Overview
Upper Cwmhir is situated at the end of Cwmhir Road, which winds up to the north of the village from Jerusalem Lane if you are approaching from New Inn. The farm was not a large concern in the 19th century. In 1851, the occupant was a “farmer of 8 acres.”
Its near neighbour is rather predictably, Lower Cwmhir (and is situated just 100 yards further east). The Cwmhirs are situated in between the Glascoed and Little Mill, although have been a part of Glascoed for as far back as I can trace. The postal code is NP4 0TU. Both properties have sometimes been written on records as “Cwmare.”
Facts and Figures
Year of Construction
Certainly pre-1841. Probably pre-1800.
First Recorded Residents and year
Probably Joseph Samson from 1824. William Williams was definitely in residence by 1831.
Residents at time of the 1851 census
William Williams (aged 78) and family.
Location
Upper Cwmhir (also known as Upper Cwmare) is near the end of Cwmhir Road, next to Lower Cwmhir. It is situated in between the Glascoed and Little Mill, although it has been a part of Glascoed for as far back as I can trace.
The postal code is NP4 0TU.
Residents
William Williams and family.
For most of the 19th century, Upper Cwmhir was occupied by several generations of the Williams family, although by tracing back through the Land Tax records, it appears likely that from about 1824 to 1829 or thereabouts, a Joseph Samson was the Occupant. The Duke of Beaufort was the landowner. This may well have been the Joseph Sampson who married Amy Morgan at Mamhilad, on 3rd June 1777, or perhaps his son?!
At the time of the 1831 Land Tax Assessment, William Williams was in residence. He was assessed for a £1 yearly rental on the property.
We find out more about the Williams family on the 1841 census. The residents were William Williams, aged “20” Occupation “Ind” and born in Monmouthshire. There was also an Elizabeth Williams, aged “50” also born in Monmouthshire and a William Jones aged 10, an Agricultural labourer and a William “ditto” aged “20” born outside of Monmouthshire a M S (male servant). I assume that Elizabeth was William’s mother. It’s possible though that the “20 year old William” was in fact the elder William Williams from the 1831 Land Tax Assessment – hard to say whether it’s a census enumerator’s error or not. William senior may well have just been away from home on census night.
With the sparseness of detail, it is not easy to be sure about exactly which Williams’ and Jones these were. These are such common names.
On the 1851 census we still see that the Williams family was still in residence – an older William Williams, a 78 year old widower, born in Glascoed who was a farmer. He was probably the same William Williams who appeared on the 1831 Land Tax Assessment, although this is a bit of an assumption. Here we see that Upper Cwmhir was not a large farm by any means – he only farmed 8 acres.
His daughter in law, Mary Williams (aged 28) – born Panteg – was living there and in obvious poverty. She was in receipt of parish relief, along with her two daughters, Harriet (aged 6) and Eliza (aged 4), both of whom had been born in Glascoed. It is not clear who their father (by now deceased) was.
William Williams senior had died or moved away by the time of the 1861 census.
A changing of the Guard: William & Mary Ann Williams and family.
On the 1861 census, the farm is called “Lower Cwmare” – although since Upper Cwmare is not on this census and Lower Cwmare appears twice, I have assumed that this is actually “Upper Cwmhir” . William Williams, born Glascoed aged 48 is now the farmer. I believe that this is likely to be the William Williams, baptised in Monkswood on 21st March 1813, son of the Glascoed residents, William and Elizabeth Williams. This William had at least two siblings, Sarah (baptised on 20th Jan 1811 at Monkswood – who later married William Rowland) and David (baptised 10th Sept 1815 at Monkswood). David later and married a much older lady farmer, Frances Williams (nee Morgan). She was about 30 years older than David and this fact I believe led to the marriage being reported in the Hereford Times.
Also living at the house in 1861 were Mary Ann (William’s wife) aged 50 born in Glascoed. Their three daughters listed were Margaret (aged 14), Jamima (aged 12) and Elizabeth (aged 8). All were born in Glascoed.
In 1856, the Usk Observer had reported that one of William’s dogs killed several of a neighbour’s sheep, including a “fine ram” … along with a neighbouring dog. I’m sure he wasn’t popular on Rhadyr farm for a while! Since we are not sure whether William Williams senior was still alive at this point, it is hard to be sure whether father or son was responsible for his dog’s misdemeanour!
The Williams family continued to farm at Upper Cwmhir for years onwards, as evidenced by the census records below:
The 1871 census shows that William (born 1813) and Mary Ann were still the main residents. Their daughter, Elizabeth (now 18) and still a “Scholar” and their nephew Leonard (aged 12 from Llanfrechfa Upper) were with them. Leonard is described as an “Imbecile”. This sounds harsh to our modern ears; it may have indicated that Leonard had a moderate learning disability, although the families and enumerators wouldn’t necessarily have been well equipped to diagnose this!
The 1881 census has William, Mary Ann and Elizabeth still living at the farm. William is still farming and aged 68, Mary Ann has gone blind and Elizabeth is listed as an unmarried 26 year old. I wonder whether she stayed at home to care for her mother? William and Mary Ann’s other daughter, Jemima had died in 1879 and was buried at Llanfihangel Pontymoile churchyard on 16th July 1879. Their grand-daughter, Alice Margaret Williams, born in 1872 was now living with William and Mary Ann. She was Jemima’s daughter with Wyndham Williams, noted on Alice’s later marriage certificate as the father.
The 1891 census showed an ageing William Williams, as a widower. His wife Mary Ann had died in October 1888 and was buried at Llanfihangel Pontymoile churchyard.
