Footprints - A Journey Through Our Past

Footprints is a journey into the past. We hope it is just the start of a longer, and maybe meandering, journey for you as you set out to discover the history that happened here.

View of Wrexham from Hafod-y-Bwch
© National Library of Wales

The earliest evidence for ‘human’ settlement in north east Wales dates to about 230,000 years ago. Archaeologists have found evidence of the people from that period at Pontnewydd cave, near St Asaph. The finds include Neanderthal teeth and crude stone tools.

Following the end of the last Ice Age, c. 8000BC, Mesolithic peoples moved through this area using the rivers. They were hunter-gatherers; living as nomads in a wooded landscape. There is evidence they were here. Small flint tools, known as microliths, have been found near Borras, Wrexham.

During the Neolithic period (c.4300 – 2300BC) people started to settle in farming communities. They built the first communal structures known as long barrows. They started to clear the woodland using stone axes and examples of these have been found at Darland, Borras and Johnstown.

Historic map of Denbighshire showing Wrexham and the Welsh Maelor. Click to view a larger version.
© Wrexham Heritage Services

Historic map of Flintshire showing the English Maelor. Click to view a larger version.
© Wrexham Heritage Services

Acknowledgements

Wrexham Heritage Service would like to acknowledge the following for their assistance:

• Denbighshire Record Office
• Flintshire Record Office
• Wrexham Archives
• National Museum Wales
• National Library of Wales
• Royal Commission on the Ancient & Historical Monuments of Wales
• Alister Williams
• C.J.Williams
• Bark Design

The Beginnings

The document is available to download in the following format:

Footprints - A Journey Through Our Past - PDF format 1.4Mb

Map of Wrexham 1833

A map showing Wrexham in 1833 is available to download in the following format:

Footprints - Wrexham Map 1833 - PDF format 638Kb

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