Overview
The property now known as “The Poplars” was up until the mid-20th century, known as “Poplar Tree Cottage”, “Poplar Trees” or similar names. It was one of two semi-detached properties that were separate dwelling places.
The two Poplar Tree Cottages were certainly semi-detached cottages by the nineteenth century. I don’t know whether they were originally built as such.
In 1841, both Poplar Tree cottages were inhabited by members of the Jacob family. After this point, different families were in the two cottages, although even in 1841, the cottages were inhabited by two separate households.
I have named them Upper Poplar and Lower Poplar for ease of reference, but the only census they were referred to by these names is the 1851 census. Nowadays, “Upper Poplar Tree cottage” is known as “The Poplars” and “Lower Poplar Tree cottage” is known as “The Lilacs.”
At the time of the 1841 census, the presumed Head of the Household, John Jacob described his occupation as “Publican.” I presume that the Poplar Tree Cottages were once a Public House – although this is the only piece of information that I have to go on at the moment. Please let me know if you have any more information on its history. I’d love to know.
Facts and Figures
Year of Construction
Not known. Certainly prior to 1841.
First Recorded Residents and year
John and Margaret Jacob, 1841.
Residents at time of the 1851 census
Richard and Mary Stratton and family.
Location
“The Poplars”/ Upper Poplar tree cottage, is the further of the two cottages from Glascoed Lane, found at the entrance to a track which leads up towards Pantau Bushes and what was Pantau/ Panta House.
Residents
John and Margaret Jacob.
In 1841, John Jacob, a publican, lived with his wife, Margaret Jacob (nee Jones) and Maria and Jonathan Jacob, two of their children, who were in their twenties. While the cottage was the scene of a biddle/ illegal drinking house in the 1860s, I assume that from John’s occupation note in this census that it was a more legitimate drinking house in the 1840s. John Jacob died in November 1847, and was aged 71 according to the burial register at Llanfihangel Pontymoile church.
The Stratton family
By 1851, Richard Stratton’s family were living here including his wife Mary (nee Jenkins) and their first five children. The Strattons were to stay as occupants for quite some time. They moved in at some point between the births of Thomas Stratton on 12th December 1844 at Llanfrechfa Upper (Cwmbran) and Mary Stratton (c. 1848). It appears most likely that the move coincided with the death of John Jacob in November 1847. The Strattons had married at Panteg Parish Church on 4th August 1838 and appeared to have settled at Llanfrechfa from their marriage to their move to the Poplars in the mid-1840s. Richard was a Coke burner born on 19th November 1815 from Bitton in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. Mary was born in Llanover, but knew Glascoed well since her parents Thomas Jenkins and Martha (nee Davies) were from Mamhilad and later moved to Llanbaddock.
The family was still at the cottage at the time of the 1861 census.
It appears that Poplar Cottage was being used as an illegal drinking house, by the Strattons in 1865, until they were rumbled, quite likely by the Meredith family, according to a newspaper report in the 5th August edition of the Usk Observer. The article was titled: “A ‘Biddle’ at the Glascoed.”
The Strattons must have moved on at some point between the summer of 1865 and April 1871.
Whilst the Strattons had moved back to Llanfrechfa by the time of the 1871 census (where Richard was by now working as a coal miner) , they hadn’t severed all links with Glascoed, since in 1877, one of the sons, Charles married Sarah Ellen Pitt, who grew up at Panta House (from 1854 to the early 1860s). She would have been literally the girl next door (well separated by a 100 yard walk!)… although the Pitts moved to Rose Cottage from Panta House (around 1861/62, she was still only a short walk along Glascoed Lane to Pergoed Lane.
William and Sarah Rowland and family
William and Sarah Rowland were living at the cottage by 1871, having moved from High House. Mrs Rowland was born Sarah Williams in Glascoed near the turn of 1810/11, being christened at Panteg church on 20th Jan 1811. Her parents, William and Elizabeth had at least 2 other children born at Glascoed, William (b. 1813) and David (b. 1815).
William Rowland and Sarah Williams had married on 21st October 1837 at Panteg Church. Census records show that they were living at Pentwyn in 1841 and High House in 1851 and 1861. William was the son of a Francis and Sarah Rowland and was baptised on February 18th 1813 at Llanishen, Mon. William was a general farm labourer.
They had at least six children (all born at Glascoed) – Francis (c. 1838), William (1841), Mary Ann (c. 1843) – who married Henry Williams in 1862. Henry was the son of Walter and Rachel Williams, who were living at “Common Cross” in 1851. Henry had moved to “Tonbolth”, near St. Michael’s church by 1861, with his mother and siblings following Walter’s death.
