Froncysyllte

...and Richard Jones

1915 Froncysyllte Primitive Methodist chapel in 2003
Keith Guyler 2003

It is difficult to trace the PM Oswestry Circuit’s work in Froncysyllte, which is often abbreviated to Vron or Fron, because there are so many places in Shropshire and Wales with that word as their name or part of their name. It means “breast” (human, or of a hill). The date over the door of the attractive, neat chapel in the top photograph is now illegible. However, some gravestones are laid against its wall from its graveyard, one of which says;
“Well done good and faithful servant. In loving memory of Richard Jones, Bee Bank, Vron, one of the founders and for over 60 years a devoted member of the Primitive Methodist Church, Vron, who entered the homeland August 16th 1913 aged 83 years.” 

This suggests that the society was founded in the early 1850s, so perhaps the chapel was built in the 1860s. It stands in the heart of the village, and is now a school canteen.

A second chapel (middle photo) was built in 1914, presumably to replace the smaller one, but stands away from the centre of the village beside the main London to Holyhead road (the A5). It is called the Richard Jones Memorial Chapel.

Another of the gravestones beside the wall of the first chapel is partly in English and partly in Welsh, and marked the grave of the Baptist minister, so perhaps the Primitive graveyard was used by a range of Nonconformists in the village. The Baptist chapel (where I used to preach occasionally – third photo) was closed after subsidence caused it to “collapse”, as a local resident put it to me.

Comments about this page

  • The original Prim Meth chapel is now a school canteen, but still looks just like a chapel. It is close to Methodist Hill, maybe on it – I haven’t been for a while. It is the chapel in my top photo above. It has grave stones round the wall, if I recall aright. It might be worth your while looking at those. I know nothing of any by any war memorial. Sorry

    By David Young (20/06/2023)
  • Mapping evidence, but also documentary evidence (https://coflein.gov.uk/en/site/7740/ and https://coflein.gov.uk/en/site/7743/) suggests there were only two Methodist chapels in the settlement in 1914 (Primitive Methodist and Calvinistic Methodist). If you could trace the registers from either they may give some clues as to the affiliation of those listed on the War Memorial tablets. Registers in Wales tend to be deposited in the National Library, rather than more locally.

    By Philip Thornborow (20/06/2023)
  • Sorry, I don’t know about the other chapels in Froncysyllte, other than having preached several times at the Baptist. However, Welsh-speaking people use the word “Methodist” to mean “Calvinistic Methodist”, otherwise they say “Wesleyan” (if the chapel was WM), so the likelihood would seem that the CMs are where to start looking.

    By David Young (17/06/2023)
  • I am trying to trace the origin of two memorial tablets, one from WW1 and one from WW2, presently attached to Fron’s Boer War fountain, opposite the former chapel on the A5. They are said to come from a Methodist Chapel in the village – some sources say it was the Primitive Methodist Chapel, but others say it was another Methodist Chapel, since demolished. The latter may have been on Methodist Hill. There is an Independent Methodist Chapel there, still standing, and what looks like a converted chapel, the Calvinist Methodist Chapel, higher up – but the Baptist Chapel you mention, now demolished, stood not too far away.
    Do you know anything about these tablets, please?

    By Rev David Long (12/06/2023)

Add a comment about this page

Your email address will not be published.