Several derivations of the name of Flint have been suggested
and disputed, but none entirely conclusive and the origin remains something of
an historic mystery. Before the end of the thirteenth century, there is no
record of the name. During the Saxon period, the district was included in the
lordship of Englefield and regarded as being part of the dominion of the King
of England. The Welsh princes naturally did not recognise this claim. It would
seem that Flint narrowly missed having a Norman-French name as did Beaumaris
for at the end of 1277 it began to appear in the Royal correspondence as
"Le Caillou", from an old French word meaning a stone or pebble, and
in the Calendar of the Welsh Rolls in 1277 as "Le Chayon", which has
approximately the same meaning. Then in the correspondence of Edward I during
his sojourn in the region while superintending the building of the castle his
letters were addressed from "Castrum apund Fluentum" - the castle on
the river and later "Apud le Flynt". That would seem to be one
logical explanation of the origin of the name. In the Roll of accounts for the
building of the castle it is called Flynd, which was later corrupted to Flint.
The Great County Court was held in Flint four times a year during the reign of
Edward I, and he made a grant of a Market and Fair to the town dated at Dover
on 4 February 1278.
On 8 September 1284, Edward granted the First Charter to Flint and created the
town a Free Borough and the Constable of the castle, Reginald de Grey, the
first Mayor of the new Borough. The Constable resided in the castle and was
required to provide men-at-arms and a body of archers to guard the fortress. At
Rhuddlan in 1284, Edward issued the Statute of Rhuddlan which divided North and
West Wales into counties, including the county of Flint, on the English model
and established an administrative and judicial system unchanged for nearly 300
years. Almost all the towns surrounding the castles in the Marches of Wales
were largely populated with Anglo-Norman and English settlers and the Charters
granted to these towns - at least at first - gave great liberties and
advantages to these new inhabitants which were denied to the Welsh. They were
disqualified from holding any civic office and no Welshman might be a burgess
and they were never allowed to carry weapons or hold assemblies or to purchase
property or land within the Borough. The Charter also decreed that Jews were
not at any time permitted to reside in the Borough. In 1290, Edward expelled
the Jews from England and seized their remaining assets. The Borough had the
monopoly of trade within five leagues of the town, and the Welsh were required
to bring all their produce to the market; this restriction applied to the
brewing of ale, and they were fined if found selling outside the boundary. The
houses in the newborn town were owned and occupied almost exclusively by
Anglo-Norman and English settlers and traders. There was a considerable trade
in wool in the town at that time, which attracted buyers from the Continent.
One privilege granted by the King to these new alien residents, which created
intensely bitter ill-feeling among the native inhabitants was, 'The right
to gather wood in the woods of the Welsh without payment' for the
provision of fuel for lead-smelting furnaces, the household and for building
purposes, and grants were made, giving the new settlers free land for life.
Edward needed funds for his wars with France and attempted to impose further
taxes on his newly acquired subjects. The arrogance and high-handed dominance
of the English officials was becoming increasingly repressive and more
repugnant to the Welsh inhabitants. The appointment of Roger Puleston, a
Flintshire man, as a collector of taxes, led to angered outbreaks of protest
and revolt, during which Puleston lost his life.
Edward I
Edward III
Edward, The Black Prince
On 7 December l327, Edward III, granted a Second Charter to the Burgesses. This
was actually a ratification and extension of the First Charter granted by his
grandfather Edward I.
The Third Charter was granted by Edward, the Black Prince, by virtue of his
powers as Earl of Chester, on 20 September 1361. The Welsh still smarted and
complained of the excessive rigour exercised over them by the English Overseers
of Justice. In 1394, when the Deputy Justice of Chester tried to read a
proclamation at the Court of Flint, a large crowd of Welshmen created a
disturbance and drew their daggers and threatened to kill him. They threw the
Court Rolls on the floor and trampled them underfoot and when the Deputy
Sheriff intervened and attempted to restore order, 'They did put him under
their feet'. Several Welshmen were later imprisoned following this
incident.
Richard II
Queen Mary
William III
The Fourth Charter was bestowed by Richard II on 29 November 1395. It is
evident that the Welsh were still far from becoming reconciled to the English
community in their midst. On 15 July 1395, the burgesses sent a petition to the
King, complaining about, 'The ill-will of the Welsh and their
trouble-making and defiance of the law'.
The Fifth Charter was granted by Phillip and Mary on 5 November 1555 and the
Sixth Charter by William III on 19 December 1700.
