Llanteg History Society

Old Map of Barriets Area

2012-01-11T03:22:00.000-08:00

This old map was passed to us at Christmas.

It is Crown Copyright and dated 31 August 1945 by the West Cambrian Power Co. Ltd.

The line of the new power cable is shown as a red line across the fields marked in blue.

Scale - 6 inches to a mile.

B.P. Pipeline through Llanteg - 1960s

2011-05-07T04:13:00.000-07:00

The B.P. Trading Act of 1957 set out plans for the 60 mile pipline from Angle Bay in Pembrokeshire to Llandarcy - this was made more urgent by the Suez Crisis.
Large oil tanks were built at Popton and the terminal came into opertation in 1960, being officially opened in 1961.

Sketch from April 2011 Pembrokshire Life

The pipeline ran through Llanteg - and there were concrete and metal stiles in the hedges along its route. It ran across Trenewydd Lane in front of Sandy Grove, then crossed fields behind Middleton.
I'm sure others will have more knowledge of this tham I do - but I remember the 'new' stiles in Middleton hedges when I stayed int he 1960s, and the fuss we had when selling the property to find documents relating to the pipeline!
According to http://www.pembrokeshirevirtualmuseum.co.uk/main_menu/trade_and_industry/oil/sites/bp.html the B.P. oil terminal at Angle Bay closed in 1985.

Pembrokeshire Life - Stokes Ring May 2011

2011-05-04T04:03:00.000-07:00

We have a one page article in the May 2011 issue of Pembrokeshire Life regarding the Stokes family ring which the History Society has acquired.

Mills - from Amroth Hub Document

2011-03-18T03:56:00.000-07:00

The following on local Mills has been taken from:
http://www.experiencepembrokeshire.com/history-archaeology/heritage-pdf-documents/community-heritage-audits/amroth-community-audit-report?set_language=en

They are reproduced as written and have not been checked for accuracy.

596 GARNESS MILL
Post Medieval MILL
SN1854609538 Open Countryside
Condition: Damaged Accessibility: Visible from road/path
Visitor Potential: Medium Interpretation Potential: Medium
Garness Mill is a former corn mill. It seems to have been known as Gardener's Mill in 1723. It is shown as Garnas Mill on the 1831 Ordnance Survey map and appears on later 19th century maps as a working corn mill. It would appear to have gone out of use as a working mill by, or during the early 20th century and is now a private dwelling.
Public footpath SP10/7/1 passes by the mill house,
NPRN: 0 PRN: 18780
Listed Building Number: Scheduled Ancient Monument Number:
Ownership: Private Management: Private

597 LEDGERLAND WOOLLEN MILL
Post Medieval WOOLLEN MILL
SN1834008673 Open Countryside
Substantial
Destruction
Condition: Accessibility: Visible from road/path
Visitor Potential: Medium Interpretation Potential: Medium
Records show that there was a water mill producing woollen cloth at Ledgerland during the 18th century. Its exact location is not proven, but a ruined cottage at this site is a possible location. It is shown as an occupied dwelling on the 1831 Ordnance Survey map, but had been abandoned by the 1880s. The last person to operate the mill was one James Price, who is said to have built Ledgerland, which stands on higher ground to the north, when he left the woollen mill.
Public footpath SP10/10/1 runs past this site.
NPRN: 0 PRN: 0
Listed Building Number: Scheduled Ancient Monument Number:
Ownership: Private Management: Private

I have included the two following for local interest but they are in Amroth parish:

583 AMROTH MILL
Post Medieval CORN MILL
SN1713007290 Open Countryside
Condition: Damaged Accessibility: Visible from road/path
Visitor Potential: Low Interpretation Potential: Medium
William Rees, on his 1932 map of Wales and the Borders in the 14th Century shows a water mill close to this site. 19th century maps show that Amroth Mill was a corn mill, which worked up until the late 19th century, but it is was disused by the time of the 1905 Ordnance Survey map.
In the HER, PRN3659 refers to the medieval castle of Earewere.
NPRN: 0 PRN: 18816
Listed Building Number: Scheduled Ancient Monument Number:
Ownership: Private Management: Private

585 FACTORY
Post Medieval WOOLLEN MILL
SN1752907608 Open Countryside
Substantial
Destruction
Condition: Accessibility: Visible from road/path
Visitor Potential: Medium Interpretation Potential: High
Although there are records of a fulling mill in this area, which was out of use by 1481, its location is not known. During the 19th century, there was a woollen mill at Factory, the original mill possibly being alongside the leat serving Amroth Mill (which lies down the valley to the southwest) and now surviving only as ruins in the woods. Factory is the name of the house alongside the present trackway upslope from the woollen factory , which was out of use by the 1870s.
A footpath passes between Factory House and the old woollen factory.
NPRN: 0 PRN: 18817
Listed Building Number: Scheduled Ancient Monument Number:
Ownership: Private Management: Private

Blackheath Enclosure

2011-03-17T05:51:00.000-07:00

Blackheath sits on the site of an Iron Age enclosure.
the Iron Age was from about 500 BC to when the Roamn's arrived.
View on Google maps.

Picture from Wikipedia

Is an Iron Age Roundhouse what would have sat inside the enclosure? Or would it have been more defensive?

Below is some information off the web.
If any copyright is infringed by my posting this here it will be removed if I am made aware of it.

A SURVEY OF DEFENDED ENCLOSURES IN PEMBROKESHIRE 2006-07
http://www.cambria.org.uk/projects/prehistdefenc/pemsn10sn11sn12.pdf
Prepared by Cambria Archaeology for Cadw
REPORT NO. 2007/01 PROJECT RECORD NO. 54269
March 2007
3805 LLANTEG ENCLOSURE
PRN 3805 NGR SN17421001
SITE NAME LLANTEG ENCLOSURE
SITE TYPE DEFENDED ENCLOSURE FORM Documents

PERIOD Iron Age CONDITION E

DESCRIPTION
Llanteg Enclosure has been virtually destroyed. It was formerly defined by a hedge-bank with a low shallow ditch to the northeast and southwest sides. A turnpike road was driven through the enclosure in the early 19th century and a small farmhouse with outbuildings had been built in the centre of the enclosure by at least the end of the 19th century. The house has been extended and gardens and a yard created to the west and north of it. Road widening and straightening in 1984 effectively removed what remained on the enclosure on to the south. This work exposed the clay-loam bank, which had a possible burnt layer towards its base. All that remains of the enclosure is a hedge-bank defining its northeast side - presumably on the defensive bank - and possible a small portion of the interior just within this bank.
The site lies on level ground at c. 145m above sea level.
K Murphy 3 November 2006

Ground photograph looking NW at hedge defining the E side of a small enclosure 3805

From - http://www.experiencepembrokeshire.com/history-archaeology/heritage-pdf-documents/community-heritage-audits/amroth-community-audit-report?set_language=en

LLANTEG ENCLOSURE
Iron Age DEFENDED ENCLOSURE
SN1742010010 Llanteg
Substantial
Destruction
Condition: Accessibility: Visible from road/path
Visitor Potential: Low Interpretation Potential: High

This Iron Age enclosure has been almost completely destroyed as a result of 19th and 20th century road-building. During the 1830s, the turnpike road was built through the centre of the enclosure. Subsequently, Blackheath farmhouse and outbuildings were built on the site. In 1984, road improvements saw further damage inflicted, which means that now hardly any vestiges of the monument remain. It is one of a series of similar Iron Age enclosures which dot the south Pembrokeshire landscape.
NPRN: 0 PRN: 3805
Listed Building Number: Scheduled Ancient Monument Number:
Ownership: Private
Management: Private

Old Press Reports

2011-03-11T05:38:00.000-08:00

Having a sort-out and found the following clippings from when we did our first couple of books.

Press from the Carmarthen Journal for our first book - a great write-up

Press for our second book - this was before the milestone by Oaklands

was refurbished and we were crouching among the brambles!

Award from PLANED

2011-03-11T05:30:00.000-08:00

This is old news (possibly 2000/1 - will have to check) but I have recently come across this photograph.

We went to Saundersfoot to collect £250 prize for a write-up we did of what our group had been doing for its first year or so.

Eirwen Davies Trenewydd, Audrey James Rose Park,

Judith Lloyd Oaklands (Teasurer) and Ruth Roberts Sandy Grove (Secretary)

John Howell, Trenewydd - died 1727

2011-03-08T03:41:00.000-08:00

Embedded in the outside wall of Crunwere Church's south transept is a gravestone which reads:

Near this wall lies the body of John Howell A.M.

The son of Reynold Howell of Trenewyed, Gent.

He was sometime Rector of New Radnor but in the year of Trial 1691 was deprived

of all that he could not keep with a good conscience.

Who died Jan. 17th 1727, aged 70.

(A stone tablet in memory of a non-juring clergyman)

Searching online I have found the following:

Howell, Johns. Regin., of Trenewydd, co. Pembroke, pleb. Trinity Coll., matric. 20 March, 1673-4, aged 16; B.A. 29 Jan., 1677-8, M.A. 1680; brother of Arthur 1676. See Fasti, ii. 373.

Howell, Arthurs. Reginald, of Trenewydd, co. Pembroke, pleb. Christ Church, matric. 18 March, 1675-6, aged 16; died 17 April, 1676; brother of John 1674. See Gutch, i. 513. [10]

From: 'Alumni Oxonienses, 1500-1714: Horrobin-Hyte', Alumni Oxonienses 1500-1714: Abannan-Kyte (1891), pp. 748-784. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=117067 Date accessed: 08 March 2011.

From - http://melocki.org.uk/diocese/New_Radnor.html

1685 Apr 1 John Howell, M.A. patron - The king. previously John Hergest. cause of leaving - Death.

1690 Dec 13 James Gwyn, M.A. patron - The king and queen. previously John Howells. cause of leaving - Deprivation.

From - Crunwear Wills - http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/PEM/Crunwear/Willsindex.html
1686 (ref - 16) Howel, John, New Radnor, Tutor, Guardian & Rector.

From - http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11099a.htm
Non-Jurors
The name given to the Anglican Churchmen who in 1689 refused to take the oath of allegiance to William and Mary, and their successors under the Protestant Succession Act of that year. Their leaders on the episcopal bench (William Sancroft, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Bishops Francis Turner of Ely, William Lloyd of Norwich, Thomas White of Peterborough, William Thomas of Worcester, Thomas Ken of Bath and Wells, John Lake of Chichester, and Thomas Cartwright of Chester) were required to take the oath before 1 August, under pain of suspension, to be followed, if it were not taken by 1 February, by total deprivation. Two of them died before this last date, but the rest, persisting in their refusal, were deprived. Their example was followed by a multitude of the clergy and laity, the number of the former being estimated at about four hundred, conspicuous among whom were George Hickes, Dean of Worcester, Jeremy Collier, John Kettlewell, and Robert Nelson. A list of these Non-jurors is given in Hickes's "Memoirs of Bishop Kettlewell", and one further completed in Overton's "Non-jurors".

