint railway station. Initially it was thought to be an imitation of the famous Monty Python foot drawn by Terry Gilliam.
David Hanson, the Labour MP for Delyn, resides in Flint.
Perhaps one of the town's most striking images apart from the castle is the three tower blocks of high-rise flats situated near the town centre. The first two blocks were built in the 1960s and named Bolingbroke Heights and Richard Heights, with a third, Castle Heights, added shortly after.
Education
The town has two high schools: St Richard Gwyn Catholic High School and Flint High School. Primary schools in Flint include the Gwynedd School, Cornist Park School, Ysgol Croes Atti (Welsh Medium) and St Mary's Catholic Primary School.
Pubs and drinking
Flint is home to many pubs, most of which have been renovated over the past decade in order for the town to appeal to the wider community. Flint's association with pubs and drinking goes back a long way; a survey issued in 1900, from the office in Mold, of the Chief Police Constable for Flintshire, listed a total of 35 licensed Public Houses and off licensed premises retailing beers, wines and spirits.
Notable people
Legendary Liverpool FC striker and former Wales football (soccer) captain Ian Rush attended St. Richard Gwyn Catholic High school in Flint, some of his family live in the area. Other famous footballers who are from Flint include Ron Hewitt who starred in Wales' only Football World Cup appearance and his nephew Andy Holden. Other famous people connected with the town include the chemist John Thomas best known for his research into plant dyes[3] and Thomas Totty, an Admiral who served with Lord Nelson and inherited Cornist Hall, Flint.[4] The actor Ian Puleston-Davies also comes from Flint.[5]
Tom Cruise's paternal great-great grandfather, Dylan Henry Mapother, emigrated to Louisville, Kentucky from Flint in 1850.
References
- ^ BBC - North East Wales Slideshows - National Eisteddfod Proclamation
- ^ BBC - Voices - The Voices Recordings - Male voice choir members
- ^ BBC - Scifiles - Interviews - Thomas the Pigment
- ^ BBC - North East Wales Historical - Thomas Totty
- ^ BBC - Press Office - Funland Press Pack Ian Puleston-Davies
External links
- Historic Notices of Flint 1883
- Returns of Owners of Land 1873 for Flintshire
- Catholic Registers of Holywell 1698-1829
- Constables of the Shire
- Burgesses returned to Parliament
- Knights of the Shire
- Rectors of Flint
- Churchwardends of Flint
- Overseers of the Poor
- Sheriffs of Flint
- Guardians of Flint
- BBC Wales's Flint website
- History of Flint - written by locals
- www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Flint and surrounding area
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
