Sunny Bank Cottage

Overview

By comparing this Ordnance Survey map from 1886 (surveyed in 1881), downloaded with permission from the National Library of Scotland website, with present day Google maps images and visiting the hamlet, I believe that Sunny Bank Cottage was demolished and replaced by a newer house, Lynwood at some point after the Second World War.

Sunny Bank Cottage was still being referred to by that name on the 1939 National Register (with no mention of Lynwood). If you compare the “Old maps” on the National Library of Scotland site with the Google maps satellite view below, you may agree that the site of the old Sunny Bank Cottage is slightly to the West of the present Lynwood. It is clear though that they occupied the same general area.

Name changes, throughout the census period.

Sunny Bank Cottage was only given that name in the 1911 census. I have used this name to distinguish the property from the neighbouring Sunny Bank Farm. The names the property went under in various censuses (with their census numbers) were:

Sunny Bank Cottage – see “Residents” section for the rationale for the guess.

1841 – #36. Twyn Mary Samuel. (Philip Lewis his sister Caroline Meredith and her husband James).

1851 – #15. Lower House. (James and Caroline Meredith).

Confirmed to be Sunny Bank Cottage.

1861 – #17. Sunny Bank. (James and Caroline Meredith).

1871 – #21. No Name given. Next door to Sunny Bank (Farm). (Caroline Meredith).

1881 – #34. Sunny Bank. (Caroline Meredith).

1891 – #36. Sunny Bank. (Philip Meredith).

1901 – #23. Sunny Bank. (Emily Meredith).

1911 – #36. Sunny Bank Cottage. (Frank and Annie Summers).

1921 – #6. Sunny Bank Cottage (Frank and Annie Summers).

1939 – #36. Sunny Bank Cottage. (Frank and Anna Summers).

From 1861, a second property was also named “Suny Bank” appeared on the censuses, although in 1861, this was uninhabited. The 1871 census shows Daniel and Mary Jones as the residents of this second “Sunny Bank”, to 1911 and beyond presumably. The 1911 census lists it as “Sunny Bank” Description: Farm House as opposed to Sunny Bank Cottage. I have named this “Sunny Bank Farm” and it too has a page, which you can explore.

Facts and Figures

Location

Residents

Philip Lewis

I believe that Philip Lewis was the first resident recorded at Sunny Bank Cottage on the 1841 census, along with his sister Caroline and brother-in-law, James Meredith.

I explain my reasons for this assertion in the next section. Since the property was named “Twyn Mary Samuel” on the 1841 census, we can assume that Mary Samuel may have lived there at some point in the past, although of course she may have been a non-resident owner.

The Meredith family

The Meredith family are one of my favourite Glascoed families, although from newspaper reports I suspect that they were not always popular with some of my ancestors for different reasons. Certainly the Glascoed Rioters who rioted against James’ alleged enclosure of common land, were angry with them in that period. John and Sarah Pitt their neighbours at Rose Cottage also fell out with them, taking the teenage Martha Meredith to court for trespass at one point. The Jones family from Pear Tree Cottage also got into fights with the Merediths in the 1860s and 1870s. Life certainly wasn’t dull on Pergoed Lane in the mid 19th Century!

James and Caroline Meredith

James and Caroline Meredith were the first residents recorded at the premises as “Sunny Bank” in 1861 and members of the Meredith family stayed in residence in the cottage until the early 1900s. We can be fairly sure that the Meredith “Sunny Bank” property was actually “Sunny Bank Cottage.”

Fixing the Merediths 1861 census property as “Sunny Banks” and knowing that this was off Pergoed Lane is helpful. A newspaper report on March 30^th 1861 entitled “The Riot at the Glascoed” show Jemmy reporting that “I possess a cottage and two or three pieces of land at Glascoed. One piece of land I have had in my possession twenty years, and another 4 years. There is a pig’s cot on the piece I have held for 20 years, which has been there 32 years. I have paid taxes 11 years … I acquired the house and land from my brother-in-law. My brother-in-law was convicted. He gave them to me two or three years before he was convicted.”

We know that James’ brother-in-law, Philip Lewis was at “Twyn Mary Samuel” in 1841, with James and Caroline Meredith. This seems to anchor both “Twyn Mary Samuel” and “Lower House” as being the same property as “Sunny Bank Cottage”, although this is based on adding “Two plus two” together – and occasionally in the world we live, “putting two and two together” may not always give us the correct answer!

You will be able to read more about the Merediths and the Lewis in their biographies by the end of 2024: e.g. Jemmy Meredith, Philip Lewis and his sister Caroline, who married Jemmy Meredith. They were also central characters in the “Glascoed Riots” which played out partly outside the Meredith’s lands (hedges, trees and enclosures were uprooted on their property, gunshots were fired and women and dogs were fighting!).

Jemmy died in February 1871, and was buried at Llanfihangel Pontymoile Church. The 1871 census sees Caroline on the census as an “Annuitant” heading the family. Genuki describes an Annuitant on a census in this way: “Annuitant ~ The term annuitant could describe someone on an annual allowance as well as someone receiving annual income from an investment. Often however, it was also used for institutionalized pensioners.”

Living with Caroline were her sons Thomas (aged 28) and Philip (aged 21), both working as Labourers at the Iron Works and recently married daughter Martha (now named Harney – although written as Harvey on the census). Martha married John Harney in 1867 at Cardiff. This marriage did not last very long. John was transported for stealing sheep in 1869. This newspaper report tells of his arrest and this second report of his sentencing.