Llanteg's Roll of Honour

2011-03-05T06:25:00.000-08:00

From - LLANTEG: THE DAYS BEFORE YESTERDAY

(Taken from the Roll of Honour book which was in Crunwere Church - all spellings are as they appear. Some people are form outside the parish.)

LLANTEG VILLAGERS WHO SERVED IN THE TWO WORLD WARS

Men of the parish and district who died in the Great War 1914-18:-

Davies William, Private, Bevelin

Glanville H.S., Private, Lanteg

Men killed in action in the Second World War 1939-45:

Owen L.G.J., S.O. R.A.F, Syke Farm

Mason J., A.B. R.N., Ruel Wall

Men who served their country in the First World War:

Allen W.T. Private Rose Cottage

Beynon William Driver Gorse

Callen A. Private Longlane

Callen W. Driver Longlane

Connol William Private Greenacre

Collingwood William Private Three Wells

Davies J. Private Blackheath

Glanville L. Private Lanteg

Glanville R. Engineers Lanteg

George R.G. Private Downs

Hodge A. Private Barriets

Howells William Private Woodreef

James B. Private Cabin

James C. Gunner Summer Brook

James F. Private Cabin

James H. Gunner Blackheath

James J. Corporal Ruel Wall

James T. Corporal Ruel Wall

James William Gunner Broomy Lake

James William H. Corporal Cabin

Jones G.S. Private Heatherland

Jones H. Private Heatherland

Jones N.G. 2nd Lieut. Heatherland

Lewis J. Private Barn

Lewis T. Private Folly

Mortimer J.S. Sergeant Ledgerland

Phillips A.G. Private Corner

Phillips D. Gunner Corner

Phillips T.D. Captain Crafty

Phillips T.W. Sapper Corner

Phillips William Driver Corner

Phillips W.C. Private Crafty

Reynolds S. Driver Belle Vue

Scourfield J. L. Corp. Pantglas

Men and women who served their country in the Second World War:

Allen N. L.A.C. Oxford

Brinsden A.H. Corporal Stanwell

Bevan K. L.A.C. Brownslade

Davies W.H. Driver Brynely

Davies N.H. Corp. R.A.C. Brynely

Davies E.G. Corp. R.A.C. Brynely

Eyden J. Private Syke Farm

George A. L.A.C. Downs

Glanville H.R. Driver Lanteg West

Hawes Miss M. A.T.S. Subaltern Heatherland

Howells A. Driver The Valley

Jones N.J.G. Colonel Heatherland

Jones G.S.G. Major Heatherland

James W.H. Gunner Blackheath

James H.R. L.A.C. Blackheath

James W.G. Gunner Bevlin

James H.G. Gunner Bevlin

Mortimer Miss D. W.A.A.F Summer Brook

Oriel A. Driver Garness

Owens V.M. R.A.F. Syke Farm

Phelps G. A.C. Milton Back

Williams G. Capt. Lanteglos

Williams Mrs R. Red Cross Lanteglos

Wolff T. S. African Navy School House

Wolff Miss S. W.A.A.F.

Section Officer School House

Wolff D. W.O. R.A.F. School House

Wolff Miss K. W.A.A.F. School House

George Morris Connections with Crunwere 1890s

2011-02-26T02:19:00.000-08:00

My father was George Ivor Mervyn Morris from Melinau, my aunt lived next door to Rose Cottage. My father's siblings are now all deceased, but my cousins and their families are still in the area.

I think only my dad and uncle Clem (Clement Edward) ever left the area. My father left after the war, spent some time in Dorchester then Liverpool.

We visited as children and I hope to revisit this year. I still have family there and am at present working on my family history.

My grandparents were George Morris, who lived and worked at Mountain, Crunwere. George gives his place of birth as St Daniels. Research now shows that he may have been baptised in Pembroke St Mary in June 1872 along with his twin James, his mother being Martha Morris of Furston (or Furzton), Monkton.

West Llanteg (Lanteague) Farm - on left of road going up to Tavernspite.

East Llanteg (Lanteague) Farm - on right of road going up to Tavernspite.

(Not sure which farm George worked on in 1891 but it would have been either East or West Llanteg.)

On the 1891 census George is working with another family of Morrises at Lanteague, Crunwear. George married Martha Thomas in 1893 who lived and worked at Trenewydd, Crunwear, her father was Richard Thomas and she was born in Laugharne.

By the 1901 census the family were at Lampeter Velfrey with George working as a navvy.

My aims are twofold, firstly I would like to return my father’s memory to his birthplace and secondly to have knowledge of the family and the area for my children and grandchild.

Sally Mongomery
Daughter of George I M Morris
Who married Sarah Jane Newton in St Clements church Liverpool in 1944 and fathered 3 children.

Henry John and Sarah Llewellyn Graves at Amroth Churchyard

2011-02-17T11:52:00.000-08:00

We have looked for the following two stones for a few years, because they relate to ancestors of many of our Llanteg families. Now, thanks to the endeavours of Carol Mason, we have received these lovely pictures from Ted White in Canada.

These two stones are supposedly under the large tree by the north gate of Amroth churchyard, but we have all failed to find them so well done Ted!

Ted also goes on to say:

'In the north east corner of St Elidyr's in Amroth is a very large beech tree. Beneath its shady branches is a scattered group of gravestones marking the final resting place of many of the JOHN family.
Some stones are small and bear only initals, CJ and SJ for instance: others are almost covered by the build up of debris at the edge of the churchyard. A few are legible and record the deaths of husbands and wives of the JOHN family, amongst them are:'

Here lieth the Body Of Sara John wife Of Henry John who Departed this life December 17th 1826
[No age is shown]

Picture by Ted White

In memory of Henry John who Died October 23 1822 age 72 years

Picture Ted White

On 28th February 2011 Ruth went down hoping to find the stones, but was met with a carpet of holly branches. However some pictures were taken which might prove of use in the future:

Two JOHN graves -the tree is on the left.

Row of small graves to the east of the tree - looks like the back fo them.

There is one small grave hidden in the centre of this shot - the tree is on the left.

The first of the large JOHN garves from above.

Small headstone behind the large JOHN stone.

Bad shot but you can see the hidden small stone.

Second large JOHN gravestone.

The hidden small stone again - in centre of shot.

JOHN grave is on the right - large tree on left.

Our 'family tree' wth all its overgrown holly at its base.

Base of tree at Amroth - I don't think this grave is for JOHNs.

How Life has Changed

2011-02-08T06:25:00.000-08:00

Whenever we think of how life has changed over the years we sometimes tend to focus on the visual - more houses, cars etc, plus all the electric gadgets we all have to hand.

However if we were to travel back in time, say 100 years, other big change would be:

Sounds
Life in a cottage would revolve around the crackle of the fire, the 'singing' of the kettle and maybe the gentle 'tick tock' of the old clock.

The sounds of nature would be heard from outside - lots of wild birds, plus on a small-holding the lowing of cattle, clucking of hens, neighing of the horse and bleating of sheep - plus maybe a cock crowing. We would have heard the wheels of traps, the clatter of harness and horses hooves, plus the noise of clogs and hob nailed boots. The only other sound may have been the distant whistle of a steam train.

Feeling/Touch
There would also be a great difference ot the way we felt. Probably colder and a lot more tired and achy. We would be wearing rougher and heavier garments, plus heavy booots or clogs and imaybe tchy woolen underwear. We would have to wrap up well in winter, and no waterproof coats or boots. We would feel exhausted from all the physical work, either in the house or on the land, and no luxury of a soak in a hot bath when we got home - that would have been a once-a-week event with just a quick wash during the week.

Taste
Food would be what we could grow or pick. No chance of deciding what you wanted to eat - you would be lucky to have a full stomach - let alone refusing a meal.

If you were lucky your family would kill a pig to last through the winter.

Smell

There would be the smell of smoke from the fires, the constant animal smells from either your own animals or the ones that family members worked with. Plus personal hygiene would not have been as it is today - but I suppose eveyone was in the same situation!

Even the nature of the village would have been different - with many people working the fields and walking the lanes, children playing - or perhaps more likely helpng with the household or farm chores or doing errands.

If you have more ideas just let us know.

Purser Bereavement

2011-02-03T08:09:00.000-08:00

Published in the Western Morning News from 30th January 2011 to 3rd February 2011
LESTNER (NEE ROWE) Hilary Maryel
Passed away peacefully on the 25th of January aged 78. She will be sadly missed by all family and friends. Funeral service will take place at Exeter Crematorium on 7th February at 2.45pm. Family flowers only, donations if desired to Cancer Research UK c/o AJ Wakely and Sons, 7a Silver Street, Lyme Regis, Dorset, DT7 3HR.

We are sorry to hear of the passing of Hilary Lestner of Lyme Regis who was a descendant of the Purser family who once lived at Llanteglos.
Although we never met 'in the flesh', Ruth had many long and interesting phone calls and letters with Hilary over the years -and it was Hilary who put us in touch with Purser descendants in Australia.

Article in winter edition of Dyfed Family History Journal 2010

2011-02-01T02:07:00.000-08:00

We had a three page article on the history of Mountain Chapel published in the winter edition of Dyfed FHS Journal. This is shown on the Mountain Chapel blog.

Church, School and Village Collages

2011-02-01T01:44:00.000-08:00

We have purchased three large collages from http://www.yourcollage.co.uk/ and these are now in the committee room at Llanteg Hall:

Medley of Crunwere Church pictures - inside and out.

Old Crunwere School with groups

Mixture of pictures of various places arround Llanteg.

1911 Crunwere Census

2010-12-19T06:07:00.000-08:00

The 1991 Census Summary Books on Ancestry show that Crunwear consisted of 45 inhabited properties and one uninhabited.
The population was shown as 81 males and 98 females – making a total of 179 people.

Listed Buildings in Llanteg

2010-12-06T00:59:00.000-08:00

Came across this site today which shows bird's eye views of our listed buildings:
Crunwere House (Grade 11)
St Elidyr's Church (Grade 11) - (two listed - one is Amroths)
Zoar Chapel (Grade 11)
http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/wales/pembrokeshire/amroth

Early Spring Clean at Mountain Chapel October 2010

2010-10-24T09:10:00.000-07:00

The History Society decided that Mountain Chapel needed a bit of a Spring Clean - though Mike Abel does a great job with the grass cutting which is funded by the Community Council. The garden area had not been worked on sing we did the unveiling a few years ago.

Rather than duplicate pictures here they are all included on the Mountain Chapel blog:-
http://mountainchapelllanteg.blogspot.com/2010/10/chapel-garden-spring-clean-october-2010.html

Llanteg - Old Stone Field Gate Posts

2010-10-17T08:53:00.000-07:00

After talking of old village wells and milk stands Mr John James of Hafod Haf suggested we photograph some of the old stone gate posts still in existence.

