Southsea, Wrexham, Wales Genealogy

WalesWrexhamSouthsea

Southsea (Welsh: Glan yr Afon) is a village and ecclesiastical parish in the County Borough of Wrexham in Wales. Southsea forms part of the community of Broughton. The village took its English name from the former South Sea Inn in Broughton, during the 18th century. According to historian Alfred Neobard Palmer, the name Southsea is "an absurd name which should never have been adopted, especially as there was an appropriate name ready to hand in 'Glan yr Afon'".

History
The ecclesiastical parish of Southsea was created in 1921, and was formed from part of the ancient parish of Wrexham, together with parts of the parishes of Broughton and Brymbo.

The present church of All Saints was converted from the former church hall, which was consecrated for use as a church on 15 April 1984. There were two earlier churches dating from 1884 and 1926.

A further chapel of ease was opened within the parish of Southsea, at Tanyfron in 1897.

" At Glan yr Afon, the boundaries of the townships of Bersham, Brymbo and Broughton meet. ..... Glan yr Afon was also sometimes called Southsea. It is first so named in the rate books of 1786, deriving its name from the Southsea Inn in Broughton. ..... Here the wages of the miners and colliers at most of the works in the neighbourhood were paid once a fortnight. The hamlet which gradually grew up here was also known as Southsea - an absurd name which should never have been adopted, especially as there was an appropriate name ready to hand in "Glan yr Afon". ..... Glan yr Afon, or Southsea, is now the name of a populous village, also called "Plas Power" from its proximity to the Plas Power colliery, although quite remote from Plas Power itself." [ History of the Thirteen Country Townships of Wrexham, 1903, Alfred Neobard Palmer]

Southsea became a separate ecclesiastical parish on 7 May 1921, being formed from part of the ancient parish of Wrexham, and parts of the parishes of Broughton and Brymbo. For more information see Southsea, Denbighshire at genuki.org.uk

Civil Records
Births, marriages and deaths in Southsea are recorded in the GRO indexes as:

Census Records
The parish of Wrexham, and later the parish of Southsea, formed part of the Wrexham Registrar's District.

Poor Law Union Records
The Wrexham Union was created on 30 March 1837 and Southsea formed part of this. A workhouse was built at Croesnewydd in Wrexham. The records of the Wrexham Union are now held at Denbighshire Record Office in Ruthin.