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USK OBSERVER, 1863

January 3, 1863

Local Government Act, 1858

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Parish of Goytre,

In the County of Monmouth

To Mr William Gwatkin, Churchwarden.

We, the undersigned, being rate payers and owners of property in the parish aforesaid, do hereby require you to convene a Public Meeting of ratepayers and owners of property therein, for the purpose of taking into consideration in the propriety of adopting the “Local Government Act, 1858,” in the said parish.

 Dated January 1st, 1853

John Williams, Enoch Heath, Richard Pruett, Walter Davies, William Nicholas, John Phillips, John Jenkins, John Preece, William Cocker, John Lewis, Oliver Davies, Thomas Roberts, Thomas Lewis, Henry Matthews, William Jones, George Painter, Benjamin Jeremiah, Thomas Jenkins, Daniel Tedman, Thomas Mosely, Edward Williams.

 Pursuant to the foregoing requisition, I do hereby convene a PUBLIC MEETING of the RATE-PAYERS and OWNERS of PROPERTY in the said parish, to be held in the VESTRY ROOM, of the Parish Church, on Friday, the 9th of JANUARY, 1863, at 2 o’clock in the Afternoon, for the purpose aforesaid.

WM. GWATKIN,

Churchwarden.

Dated 1st of January, 1863.

Usk Observer


SATURDAY MARCH 7th 1863

DEATH UNDER SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES. INQUEST ON THE BODY

  Some excitement prevailed in the neighbourhood of the hamlet of Glascoed, near Usk, during last week, from its becoming known that a man named Thos. Williams, residing in the parish of Llanbaddock, on the borders of that hamlet, had died very suddenly, after having partaken of medicine administered to him by a man named Kane, who practised as a quack doctor. The facts will be gathered from the following evidence given at the inquest which was opened on the 28th of February, before C.M. Ashwin, Esq., deputy-coroner.

  Martha Jenkins, sister to the deceased, deposed that the body shewn to the jury, was that of her brother; on Wednesday last, I, with my sister-in-law, were in the house about 4 o’clock in the afternoon. My brother came in and was followed by a man, who asked him if he would like to hear a paper read, to which my brother said- “we shall hear something.” The man read a paper about various diseases; I heard that he had been speaking to my brother on similar subjects on their way from Pontypool. My brother said he had a bad cold, when the man answered that he would remove it from his chest before he left the house; he put some powder on my brother’s hand, he did so by pinches, and at the last pinch, the man told him to take it in the name of God; he told him to cough; he told my sister-in-law to give him a pot to spit in, and to open his mouth for the stuff to run out of it; a quantity of stringy fluid came from his mouth; he gave him something out of two bottles; it had no effect at that time. In the evening, my brother went up stairs to sit with mother, who, we thought, was dying. He was not sick, and made no complaint until about 4 o’clock in the morning. I then heard a peculiar noise in his breathing, and I saw him struggling for breath. He died immediately afterwards.

  After the above evidence had been taken, the inquiry was adjourned, the man Kane, who was brought up in custody, being remanded.

  At the adjourned inquest, held on Wednesday last, the following additional evidence was given:-

  Martha Williams, of Glascoed, sister-in-law to the deceased, deposed:- I was in the house with the last witness on the afternoon of Wednesday last; when I came in the house I saw a stranger there, an old man, who was reading a paper; and who said he could cure my brother-in-law of his cold; he gave him something like snuff, which he put on deceased’s hand, and told him to sniff it up his nose. He did so. The old man told me to fetch a utensil for the deceased to spit in. I do not know what the old man was reading about, but he said he could cure all manner of diseases. He told deceased to spit in the pot and cough; he told me to reach him a small wine glass, which I did; he poured about a table-spoonful of medicine out of a bottle into it, and told him to drink it up. After deceased had done so, he asked him if it felt warm in his stomach, and made him sweat; deceased answered that it warmed his stomach, but did not make him sweat. The old man then gave him some more powder, similar in appearance to the former one, and afterwards gave him about a spoonful of liquid out of another bottle. He gave deceased four or five doses of liquid alternately out of each bottle, and the powder to sniff between each dose, in the course of an hour. One of the bottles held about a quarter of a pint, and the other about half a pint. Deceased spat up a quantity of stringy phlegmy stuff; he did not complain of any pain, but said it warmed his stomach. He seemed quite smart all the evening; but at one o’clock the same night, he complained of a pain in his stomach, and had some tea. He said that he had thrown up all he had taken that evening, and should be sick again. He then went upstairs to his mother’s room. I went up shortly afterwards, and he was then sitting down on a chair, and seemed pretty well; I sat upstairs with him about half-an-hour, when feeling cold, I went down to the fire. Very soon after I left the room, I heard a jumping there, and my sister crying out. I went up stairs when Martha Jenkins said her brother was in a fit. I saw deceased on the floor between two persons who were holding him; deceased was making a blowing noise with his mouth, and a frothy, bloody fluid was issuing out of his mouth. He died almost immediately. My sister-in-law, Martha Jenkins, took one dose of the medicine.