I have taken a few today and will be putting in an appeal in our next Village Newsletter.
However I think the depths of winter will be the best time to search these out once everything has died back.

Stone pillar just up Church Lane on the right

Just west of Captains Pond crossroads

Old post on building plot next to Carlands

Old stone gatepost south of Greenacre ruins

Old stone post north of Greenacre ruins

Stonebuilt gate pillars west of Heatherland

Desert Orchid in Llanteg

2010-09-22T15:23:00.000-07:00

When Desert Orchid stopped off for a rest break at Summerbrook, Llanteg on his way to Ireland.

Luckily Winston Bynorth ran and captured this photograph with Jean Mortimer outside Summerbrook - which later appeared in the Western Telegraph.

War Memorial Biographies

2010-09-22T04:47:00.000-07:00

Three War Biographies

(Picture courtesy of Steve John - Pembrokeshire War Memorials)

WILLIAM DAVIES

died 9 October 1917

HUGH SLADER GLANVILLE

died 11th November 1917

JAMES EDGAR JOHN MASON

died 14th June 1944

Llanteg Milk Stands - A thing of the past?

2010-09-03T02:50:00.000-07:00

Reconstructed Milk Stand at Sower Carr

Milk Stands were where milk, in churns, would be placed outside farms, ready for collection by horse drawn carts and latterly motorised ones.

They were placed directly on the roadside, not set back, so that the transfer of the heavy churns was made easier.

© Copyright Bob Jenkins and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

The milk churn was a standard size, older galvanised iron conical type held 17 gallons, the cylindrical type with the mushroom shaped lid introduced in the 1930s (shown above) held ten gallons. Each churn carried a brass plate near the top to identify the owning company and when full it would have a white paper label (tied to the handle on the lid of the conical type and to the side handle of the cylindrical type), which was used for accounting purposes by the dairy.

These relics of bygone days are now either decaying, covered in undergrowth or have been removed altogether.
Once a common site on almost all dairy farms, where full churns were collected and empty ones left behind - now replaced by large bulk tankers that collect the milk.

Milk Stands Around Llanteg

Middleton

Middleton 1964

Middleton 2010

This specimen at Middleton is well cared for, being slightly built up from its original height by the look of it – the dark aperture in the side was a foot hole. There used to be a ramp up from the farmyard side – and two churns would be pushed up on a specially made handcart with two wheels.

Middleton 1960s

The top red oval shows what was called the 'cooling shed'. This was where milk was strained into the churns and then put to stand in a pit of cold water set into the floor - probably only large enough to hold four churns.

The lower red oval shows milk churns on the stand.

Summerbrook Farm

Summerbrook 2008

Summerbrook 2010

A nice example at Summerbrook Farm - with even an old churn on top for decoration. Jean Mortimer tells us this would also have been used by Ledgerland and Freddie Oriel of Garness.

The Moors

The Moors approx 2000

The Moors 2010 - you would hardly know it was there now

One in the hedge outside The Moors, now overgrown - the picture with the daffodils was taken around 2000.

Rose Cottage etc - Situated Opposite Sea Breeze

2008

Opposite Sea Breeze - 2010

One opposite the Old School (Sea Breeze), completely overgrown – would have catered for Rose Cottage and Garness Mill area.

Mountain Farm

Old Mountain Farm Entrance - 2008

Old milk churn stand, Mountain Farm.
Under this mass of ivy lurks the old milk churn stand for Mountain Farm. It was on the side of the busy A477 until the road was moved in the 1980s, now the farm has another entrance.

Will keep an eye out for others – or if you know of any let us know.

Village Wells

2010-08-29T07:42:00.000-07:00

The above map is two sections joined together – so forgive the discrepancy in the centre. These are also older maps so some of the footpaths may no longer exist.
Copyright Ordnance Survey 1975 Pathfinder Series

This work is ongoing but so far, as well as wells on private farms such as Oaklands and Three Wells the village had the following wells:

When the Rectory Well still had its metal door

Now with only half a door

Half door now removed - hopefully for renovation.

Further down the Rectory hill was this tap, which we cleared of ivy.

A big mistake as when road works were taking place in 2006 the tape disappeared!

Rectory Hill – still visible

The Griggs – this must have been for general use as there was a designated footpath shown on maps down to it

South of Llanteglos/Summerbrook - The Sweet Well – this also had a designated footpath and the dwelling Porth Y Ffynnon is built where the well field gateway was.

Ruth spoke to Jean Mortimer who recalls it being known as the Sweet Well. It was on Summerbrook Farm property but the pathway to it was from

Trelessy Lane (through where Porth Y Fynnon is now)

. Apparently if you had used the footpath you got to the end and then used a stile, and the well was just in the field. It was stone built and Jean recalls it had an iron door. The well is now supposed to be within the Woodland Trust Lanteague Wood. This will be followed up. I have now forwarded these details to the Woodland Trust (Dec 2010).

Church Well – very little is know of this one – it is in the north east corner of the churchyard – but outside the walls rather than within the yard.

Any additional information would be appreciated.

Not a well - but the site of where an old village tap used to be - between The Laurels and Bevlin (aparetnly there was one near the old school as well.

The top two photographs were taken around 2000, sadly by 2010 the cover was damaged.

Arthur Hodge World War 1

2010-08-16T02:47:00.000-07:00

Just had a surprise visitor this morning - Vincent Hodge of St Florence.
Vincent grew up at Horsemanstone and brought a picture along of his father Arthur Hodge in World War 1 uniform.

Arthur Hodge - World War 1

Vince could remember Gladys's shop here at Sandy Grove and how she would sell cigarettes - which he had to collect for his father.
Gladys's husband Tom Wilkins was a friend of Arthurs and often visited, and Millie Phillips of Middleton was recalled.

Llanteg Crossroads

2010-08-05T03:53:00.000-07:00

Llanteg Crossroads in quieter times!
The old metal railings were a familiar sight for many years.

This picture was probably taken in the 1930s.
Note how the road dips - it has been built up anf straightened over the years.

Shops and P.O.s

2010-08-04T15:35:00.000-07:00

Village Shops

From the census returns the following people have been found:

1841
Elizabeth Davies, Crafty - Fish Dealer
1851
Allen Palmer, Golden Lion (Laurels) - Butcher
Ann Kendrick, Moors - Shopkeeper
David Lewis, Ruelswall - Shopkeeper
John Morgan, Middleton - Fishmonger
1861
Allen Palmer, Golden Lion (Laurels) - Butcher
1871
Mary Kohane, Blackheath - Hawker
1881
Mary Griffiths, Norton - Shop woman
John Charles Hobbs, Schoolhouse - Shopman/Grocer
1891
John Davies, Greenacre - Grocer
William Williams, Milton - Commercial Traveller
1901
William Williams, The Laurels - Shop, General Merchant
Jane Davies, Lanteague (this would be Ashdale - see below on P.O.s) - Postmistress
1911 to be checked

20th Century

Within living memory there have been shops at:

Middleton

Middleton Shop in 1930s
L.to R. Millie Phillips, Pattie Davies (Sparrow’s Nest), and Millie's sister Florence Phillips.
I know they used to make bread and buns

Sandy Grove

Gladys Wilkins (nee Phillips), sister to Millie and Florence above, would sell cigarettes
Not sure if that is her in the picture.

Oaklands

A small shop was run at Oaklands by Miss Georgie - Georgiana Philipps - Not sure what she sold - but I have heard sweets and crisps.

The Laurels

Rebecca Raymonb and Margaret (Maggie) Morris, later Bowen, outside The Laurels -
probably 1920s.
It has a Victorian letterbox and what looks like a cast-iron roof to its porch.
The shop/P.O. was in the little extension on the left -
where the shop remained until at least the late 1960s.

This outbuilding to the east of The Laurels was also part of the shop business.

21st Century

The garage had a small selection of items (papers mIlk etc) but in 2010 a small mini market was opened at the garage, open from 6am to 10pm.

The Post Office
by Sue James
Published in Llanteg Down the Years

Postal History
Prior to 1635 the Royal Mail was used only by the King or Queen or Royal Court. However in that year Royal Mail opened up to the use of the public, and in 1660 by Act of Parliament the General Post Office started. It was
more organised than previously, although still cost more than most people could afford.
In 1715 Carmarthen to Pembroke was a main mail route, and in 1763 and 1794 further Acts of Parliament paved the way for delivery of mail to little villages. In 1786 official Mail coaches were introduced. These were guarded by two pistols and a blunderbuss gun, and the guards were told to protect the mail with their lives.
The Penny Black stamp was introduced in 1840; and ten years later envelopes were first used, as were roadside letter boxes.

Llanteg Post Offices

The first date stamp for Llanteg was recorded in 1897. At this time Llanteg was linked to Whitland. Also in 1897 during Jubilee week the postal arrangements of the parish were rather disorganised, owing to the appropriation of the letter box at the Old Toll Gate by a swarm of bees!
In 1901 a Mrs Jane Davies ran the Post Office at Ashdale. Records show that letters came out from Whitland at 9.25 am and were cleared at 4.40 pm. No Sunday delivery. By 1923 the Post Office had moved to The Laurels (which was also a grocer’s shop). It was then run by Mrs E.Raymond. Letters were still received from Whitland, but services such as telegrams and money orders had to be transacted at Amroth.
Records of 1926 still show Mrs Raymond as sub-Postmistress, and by 1930 the office had become a sub-office of Narberth.

Centre and right - Maggie and Ivor Bowen

Mrs Maggie Bowen took over from Mrs Raymond, and subsequently - still at The Laurels - it passed over to Mr Ivor Bowen.

P.O. at Stanwell

In 1972, when it now came under Haverfordwest, the office moved to Stanwell. Here it was run by Mrs Alice Brinsden until 1977, when it moved again, to York House, where it was taken over by Mr Dudley.
During the 1980s the controlling office was Carmarthen.
The office moved yet again in 1992/93 to Llanteg Garage, being run by Mrs Rose Gammon. In the very near future, all Post Offices, large and small, will be linked to a computerised network.
Sadly our post office closed in the early 2000s and the village lost another asset.

Village Postman
As far as mail deliveries are concerned, in the early 1930s the Royal Mail began running its own vans out to villages. Once there it was taken on foot or by bicycle by the local postman.

Mr Willie Allen, Rose Cottage, was a familiar sight cycling round Llanteg delivering mail and lots of other news.

Bertie Bowen, Willie Allen the postman and Maggie Bowen (nee Morris)
Outside The Laurels - telephone box on extreme right.

When the mail van took over from the foot delivery, Willie was often able to undertake general services like collecting prescriptions, shopping, etc.
Sadly those days are gone. Sadly also the ending of Christmas Day delivery in the 1950s - though I dare say not missed by the postman, who many a time must have got home for a very late Christmas dinner having received a lot of Christman ‘cheer’ on the way!

