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Cegidfa / Guilsfield

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"GUILSFIELD (CEGIDVA), a parish in the lower division of the hundred of POOL, county of MONTGOMERY, NORTH WALES, 2 3/4 miles (N.) from Welshpool, containing 2994 inhabitants. This parish, the Welsh name of which signifies a place abounding with hemlock, is bounded on the east by the river Severn: the turnpike road from Welshpool to Oswestry runs through it, one branch passing through the village, and the other, which is the most frequented, in a direction parallel with the river Severn, and between it and the Montgomeryshire canal. ... The church, dedicated to All Saints, is in the decorated style of English architecture, ... The parish register commences in the year 1573, and is the oldest in this part of the country. There are places of worship for Independents and Calvinistic Methodists. ..." [A Topographical Dictionary of Wales by Samuel Lewis, 1833]

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Contains the chapelry of Pool Quay

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Bibliography

A history of the parish of Guilsfield (Cegidva) pt 2               Collections historical & archaeological relating to Montgomeryshire  Vol 32  1902   Welsh Journals Online

Barton, P G. Sir Rowland Hayward and the Heyward Family of Trawscoed Hall, Guilsfield. Montgomeryshire Collections 88 (2000), p. 37-52 Guilsfield : a pictorial history. [S.l.] : Powysland Club, 1999. 90p

Davies, A Stanley      The windmill of Trelydan            Collections historical & archaeological relating to Montgomeryshire   Vol 41  1930   Welsh Journals Online  

Guilsfield           Collections historical & archaeological relating to Montgomeryshire   Vol 37  1915   Welsh Journals Online     

Parish of Guilsfield : Guilsfield cemetery : memorial inscriptions. [S.l.] : Montgomeryshire Genealogical Society, 1999. 94p

Parish of Guilsfield : Parish Church of St. Aelhaiarn, Geuffordd Presbyterian Chapel, Moriah Calvinistic Methodist Chapel, Pentrebeirdd Independent Chapel, Sarnau United Reformed Chapel, Temple Presbyterian Chapel, Groeslwyd : memorial inscriptions. [S.1.] : Montgomeryshire Genealogical Society, 2002. 134p

Parish of Guilsfield : Parish Church of St Aelhaiarn - : memorial inscriptions. [S.l.] : Montgomeryshire Genealogical Society, 1999. 132p

Simpson, Thomas       A history of the parish of Guilsfield (Cegidva) Pt 3      Collections historical & archaeological relating to Montgomeryshire   Vol 33  1904   Welsh Journals Online

Thomas, David R. Guilsfield : extract from "Esgobaeth Llanelwy, the history of the Diocese of St Asaph ...". Cronicl Powys. No. 53 (Aug. 2001), p. 39-43

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Census

Victorian Powys for schools site - Census figures for Guilsfield parish 1841-1901

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Churches

Anglican
St Aelhairn's Church; St Aelhaiarn's, Guilsfield
Congregational / Independent
Groeslwyd Independent Chapel, Groesllwyd
Methodist
Deep Cutting Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, Deep Cutting
Geuffordd Chapel, Guilsfield
Groeslwyd Calvinistic Methodist Chapel / Groeslwyd Temple, Guilsfield
Maesgwyn Calvinistic Methodist Chapel, Guilsfield
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Church History

Church and chapel data from The Religious census of 1851 : A Calendar of the returns relating to Wales, Vol 11, North Wales. Ed. by Ieuan Gwynedd Jones, UWP,   1981. The names given towards the end of each entry are those of the informants.

Parish statistics; Area 14835 acres; Population 1187 males, 1210 females, total 2397

  • Guilsfield Parish Church           Attendance - morning 190 + 30 scholars, afternoon 85 + 29 scholars      "A rainy day, and the Footpaths bad, after a rainy week"     Services in English         C T C Luxmoore, Vicar
  • Tabernacle, Calvinistic Methodists               Erected 1820             Attendance - morning 25 + 51 scholars, evening 40 + 63 scholars              Rees Davies, Manager
  • Geifor, Calvinistic Methodists              Erected 1843             Attendance - morning 41 scholars, afternoon 70, evening 65                  William Jones, Secretary, Bronvraith, Guildsfield
  • Pentre Beirdd Chapel, Independent          Erected c 1820      Attendance - afternoon 38 + 14 scholars          John Davies, Deacon
  • PoolQuay, Calvinistic Methodist                 Not a separate building                Attendance - afternoon 31 + 22 scholars                   Richard Jones, Deacon
  • Pool Quay, Primitive Methodist          Erected 1847      A room set apart, used exclusively as a place of worship           Attendance - evening 80            George Dudley, Steward
  • Temple, Calvinistic Methodists          Erected 1840          Attendance - morning 58 + 20 scholars, afternoon 58 scholars, evening 94 + 40 scholars             William Davies, Superintendent, Glanllyn
  • Upper Chapel, Groeslwyd, Independent            Erected 1823          Attendance - morning 14 scholars, afternoon 53              Griffith Williams, Deacon, Moelgarth
  • Wesleyan Methodist              Not used exclusively as a place of worship                 Attendance - afternoon 50              Edward Watson, Wesleyan Minister, Welshpool
  • *Pantmawr, Independents             A room in a farmhouse, not used exclusively as a place of worship               Attendance - morning 71       John Davies, Manager, Pantmawr
  • *Tirnewidd, Calvinistic Methodists                Room in a farmhouse                Attendance - morning 87 + 30 scholars, afternoon school                John Davies, Manager, Pantmawr (Compare the previous return?)
  • Maesgwyn, Calvinistic Methodist       A room in a farmhouse    Erected before 1821      Attendance - average - morning 30 + 57 scholars     "One Sermon in the month preached at this place, no stated minister, it belongs to Meifod Welsh Methodists Chapel"         John Thomas, Manager, Clwydyronen