 Hannah Lewis, of the hamlet of Glascoed, deposed; I am the wife of Philip Lewis, laborer. As I returned home from prayer meeting, about 9 o’clock this day week, I called at the house of Martha Jenkins, to enquire how the old lady (Mrs. Williams) was. The deceased then appeared as well as I had been accustomed to see him. I went up to sit with the old lady. I went home and afterwards returned to stop the night at the request of Martha Jenkins and her brother, the deceased. We had tea about one o’clock in the night, and the deceased partook of some with us. After tea, I went again up stairs, and the deceased afterwards came up stairs. He did not complain to me that he had been sick. He remained there, perhaps, for nearly two hours, sitting at the foot of his mother’s bed. I heard a strange noise, and looked towards the old lady, who, we thought, was dying, but saw nothing particular there; I then looked at the deceased, he was leaning back in his chair, struggling, and his eyes turned up, so that I could only see the white of them; he breathed hard, and froth fled from his mouth, slightly tinged with blood. I do not think it was more than two minutes from my first hearing the noise to the time he was dead. When I saw him struggling, I went to him, to prevent his falling on his mother’s feet; and Edward Morgan came to my assistance. I thought of the wen he had in his neck, and put my finger in between his collar and loosened it.

  John Williams, M.D., Pontypool, deposed that he had made a post mortem examination of the body of deceased; the surface of the body was pale, cold, and rigid, throughout; there were no external marks of violence, but bloody mucus oozed from the mouth, upon pressure over the stomach; the brain was congested on its surface, but in all other respects healthy; the neck vessels were turgid with fluid black blood, which bled freely on division; there was a clot in the right venticle of the heart, plugging up both pulmonary arteries-this was, undoubtedly, the cause of the sudden death; slight recent pericardilis with three ounces of yellow serum in the pericardum; there was congestion of the posterior part of the left lung, with recent and chronic adhesions; the other lung was healthy; the stomach and small intestines appeared reddened throughout; all the other organs were healthy. Witness had made an analysis of the contents of the stomach, but discovered no trace of poison, but there was a very strong odour of some essential oil. Could not call the redness of the stomach and bowels inflammation; would not say that the medicine deceased had taken could produce the clot of blood in the vessels leading from the heart to the lung.

  The Coroner having placed the facts clearly before the jury, the latter returned a verdict to the effect that deceased had died a sudden death, from natural causes. This verdict of course acquitted the man Kane of the charge of having caused the man’s death, and he was taken before a magistrate on the following day, and discharged.


SATURDAY, MAY 2nd,1863.

To be Let,

WITH immediate possession, MIDDLE WERNHIR FARM, situate in the Hamlet of Glascoed, about three miles from Usk, containing about 64 acres. The stock, &c. to be taken at a valuation.

Apply to Mr. PARTRIDGE, Solicitor, Usk.


SATURDAY, JUNE 6th,1863.

COUNTY COURT, TUESDAY, Before Judge Herbert.

 Daniel Roberts, Llanbaddock, farmer v Daniel Morgan, and Ann his wife, Tredunnock, haulier, claim, £2 8s 6d, balance for sheep – full amount by 10s a month.


SATURDAY, AUGUST 15,1863.

DISTRICT INTELLIGENCE

USK

GLASCOED BAPTIST CHAPEL.- On Wednesday, the 5th inst., a public meeting was held at the above chapel, when about 300 friends sat down to tea. The tables having been cleared, several suitable pieces were sung by the choir, conducted by Mr. S. Evans, New Inn. Very appropriate addresses were delivered by the Revs. D. James (student at the Western College, Plymouth), T. Williams (Pontheer), and G. Cosens (Usk). The Rev. W. Morgan, the pastor, occupied the chair. At the conclusion, the Divine Blessing having been invoked, the assembly departed, highly gratified with the afternoon’s proceedings.


Saturday August 29, 1863

Monmouthshire

Valuable and Improvable FREEHOLD FARMS and LANDS, in the several Parishes of Llanbaddock, Glascoed, Cwmcarvan, Penalt, Caldicot, etc.

MR. JAMES WHITE will SELL by AUCTION, at the KING’S HEAD HOTEL, MONMOUTH,

On SATURDAY, the 12th of SEPTEMBER, 1863,

At Two o’clock in the afternoon.

In Llanbaddock, near Usk

Lot 1.- The Brin Farm, comprising 61a. 3r. 20p of valuable land, with farm buildings.