Post Boxes
We now have GPO letter boxes at:

The Folly
George V (1910-1936) old post box which will only take narrow envelopes and not birthday cards. Now only has a collection in the morning.

York Lodge

The Garage
The old postbox at Llanteg Garage was demolished by a vehicle back in the Summer of 2008.
The damaged one was taken away and for months we were without one in this location.
This enormous specimen got put back shortly before Christmas 2008.
No idea why it is so large, but it had to be specially constructed to fit onto the wall, as apparently they do not do that any more (the previous one had been on a pole similar to the one at York Lodge, but kept getting hit by vehicles getting pertol).
This one could probably accommodate the mail for half of South Pembrokeshire!

Broken Cover for Old Pump- Standpipe near The Laurels

2010-08-03T03:16:00.000-07:00

As far as I know there was an old standpipe between The Laurels and Bevlin - long since disused.

This was covered over but it now seems the covering has been broken:

If anyone knows more about this I'd be pleased to hear.

Book Launch - Carms Journal July 2010

2010-07-28T03:49:00.000-07:00

Surprised to find half a page devoted to our new book - Llanteg - Looking Back in today's Carmarthen Journal - 28th July 2010.

Trip to Flying Boat Museum July 2010

2010-07-26T10:53:00.000-07:00

A small group, joined by some friends from the Amroth Group, visited the Flying Boat Museum at Pembroke Dock on 24th July 2010.

Unfortunately, as always, this clashed for a few people so only three people went from Llanteg, joined by five from Amroth.

Arrangements were easily made with Judith Davies who was most helpful from the beginning.

Llanteg - Winifred Tunster, her daughter Dawn Merry and son John Lewis-Tunster.
Amroth - Susan and Alan Evans, Elizabeth Hall, Nick and Jill.

Society Members 2010

2010-07-25T15:38:00.000-07:00

Tony Brinsden - Chairman

Ruth Roberts - Secretary

John Lewis-Tunster - Treasurer

Judith Lloyd - past Treasurer and current Editor

Margaret Brinsden

Eirwen Davies

Maureen Ebsworth

Audrey James

Mollie James

Dilys Jenkinson

Jane Lawrence

Katherine Lloyd

Carol Mason

Winifred Tunster

Carol & Owen Vaughan

Andy Webb

Ruth Webb

Castle Ely and Muttongate

2010-07-20T09:41:00.000-07:00

Information from Ray Wilson on the Llewellyn family of Castle Ely (ancestors of Tony Brinsden)
I've noticed the Llewellin's in West Pool and Middle Pool. They're still there in 1911 census, but have no connection with my family at all, as far as I can see.
I think Muttongate, Ciffig, (Tony's grandmother Anne was born there in 1887) must be one of the old cottages around Castle Ely - it is between Syke and Castle Ely on the census. It must have been on the old road through Castle Ely. There seems to be the remains of a track leading from Castle Ely to Syke along the bottom land, although it isn't shown on the maps. My cousin Angela Bevan was telling me that when she was a child, she and her sisters used to walk from East Pool to Castle Ely along a track along the bottom of Syke to visit our Auntie Annie (Mrs Albert Wilson). Having said that, I've just had a look at the old 1840 map and there is a track from Greenbridge, past East Pool, through Pwll Cogan (West and Middle Pool), below Syke and coming out at Castle Ely. It just shows how closely connected these places were in the past when the roads took a different path. I must get those photos I took sorted out.

1849 Description of Crunwere Parish

2010-07-13T13:06:00.000-07:00

CRONWERE (CRUNWEAR), a parish, in the union and hundred of Narberth, county of Pembroke, South Wales, 5 miles (E. S. E.) from Narberth; containing 282 inhabitants. This parish is situated on the eastern confines of the county, a short distance south of the turnpike-road from Laugharne to Narberth. It is bounded on the north by Lampeter, on the south by Amroath, on the west by Ludchurch, and on the east by Carmarthenshire, from which it is separated by a small brook. The number of acres is about 2000, of which 1500 are arable, and 500 pasture. The surface is of a hilly character: the soil is various; red earth, affording rich pasture, extends across a portion of the parish in a direction from north to south; other parts are cold and sterile, with a subsoil of clay; the earth covering the limestone portion is good, but liable to become soon parched and dry. There is a village named Lanteague, the only one in the parish; also a corn-mill, and a mill where the coarse cloth of the country is prepared and dyed: a quarry is likewise worked, producing limestone of fine quality. The living is a discharged rectory, rated in the king's books at £6. 16. 10½., and in the patronage of the Lord Chancellor: the tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge of £105; there is a glebe-house, and the glebe contains sixty-eight acres, valued at £50 per annum. The church, dedicated to St. Elidyr, is a very ancient structure, now nearly in ruins, and contains 200 sittings. A Sunday school was established in the year 1820.

A Topographical Dictionary of Wales (1849),

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=47817.

Llanteg History Exhibitions

2010-07-03T12:55:00.000-07:00

From the beginning the History Society wanted to circulate as much information as possible, so as well as publishing books we also decided to hold exhibitions to show the vaste array of photographs and other items which we had collected.

Our first exhibition was held in the summer of 2000. We had no display boards and relied on old tressle tables, lining paper, drawing pins and bluetack - plus lots of sellotape! Not what people would call a 'professional job', but the important part in our opinion was all the interesting things on view - not the fact that we could not affort display boards!

The event was held over two days and we had a fanastic response from everyone - both far and wide.

Before it opened

Ruth Roberts, Councillor Mary Megarry, Judith Lloyd

Matthew Roberts helping to fundraise with notelets and jewellery

Matthew Roberts

Our second exhibition was agian held over two days - and was also a great success. Opened by local historian and author Roscoe Howells, we agaiun had a great attendance - and met many interesting people.

Roscoe Howells

Judith Lloyd and Roscoe Howells

Matthew and Ruth Roberts

More exhibits on the stage

Willie Phillips (Three Gates, Red Roses) telling a story to Ruth and Matthew Roberts

John Lewis-Tunster

Audrey James and Margaret Brinsden helping wiht the refreshments

Ted White (Canada), Philip Nicholas (Baglan) and Ruth Roberts

Ted's wife, Philip and Ruth are all distant cousins

Matthew Roberts - quiet before the opening!

Our third exhibition was held in the middle of the week in July 2003 which proved a great mistake. It was done to coincide with Amroth's week of activities, but proved not to be what our regular attenders wanted, as many could not make a week day. So although we had our new display boads on wheels etc - this was not as well supported as our previous two events.

The Tunster family quilt - made by Lydia Sharp

Bits and pieces of interest on the stage

More clothing on the stage

Items and ephemera on the stage

The W.I. patchwork quilt

Displays on the stage

This was the first exhibitions where we had proper display boards

which we put around the hall

We have not had a full-blown exhibition since, although we have had events for the War Memorial Unveiling, Mountain Chapel Gardens Unveiling, plus two book launches.

Book Launch LLANTEG LOOKING BACK

2010-05-05T02:45:00.000-07:00

The 11th publication and 4th History Book on the village was launched at Llanteg Hall in June 2010.

Price £4.99

Mary Watts, ?, Mr and Mrs Gardner

Carol Mason, Ann James, Andrew Mason, Alan Mason ands Alwyn James

Sue James, Pat Cole, Carol Mason and Ann James

Mollie James on left in pink

Avrenah Tremlett in white

Mr & Mrs Dee from The Valey

Tony Brinsden with Andy and Ruth Webb

Margaret Brinsden, Dilys Jenkinson, Winifred Tunster and John Lewis-Tunster

Tony Brinsden surveying the pictures which are in the new history book.

Society members

Castle Ely Will - 1608

2010-04-08T04:44:00.000-07:00

Will unearthed by Owen Vaughan

HERNY UNDERWOODE - DIED approx. 1608/9
Genteman
Castle Ellie (not sure which one?)

Wife - Elthwe
nephew - Robert
uncle - Mr Protheroe
nephew - Rapfe ? Shepprd

Castle Ely Area Pictures from Ray Wilson

2010-04-08T04:40:00.001-07:00

Old Farmhouse - Coldwell (Oldwell)
This old house seems to be in a peaceful setting, but the busy A477 runs by the front of the house.
© Copyright lizzie and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Coldwell House
When this old house was built on the side of the road several centuries ago the only traffic was the occasional horse and cart. Now it is alongside the busy A477.
© Copyright lizzie and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Pot holed lane (into Upper Castle Ely)
This farm lane was once part of the network of roads in this area. Before the main road was built in the 1840's this was the road from Red Roses to Llanteg, following the high ground.
© Copyright lizzie and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Farm Track
This farm track (near Coldwell) once formed part of the 'road' to Red Roses.
© Copyright lizzie and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Small stream (near Coldwell)
Two small streams join at this point. It is completely overshadowed by trees. In the winter this is more of a torrent than a stream.
© Copyright lizzie and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Castle Ely and Fronhaul
There was once a medieval settlement here, now all that remains is these houses and a farm. The tumulus can be seen in the centre of the picture.
© Copyright lizzie and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Pictures of Castle Ely Area

2010-04-08T04:36:00.000-07:00

Boundary Stone on Castle Ely Bridge - renovated by the council in 2003

Castle Ely County and Parish Boundary Stream and Bridge

Small Footbridge at Castle Ely - now overgrown. (information supplied on history blog) - There was a well/spring here for generations. Some time ago Carms Council put a small pumping station here to pump water up to a storage tank at Upper Castle Ely, which in turn supplies water to surrounding farms - Castle Ely, Fronhaul, Brynely, Brynhyfryd, etc. There was a pipe allowing the water to run out at this spot, but I think this has been stopped now. The footbridge probably leads to the pumping station (a small shed!) Health and safety probably thought someone might trip over a stone or something, hence the footbridge.)

Castle Ely Info from Ray Wilson

2010-04-08T04:34:00.001-07:00

I had this lovely response to a request for information on the Castle Ely area:-

Glad you are looking at the Castle Ely area as it was always considered part of Crunwere although in Cyffig parish.
I don't have much information on the area but I'll let you have what I know.

Castle Ely is considered to be one of the lost settlements of West Carmarthenshire, along with Cyffig and Eglwyscummin. In 1307 there were "28 tenants working 6 carucates of land" - a carucate was roughly 120 acres of land.

Before the A477 was built in the 1830's the road from Tavernspite crossed Coldwell coming up the lane at the side of the house, went up the lane to Upper Castle Ely and on to Castle Ely. Here it branched off down Castle Ely lane to Castle Ely Mill, crossed the stream to Crunwere Farm, and on past Crunwere Church to Llanteg village. From Castle Ely the road carried on straight over Marros Mountain to Marros. This track is still visable in Fronhaul. I will enclose a copy of the map. It is clear from this map that there are a lot of buildings around Castle Ely.

