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Pontypool Free Press 1865


SATURDAY, APRIL 22, 1865. (Page 1).

CHAPEL-ED.

TEA PARTY. —This annual gathering took place on Good Friday, and was attended by about 800 person*, including a number from Llanelly, Breconshire, (by water.) Blackwood, Risca, Newport, Chepstow, Pandy, Abergavenny, Llangattock (Brecon,) Blaenavon, Abersychan, Pontnewynydd, and Pontypool. There were also present (for the first time) several vendors of fruit and other refreshments, whose wares appeared to meet with a ready sale. A public service was held in the chapel at 7 o'clock (after tea,) the Rev D. Hargest occupying the chair, and the Revs W. Morgan (Glascoed,) J. D. Jones (Pandy,) J. Evans (Gaer Llwyd,) and Phillips (Mozera,) taking part in the proceedings. The receipts amounted to between £20 and £30, which is to be devoted to the liquidation of the debt on the chapel. The usual pastimes were indulged in during the evening, and were much enjoyed by the young people, particularly—so says our "informant—by two "jolly post-boys," Mr Wm. Rogers (Blaenafon) and Mr Hobbs (Goytre,) who distinguished themselves above all by their feats in the ring" (the kissing ring.)


SATURDAY, JUNE 10, 1865. (Page 1).

USK, MONMOUTHSHIRE.

Valuable and Improvable Farm.

MESSRS. DEBENHAM, TEWSON, & FARMER will offer for SALE by AUCTION, at the London Tavern, Bishopsgate-street, in the City of London, on THURSDAY, July 6th, 1865, at One o'clock punctually,

THE WERNHIRE FARM,

FREEHOLD OF INHERITANCE,

Situate in the parishes of Llanbaddock and Glascoed, within Three Miles of the town of Usk, comprising

Farm House & Convenient Farm Buildings, and 161a 2r. 39p. of good and improvable LAND

AND WELL SITUATED,

Including about 23a. of fine Woodland.

 The House is substantially built of stone, and is roomy and convenient, with all necessary Offices and the Farm Buildings comprise every necessary requisite.

The Property is near to the Turnpike road from Usk to Pontypooi, in a very picturesque neighbourhood, and is bounded bv a fine stream.

The Monmouth and Usk Railway, to which there is a Station at Usk, runs near to it.

It is in the occupation of Messrs R. and B. REECE, who are yearly tenants. Particulars, with Plan and Conditions of Sale, may be obtained of Messrs DEBENHAM, TEWSON, and FARMER, 80, Cheapside, London; and, with all further information relating to the Estate, from Mr J. G. GEORGE, Solicitor, Monmouth or

MR HENRY MINETT. Solicitor, Ross.


SATURDAY, JUNE 24, 1865. (Page 4).

AFFILIATION CASE FROM MAMHILAD.

Sarah Morgan charged John Davies, parish clerk and schoolmaster, with being the putative father of her illegitimate child.

Mr Greenway appeared for complainant, and Mr Alexander Edwards for defendant, the latter of whom was frequently called to order by both the legal gentlemen employed and the bench, from the annoying and impertinent manner in which he conducted himself during the early part of the investigation. Complainant said I am a widow residing at Mamhilad, and was confined of a male child on the 15th of April, of which John Davies, the defendant, is the father.

By Mr A. Edwards I had two children by my husband—one of them before I married him. We were married in '62 he lived about ten months afterwards. The last child was born a month before he died. The intimacy with defendant occurred on the 9th of July, and once before then. It was below the house of my father and between 10 and 11 at night. I know it was on the 9th. It was on a Saturday. Defendant had been in our house during the evening. He came about 7 or 8 o'clock, and about 10 he walked out with me. He had had a glass of beer, saying he would rather have it than tea. We went to “send” my sister. She lives at the Pentre farm. I do not know George Jones; never walked with him. I remember being at a tea-party at Glascoed. I walked with a young man on the 4th of August, who overtook me on the road. I found I was in the family way in a month or six weeks after the intimacy referred to. Did net tell defendant of it. Never went to him before the child was born. My sister discovered us together, and told me of it on the Sunday after.

Re-examined: He sent and offered me eighteenpence a week. When he came to me he said he wanted a wife and courted me. He was once in the house when no one else was in but me and my sister, and he at length succeeded in getting her out by giving her three-pence to fetch some apples. Had not kept company with any one else.