William was by now a 78-year-old farmer, living with his Grand-daughter Alice, who worked as his housekeeper. They had also taken in a 23-year-old Steel works Labourer, William Stoneham, as their lodger. William was born in Shirenewton.
William died in April 1892 and was buried at Llanfihangel Pontymoile churchyard on 18th April 1892.
Extended family: Alice and William Stoneham
At first glance this would appear to have been the end of an era, since by 1901, the lodger, William Stoneham had taken on the tenancy at Upper Cwmhir. On closer examination, William’s wife was Alice and in fact William married her, which continued the Williams family’s interest in Upper Cwmhir into the 20th century.
William had lived to see them marry, since their marriage was at Panteg Parish Church on 9th September 1891.
The 1901 census shows the young couple with two children, Louisa (aged 8) and William (aged 5). William was now a Plate layer on the railway. They were all English speakers. We discover that Upper Cwmhir had four rooms.
The 1911 census shows the same people. William was by now working at “Brickmaking” at the nearby Little Mill Brick Company. It confirms that William and Alice had been married for 19 years ad that they only ever had two children. Louisa was now 18 and a Dress maker (employed at home) and the younger was working with his dad at the Brick Company. Upper Cwmhir is now known as “Upper Cwmhir Cottage”.
William and Nellie Symons.
William and Nellie Symons (or Simons) had moved in to Upper Cwmhir at some point in between March 1917 and July 1920. They appear as residents of Upper Cwmhir on the 1921 census and in the 1922 Electoral Registers. They had 3 sons by the time of the census:
- Thomas Edward, born at Abersychan in 1915
- William Henry born at Pontypool in 1917 and
- Albert John, born in Glascoed in July 1920.
William was the son of Edward and Sarah Simons who had started to farm at Glascoed Vach at some point in between 1911 and 1921. William was working as a Collier.
William and Elizabeth Gameson
William and Elizabeth Gameson first appeared as names on the 1929 Electoral Registers. I have not taken copies of the Registers between 1922 and 1929 so I am not sure exactly when the Simons family moved out and the Gamesons moved in.
We find out a little more about the Gamesons in the 1939 National Register, which was taken in September 1939 as a consequence of the outbreak of war. Willaim Gameson was born on 24th March 1869 and was a “Small Holder”. Elizabeth was born on 19th April 1874 and was an unpaid Domestic (“housewife”). Their son William T. Gameson was a Journeyman Saddler having been born on 25th September 1925.
Elizabeth Ann Gameson died in the early days of World War 2, aged 67 and was buried on 15th October 1941 at Llanfihangel Pontymoile Churchyard.
An Upper Cwmhir Cottage is now listed too on the 1939 Register – I guess this was a newer building, or could it have been the old cottage, with a new farmhouse constructed as “Upper Cwmhir”? Hopefully somebody will be able to tell me. The Cottage has Robert Parry (DOB: 22nd May 1867) in residence, a “Small Holder” with his wife (I assume) Martha an “unpaid Domestic” (DOB: 4th April 1871).
William re-marries? and the death of a lodger.
The 1948 and 1949 Electoral Registers for Glascoed show William and Margaret Gameson at Lower Cwmhir. I believe that William probably re-married (there is a Civil marriage record of a William Gameson marrying a Margaret Gover in the Pontypool registration district in 1946, although I have not confirmed that these were the two people living at Upper Cwmhir in the late 1940s.
An additional person appeared on the registers at this point: Stanley Robert Bartley. I assume that he was a lodger, although it is very possible that he had taken over the “Upper Cwmhir Cottage” named on the 1939 Register.
Trevethin Parish Church lists Stanley Robert Bartley, aged 44 within its Burials register. He was buried on 5th September 1949. His place of residence was listed as Glascoed, Upper Cwmhir.
Probate indexes show that Stanley died at the District Hospital in Pontypool on 2nd September 1949, that his residence was Upper Wernhir, Glascoed and that a widow, Hilda Brenda Bartley and Betty Joan Toomey (married woman) were the beneficiaries. His estate was £2070 11s and 5d. What was their story, I wonder?
William Gameson (Junior) and Gladys (nee Pardoe).
William’s son, William Thomas Gameson married a Glascoed girl, Gladys Pardoe in 1942. Gladys was the daughter of Alfred Pardoe (born 1876) and Sarah Meredith of Ashford Cottage. Sarah Meredith was the daughter of Martha and Grand-daughter of Jemmy and Caroline Meredith of Sunny Bank Cottage and the Glascoed riots fame, one of my favourite families.
William and Gladys lived at Upper Cwmhir, certainly until Gladys’ death in late 1968 (she was registered on the 1969 Electoral roll as living at Upper Cwmhir with William, although of course you register for that in advance of elections). Gladys’ death was registered in the Newport registration district – perhaps a hospital death?
And that’s where we leave the tale of Upper Cwmhir folk for now. I enjoyed researching those families very much.
Records
Land Tax assessment records
1824 and 1829 – Joseph Samson.
1831 – William Williams
Registers of Electors:
1841 through to 1889 – William Williams.
1909 – William Stoneham.
1922 – William H. and Nellie Simmons.
1929 – William Thomas and Elizabeth Ann Gameson.
Censuses (with Heads of Household):
1841 – Ann Powell
1851, 1861, 1871 – Jesse Davies.
1881 – Eliza Davies.
1891, 1901, 1911, 1921 – Uriah Davies.
1939 National Register – Edward Powell.