The map also explains why Crunwere Church seems to be in the middle of nowhere - it was the road that moved!!

Castle Ely and Castle Ely Mill were both part of the Llanmiloe (Pendine) Estate from at least the time of Charles 1st, until the estate was sold in 1913.

All I know about Castle Ely house is from personal memory. Parts of the original house were very old. The oldest part of the house was at the back with 4 separate rooms with thick walls and big flagstone floors. The furthest back were 2 long, narrow rooms shaped like an L. The room at the foot of the L was partly underground and reached by 3 flagstone steps, the windows level with the ground. It ran the length of the house. It was lined with large metal pans for salting the meat and was always cold - facing north. The living room was next to these rooms, again separate, and also had these large flagstones floor. Next to this was the pantry, flagstones, and slate slab shelves, no windows, again always cold.

The front of the house, facing Crunwere Church, was, I think, a Victorian addition. There was a hallway between the old part and the new part which was a large sitting room and a parlour both with timber floors. Upstairs there were 3 large bedrooms, but over the old part of the house were 2 dark store rooms, especially the back one which was down a step and windowless. I used to be afraid to go into these rooms!

I am attaching the map and an old photo of the front of Castle Ely house. Hope this will be of some interest to you,

Albert and Annie Wilson (nee Saer). They were my Uncle and Aunt on both sides (2 brothers married 2 sisters), and I used to visit them a lot when I was a child. The Shanklin's lived in Upper Castle Ely which is only about a field away from Castle Ely.

There used to be lime kilns in one of the fields between Milton and Castle Ely but I never did find the ruins - I think they must have been cleared. The field is still called "kiln field" The quarry was on the lane leading in to Castle Ely but it just looks like a hole. The division between the limestone belt of Marros,and the red sandstone runs through Fronhaul and Castle Ely fields and there are many holes in the fields where the ground has given way. It carries on through Crafty and there are holes there as well.

There was an old water wheel in the barn at Castle Ely (mill), and there is any amount of water around there. There used to be the ruins of an old building in the garden at Castle Ely. Just the walls and roof, but this enormous chimney - the sort you could stand inside and look up through. I'm not sure if it was a house or an industrial building of some sort. It was all knocked down years ago.

Best wishes,

Lizzie

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Ruth,

The water wheel was at the end of the barn in Castle Ely - this is the large building that you can see from the road. it was at the end nearest the road.

I was brought up in the Moors, Llanteg, but my parents lived at Castle Ely with their brother and sister for a while before they moved to the Griggs, and then the Moors.

Not sure how old Fronhaul is. I think the house was built after the council bought up the land and created smallholdings, that would be after 1913.

The Health club is both Fronhaul and Castle Ely buildings. The buildings form a square and were split in half, 1 half to Castle Ely, and the other half to Fronhaul ie creating 2 farms out of one. The barn ran the length of both and was spit in half.

The well at Coldwell is a spring which is pumped up to a storage tank and gravity fed back to the farm.

Upper Castle Ely is up the lane by Coldwell.

Castle Ely Farm is now Waterwynch, Castle Ely House is the farmhouse renovated and is the large white house you can see from the road.

Castle Ely Mill was a farm in its own right, besides the mill which has been disused for very many years. I can never remember it being used. The house is on the side of the old road by the lane going up to Castle Ely. The mill I suppose is in the old farm buildings with the original miller's house next to it. I don't suppose there's much of the original left.

The Morse's used to live in Fronhaul, Kathleen lives in St Clears now. The Jenkins used to live in Castle Ely Mill but I think they are all gone.

I am attaching some photos of Fronhaul and Castle Ely. The photo with the sheep isn't very good but it shows the barn with Castle Ely chimneys behind, and in the right background is Upper Castle Ely house in the trees. It was taken from the Marros side looking towards Red Roses direction. The 2nd shows Fronhaul house back and some of Castle Ely buildings. This is taken in the opposite direction looking towards Marros, the last one shows Fronhaul house front view.

Castle Ely Area

2010-04-08T04:29:00.000-07:00

Ancient mound
This ancient mound or tumulus is in a field close to Castle Ely House. The field was historically called "twmp", which is the Welsh for mound.
© Copyright lizzie and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Royal Cmmission on Ancient Monuments in Wales
NPRN 304255
Map Reference SN11SE
Grid Reference SN19341051
Community Eglwyscummin
Type of Site ROUND BARROW
Broad Class Religious, Ritual and Funerary
Period Unknown
Site Description
PARC-Y-TWMP; LOWER CASTLE ELY TUMULUS
Barrow 25 paces in diameter and 6'6" high. Cremation remains were found upon excavation in 1889.
(source Os495card; SN11SE21)

Catalogue Number C57302
Cadw Scheduling Records
Date: 1990
Description
File of Cadw scheduled monument records for Parc-y-twmp; Lower Castle Ely Tumulus (CM088)

Castle Ely Mill
NPRN 306275
Map Reference SN11SE
Grid Reference SN19131060
Community Eglwyscummin
Type of Site CORN MILL
Broad Class Agriculture and Subsistence
Period Post Medieval
Site Description
Former corn mill converted to a house and holiday apartments. B.A.Malaws, 03 September 2002.

Defended Enclosure
NPRN 304188
Map Reference SN21SW
Grid Reference SN20091092
Community
Eglwyscummin
Type of Site
DEFENDED ENCLOSURE
Broad Class Defence
Period Iron Age?
Site Description

Castle Ely camp appears to comprise the east and south part of a defended enclosure, that appears to be completed by presumed modern field banks to the west.
(source Os495card; SN21SW4)

CASTLE ELY QUARRY, RED ROSES
Site Details
NPRN 306198
Map Reference SN11SE
Grid Reference SN19281017
Community Eglwyscummin
Type of Site LIME WORKINGS
Broad Class Industrial
Period Post Medieval
Site Description

Quarry and two limekilns.
B.A.Malaws, 28 August 2002.

From - http://www.jstor.org/stable/621742

At Castle Ely there were 28 tenants working 6 carucates of land (carucate=as much land as one team can plow in a year and a day; - by some said to be about 100 acres).

Llanteg Mills

2010-04-08T04:23:00.000-07:00

Spurred on by a suggestion we are now trying to collect information on the old mills of Llanteg - and we will extend that to include Castle Ely Mill - which, although not in our parish is only just over the stream which is our boundary with Ciffig parish.

This will be information as we collect it and probably will be updated and amended as we go along.

Charles F.Shepherd, in his 1933 booklet on Crunwear, notes that there were three mills - Castle Ely Mill, Garness Mill and the Tucking Mill - with Castle Ely being outside the parish.

Garness Mill, a grist mill, is still standing, but has not been working for some years.
During the latter half of the last century (1850s-1890s) the mill was in constant use, the farmers bringing their grain to be ground, and taking the flour etc. away.

CASTLE ELY MILL - corn (now a private house)

From WikipediaIn most wheel-driven mills, a large gear-wheel called the pit wheel is mounted on the same axle as the water wheel and this drives a smaller gear-wheel, the wallower, on a main driveshaft running vertically from the bottom to the top of the building. This system of gearing ensures that the main shaft turns faster than the water wheel, which typically rotates at around 10 rpm.
The millstones themselves turn at around 120 rpm. They are laid one on top of the other. The bottom stone, called the bed, is fixed to the floor, while the top stone, the runner, is mounted on a separate spindle, driven by the main shaft. A wheel called the stone nut connects the runner's spindle to the main shaft, and this can be moved out of the way to disconnect the stone and stop it turning, leaving the main shaft turning to drive other machinery. This might include driving a mechanical sieve to refine the flour, or turning a wooden drum to wind up a chain used to hoist sacks of grain to the top of the mill house. The distance between the stones can be varied to produce the grade of flour required; moving the stones closer together produces finer flour.
The grain is lifted in sacks onto the sack floor at the top of the mill on the hoist. The sacks are then emptied into bins, where the grain falls down through a hopper to the millstones on the stone floor below. The flow of grain is regulated by shaking it in a gently sloping trough (the slipper) from which it falls into a hole in the center of the runner stone. The milled grain (flour) is collected as it emerges through the grooves in the runner stone from the outer rim of the stones and is fed down a chute to be collected in sacks on the ground or meal floor. A similar process is used for grains such as wheat to make flour, and for maize to make corn meal.

OLD TUCKING MILL - woollen cloth (situated just south of Ledgerland but only a few overgrown ruins remain)

Sketch of Old Garness Mill by Geoff Scott

Photo of Garness Mill outbuildings - taken in 1999 by Tony Brinsden

GARNESS MILL - corn (now a private house) - it was possibly originally named after a person - Gardener.
In Place Names of Pembrokeshire Gardeners Mill was mentioned in 1723, changing its name over the years to Carnos and Garness.

Found in Llanteg Timeline
1844 - 266 inhabitants recorded. A corn mill and mill where coarse cloth is prepared and dyed, a limestone quarry, and a church in ruins with sittings for 200 people.

Mr Shepherd in his 1933 book notes:

A fulling mill from Georg Andreas Böckler's Theatrum Machinarum Novum, 1661

From Story of Tenby by Margaret Davies - Tenby Museum 1979
In 1565 David Griffith, a Llanteg 'fryzemaker' (frieze being a course woollen cloth) was exporting rolls of frieze to Bristol in the ship Katherine of Tenby.

Found in Llanteg Timeline
1844 - 266 inhabitants recorded. A corn mill and mill where coarse cloth is prepared and dyed, a limestone quarry, and a church in ruins with sittings for 200 people.

Mr Shepherd in his 1933 book notes:
'About a hundred years ago (1830s) there was at Ledgerland a Tucking Mill - a water mill used for the making of cloth. This was kept by Mr James Price - his widow died at the ripe age of 102 and is buried in Crunwear churchyard.'
On Llanteg's Tithe Schedule Ledgerland, and a 'cottage' further down the valley were occupied by James Price and owned by Sir Robert Phillips. From the old 1840s map it appears that the entrance to the old mill site would have been more from the Amroth side rather than Llanteg - but it is very difficult to tell.

Place Names of Pembrokeshire
Under Lost Names, we have for Crunwear:
Old fulling mill - mentioned in 1712
There was also mention in 1737 of a Crunwear Mill - but that could be either Garness or the tucking mill.

Reference from Roscoe Howell's publication:
"From mediaeval times until as late as the 1860s, there was a thriving woollen and carding mill, known in its last years as the Factory ... and the remains are still to be seen in the undergrowth, as is the course of the leat which brought the water down from below the woollen mill to power the Earwear corn mill at the bottom of the valley".

The Fulling/Tucking Process - from Wikipedia

Fulling or tucking or walking ("waulking" in Scotland) is a step in woollen clothmaking which involves the cleansing of cloth (particularly wool) to eliminate oils, dirt, and other impurities, and making it thicker. The worker who does the job is a fuller, tucker, or walker. The Welsh word for a fulling mill is pandy. This is used in several place-names.

