Penycae lies on the slopes of Ruabon Mountain, about seven miles south-west of Wrexham, and was historically part of the ancient parish of Ruabon, in the township known as Dynhinlle Uchaf, also called Y Dref Fechan or Cristionydd Fechan — one of the townships described in The Ancient Townships. The modern parish of Penycae was formed in 1879 from parts of Ruabon, Rhosllannerchrugog and Rhosymedre, with its parish church of St Thomas consecrated the previous year, in 1878.
Like much of the district, Penycae had a substantial coal-mining history, with pits sunk at Plas Bennion, Wynn Hall, Afon Eitha, Cristionydd, Groes and Plas Isaf — part of the same wider coalfield described in Coal Mining Around Ruabon, feeding the same steam-age demand for coal that transformed villages across this part of Wrexham County Borough.
Penycae's varied topography, rising up the flank of Ruabon Mountain, creates a picturesque setting that has since earned much of the village conservation area status. At the 2011 census, the wider Penycae community had a population of 3,389, governed today by a 14-member community council representing the Eitha and Groes wards.
Penycae sits close to Ruabon Moor and the open moorland described in Ruabon Moors, making it a useful starting point for upland walks above the Dee Valley. The village is reachable by local bus from Ruabon and Wrexham; the community council holds public meetings monthly at the Community Centre on Hall Street.
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