Rhydycroesau
| Rhydycroesau | |
|---|---|
 Christ Church, Rhydycroesau |
|
 Rhydycroesau
|
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| Rhydycroesau shown within Shropshire | |
| Population | 22,467 |
| OS grid reference | SJ240308 |
| Civil parish | |
| Principal area | |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country |
England Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | OSWESTRY |
| Postcode district | SY10 |
| Dialling code | 01691 |
| Police | West Mercia |
| Fire | Shropshire |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| EU Parliament | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
Rhydycroesau is a tiny village on the English-Welsh border, west 3.25 miles on B 4580 of Oswestry. It partly lies in the Shropshire parish of Oswestry Rural; the other part is in Montgomeryshire, Powys.
Rhydycroesau is an old Welsh village in the Welsh Marches. Archaeological research has found evidence of Roman settlements and early Anglo-Saxon settlement within 10 km of the modern village.
The former Rectory was built in 1840 from the local stone for £1260.00, which sum included constructing the church and village school, now the village hall, into the bargain. The church is in Wales, the Rectory is in England, the only such instance in modern times.
The first Rector was the Reverend Robert Williams, appointed in 1837. A native of Conwy, where his father was the Vicar, he was educated at Christ Church, Oxford (MA). He was a renowned scholar of his time, who wrote the Biography of Eminent Welshmen and the Cornish Dictionary. In 1835, whilst curate of Llangernyw, he published The History and Antiquities of the town of Aberconwy. In 1879, Reverend Williams left to become the Rector of Culmington, near Ludlow, where he died in 1881.
He was described as "ponderous and pedantic, big and burly, waddling as he walked with three or four pupils at his heels". The 1861 census gives details of his household. He had two sisters, a dairymaid, a housemaid and two farm servants living in. One of his favourite sayings was that "a goose is a very awkward bird, being a little too much for one, but not enough for two". He was a dull preacher, using the same sermons over and over, reading them in a monotone. He was not much liked by his parishioners, and maintained a congregation of as many as a dozen worshippers.
Two more vicars followed; the Reverend Richard Richardson-Jones from 1879 until 1908, and the Reverend William Arthur Morris until 1949. Both were rather more popular figures, and congregations regularly reached 100 or more.
In 1920 the Church in Wales was disestablished and a referendum was held in the village to decide if the Church should go to Church of England or Church in Wales. The vote was in favour of the Church of England, and so it is to this day, one of the few Church of England churches actually situated in Wales. The church continues to hold regular services.
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Wikipedia