Process
Fulling involves two processes—scouring and milling (thickening). These are followed by stretching the cloth on great frames known as tenters and held onto those frames by tenterhooks. It is from this process that we derive the phrase being on tenterhooks as meaning to be held in suspense. The area where the tenters were erected was known as a tenterground.
Originally, this literally, was pounding the cloth with the fuller's feet (whence the description of them as 'walkers'), or with hands or a club. From the medieval period, however, it often was carried out in a water mill.

Scouring
In Roman times, fulling was conducted by slaves standing ankle deep in tubs of human urine and cloth. Urine was so important to the fulling business that urine was taxed. Urine, known as 'wash', was a source of ammonium salts and assisted in cleansing and whitening the cloth.
By the medieval period, fuller's earth had been introduced for use in the process. This is a soft clay-like material occurring in nature as an impure hydrous aluminium silicate. This seems to have been used in conjunction with 'wash'. More recently, soap has been used.

Thickening
The second function of fulling was to thicken cloth, by matting the fibres together to give it strength and increase waterproofing (felting). This was vital in the case of woollens, made from short staple wool, but not for worsted materials made from long staple wool. After this stage, water was used to rinse out the foul smelling liquor used during cleansing.

Fulling mills
From the medieval period, the fulling of cloth often was undertaken in a water mill, known as a fulling mill, a walk mill, or a tuck mill. In Wales, a fulling mill is called a pandy. In these, the cloth was beaten with wooden hammers, known as fulling stocks. Fulling stocks were of two kinds, falling stocks (operating vertically) that were used only for scouring, and driving or hanging stocks. In both cases the machinery was operated by cams on the shaft of a waterwheel or on a tappet wheel, which lifted the hammer.
Driving stocks were pivotted so that the 'foot' (the head of the hammer) struck the cloth almost horizontally. The stock had a tub holding the liquor and cloth. This was somewhat rounded on the side away from the hammer, so that the cloth gradually turned, ensuring that all parts of it were milled evenly. However, the cloth was taken out about every two hours to undo plaits and wrinkles. The 'foot' was approximately triangular in shape, with notches to assist the turning of the cloth.

History
The earliest known reference to a fulling mill in France, which dates from about 1086, was discovered in Normandy.[4] The earliest reference in England occurs in the Winton Domesday of 1117-19. Other early references belonged to the Knights Templar by 1185.
These mills became widespread during the thirteenth century and occur in most counties of England and Wales, but were largely absent in areas only engaged in making worsteds.

Community Archive Website

2009-12-14T01:54:00.000-08:00

We are now included on http://www.communityarchives.org.uk/

Dedication of the Glanville War Memorial

2009-12-02T09:58:00.000-08:00

With the village church now being closed and redundant the Hugh Slader Glanville War Memorial was relocated to Llanteg Hall.

In a service on 11th November 2009 Rev'd Geach dedicated the memorial during the Remembrance Day service, 92 years to the day from when Hugh Slader Glanville died.

Can Anyone Identify These Pictures?

2009-11-27T11:48:00.000-08:00

These pictures have been sent to us and come from the Amroth area, but someone might recognise them - if you do let us know!

2

3

Article in Pembrokeshire Life September 2009

2009-09-05T05:58:00.000-07:00

We had a two page article in Pembrokeshie Life, mostly about our graveyard surveys - with pictures added, and also a few lines about the benefits of using http://www.geograph.org.uk/ as a source for photographs.

Lottery Grant of £1806

2009-06-18T05:10:00.000-07:00

Tony Brinsden (Society Chairman), Maureen Ebsworth (Society Member), John Lewis-Tunster (Society Treasurer) and Winifred Tunster (Society Member)

We have been awarded this grant for our 11th book and a table-top display board.

Mountain Chapel Llanteg - Pumps

2008-09-25T00:07:00.000-07:00

Found a great website today - http://www.villagepumps.org.uk/.

Sent them a photo of our two pumps and have been having interesting e-mails from Richard Williams who runs the site.

He has sent me the following data on our pumps:-

'Joseph Evans "York" Cottage Pumps, strongly made, and fitted with brass lining and brass union, screwed for wrought iron tube or for lead pipe". And one of your pumps is fitted with "ears to fix to wall or plank".If the diameter of the barrel is 2.5" it was offered for sale at 37/-, 3" at 40/-, 3.5" at 44/9, and 4" at 48/6. Unfortunately, I don't know the date of the catalogue, but I'd guess the end of the 19th Century.'

Tiny Footbridge at Castle Ely

2008-05-07T09:06:00.001-07:00

Saw this tiny overgrown footbridge at the entrance lane to Waterwynch (or Upper Castle Ely and Fronhaul) - only leads into undergrowth now but must have served a purpose once?

Llanteg Hall Used For Voting - 1st May 2008

2008-05-07T09:02:00.000-07:00

Llanteg Hall used for voting as Summerhill being refurbished.

County Boundary Stone - Castle Ely

2008-05-07T08:51:00.000-07:00

County Boundary Stone on Castle Ely Bridge.

After asking Pembs and Carms Councils to tidy up our Boundary Stone it looks like Pembs have done a little work on it as the tarmac around it is new - so thanks to them. Not been painted but don't think we're allowed to do it ourselves - will have to look into it. Just a few small brambles around the base but much better than before.
River under Castle Ely Bridge which is the county boundary.

Crunwere School Admissions 1898-46

2008-04-14T01:50:00.000-07:00

This school ran from 1876 to 1946. It is now a private dwelling called Seabreeze.

I have purchased copies of the only Admissions Book at Haverfordwest Record Office which is for the period 1898-1946.

Alphabetical list of pupils at Crunwere School from 1898-1946

280 names.

Crunwere School opened in 1876 but this is the only Admissions Book available up to its closure in 1946.

It has been typed up and sorted alphabetically. Some names appear twice* (possibly due to illness or moving)and then re-admitted.

