An introduction to Mold by Greg Stevenson

Mold has something of a troubled history. On this hill there were a number of bloody skirmishes even before the Norman conquest. A castle was established, and with castles came fighting – for centuries in fact. In 1465 the mayor of Chester was captured during a visit to town, and hung. The Civil War brought more bloodshed, and even in the nineteenth century the coalminers were rioting here about pay and conditions.

The Norman earthwork castle is the start of the town proper, up there on Bailey hill that still carries the name of its ‘Motte and Bailey’ origins. The castle was built by the Montalt family, which may be the origin of the English town name.

But it wasn’t really until the 1400s that the town blossomed. It was then that it took over from Flint as the county town, and the market here developed in importance.

The next great boom was the industrial revolution, with lead being produced around Halkyn and coal all around the town not to mention brickworks and potteries. This is a proper industrial town, and it still feels like that. It has yet to be gentrified.

The High Street follows the medieval pattern running down from the castle, but most of the town resembles the ninteenth century heyday of the town.