By Mr A. Edwards Mr Cook came to our house to offer eighteen pence.

Ann Williams, wife of Joseph Williams, who lived next door to complainant, had frequently seen them together from May to July. She had seen him catch her by the hand and pull her out of the house. It was generally understood in the neighbourhood that the parties were courting, and they appeared as lovers.

By Mr A. Edwards: Had never seen anything improper take place between them.

Emma Williams, a younger sister of complainant, deposed to the parties being considered as lovers, and that defendant gave her threepence to go to the garden to get some apples, during which time complainant and defendant were left in the house together. In cross-examination she said she had not seen any impropriety occur between the parties.

Hannah Jenkins gave similar testimony, both as regards her examination-in-chief and her cross-examination.

Margaret Williams, mother of complainant, deposed to defendant coming to her house to see complainant, and to his pulling her about, walking out with her, and to his having had his arm around her.

Ann Powell, wife of George Powell, said: I am sister to complainant. I knew defendant very well. I knew him as coming to court my sister. First saw them together in May or beginning of June. Remember they went to send me home one night. After they had left me I found I had left some things behind, and on returning to fetch them I found the parties together under circumstances that proved there was an improper intimacy between them. I have on many occasions seen acts of familiarity between them.

By Mr A. Edwards I knew it was on the 9th of July because I particularly noticed it. They did not observe me and I left them together. It was about 10 o'clock. They were standing by a stile.

Re-examined I told my sister about it next morning, and said I thought she and Davies were going on very fast, when she said it was no matter as they were going to be married.

This being all the evidence adduced in support of the charge, Mr Alexander Edwards briefly addressed the court, in which he dwelt on its suspicious nature, given, as the most important part of it had been, by the mother and sisters of complainant, under which circumstances, he contended, it ought to be received with suspicion. He called the defendant who, he said, would prove that he was not in the neighbourhood of Mamhilad on the 9th of July, 1864, the date sworn to.

John Davies, the defendant, on being called said: On the 8th of July I went to Beaufort. I went by the 4 o'clock train to Crumlin. The next day I returned from Ebbw Vale by 7.15 p.m. train, and arrived at Crumlin by the 8.10 train, and walked home to Mamhilad. I went straight from Crumlin home. I did not go to complainant's that night. I never had connection with Sarah Morgan. I distinctly swear that I never authorised any one to offer her 1s. 6d. a week on my account. I never knew that she was in the family way until about a week before she was confined. If eighteen pence a week had been offered it was not done by my authority. When I walked with complainant my sister was repeatedly with us. I know it was on the 9th of July I was absent, because I wrote to my brother on the 8th.

By Mr Greenway (on Mr G. asking the question of defendant if he ever was alone in the house with Sarah Morgan he repeatedly endeavoured to fence it, and after distinctly denying it, and saying, I never was alone in the "house with Sarah Morgan in my life," he said, on the question being put for the last time, “I never was alone in the house with her except the time I bought the apples, and then only for a short time.") I don't think I sat down at all. I have sat down in the house. I think I sat down in the kitchen where they sat. I was never alone with Sarah Morgan in the front room nor in any other room but on one occasion. Q. Why were you so anxious to get the little girl out of the house? A. I was not anxious. Witness continued: That was on a Saturday I think in August. I might have been there from 15 to 20 minutes. I was not there more frequently on Saturdays than on other days. I remember walking with Sarah Morgan as with another girl. Mr Greenway: And do you put your arms around all the girls with whom you walk ? Witness to Mr Green- way I have not put my arms around her scores of times, nor a score, nor a dozen, but might have done half a dozen times. The name in the book (produced) is in my writing. It is Sarah Morgan, Mamhilad, but the initials J. D." in the corner is not my writing. I went once with Sarah Morgan to send Mrs Powell home. I believe it was on Saturday before the 9th of July. I met them, but did not go into the house. I went as far as Mrs Tippins's with Miss Tippins and Sarah Morgan. Miss Tippins went as far with us as the canal bridge which is close to Mrs Powell's house. Mrs Powell went home, and Mrs Tippins went home, and “me and Sarah” might have walked together a couple of yards. I was not with her 30, 15, 10, 5 nor 2 minutes. I commenced going to Morgan's on the 1st and 2nd of June, and continued until the 17th July. I had no particular reason for giving up going. I have not authorised any one to offer complainant eighteenpence a week. I have not, directly nor indirectly, offered to settle this matter. Mr Cook has spoken to me about it. He told me it would be much better for me to settle it, but I told him I never should.

