SATURDAY 24TH JUNE 1865
USK, MONMOUTHSHIRE
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Valuable and Improvable Farm.
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MESSRS. DEBENHAM, TEWSON, and FARMER, will offer for SALE BY AUCTION, at the LONDON TAVERN, BISHOPSGATE STREET, in the CITY of LONDON.
On Thursday, the 6th of July 1865,
At One o’clock punctually,
The WERNHIRE FARM, Freehold of Inheritance situate in the parishes of Llanbaddock and Glascoed, within three miles of the Town of Usk, comprising Farm House and convenient Farm Buildings, and 161s. 2r. 39p. of good and improvable Land, and well situated, including about 23s. 0r. 0p. of fine Woodland.
The House is substantially built of stone and is roomy and convenient, with all necessary Offices; and the Farm Buildings comprise every necessary requisite. The property is near to the Turnpike Road from Usk to Pontypool, in a very picturesque neighbourhood, and is bounded by a fine stream.
The Monmouth and Usk Railway, to which there is a Station at Usk, runs near to it.
It is in the occupation of Messrs. R. and B. Reece who are yearly tenants.
Particulars with plans and conditions of sale, may be obtained of Messrs. DEBENHAM, TEWSON and FARMER, 80, Cheapside, London; and, with all further information relating to the Estate, from Mr. J.G. GEORGE, Solicitor, Monmouth; or Mr. HENRY MINETT, Solicitor, Ross.
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A MAMHILAD AFFILIATION CASE
John Davies, schoolmaster, and parish clerk for the parish of Mamhilad, was summoned by Sarah Morgan for the support of her illegitimate child. Mr. Greenway appeared for complainant, and Mr. Alexander Edwards for defendant, the latter of who was frequently called to order by both the legal gentlemen employed and the Bench for the annoying and impertinent manner in which he conducted himself during the early part of this investigation.
Complainant said: I am a widow residing at Mamhilad and was confined of a male child on the 15th of April, of which John Davies, the defendant, is the father. By Mr. A. Edwards: I had two children by my husband-one of them before I was married; we were married in 1863; he lived about ten months afterwards; the last child was born a month before he died; the intercourse with defendant took place on the 9th of July; it was a Saturday; defendant had been in our house some time during the evening; he came about seven or eight o’clock, and about 10 o’clock he walked out with me; he had a glass of beer, and said he would rather have it than tea; we went to “send” my sister; she lives at the Pentre farm; it was on Saturday the 9th of July; do not know George Jones; never walked with him; I remember being at a tea party at the Glascoed; I walked with a young man who overtook me on the road on the 4th of August; I found out my condition in a month or six weeks after the 9th of July; I did not tell defendant of it; I did not go to him about the matter before the child was born; my sister saw what took place on the of 9th of July; she told me of it on the Sunday after. Re-examined: Defendant sent and offered me eighteen-pence a week; when he came to me he said he wanted a wife and he courted me; he was once in the house when no one else was there but my sister and I, and he got her to go out by giving her threepence to fetch some apples; did not keep company with anyone else. By Mr. A. Edwards: Mr. Cook came to our house to offer eighteen-pence.
Ann Williams, wife of Joseph Williams, who lived next door to complainant, said she had frequently seen the parties together, from May to July; she had seen defendant catch complainant by the hand, and pull her out of the housel it was generally understood in the neighbourhood that the parties were courting, and they appeared as lovers. By Mr. A. Edwards: Have never seen anything improper take place between them,
Emma Williams, a younger sister of complainant, deposed to the parties being considered as lovers, and to the fact of defendant giving her threepence to fetch some apples, during which time complainant and defendant were left in the house together. In cross-examination she said she had not seen anything improper occur between the two parties.
Hannah Jenkins gave testimony in support of the last witness.
Margaret Williams, mother of complainant, deposed to defendant coming to her house to see complainant, and to his pulling her about, walking out with her, and to his having had his arm around her.
Ann Powell, wife of George Powell, said: I am sister to complainant; I know defendant very well; I knew him as coming to court my sister; first saw them together in May, or beginning of June; I remember they went to send me home one night; after they had left me to return home I found that I had left some things behind, and in returning to fetch them I overtook the parties – [Witness here described what she saw] – I have on many occasions seen acts of familiarity between them; the occurrences spoken of took place on the 9th of July, 1864. By Mr. A. Edwards: I know it was on the 9th of July because I particularly noticed it, and thought they were going on very fast; they did not notice me, and I turned to one side and left them there; it was about 10 o’clock at night; they were standing by a stile. Re-examined: I told my sister about it next morning, and said I thought that she and Davies were going on very fast, when she said it was no matter as they were going to be married.
