Mary Jane Evans was born on 11 May 1860 into the large farming household of Cornelius and Martha Evans, a family deeply rooted in the agricultural life of Llangwm, Llangattock, and Glascoed. Her father, Cornelius, had himself been born at Tregirog, Llanishen, linking Mary Jane directly to one of the oldest farms in the Llanishen–Glascoed area.
Her earliest years were spent at Porthcreddig, Llangwm, where her father farmed 100 acres. By 1871, the Evans family had moved to Penpedairheol, Llangattock, farming 166 acres — a substantial holding that required the full involvement of the family, including young Mary Jane.
In 1881, the Evans family settled at Glascoed Vach, Glascoed, a farm that would become central to Mary Jane’s adult life. As the eldest daughter, she played a key role in supporting her mother and helping to raise her younger siblings. Her brothers and sisters later spread across Monmouthshire and beyond: Emma emigrated to Boston, Harriet settled in Goytre, Agnes in Griffithstown, William at Nantygollen Farm, and John at Rhydymaen Farm.
Mary Jane married Thomas Parry, a farmer from Usk, and by 1891 the couple were living at Ton, Glascoed, with their first two children, James and Ann. By 1901, they had moved back to Glascoed Vach, where Thomas was farming and Mary Jane was raising a growing family of six children.
Later, the Parry family moved to Clearwell, Glascoed, a smallholding near Glascoed Baptist Chapel. This address became tragically significant: their son Private Tom Parry (1895–1916) gave Clearwell as his home when he enlisted in the Monmouthshire Regiment. He was killed on 1 July 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme, aged just 21. His name appears on the St Michael’s Church, Glascoed war memorial and on the memorial at St Mary’s Church, Usk.
Family memories recall Mary Jane as “Granny Parry,” a warm and central figure in the 1920s and 1930s. Her granddaughter, Annie Mary Robinson, remembered stories of Mary Jane’s youth — including riding to church in a carriage and possible connections to a manor house, perhaps Treworgan Manor or Treworgan Court. These recollections suggest that Mary Jane’s early life may have included contact with more affluent relatives or employers, though the details remain unconfirmed.
Mary Jane lived a long life, witnessing immense change in Glascoed and the wider world. She died in 1940 and was laid to rest at St Michael’s Church, Glascoed, close to the community where she had spent most of her life.
Many thanks to Olwen Hughes for generously sharing this family information.
