Ffestiniog

Ffestiniog
Blaenau Ffestiniog
Ffestiniog is located in Gwynedd
Ffestiniog
Ffestiniog
Location within Gwynedd
Area56.99 km2 (22.00 sq mi)
Population4,875 (2011)
• Density86/km2 (220/sq mi)
OS grid referenceSH705455
Community
  • Ffestiniog
Principal area
Preserved county
CountryWales
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBLAENAU FFESTINIOG
Postcode districtLL41
Dialling code01766
PoliceNorth Wales
FireNorth Wales
AmbulanceWelsh
UK Parliament
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament
List of places
UK
Wales
Gwynedd
52°59′N 3°56′W / 52.99°N 3.93°W / 52.99; -3.93

Ffestiniog (/fɛsˈtɪnjɒɡ/;[1][2] Welsh pronunciation: [fɛstˈɪnjɔg] ) is a community in Gwynedd, Wales, containing several villages, in particular the settlements of Llan Ffestiniog and Blaenau Ffestiniog. It has a population of 4,875.[3][4]

History

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Ffestiniog was a parish in Cantref Ardudwy; in 1284, Ardudwy became part of the county of Merionethshire, which became an administrative county in 1888.[5] Mary Evans (1735–89) founded a sect in Ffestiniog around 1780, whose believers held that she had married Christ in a ceremony held in Ffestiniog church. The sect soon died out after her death.[6] The parish was created an urban district in 1894.[5] On 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, Ffestiniog Urban District was abolished, becoming merged with other districts to form Meirionnydd District, which was itself abolished in 1996. Ffestiniog became a community with an elected town council.

Ffestiniog Golf Club was founded in 1893. The club closed at the end of March 2014.[7]

Toponymy

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Celtic place-name in *-ākon "place of", then, "place belonging to, territory of" > Old Welsh -auc, -awg > Welsh -og. The form -iog with an additional /i/ can be explained by the preceding element, which is a personal name ending with -i-us : Festinius. The whole name should be *Festiniākon. Probably same name as Festigny (France, e.g.: Festigny, Marne, Festiniacus in 853). A Roman Inscription in Chester honours Lucius Festinius Probus;[8] Chester was the main Roman base for North Wales, so this is probably he.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "ffestiniog". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  2. ^ "ffestiniog". CollinsDictionary.com. HarperCollins. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  3. ^ "Office for National Statistics : Neighbourhood Statistics : Census 2011 : Gwynedd". Archived from the original on 22 September 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
  4. ^ "Custom report - Nomis - Official Labour Market Statistics". www.nomisweb.co.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  5. ^ a b A Vision of Britain Through Time : Ffestiniog urban District Archived 4 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 12 January 2010
  6. ^ Jenkins, Robert Thomas (1959). "EVANS, MARY". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  7. ^ "Ffestiniog Golf Club", "Golf’s Missing Links".
  8. ^ "RIB 537. Funerary inscription for Lucius Festinius Probus | Roman Inscriptions of Britain". romaninscriptionsofbritain.org. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
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