On the 1881 census Sarah, now recorded as Rowlands, was a widow and living at Poplar Trees, aged 70 with her son David (aged 30) who was a labourer. This means that William Rowland must have died between 1871 and 1881. I believe that Sarah probably died between March and June 1884, since the JUN Quarter of the Death indexes shows a Sarah Rowlands aged 73 as having died in the Pontypool registration district. She also does not appear on the 1891 census. This is an educated assumption! Please check before “claiming” this as a fact; it’s unproven as far as I’m concerned.
Sibling residents: David and Elizabeth Rowalnds
The 1891 census shows William and Sarah’s son David (39, a Gardener and agricultural labourer) and daughter Elizabeth, aged 36 at the cottage, along with David’s niece, Florence Rowlands (aged 6). Florence was Elizabeth’s daughter and had been born on 13th February 1885. The father was not named on her birth certificate.
David and Elizabeth were still at Upper Poplar Tree Cottage on the 1901, 1911 and 1921 censuses with David continuing to work as a self-employed Market Gardener. Neither had married.
Florence was in service in 1901 with Mr and Mrs Babbidge at Pontypool, although was back in Glascoed by 1911. Florence had moved in next door to David and Elizabeth at Lower Poplar Tree Cottage, with her new husband, Edward Porch. As you will see if you read on, Florence was to return to her mother’s home, Upper Poplar Tree Cottage in the early 1930s, after marrying Alfred Price on Edward’s death in 1931.
David also appeared on the Registers of Electors after the 1884 Electoral Reform Act extended the right to vote to those who paid an annual rent of £10 or more. He therefore appeared on the Registers of Electors in 1889, 1909, 1922, 1929. Elizabeth did not appear to have registered as a voter since she does not appear on the 1922 or 1929 censuses.
David and Elizabeth both died in the 1930s and shared a grave, as they had shared Poplar Tree Cottage for all their lives. Their headstone (at Mount Zion graveyard) reads:
“In memory of
David Rowlands
who died Aug 1930 Aged 79
Peace Perfect Peace.
Also of Elizabeth Rowlands
Who died April 6 1937 Aged 82 yrs.”
Florence and Alfred Price and family
Florence and Alfred Price were the main residents at Upper Poplar Tree Cottage on the 1939 National Register – 29th September 1939. You will need to read the information on Alfred and Florence on the Lower Poplar tree page. Florence had been married to Edward Porch previously and lived with him at Lower Poplar Tree Cottage for the best part of 20 years. I believe that they separated prior to Edward Porch’s death in October 1931, since Florence is not mentioned in his obituary as having attended the funeral or been a mourner and also was not mentioned in Edward’s death notice. Florence married Alfred Price within a couple of months of Edward’s death, which seems to confirm that things had gone awry between Florence and Edward before his untimely death (after a six-month illness). I may be wrong of course.
You may remember that Florence was Elizabeth Rowlands’ daughter, so it was quite natural for her to return to Glascoed, living with her mother. I assume that the arrangement suited both the recently bereaved mother, Elizabeth and recently bereaved then newly wed daughter, Florence.
We learn from this account of a use of common land dispute from 1988 that Alfred Price had been living at “The Poplars” (the current name of Upper Poplar Cottage) since “the early 1930s.” We also learn from Alfred Price’s niece, Mrs Winifred Myra Coles, the wife of Mr W G Coles, that Alfred “used to keep a flock of pigs and sheep and cattle. He turned them out on Common y Fal,” which was the piece of land in front of Beech Farm. “In 1969 she (Mrs Coles) and her husband bought the house but her uncle Alfred Price continued to live there. During all this time he used to regularly turn out sheep and cattle.” A judgement was made that Mr Coles could continue to graze the land attached to the Poplars (2.757 acres) as long as he limited the number of animals claimed to 13 sheep or 3 cattle or 3 horses or a combination of these animals pro rata.” This seemed to be a dispute that was handled with grace and respect by each of the three parties involved.
So we leave this account of Upper Poplar Tree Cottage, or The Poplars as it is now known, in the safe hands of Mr and Mrs Coles in the late 1980s.
Records
Registers of Electors
- 1889, 1909, 1922, 1929 – David Rowlands
Censuses
- 1841 – John and Margaret Jacob.
- 1851 – Richard and Mary Stratton.
- 1861 – Richard and Mary Stratton.
- 1871 – William and Sarah Rowland.
- 1881 – Sarah Rowlands.
- 1891 – David and Elizabeth Rowlands.
- 1901 – David and Elizabeth Rowlands.
- 1911 – David and Elizabeth Rowlands.
- 1921 – David and Elizabeth Rowlands.
- 1939 National Register – Alfred and Florence Price.
Other records
- 1988 – Land dispute record. Mr and Mrs W G Coles (resident since 1969).