Lot 2 – The Wernhire Farm, consisting of farm house and extensive farm buildings, and 161a. 1r. 39p. of valuable and improvable land. (PROBABLY Lower Wernhir, but could be one of the other Wernhirs - Middle or Upper). The above lots are near the Little Mill railway station.


Saturday September 19, 1863

AFFILIATION.-Margaret Lewis, Garndiffaith, v. Arthur Morgan, Glascoed. Mr. Alex Edwards for defendant. The charge was dismissed, complainant having no corroborative evidence. She said her witnesses had been bribed, but that she would endeavour to produce some testimony in a week or two, when she would summon defendant again.


SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10,1863.

USK

 THE EARTHQUAKE of Tuesday last was experienced by several persons in this town and neighbourhood, especially by residents in detached houses.


MAMHILAD

 SHOCKING DEATH ON THE RAILWAY.—On the morning of Monday last, about twenty minutes past 4 o’clock, a platelayer named Thomas Lewis, engaged on the railway in this locality, was horrified at finding on the line, near where it passes the reformatory school, the body of a man quite dead, and partly resting on the rails of the up line. Lewis obtained assistance, and removed the body, which was recognised to be that of William Morgan, formerly of Little Wernhere farm, Glascoed, but who has been recently residing, with his wife, to whom he had been married only a few months, at the house of her father, the Pentre, in the parish of Mamhilad. Inquiry was at once made as to how the deceased had met his death, when it was ascertained that he had been seen at the Nantyderry station on the previous (Sunday) night, having arrived by the train there at nine o’clock, from Abergavenny, where he was also seen on the platform. It was further elicited that a man had been seen by a passenger riding on the outside of the train, after it had left Nantyderry station, and jumping off where deceased’s body was found. It is therefore assumed that, after ostensibly leaving the train, deceased passed round the end of it, and got on the foot-board, for the purpose of riding as far as the nearest spot on the line to where he resided, intending to jump off, as it is said he did, and thus to save himself a considerable distance to walk. A coroner’s inquiry into the circumstances was held at the Half-way House Inn, Little Mill, on Tuesday morning, when, after the above facts had been deposed to in evidence, the jury returned a verdict of “Accidental Death,” at the same time expressing an opinion that none of the company’s servants were the least to blame in the matter. It has been rumoured that deceased had before been known, when living at Wernhere, to jump from trains on the Monmouth branch whilst travelling. If such be the case, his not having before come to harm from such a dangerous practice can only be accounted for by the trains not running so fast on the Monmouth branch as on the main line; and that the train in question was running at a high speed will be gathered from the fact that the road bore marks of his having literally ploughed the ground for a distance of about forty yards from the spot where he first alighted, the injuries inflicted on the body thereby being of a frightful character, and such as undoubtedly caused instantaneous death.

(Webmaster note: This was HENRY Morgan, not William - confirmed through burial registers).


ABERGAVENNY AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION

PLOUGHING.-

Ploughing half an acre of land within four hours, in the best and most workmanlike manner, with a flay.

For a member of the Association or his son, with a pair of horses, without a driver. 3 entries.

1st prize, £2. –Philip Leonard, Tonybetha, Llangibby.

2nd prize £1.-Richard Rees, Wernhir, near Usk.


Saturday October 24, 1863

TRESPASSING AND DAMAGING A HEDGE.-Sarah Rowlands, Eliza Rowlands and David Rowlands, Glascoed, were charged with the above offence, the prosecutor being David Morgan of Monkswood, who said he did not wish to press the charge, and the bench allowed it to be withdrawn upon the defendants paying the expensers (5s.) between them.

Monmouthshire Quarter Sessions

The Michaelmas Sessions for this county, were opened at the Town Hall, Usk, on Monday last, the following magistrates being present on the bench:- … (19 men listed, including Chairman and Deputy Chairman) …

SECOND COURT, before Sir THOS. PHILLIPS (deputy-chairman), and G.R. GREENHOW-RELPH, Esq.

BILLS IGNORED:

William Arnold, feloniously attempting to commit an unnatural offence at Llanbaddock.


Saturday October 31, 1863

DISTRICT INTELLIGENCE

Usk Farmers’ Club

The annual gathering in connection with this society, took place on Tuesday last. The ground selected for the ploughing match was a fine level clover ley, in the occupation of Mr William Cadle, Llancayo farm, situated about a mile and a half from the town. At nine o’clock, lots were drawn for places, and, at a quarter to ten, on the signal being given, forty-seven ploughmen commenced their friendly competition for the prizes.

This Club, which has been established 20 years, has always been popular with ploughmen, and its meetings, which have for the lengthened period named, been regarded as occasions for the display of a greater amount of skill, and for more spirited competition than most other societies of the kind in this district, have always been well attended; but this year the number of competitors was very much larger than on any of the previous ones, and most of the ploughing was of a first-rate character.