This being all the evidence adduced in support of complainant’s case, Mr. Alexander Edwards briefly addressed the Court, in which he dwelt on the suspicious nature of the evidence given – as the most important part of it had been – by the mother and sister of complainant, which was a reason, he contended, that it should be received with great caution. Further than that, he would call upon the defendant, who, he said, would prove that he was not in the neighbourhood of Mamhilad on the 9th of July, 1864, at the time so positively sworn to.
John Davies, the defendant, on being called, said: On the 8th of July I went to Beaufort; I went by the four o’clock train to Crumlin; the next day I returned from Ebbw Vale by the 7.15 p.m. train, and arrived at Crumlin by the train due at 8.10 p.m., and walked home to Mamhilad; I went straight from Crumlin home; I did not go to complainant’s house that night; I never had connection with Sarah Morgan; I distinctly swear that I never authorised anyone to offer her 1s. 6d. a week on my account; I never knew that she was in the family-way until about a week before she was confined; if eighteen-pence a week had been offered it was not done by my authority; when I walked with complainant my sister was repeatedly with us; I know it was on the 9th of July I was absent because I wrote to my brother on the 8th.
Mr. Greenway then proceeded to cross-examine the defendant, and upon his putting the question to him whether he was ever alone in the house with Sarah Morgan? he repeatedly endeavoured to fence it, and after distinctly denying it – and saying: I never was alone in the house with Sarah Morgan in my life – he said, on the question being pressed: I never was along in the house with her except the time I bought the apples, and then only for a short time; I don’t think I sat down at all; I have sat down in the house; I think I sat down in the kitchen where they usually sit; I was never alone with Sarah Morgan in the front room nor in any other room, but on one occasion. Mr. Greenway: Why were you so anxious to get the little girl out of the house? Witness: I was not anxious. Witness continued: That was on a Saturday, I think, in August; I might have been there from 15 to 20 minutes; I was not there more frequently on Saturdays than on other days; I remember walking with Sarah Morgan as with another girl. Mr. Greenway: And do you put your arms around all the girls with whom you walk? Witness: I have not put my arms around her scores of times, nor a score, nor a dozen, but might have done so half-a-dozen times; the name in the book (produced) is in my writing; it is “Sarah Morgan, Mamhilad,” but the initials J.D. in the corner are not my writing; I went once with Sarah Morgan to “send” Mrs. Powell home; I believe it was on the Saturday before the 9th of July; I met them, but did not go into the house; I went as far as Mrs. Tippins’s with Miss Tippins and Sarah Morgan; Miss Tippins went as far with us as the Canal Bridge, which is close to Mrs. Powell’s house; Mrs. Powell went home, and Miss Tippins went home, and “me and Sarah” might have walked together a couple of yards; I was not with her 30, 15, 12, 8 nor 2 minutes; I commenced going to Williams’ on the 1st and 2nd of June, and continued until the 17th July; I had no particular reason for giving up going; I have not authorised anyone to offer complainant eighteen-pence a week; I have not directly nor indirectly offered to settle this matter; Mr. Cook has spoken to me about it; he told me it would be much better for me to settle it, but I told him I never should.
David Davies; I am brother of defendant, and live at Beaufort; I had a letter from him (produced), relative to his coming to Beaufort; he was there on the 8th, and returned on the 9th of July.
Mr. Greenway said the letter amounted to nothing, as the envelope had not been produced with it.
In answer to Mr. Greenway, witness hesitated to say who it was that told him to search for the letter, when defendant told him what to say.
This being all the evidence, Mr. Greenway made a lengthened address on behalf of his client, in which he remarked that the only catch the other party appeared to have in the whole case was that in which they wished to shew that it was on the 2nd and not on the 9th of July when the complainant and defendant walked with Mrs. Powell.
After a short consultation the Bench stated its determination to reserve its decision until this day fortnight.
NOTE: The deceased husband referred to in this case was Henry Morgan, formerly of Little/ Middle Wernhir.
