Minera, Denbighshire, Wales Genealogy

Minera (Welsh: Mwynglawdd) is a village, ecclesiastical parish and community in the county borough of Wrexham in Wales. The community of Minera includes the villages of Minera, Bwlchgwyn, Coedpoeth and Gwynfryn.

History
The village of Minera takes its name from the Low Latin word for a "mine" and is believed to date back to the mid 12th century. The area was rich in mineral deposits, particularly lead, but coal and lime were also extracted.

A "chapel of ease", within Wrexham parish is believed to have existed in Minera as early as 1577.

The parish of Minera was created in 1844 from the Wrexham townships of Minera and Esclusham Above. In 1865, the part of the township of Bersham which lay to the west of Offa's Dyke, was added to Minera parish. However, in 1879, a large part of the township of Esclusham Above was transferred from Minera to the new parish of Esclusham.

The present church of St. Mary's was built in 1865 and opened in 1866. Later a chapel of ease, St. Tudfyl's, was opened at Coedpoeth within Minera parish.

Today Minera is the start of the Clywedog Trail which runs through the industrial heritage sites along the valley of the Afon Clywedog, through Bersham and Felin Puleston, to King's Mills.

Census Records
The parish of Wrexham, and later the parish of Minera, formed part of the Wrexham Registrar's District.

Church Records
The following Minera Parish Registers have been deposited at the Denbighshire Records Office in Ruthin:


 * The Clwyd Family History Society have published many of the Minera parish registers.
 * There are no official records available on the IGI for Minera parish.

Civil Records
Births, marriages and deaths in Minera are recorded in the GRO indexes as:

Poor Law Union
The Wrexham Union was created on 30 March 1837 and the parish of Minera formed part of this. A workhouse was built at Croesnewydd in Wrexham. The records of the Wrexham Union are now held at Denbighshire Record Office in Ruthin.

Cemeteries

 * St Mary's Church, Minera