Corwen, Merionethshire, Wales Genealogy

WalesDenbighshireCorwen

Corwen is a small town in the district of Edeirnion in Wales. It stands on the banks of the River Dee, beneath the Berwyn mountains.

Before 1974 the village was in the historic county of Merionethshire and, between 1974 and 1996 in the Clwyd. In 1974 it became part of the modern county of Denbighshire

The area is predominantly Welsh-speaking.

History
Corwen is best known for its connections with Owain Glyndŵr, the early 15th century Welsh prince who led the Welsh struggle for independence. He was proclaimed Prince of Wales in Glyndyfrdwy on the outskirts of the town and is commemorated by a statue in the town centre.

The area is highly agricultural and the town grew as a centre for cattle drovers.

Corwen was a coaching stop on the A5 road, built by Thomas Telford, from London to Holyhead and still contains a number of hotels which were used as coaching inns for the Mail coach and stagecoaches.

The railway reached Corwen in 1864 when a line from Ruthin, along the Vale of Clwyd, reached Corwen. In 1865 another railway line, of the Great Western Railway, running along the Dee valley from Ruabon, via Llangollen reached the town.

Census Records
The parish of Corwen formed part of the Corwen Registrar's District.

Church Records

 * The Clwyd Family History Society have published several volumes of the Corwen parish registers.
 * The following Corwen Parish Registers are available on the IGI:

Nonconformist Church Records
The following records are available on the IGI for Corwen:

Civil Records
Births, marriages and deaths in Corwen will be recorded in the GRO indexes as:

NOTES:


 * Births &amp; Deaths from 1837 to 1880: The births and deaths registers covering Corwen are held at the Wrexham Register Office.
 * Births &amp; Deaths from 1880 to 1950: The births and deaths registers covering Corwen are held at the Denbighshire South Register Office in Ruthin.

There are a few exceptions to these guidelines and it is advisable to check with the NorthWalesBMD to obtain the actual Registration Office and Reference Number, before ordering copies of certificates.

Poor Law Union
The Corwen Union was created on 13 December 1836 and the workhouse was built at Corwen, but not completed until April 1840.

The records for the Corwen Union are held at the Meirionydd Record Office in Dolgellau.