    Church of St Aelhaiarn, Guilsfield on the Montgomeryshire Churches Survey site

    Rees, Thomas & John Thomas. Hanes Eglwysi Annibynnol Cymru (History of the Welsh Independent Churches), 4 volumes (published 1871+). Here is the entry from this book for Groeslwyd  chapel (in Welsh ) - with translation        Also Pentre'r Beirdd chapel  (with translation by Maureen Saycell (Aug 2010)

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    Church Records

    Detailed information on deposited registers and transcripts for this parish is given on the Powys Archives page Montgomeryshire parish registers

    As a guide only, the principal extant parochial church records for this parish span the dates shown below (as detailed in Parish Registers of Wales, NLW 2000) but exact current holdings should be confirmed with the individual Archives;

    • Baptisms 1572-1642, 1696-1960; Marriages 1572-1642, 1696-1991; Burials 1572-1642, 1696-1994; Banns 1859-1960
      Parish Registers, or copies, for all or part of these dates are held at the NLW, and/or Powys Archives.  
      Bishops Transcripts for various periods are held at the NLW, Denbighshire Archives and/or Flintshire Archives 
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    Description & Travel

    Various landscape photographs of the area and surrounds - on the People's Collection Wales site

    You can see pictures of Cegidfa / Guilsfield which are provided by:

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    Gazetteers

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    Genealogy

    Details of extant records on Archives Network Wales for the following;

    • Warren Williams, Marion, family papers     "Family and personal papers of Marion Warren Williams, 1864-1991, including scrapbooks containing notes, newspaper cuttings and printed ephemera, mainly relating to Guilsfield and Welshpool, Montgomeryshire, 1864-1991..................."  
    • Papers Relating to Private John Higgins       "John Higgins (1894-[1917]) was the son of Margaret (b. 1851) and Robert Higgins (d. 1899), of Guilsfield, Montgomeryshire. In November 1914, he enlisted in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, serving in France as a stretcher bearer. On 28 March 1917, he went missing in an action near Arras, Pas-de-Calais, France. Subsequent attempts by his mother and sister to trace him proved fruitless, and in 1918 he was officially presumed dead."
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    Land & Property

    Details of extant records on Archives Network Wales for the following;

    • Llanerchfrochwel estate, records  1689-1883              "Llanerchfrochwel is in the parish of Guilsfield, Montgomeryshire. The Llanerchfrochwel estate was possibly owned by the Adams family from at least 1690 until the early nineteenth century"   
    • Burgedin, Guilsfield, deeds  1712-1938 (mainly 1712-1881)    "Edward Pryce (fl. 1729-1761) of Burgedin, Guilsfield, Montgomeryshire, married Anne Henley (fl. 1729-1761) of Welshpool........"
    • Garth estate, Montgomeryshire, records  1826-1857    "The Garth estate was located in the parishes of Guilsfield, Meifod and Llandrinio, Montgomeryshire; in the early 19th century is was held by the Rev. Richard Mytton ...."  
    • Guilsfield Papers  [Reverend David Pryce (1856-1933) of Trawscoed House, Guilsfield, Montgomeryshire was born in Guilsfield.]     Includes  "...... a surveyor's book for Burgedin township, Guilsfield 1863-1864........."
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    Maps

    Map of Montgomeryshire parishes on Montgomeryshire Genealogical Society's site - shows dioceses

    Victorian Powys for schools site - Map of Guilsfield in 1842, and 1901

    Township of Tirymynech, parish of Guilsfield, county of Montgomery, 1900.
    "Traced at the Board of Agriculture from the 2nd Class Tithe Map, T.R. 20.3.00" and "G.H.B. 22.3.00" annotated below scale bar. Inset: Altered apportionment. On OS Montgomeryshire 16 SW. Ink and colour on tracing linen. Encapsulated.
    Shows farms, numbered fields and other plots, together with their boundaries, road, drainage networks, and parish / township boundaries. Altered apportionment (dated 26th August 1869) at a scale of 1in. = 6 chains shows the route of the proposed railway (Cambrian line) alongside the Welshpool to Oswestry Road and immediately to the north and south of Tyn y Celyn farm
    Also similar maps for;

    • Townships of Gungrogfechan, Trelydan & Garth, parish of Guilsfield, county of Montgomery, 1900.
    • Townships of Hendrehenllan & Trowscoed, parish of Guilsfield, county of Montgomery, 1900.
    • Townships of Upper & Lower Broniarth, parish of Guilsfield, county of Montgomery, 1900
    • Townships of Varchoel, Burgedin & Rhetescyn, parish of Guilsfield, county of Montgomery, 1900

    You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SJ215120 (Lat/Lon: 52.700272, -3.16256), Cegidfa / Guilsfield which are provided by:

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    Periodicals

    Details of extant records on Archives Network Wales for the following;

    • Guilsfield Parish Magazines      "Copies of Spotlight on Guilsfield parish magazine, 1975-1993"
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    Public Records

    Details of extant records on Archives Network Wales for the following;

    • Guilsfield Parish and Community Council Records  1962-1987  
    • Williams, Lot, shoemaker's records  [Pontrobert,Meifod]   Includes  " ........... highway rates book for Guilsfield, Montgomeryshire, 1856-1883......."
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    Social Life & Customs

    Victorian Powys for schools    - Boarding out of children          "John Tudor was sent to board with his grandfather in his home parish of Guilsfield  [1891]"