Minera

Minera (Mwynglawdd; ) is a village and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It adjoins the village of Coedpoeth. The community, which in addition to Minera village includes a number of smaller hamlets such as Gwynfryn and New Brighton and large areas of farmland, had a total population of 1,608 at the 2001 census, increasing slightly to 1,617 at the 2011 Census. The name Minera has an unusual source, being derived from the low Latin for "mine" or "ore". This name was recorded as early as 1339. The parallel Welsh name Mwynglawdd translates roughly as "ore mine". In common with many Welsh settlements, Minera did not develop as a compact 'village' in the English understanding of the word until the 19th century. Under the manorial administration imposed after the mediaeval English conquest of Wales, Minera existed as a manor and township within the Lordship of Bromfield. Unlike many of the surrounding manors, such as Esclusham, Eglwysegle and Ruabon, land tenure within Minera was mostly servile, rather than free. The history of Minera is closely related to that of its lead mines. Although earlier use, dating back perhaps as far as the Roman occupation, has been suggested, the first clear documentary evidence of the industry appears during the reign of Edward I, when miners from Minera were sent to Cornwall to help develop the tin mining industry. Extraction of lead and coal was later joined by the quarrying of silica stone and limestone, with three lime kilns being recorded in operation at Minera Mill in 1620. Further industrial development took place in the 19th century. The lead mines expanded under the guidance of engineer John Taylor and the Minera Limeworks came into operation, while a branch of the North Wales Mineral Railway was built in 1844 to serve the area. An electoral ward in the same name exists. This ward stretches north to Broughton and at the 2011 Census had a population of 2,472. There is thought to have been a "chapel of ease" to Wrexham parish church as early as 1577: built of wood, it was successively rebuilt in 1728-33 and 1815.