Martha had a daughter, Sarah, in 1871, and accused a Thomas Smith of being the father. The court found insufficient evidence to prove paternity. Martha married James Eddins in 1891. James was a Herefordshire native, who was at Panta Cottage in 1871 and Cwm Soar in 1881. James had previously been married too (to a Charlotte Bayton).

The Merediths continued to live at Sunny Bank Cottage right the way through to the 20th century. In 1881, Caroline was there with her daughter Martha (here with the surname “Arnold” or this could possibly be Adlum?), son Philip and her grand-daughter Sarah. The identity of Sarah’s father was disputed, although this court case may shed some light on the matter .

Caroline died on 9th May 1888, according to the Probate indexes. The Executor was her son, Philip who was an “Engine driver.”

Philip and Emily Meredith

James and Caroline’s son Philip continued living at Sunny Bank Cottage with his family. Philip was listed on the 1889 Register of electors as qualifying through ownership.

Philip had married Emily Cutler (11 years his junior, born in Malvern, Worcestershire) on 22nd April 1889. Emily was the daughter of Eliza Eddins. Interestingly, Eliza Eddins’ brother, James married Philip’s sister, Martha Meredith.

Philip was baptised at Mount Zion Chapel on 13^th September 1868, when he would have been aged about 18. He spent a period after this keeping the chapel yard in order, although resigned from this position in 1873. He is mentioned as having given money to support the chapel in later years. He was also “restored to communion and fellowship” in 1884 and 1889. I wonder what the story was – maybe he had just stopped attending for a period?

Philip worked as a labourer, and then as an “Engine driver” at the steelworks. The engines concerned were stationary steam engines and required a good understanding of mechanics and maintenance to ensure that the machine operated effectively. The machines performed tasks such as driving machinery, pumping water or powering rolling mills or blast furnaces.

Philip and Emily were living at Sunny Bank Cottage together on the 1891 census night with their 1 year old daughter Eliza and a 13 year old “Nurse. Domestic servant” named Eliza Powell, from Warwickshire.

Philip and Emily had four children, Eliza (1890), Emily (1891), Caroline (1895) and Andrew James Meredith (1899). All except Philip were there in Sunny Bank Cottage at the time of the 1901 census. Sadly Philip had died three weeks before census night, on 10th March 1901. He was buried at Monkswood Parish Church.

Emily later married a Jeremiah Smith in 1910. Jeremiah was born circa 1847 at Hopesay, Shropshire. She was living at Monkswood at the time of the 1911 census; along with Jeremiah and her youngest son, Andrew Meredith.

Frank and Annie Summers and family

By 1909 (the Register of Electors), Frank Summers was the Head of Household at “Sunny Banks”. He was still at “Sunny Bank Cottage” in 1911 for the census, where we see the rest of his family: his wife of 10 years, Annie, and son Francis (aged 8). They had only had one child by this point. Frank was a general farm labourer and was born in Panteg (circa 1867/8). Both Annie and Frank were born in Glascoed. I would imagine that Francis was born in Sunny Bank Cottage (going on the death year of Philip Meredith). His birth date was 19^th May 1902.

Annie Summers was born Annie Maria Sainsbury on 28^th December 1877, and was the daughter of James Sainsbury and Maria (nee Morgan).

Annie’s father James had through family legend, appeared at Glascoed in the 1850s with some travelling gypsies. He had fallen in love with a Glascoed girl, Maria Morgan and they resolved to marry. Maria’s brothers would not allow her to go travelling with the gypsies, so James made the choice to stay behind in Glascoed. His gypsy family allegedly cursed James on their departure, since he had chosen to leave them for Maria. James was working in a brick factory and had an accident and broke his back for 17 years he was confined to bed. Was this a result of the curse or pure bad luck? I’ll leave it to you to decide. The Sainsbury family stayed in Glascoed for many years and descendants still live in the hamlet to this day.

Frank and Annie were occupiers rather than owners, as indicated on the 1909 (Frank only), 1922 and 1929 Registers of Electors. By 1929, Francis (junior) was also entitled to vote and was still living at the property. It appears that the cottage was owned by a John Jeffreys of Market Street, Pontypool in 1909 from these Registers.

World War 2 and the change of name from Sunny Bank Cottage to Lynwood

Frank died at the age of 75 on 11^th November 1946.

The Probate indexes, combined with the 1939 Register, indicate that Sunny Bank Cottage either changed its name to Lynwood between the 29^th September 1939 and Frank’s death in 1946, or that a newer property was built in the grounds to replace the cottage, and was named Lynwood by Annie and Frank.

The indexes record the following:

28 Nov 1946. SUMMERS Frank of Lynwood Glascoed Monmouthshire died 11 November 1946 Administration Gloucester 28 November to Francis Summers retired locomotive driver. £550.

Annie lived to a good age and died just short of her 88^th birthday on 14^th November 1965.

30 Dec 1965. SUMMERS Annie Maria of Lynwood Glascoed Died 14 November 1965 Administration Gloucester 30 December Francis Summers steelworker. £410.

Their son Francis had married a Lily M Summer in 1931. They were living in Pontypool at the time of the 1939 Register. Francis died in the summer of 1976 (a very hot summer that one) at Basford, Nottinghamshire, aged 74.

Records

Registers of Electors

From 1870 to 1871 – James Meredith.

1889 – Philip Meredith.

From 1909 to 1929 – The Summers family: Frank (each year) and Annie (from 1922 to 1929). Also their son Francis (in 1929).

Censuses

Under different names. Almost certainly the same property.