SURNAME / FORENAME / DATE OF BIRTH / ADDRESS / DATES ATTENDED

ALLEN ELEANOR MARY 22/7/02 MILTON BACK 1907-16
ALLEN ALICE ELIZABETH 11/1/05 MILTON BACK 1910-19
ALLEN JOHN 26/10/08 MILTON BACK 1913-23
ALLEN CONSTANCE MARY 4/8/21 MILTON BACK 1925-35
ALLEN IVY MAY 27/9/26 OXFORD 1931-?
ALLEN EILEEN 18/11/22 RUELWALL 1928-35
ALLEN CHARLES 15/12/00 MILTON BACK 1904-14
ALLEN WILLIAM 26/9/99 MILTON BACK 1904-12
ALLEN THOMAS 26/11/22 MILTON BACK ?-35
BEVAN NOELLA 23/12/32 MOUNTAIN 1944-44
BEVAN MARGARET 9/7/35 MOUNTAIN 1944-44
BEVAN RUTH 7/10/41 MOUNTAIN 1946-46
BRACE MARY ROWENA 27/7/35 MOUNTAIN 1941-?
BRACE WYNFORD THOMAS 23/11/32 MOUNTAIN 1933-?
BRACE HOWARD BASIL 8/10/26 MOUNTAIN 1931-40
BRACE CLIFFORD JOHN 26/9/25 MOUNTAIN 1931-?
BRINSDEN JOHN ANTHONY 26/4/40 STANWELL 1945-46
BURBRIDGE* ERIC 9/10/07 HORSEMANSTONE 1920-21
BURBRIDGE* ERIC 9/10/07 HORSEMANSTONE 1917-18
CALLEN JOHN 17/4/17 CWMSHEAD 1921-?
CALLEN ARTHUR 1/8/20 CWMSHEAD 1926-?
CALLEN THOMAS WILFRED 28/4/94 CWMSHEAD 1900-08
CALLEN MARY ELIZABETH JANE 22/1/19 CWMSHEAD 1924-?
CALLEN THOMAS WILFRED 22/11/15 CWMSHEAD 1921-29
CALLEN DAVID 9/1/23 CWMSHEAD 1928-28?
COLLINGWOOD SYLVIA ELIZABETH 6/10/28 YORK COTTAGE 1934-?
DAVIES IRIS MABEL 11/4/17 TRENEWYDD 1922-29
DAVIES DORIS IRENE 7/10/03 MILTON 1909-17
DAVIES SARAH ANN 24/11?/06 SPARROWS NEST 1912-20 dec'd
DAVIES ALICE MORWEN 17/3/18 GREENACRE 1923-32
DAVIES NORMAN HIGGON 7/4/36 LEDGERLAND 1941-?
DAVIES MARTHA ELIZABETH 14/6/23 TRENEWYDD 1928-36
DAVIES AGNES 20/4/98 AMROTH MILL 1912-13
DAVIES JAMES BRINLY 23/12/04 MILTON 1910-19
DAVIES THOMAS LESLIE 19/9/07 MILTON 1912-22
DAVIES JAMES ALUN 24/12/31 MILTON 1937-?
DAVIES MARTHA ELIZ. 25/5/05 SPARROWS NEST 1910-19
DAVIES IVOR JAMES 9/3/11 TRENEWYDD 1919-25
DAVIES ROBERT J.M 26/11/14 GREENACRE 1920-27
DAVIES JOHN LEWIS 6/11/15 SPARROWS NEST 1921-died
DAVIES ROBERT 17/4/06 MILTON 1911-19
DAVIES ELWYN GEORGE 7/9/23 BRYNELI 1928-36
DAVIES LILIAN MARY 21/6/35 BRYNELI 1941-?
DAVIES VICTOR W. 17/8/01 GRIEGGS (SIC) 1907-15
DAVIES WILFRED GEORGE 5/7/00 GRIGGS 1906-12
DAVIES MABEL 22/9/03 SPARROWS NEST 1908-17
DAVIES JOAN MERLE 13/9/33 LEDGERLAND 1938-?
DAVIES MELFA DOREEN 12/3/29 GARNESS MILL 1936-?
DAVIES WILFRED 7/5/10 SPARROWS NEST 1915-24
DAVIES WILLIAM HENRY 10/10/01 SPARROWS NEST 1907-15
DAVIES DAVID MORRIS 5/5/21 TRENEWYDD 1926-35
DAVIES LAURA 26/9/19 GARNESS 1924-33
DAVIES WILLIAM HOWELL 14/9/18 BRYNELI 1926-32
DAVIES ANEURIN JOHN 5/10/21 BRYNELI 1927-35
DAVIES BEATRICE 19/12/08 MILTON 1913-23
DAVIES NOEL ? BRYNELI 1931-37
DAVIES OLIVE MARGARET 25/12/29 TRENEWYDD 1935-?
DUNBAR ARTHUR 1/11/02 SCHOOLHOUSE 1910-15
DUNBAR DONALD 15/10/00? SCHOOLHOUSE 1910-12
EVANS SARAH 28/1/08 CASTLE ELY 1914-15
EVANS JOAN 28/2/29 MOUNTAIN 1942-?
EVANS IVOR 28/6/08 CASTLE ELY MILL 1919-22
EVANS IRENE MAUD 3/5/03 STANWELL 1910-12
EVANS IVOR 19/11/05 CASTLE ELY 1914-15
EVANS THOMAS STEPHEN 12/3/36 MOUNTAIN 1943-43
EVANS EILEEN BLODWEN 19/3/31 ? 1938-?
EVANS SARAH ANN 10/10/13 OXFORD 1919-19
EVANS JAMES 10/7/02 CASTLE ELY 1914-15
GEORGE ALBERT KENNETH RICHARD 21/9/29 THE DOWNS 1935-?
GEORGE CLIFFORD BRYNMOR 8/4/32 THE DOWNS 1936-?
GEORGE THOMAS DAVID 18/12/36 DOWNS 1942-?
GEORGE CLIFFORD BRYNMOR 8/4/32 DOWNS 1936?-?
GEORGE MARY ELIZABETH 8/12/40 DOWNS 1944-?
GEORGE GWILYM 15/4/95 DOWNS 1899-09
GEORGE ELIZABETH J. 9/2/98 THE DOWNS 1901-12
GEORGE ARTHUR 3/7/03 DOWNS 1908-17
GLANVILLE RONALD YORKE 15/4/22 WEST LLANTEG 1926-?
GLANVILLE HUGH SLADER 6/10/31 EAST LLANTEG 1937-?
GLANVILLE THOMAS VINCENT 10/5/20 WEST LLANTEG 1925-34
GLANVILLE WINIFRED IRENE 7/2/98 LLANTEAGUE 1903-11
GLANVILLE ANNA MARGARET 14/1/23 EAST LLANTEG 1928-35
GLANVILLE REGINALD HARCOURT 29/1/97 LLANTEAGUE 1901-10
GLANVILLE JAMES THOMAS SLADER 23/8/18 WEST LLANTEG 1923-32
GLANVILLE LESLIE WILLIAM 21/2/95 LLANTEAGUE 1898-08
GLANVILLE BRIDGET ANNA MARJORIE 5/7/24 WEST LLANTEG 1929-?
GRIFFITHS GEORGE 11/5/00 1? LLANTEG 1912-13
GRIFFITHS PHYLLIS MAUD 7/1/10 RUELWALL 1921-21
GRIFFITHS ETHEL 23/7/03 LITTLE DOWNS 1914-14
GRIFITHS RICHARD 23/3/02 LANTEG 1914-15
HALLS (EVACUEE) SARAH 31/3/31 LLANTEG FACH 1941-44
HALLS (EVACUEE) ALFRED 25/9/35 LLANTEG FACH 1941-44
HARRIES HILDA ELIZ. JANET 16/6/21 GRIGGS 1927-32
HARRIES HUGH 23/5/23 GRIGGS 1928-32
HERBERT VALMAI IVY 21/5/25 LLANTEG 1930-38
HERBERT MARY IRENE 2/8/18 LLANTEG 1928-32
HODGE MURIEL 30/5/11 MOUNTAIN 1916-?
HODGE OLWEN MYFANWY 2/8/99 MOUNTAIN FARM 1908-12/13
HODGE ETHEL IRENE ? IVY COTTAGE 1926-?
HODGE PHOEBE ANN 7/9/06 MOUNTAIN 1911-?
HODGE* PHYLLIS MAY 22/5/19 IVY COTTAGE 1924-?
HODGE THOMAS JOHN 28/8/03 MOUNTAIN FARM 1908-17
HODGE MARY 22/9/01 MOUNTAIN 1913-15
HODGE* PHYLLIS 22/5/19 IVY COTTAGE 1924-33
HODGE HELEN EVELYN 2/4/22 IVY COTTAGE 1928-33
HODGE HUGH ? 11/3/17 IVY COTTAGE 1923-32
HODGE CEINWEN 26/9/09 MOUNTAIN 1913-23
HODGE BERTHA ANN 3/1/16 IVY COTTAGE 1921-30
HODGE BRINSLEY 4/9/14 MOUNTAIN 1919-27
HODGE AMY JANE 8/2/05 MOUNTAIN FARM 1910-19
HODGE CLARICE E. 25/12/15 BARRIETS 1921-30
HODGE MARY 22/9/01 MOUNTAIN FARM 1908-09?
HOWELLS THOMAS 2/7/95 WOODREEF 1902-09
HOWELLS CLIFFORD JAMES 3/7/33 WOODREEFE 1940-?
HOWELLS* JOHN 11/12/07 WOODS 1913-13
HOWELLS EVELYN JANE 16/9/02 WOODREEF 1909-16
HOWELLS* JOHN 11/12/07 WOODREEF 1915-21
HOWELLS FLORENCE 4/4/00 WOODREEF 1905-15
HOWELLS? THOMAS?(CROSSED OUT?) 20/8/95? WOODREEF? 1902?
HUGHES BERNICE ELVIRA 11/7/37 BELLE VUE 1942-?
HUGHES TITUS 21/6/00 RECTORY 1911-11
HUGHES GEORGE THOMAS 13/5/26 MOUNTAIN VIEW 1931-34
HUGHES DONALD KEITH 6/9/38 BELLE VUE ?
JAMES FRANK 19/6/94 CABIN 1902-08
JAMES VERDI 1/5/15? BLACKHEATH 1920-29
JAMES CONSTANCE MAY ? BEVLIN 1928-dec'd 31
JAMES SARAH 17/2/06 RUELWALL 1911-dec'd
JAMES HERBERT REGINALD 8/5/21 BLACKHEATH 1927-35
JAMES ELIZ. ANN 30/3/98 TELPIN 1910-10
JAMES WYNDHAM HUGH 28/4/17 BLACKHEATH 1922-31
JAMES HERBERT 17/8/94 BROOMYLAKE 1900-09
JAMES MARTHA ELIZABETH 18/2/20 BEVLIN 1925-34
JAMES AMELIA ANN 10/9/95 CASTLE ELY 1904-09
JAMES GEOFFREY 5/5/21 BEVLIN 1926-?
JAMES BERTIE 19/1/99 CABIN 1904-12
JAMES DAVID GEORGE H. 27/1/97 CASTLE ELY 1902-10
JAMES WILLIAM 9/9/96 BROOMYLAKE 1901-10
JAMES MARGARET ELIZABETH 8/2/03 CABIN 1908-17
JAMES GLADYS MAY 2/8/97 CABIN 1903-11
JAMES GLYN HERBERT 26/8/26 BEVLYN 1931-?
JAMES THOMAS CYRIL 25/7/07 RUELWALL 1912-20
JAMES THOMAS GEOFFREY 21/8/23 GOITRE 1929-37
JAMES KATHLEEN 9/1/26 GOYTRE 1931-35
JAMES JOHN 5/7/03 LANTEG 1915-?
JAMES ALWYN THOMAS 11/2/40 BEVLIN 1945-46
JENKINS CLIFFORD JAMES 21/10/23 UPPER CASTLE ELY 1929-?
JENKINS VINCENT BERESFORD 26/9/29 UPPER CASTLE ELI 1935-?
JENKINS SELINA MARY 26/10/26 UPPER CASTLE ELY 1932-?
JENKINS WLM JOHN REES 9/10/15 UPPER CASTLE ELY 1921-29
JENKINS GILBERT CLEMENT 30/1/21 UPPER CASTLE ELY 1926-?
JOHN BEVERLEY HUGH 6/10/28 CASTLE ELI MILL 1936-?
JOHN MILDRED 31/12/09 LANTEAGUE 1915-24
JOHN ARTHUR JAMES 21/10/30 CASTLE ELI MILL 1930-?
JONES GEOFFREY GLANVILLE ?/11/99 HEATHERLAND 1902-11
JONES ELIZABETH MARY 13/8/14 FRONHAUL 1923-24
JONES NOEL 21/11/00 HEATHERLAND 1904-13
JONES ELIZ. MARY 13/8/14 FRONHAUL 1921-22
JONES TITUS 30/6/00 RECTORY 1911-11
JONES LORAINE (WINNIE)? 5/10/17 CABIN 1923-?
KERR JOHN CAMPBELL 20/10/39 LEDGERLAND 1944-?
KERR KATHLEEN PATRICIA 27/8/38 LEDGERLAND 1944-?
LAMBERT (EVACUEE) BERNARD ARTHUR ? CASTLE ELI MILL 1940-40
LAMBERT (EVACUEE) JOSEPH RICHARD 29/4/28 CASTLE ELI MILL 1940-40
LEWIS ROWENA 9/6/11 FOLLY 1916-16
LEWIS ROWENA 1/4/00 OAKLANDS 1909-14
LEWIS NELDA MONA ELIZ. 22/2/20 BELLE VUE 1931-34
LEWIS JOHN FLORENCE 29/1/09 ZOAR COTTAGE 1921-21
LEWIS HERBERT ?/5/10 FOLLY 1916-16
LEWIS VIOLET AUDREY 31/8/29 BEVLIN 1935-?
LEWIS IRENE 24/5/07 FOLLY 1916-16
LINES VICTOR ?/9/07 YORK 1915-?
LLOYD THOMAS ? YORKE 1913-13
LLOYD EVELYN ? YORKE 1913-13
MATHIAS WILLIAM EDWARD 20/1/02 LOWER PENDEILO 1907-12
MATHIAS ALBERT JOHN 24/6/03 LOWER PENDEILO 1908-12
MATHIAS GEORGE 18/6/05 BLACKHEATH 1910-19
MATTHIAS MARTHA ANN 7/9/00 LOWER PENDEILO 1906-12
MILES (EVACUEE) COLIN ?/?/34 HEATHERLAND 1944-?
MILES (EVACUEE) CYNTHIA ?/?/37 HEATHERLAND 1944-?
MORRIS MARY ANN 20/8/05 SANDY GROVE 1914-15
MORRIS RICHARD 14/4/10 FURZY PARK 1915-24
MORRIS ANNIE 4/2/95 FURZY PARK 1900-09
MORRIS GILBERT 7/7/03 SANDY GROVE 1914-15
MORRIS* MARGARET 29/4/00 FURZY PARK 1905-14
MORRIS CATHERINE 27/9/02 FURZY PARK 1908-12
MORRIS ELIZABETH 6/9/97 FURZY PARK 1902-11
MORRIS* MARGARET 29/4/00 FURZY PARK 1905-14
MORRIS MARTHA JANE 10/9/04 FURZY PARK 1910-19
MORSE KATHLEEN ANN 15/4/32 FRONHAUL 1932-?
MORSE WALTER DEVONALD 12/4/29 FRONHAUL 1934-?
MORSE MARGARET EILEEN ?/6/27 FRONHAUL 1932-?
MORTIIMER JOHN STEPHEN 2/6/96 SUMMERBROOK 1909-10
MORTIMER AYAH DONNA CHRISTINE 16/10/22 LEDGERLAND 1929-35
MORTIMER AMY 21/7/99 SUMMERBROOK 1902-13
MORTIMER MAY 13/5/95 SUMMERBROOK 1906-09
MORTIMER HANNAH ISABEL 18/1/04 SUMMERBROOK 1909-18?
MORTIMER JOHN GRAHAM DALTON 11/4/26 LEDGERLAND 1931-40
MORTIMER JOHN STEPHEN 2/6/96 SUNNYBROOK (sic) 1900-09
ORIEL THOMAS ARTHUR 14/4/23 GARNESS 1928-37
ORIEL SARAH MAY 1/5/05 GARNESS 1910-19
ORIEL ADA 19/11/06 GARNESS 1912-20
ORIEL MAGGIE 21/4/10 GARNESS 1915-24
ORIEL MARTHA 13/5/15 GARNESS 1920-29
ORIEL* JOHN 13/4/08 GARNESS 1915-22
ORIEL JAMES 5/4/21 GARNESS 1926-35
ORIEL HOWELL 6/5/17 GARNESS 1921-31
ORIEL* JOHN 13/4/08 GARNESS 1913-14
ORIEL FRED BENJAMIN 29/11/13 GARNESS 1919-27
OWEN ELVIRA ISABEL 3/2/26 SYCH (SIC) FARM 1932-?
OWEN LESLIE GEORGE ISLWYN 26/5/17 CRAIGYBORIAN/SYKE FARM 1927-30
OWEN THOMAS JOHN 30/5/18 CRAIGYBORIAN/SYKE FARM 1927-32
OWEN VAUGHAN MEYRICK 25/9/22 SYKE FARM 1928-35
OWEN GLYN LAWRENCE 20/10/20 CRAIGYBORIAN/SYKE FARM 1927-34
PHELPS DOREEN 17/5/30 MILTON BACK 1935-?
PHELPS JOHN ALLEN 14/9/34 MILTON BACK 1939-?
PHILLIPS WILLIAM LESLIE 4/10/03 MIDDLETON 1908-16
PHILLIPS IVOR JOHN 13/11/02 CRAFTIE 1908-16
PHILLIPS MARGARET FRANCES 8/12/00 CRAFTIE 1906-14
PHILLIPS FLORENCE M. 22/5/02 MIDDLETON 1907-16
PHILLIPS MILDRED 23/12/00 MIDDLETON 1903-14
PHILLIPS NANCY ETHEL FENN 13/9/31 THE FFOLI (SIC) 1936-45
PHILLIPS TERENCE COLWYN 12/10/28 CROFTY 1934-?
PHILLIPS LYDIA MAUD 3/3/21 OXFORD 1926-28
PHILLIPS ANNIE MATILDA 25/3/15 OXFORD 1920-28
PHILLIPS MARY JANE 16/11/11 OXFORD 1920-25
PHILLIPS MARY ELIZABETH 23/5/96 THE CORNER 1901-10
PHILLIPS ALICE 1/7/95 CRAFTIE 1899-09
PHILLIPS MARTHA 30/12/07 CRAFTIE 1912-21
PHILLIPS GLADYS MARY 26/10/95 MIDDLETON 1899-09
PHILLIPS WILLIAM CYRIL 3/8/99 CRAFTIE 1904-13
PHILLIPS THOMAS DAVIES 17/7/99 MIDDLETON 1902-12
PHILLIPS GEORGE 11/12/05 CRAFTIE 1911-19
PHILLIPS CISSY 21/5/98 CRAFTIE 1901-12
REYNOLDS DILYS SARAH ELIZAB. 18/4/26 BELLE VUE 1931-38
REYNOLDS GWENDOLINE 18/1/97 BELLE VUE 1902-09
REYNOLDS MARTHA 8/2/01 BELLE VUE 1906-12
ROGERS EIRLYS 1?/3/31 CASTLE ELI MILL 1940-?
ROGERS ? 24/9/37 FELIN CASTLE ELI (SIC) 1942-?
SCOURFIELD CISSIE MAUD 1/6/96 THE MOORS 1901-09
SCOURFIELD BERNARD WILLIAM 9/1/41 ? ?
SHAFFER (EVACUEE) HELEN 2/1/33 CROFTY 1941-42
SHAFFER (EVACUEE) ARNOLD 21/3/34 CROFTY 1941-42
SHAFFER (EVACUEE) NORMAN 3/1/36 CROFTY 1941-42
SIMLESS HAROLD 22/9/06 YORK 1913-16
SIMLESS VIOLET 26/5/03 YORK 1913-15
SIMLESS EDITH 16/5/08 YORK 1913-16
SIMLESS JOHN 30/5/04 YORK 1913-16
SIMLESS GWENDOLINE 28/8/00 YORK 1913-15
SIMLESS CYRIL 16/7/05 YORK 1913-16
SIMLESS FRANK 24/2/10 YORK HOUSE 1915-16
SIMLESS GEORGE 5/8/11 YORK HOUSE 1915-16
SMITH JEAN 8/4/34 OAKLAND 1940-?
STEPHENS THOMAS 29/9/00 LLANTEAGUE 1912-12
STIMSON (EVACUEE) VALERIE JOYCE 6/7/31 SUMMERBROOK 1940-40
STIMSON (EVACUEE) GLORIA FAYE 7/4/28 SUMMERBROOK 1940-40
THOMAS CATHERINE 16/2/12 LONG LANE 1917-26
THOMAS MARY 18/3/08 MILTON BACK 1917-20
THOMAS BRYNMOR JAMES 18/2/20 CABIN 1925-?
THOMAS ROSE 16/7/10 MILTON BACK 1917-20
THOMAS MARY JANE 18/3/08 GOITRE 1913-13
THOMAS MARY 26/6/07 DOWNS 1912-13
WATERS WILLIAM JAMES 28/4/24 PARSONAGE COTTAGE 1933-34?
WATERS JOSEPH WYNFORD 11/10/26 PARSONAGE COTTAGE 1931-34
WHITE (EVACUEE) WILLIAM ?/?/36 RECTORY 1944-?
WILLIAMS HENRY BEVAN 21/3/07 CASTLE ELY MILL 1912-16/7?
WILLIAMS*? MONA? 16/12/09 CASTLE ELY MILL 1915-16
WILLIAMS*? MONA 22/12/09 MANOR HOUSE RED ROSES 1923-23
WILLIAMS ALICS.L.PHILLIP? 17/9/13 CRUNWERE FARM 1921-21
WILLIAMS MARY ?/1/11 CASTLE ELY MILL 1916-16
WILLIAMS SUSIE ELIZABETH 7/7/15 STANWELL 1928-29
WILSON DAVID LAVERN MORTIMER 18/3/23 LLANTEG 1928-28
WILSON VAUGHAN GRENVILLE 4/1/28 GRIGGS 1933-?
WILSON JOHN BRYNMOR THOMAS 27/3/29 CASTLE ELI 1935-?
WILSON THOMAS JOHN 12/9/20 LLANTEG 1925-28
WILSON DAVID WALLACE 9/8/32 MOORS ?
WILSON DOREEN 4/11/18 LANTEG 1924-28
WILSON LORNA 2/11/19 LANTEG 1924-28
WOLFF DESMOND LLEWELLYN 2/10/20 SCHOOL HOUSE 1925-33
WOLFF SHEILA EILEEN GWENIFER 24/5/16 SCHOOL HOUSE 1925-28
WOLFF TREVOR LLOYD 2/10/18 SCHOOL HOUSE 1925-31
WOLFF KATHLEEN BERYL 2/7/26 SCHOOL HOUSE 1931-?

