THE borough town of Denbigh occupies the sides of a steep hill, rising
abruptly from the level of the beautiful vale of Clwyd, and bearing on
its towering crest the venerable ruins of an ancient castle, a proud
memorial of the bravery of the inhabitants in those days, when love of
anarchy was mistaken for independence, and loyalty and fidelity were
terms of reproach. The principal street approaches the market-place from
the foot of the hill, and contains several very elegant and handsome
private residences. The Town Hall possesses no architectural beauties,
its sole merit is utility. Many excellent private houses are scattered
through the town, which terminates at the other side of the hill in a
miserable approach called Henllan Street. Denbigh, in conjunction with
Rhuthyn and Holt, has for many years returned a member to parliament, but
Wrexham has been admitted to a participation in the privilege, by a
clause in the new Reform Bill. The corporation derived its last charter
from King Charles the Second, and consists of two aldermen, a recorder,
two bailiffs, and two coroners. Whitchurch, where the old parish church
of St. Marcellus is situated, lies in the open valley one mile from the
town. It is no longer used as a place of worship, but resembles a chapel
or oratory, in which the remains of chiefs and men of learning are
deposited. Their blazoned arms and sumptuous tombs are rapidly yielding
to the decay incident on damp and negligence. In the porch is a brass
plate, engraven with figures of Richard Myddleton, governor of Denbigh
Castle in the reigns of Edward the Sixth, Mary and Elizabeth, with the
Lady Jane, his wife. Behind him are represented his nine sons and seven
daughters in the attitude of prayer. Many of his sons rendered
themselves conspicuous in public life, and even “did the state some
service.” William Myddleton, his third son, was a post captain in the
British navy, and behaved with great coolness and wisdom when sent to
reconnoitre the Spanish fleet off the Azores in 1591. He was one of the
first persons who smoked tobacco publicly in England, and was a poet of
eminence in his day. Thomas, the fourth son, was Lord Mayor of London,
and founder of the Chirk Castle family in this county. And, Sir Hugh
Myddleton, the sixth son, was a person whose useful life would impart a
lustre to the greatest family. This was the enterprising individual who
“smote the rock” and brought the waters of the New River into London.
A mural monument vainly attempts to perpetuate the fame of Humphrey
Llwyd, the scholar and antiquary. This remarkable person is celebrated
as a master of eloquence, an excellent rhetorician, and a sound
philosopher. In the art of medicine and study of antiquities his
knowledge appears to have been unconfined. Camden eulogises his memory.
His friend, Ortelius, owes to him his map of England; and some of the
most rare and valuable works in the British Museum were collected by
Llwyd for his brother-in-law, Lord Lumley. He was born in the town of
Denbigh in the year 1527, and died at the early age of forty-one. The
altar tomb of Sir John Salisbury is a rich specimen of monumental
architecture. In the cemetery surrounding the church is a slab to the
memory of Twm y Nant, the Cambrian Shakspeare, who died in the year 1810,
at the age of seventy-one years. (See account of Denbigh Castle, p. 72.)