David Davies I am brother of defendant, and live at Beaufort. I had a letter from him (produced) relative to his coming to Beaufort. He was there on the 8th and returned on the 9th of July.

Mr Greenway said the letter amounted to nothing, as the envelope had not been produced with it. In answer to Mr Greenway witness hesitated to say who it was that told him to search for the letter, when defendant told him what to say.

This being all the evidence, Mr Greenway made a lengthened address on behalf of his client, in which he remarked that the only catch the other party appeared to have in the whole case was that in which they wished to show that it was on the 2nd and not on the 9th of July, when the complainant and defendant walked with her sister.

The bench reserved its decision for a fortnight.

Webmaster note: Sarah’s late husband was Henry Morgan, of Middle/Little Wernhir who had died in 1863 after jumping from a train - an accident.


SATURDAY, AUGUST 5, 1865. (Page 1).

GLASCOED. FATAL ACCIDENT IN A HAY FIELD. -On Monday last an inquest was held at the house of Mr Abraham Jenkins, Little Mill, on view of the body of Job Lewis, farmer, Glascoed, who met with his death under the following circumstances. It appeared that on Friday evening deceased was employed in a field loading a waggon with hay, and having told the man in charge of the horses to move on, he accidentally fell from the vehicle, and falling on his back he so far injured the spine that he died on the following day. Mr Thomas, surgeon, Pontypool, saw deceased some time before he died, but the injuries he had received were of that description which rendered medical skill unavailing. The jury returned a verdict of “Accidental death."


SATURDAY, AUGUST 5, 1865. (Page 4).

(NOTE: This is Richard Stratton of Poplar Tree Cottage, not Richard Shetton).

POLICE COURT.

SATURDAY.

Before II. M. Kennard and T. J. Mitchell, Esqs.

“COME TO THE BIDDEL."

Richard Shetton was charged with having sold beer, &c., without a license, at Glascoed. This appeared to be one of those instances in which parties seek to raise a little money by having what is known as a “Biddel," and the particulars of this case may be gathered from the following evidence:

Martha Meredith said—I was at a tea party, held at the defendant's house on the evening of Sunday last, and at about ten o'clock they were selling beer and spirituous liquors.

Mr Supt. Mclntosh deposed that the whole of Glascoed was in a ferment in consequence of the drinking that had been allowed at defendant's house. A friend obtained for him a special license for selling drink on the Monday, and it was a general fact that a good deal of this work was carried on in the country villages.

John Williams said he purchased a jug of beer amongst other people, for which he paid, on Sunday, at the house in question.

In answer to the charge, defendant's wife said that in consequence of her having been lame and losing one of her daughters, they had incurred some debt, and had adopted this mode of raising money to discharge it.

Defendant was convicted in the penalty of 40s., including costs.


SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1865. (Page 1).


A SAD MISHAP.—As Mrs. Lewis, wife of Mr. James Lewis, of Glascoed, was proceeding in a cart to Pontypool Market, on the morning of Saturday last the safety-pin of the vehicle accidentally came out, by which means it upset, and as the female in question was violently thrown on the road, she received a concussion of the brain. She was at once removed to the Horse and Jockey Inn, near to which the accident happened, and as Mr. Thomas, of the firm of Lawrence and Thomas, had been sent for, he was quickly in attendance, and so far relieved the sufferer that she was able to be removed home at night, and is fast recovering.

(NOTE: This was Mary Lewis, wife of James Lewis and mother of James Lewis). While their property was not named on the censuses, I believe it is may have been “The Wern” although this is just an educated guess based on the census enumerator’s likely routes in 1871 and 1881).


SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 1865. (Page 4).

THE CATTLE PLAGUE.—The inhabitants of Mamhilad, Glascoed, Llangfihangel Pontymoil, and the surrounding district complain, and we think justly, that a person living at the Little Mill, should be allowed to convey dead horses, cattle, pigs, sheep, &c. to his premises, no matter from what disease they may have died, for the purpose of boiling them for cat's meat for the London and other markets. As the atmosphere must necessarily become impregnated with poisonous, infectious, and deleterious vapours arising from the processes connected with this business, it follows that it must promote the spread of the plague and disease to which we have adverted. Apart, however, from all this, as the thing appears on the face of it to be an intolerable nuisance, why don't the authorities look to its removal?