St Asaph (formerly Llanelwy), parl. bor. and market town with ry. sta., Flintshire, and par., partly also in Denbighshire - par. (containing part of Rhuddlan bor.), 11,346 ac., pop. 3177; bor., 5¼ miles N. of Denbigh and 211 NW. of London, 1155 ac., pop. 1901; P.O., T.O, 2 Banks. Market-day, Saturday. St Asaph stands on an eminence in the Vale of Clwyd, near the confluence of the Clwyd and the Elwy. The see is said to have been founded, 'during his exile, by Kentigern, or St Mungo, founder of the see of Glasgow, from whose disciple and successor, St Asaph, the town and diocese take their name. The present cathedral, the smallest in Great Britain, dates from the close of the 15th century. St Asaph is one of the Flint District of Parliamentary Boroughs, which returns 1 member.

(John Bartholomew, Gazetteer of the British Isles (1887))