A heavy fog prevailed during the whole time the ploughing was in progress – a circumstance which probably somewhat diminished the number of spectators on the ground; but nevertheless, there was an average attendance of persons interested in such matters, who were unanimous in expressing their satisfaction with the character of the work, and it must be satisfactory to the judges (Mr. Thomas Watkins, Llanvair Kilgeddin, and Mr. Thomas Williams, of Bryncaen), to know-when as we are aware, universal satisfaction is impossible – that their decisions met with the concurrence of by far the majority of the practical men who criticised their operations …

… The luncheon laid out at Llancayo House, was on an extensive scale, and of first-rate quality; Mr. and Mrs. Cadle, and their family, as usual, sparing no trouble to give their numerous guests a hearty welcome.

AWARD OF PRIZES

For ploughing half-an-acre of land in the best and most workmanlike manner, within four hours, with a pair of horses, without a driver:-

CHAMPION PRIZES.-Open to All-England, to be competed for by ploughmen who have gained first prizes in any year in the first and second classes. First prize, £5; second, £3. Nine competitors, viz.-

No

12. A. Powell, ser. to Ramsone & Sims, Ipswich-Highly com.

13 James Waites, servant to Mr. John Logan, Goytre.

14 George Brown, servant to Messrs Howard, Bedford - FIRST.

15 Richard Rees, Wernhere farm.

16 Albert Baker, son of Mr. Baker, Saint Brides - SECOND.

17 Thomas Morgan, servant to Mr. Davies, Llangstone.

18 Leonard Lewis, servant to Miss Morgan, Mamhilad.

19 John Badham, servant to Mr. Bateman, Bertholey.

20 Phillip Leonard, son of Mr. John Leonard, Tonybetha.

Class 1. To the farmer (being a member) or his son.

First prize, £3. Second prize, £2. Eleven competitors, viz.-

1 Henry Waters, son of Mr Waters, Llangibby - Commended.

2 George Baker, son of Mr Baker, Saint Brides – FIRST

3 Alsop Jones, son of Mr Alsop Jones, Cayo, Llandenny

4 Tom Crump, son of Mr Wm. Crump, Estavarney – SECOND

5 Wm. Marfell, son of Mr Peter Marfell, - Highly Commended

6 Edward Griffiths, son of Mr Griffiths, Trostrey

7 John Jones, Llangibby

8 Benjamin Rees, Wernhere, near Usk

9 Wm. Cadle, son of Mr William Cadle, Lancayo farm

10 John Probert, son of Mr John Probert, Langibby

11 Wm. Price, son of Mr Edward Price, Kemeys

[An objection was raised to Mr. Baker being awarded the first prize, on account of his having won a first prize in a similar class at Chepstow. The President said the objection would be enquired into.]

Nb, there were two further ploughing classes judged at the event for servants and younger competitors, but since no Glascoed people won these I have not included the detail here.


Saturday November 28, 1863

(Advertisement section)

Glascoed Vale, near Little Mill  (Webmaster’s Note: This is Glascoed Vach Farm, not V ale)

Between Pontypool and Usk.

MESSRS. GRAHAM & CO. have been favored with instructions from Mr. RICHARD MILES, who is leaving the farm, to SELL by PUBLIC AUCTION,

On TUESDAY, the 8th DECEMBER 1863,

THE UNDERMENTIONED

LIVE AND DEAD FARMING STOCK,

HAY, 700 GALLONS CIDER, IMPLEMENTS,

And other Effects. Comprising

LIVE STOCK.-1 cow with calf, 2 young cows to calve in good season, 3 two-year-old heifers in calf, 1 fat cow, 2 steer calves, 4 heifer calves, 25 good sound sheep, 1 useful cart horse rising five years, 1 cart mare in foal, 1 half-bred colt, 2 sucking colts, 1 sow in farrow, 1 young sow, 3 store pigs, 1 fat sow.

IMPLEMENTS.-3 very excellent carts, 2 iron ploughs, 1 wooden ditto, 1 pair of iron harrows, pair wooden ditto, capital yew tree roller, winnowing fan, pigs’ trough, pikes, rakes, 4 dozen hurdles, chaff machine, tubs, casks &c.

HARNESS.-2 sets long harness, 3 sets short ditto, 2 sets G O ditto.

DAIRY UTENSILS.-Patent cheese press, milk pans, cheese cowl, &c.

HAY, CORN, &c.-3 ricks of well-harvested and first-class hay and clover, a large quantity of straw, a rick of oats (about 60 bushels), 2 acres of turnips; also upwards of 700 gallons of prime, good cider.

Refreshments on the Table at Eleven, and the Sale to commence precisely at Twelve o’clock at noon.

Dated Newport, Mon., 25th Nov, 1863.