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Sarah Davies was born in Llansawel, Carmarthenshire, in approximately 1829. She was the daughter of Abel Davies, a labourer (according to her first marriage certificate) or farmer (according to second marriage certificate). Mother not known. I believe that she was a general servant on the 1851 census, at Coed-y-Cadno Farm, Llanvihangel Pontymoile (at least a Sarah Davies of the right age and birthplace was working there at the time). She married John Pitt on June 25th 1853. Within seven months of the marriage, their first child was born, so they must have known each other for at least a couple of months before the wedding! Their residence was said to be St. Woolos parish, Newport at the marriage - I wonder whether they were actually working there at that time, or whether there was another reason for marrying there. It appears that both John and Sarah would have been working in the Glascoed/ Pontymoile area prior to the marriage (at the time of the 1851 census), and that they were certainly living there from February 1854 when their first child was born. By 1861 they were living at Panta House and I believe that this may well have been their residence throughout their time at Glascoed. John and Sarah had 5 children, all born at Glascoed: Sarah Ellen Pitt (born 1st Feb 1854), Henry James Pitt (born 5th September 1856), William John Pitt (born 1859), Alice Ann Pitt (born 1862) and Thomas Jesse Pitt (born Boxing Day 1864). When John died in August 1865, Sarah was left to bring up five children on her own. I do not know for sure what happened initially, but by 6th October 1868, Sarah re-married to James Williams - son of Walter Williams (one of the Rioters). James had been born in Llanvihangel Pontymoile, but lived for a large portion of his life in Glascoed. At the time of the marriage, Sarah was living at Penpedairheol in Gelligaer parish. Since on the 1871 census her youngest son Thomas Jesse was staying with his aunty Ann Davies and Uncle Thomas Davies nearby at Gwaunyrallt, Hengoed, I assume that Sarah moved to the area to be closer to her sister (as a newly widowed mother of 5 children in 1865, moving to an area where there was family support was probably crucial to the family’s survival). Tough times, I would imagine for all concerned. Sarah was a widow for 3 years, until her marriage to James Williams. She did not have an occupation listed on her marriage certificate, so I assume that she may have been supported totally by her extended family. Witnesses were Thomas Price and Margaret Davies - I wonder whether she was Sarah’s sister? Both James Williams and Sarah left their X mark rather than signed the certificate, indicating that they had not learned to read. Sarah’s first husband John could sign his name and apparently taught some of the children of Glascoed to read - obviously had not succeeded or tried with his wife. After she married James they moved back to Glascoed (and were certainly there from 1869, when Arthur, their first son was born). Their main residence in the village was Rose Cottage (definitely there from 1891 to Sarah’s death in 1901 and from the way that the census has been written, since in each census they lived in a cottage neighbouring Pergoed and Sunny Bank, it is likely that they were there the whole 30 plus years period). James and Sarah had at least two children - certainly Arthur (born in 1869 at Glascoed) and Rachel, born in 1871 at Glascoed. An Ethel Williams is listed as their child on the 1881 census aged 3 months. It’s possible that this is their child, although it is more likely that Ethel Williams was actually Ethel Pitt, daughter of Alice Pitt. Alice was aged 18 at the time and unmarried. I will need to invest in Ethel’s birth certificate to unravel this I reckon. An Ethel Pitt was born in Pontypool registration district in this period - something that is probably too much of a coincidence for this theory not to be true. There were no Ethel Williams birth registrations in the same timescale (from Oct ‘80 to Mar ‘81). On the 1891 census, an Ethel Pitt (Grand-daughter) was listed at the property, aged 11, born Trevethin. Both of Alice’s married siblings (Ellen and James) were living in the Pontypool/ Trevethin area at this time. Also on the 1891 census, we find an Alice Edwards, grand-daughter, who must have been the daughter of Alice Pitt and her husband, Robert Edwards, a furnaceman from County Durham. Sarah died in 1901. Her death was registered in Pontypool registration district, and it is almost certain that she was still living in Glascoed at this point. Her husband, James, continued to live at Rose Cottage, Glascoed, after Sarah’s death - he was there on the 1901 census. Census entries: 1901 Widower James living at Rose Cottage |
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