Ruthin from Wales into England, Ruthin was reputed to have "a pub for every week of the year". By 2007, however, there were only eleven pubs in the town. The public records of 23 October 1891 show 31 such establishments serving a population of 3186; most of these have been converted into housing or shops. The Ruthin Union Workhouse was built in 1834. The first copies of the Welsh national anthem, "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau", were printed in what is now the "Siop Nain" tea and gift shop on Well Street. In 1863 the Denbigh, Ruthin and Corwen Railway, which linked
James James Welsh versifier who wrote under the pen-name of "leuan ab lago", moved with his family to Pontypridd, where he carried on the business of weaver and wool merchant, in about 1844. His son James assisted him in the business. James James composed the melody which was later to be known as "Hen Wlad fy Nhadau" in January 1856. Its initial title was "Glan Rhondda" (The banks of the Rhondda), giving rise to the tradition that the tune had come to James as he walked on the bank of the River Rhondda. His father, Evan James, wrote the lyrics that eventually