Crunwere Gravestone Survey 2006/2007

2008-01-30T01:55:00.000-08:00

Gravestone Photographs

The pictures have been uploaded here:-

Zoar Chapel Graves:-
http://www.kodakgallery.co.uk/I.jsp?c=cqwtkdlp.fmxc4w2x&x=0&h=1&y=-r4rb2r&localeid=en_GB

Mountain Chapel Graves:-
http://www.kodakgallery.co.uk/I.jsp?c=cqwtkdlp.3amqkopd5&x=0&h=1&y=-pxlnkd&localeid=en_GB

Crunwere Church Graves:-
In/on the church - http://www.kodakgallery.co.uk/I.jsp?c=cqwtkdlp.2o4rkvow9&x=0&h=1&y=-pdc0x6&localeid=en_GB
Rows A-D - http://www.kodakgallery.co.uk/I.jsp?c=cqwtkdlp.2359vmo3t&x=0&h=1&y=kqnope&localeid=en_GB
Rows E-J - http://www.kodakgallery.co.uk/I.jsp?c=cqwtkdlp.xbm7aukp&x=0&h=1&y=-ymhenr&localeid=en_GB
Rows K-Q - http://www.kodakgallery.co.uk/I.jsp?c=cqwtkdlp.2fe9jps5l&x=0&h=1&y=od6oj9&localeid=en_GB
Rows R-S -http://www.kodakgallery.co.uk/I.jsp?c=cqwtkdlp.27b4029zd&x=0&h=1&y=qkp8wh&localeid=en_GB
Rows T-U - http://www.kodakgallery.co.uk/I.jsp?c=cqwtkdlp.1406fl43t&x=0&h=1&y=-8ya87j&localeid=en_GB
Row V - http://www.kodakgallery.co.uk/I.jsp?c=cqwtkdlp.1rgjlbwnd&x=0&h=1&y=ujlfle&localeid=en_GB
Rows X-Z - http://www.kodakgallery.co.uk/I.jsp?c=cqwtkdlp.3djhq4ts9&x=0&h=1&y=-pa5sw8&localeid=en_GB

Or if you want to see the whole lot together go to:-
http://www.kodakgallery.co.uk/I.jsp?c=cqwtkdlp.h947nb61&x=0&h=1&y=-5qwy62&localeid=en_GB

Sorry but if you want details of the names etc you'll have to get our booklet for £3. Its not that we're trying to make money - just that the way we've collected the information doesn't allow us to upload it here.

With the grant from PAVS expiring on 21st January 2008 we managed to finish the work with just days to spare, due mainly to bad weather and illness.

The survey consisted of a photograph of each grave (296 in total in the parish church and two chapels). We then made out a sheet for each grave and used codes (taken from Harold Mytum's book) to categorise the styles of gravestone. We also collected the verses off the stones.

The names and dates of those buried had been collected previously and published in our Burial Booklet.

One copy of the survey has been sent to Harold Mytum of Liverpool University as he is doing research into Pembrokeshire gravestone styles.

Another has been deposited at the Record Office, Haverfordwest.

We will be keeping the original photographs and one copy for ourselves.

We will also be giving copies of the relevent sections to Rev'd Geach (for Crunwere Church), Amroth Community Council (for Mountain Chapel) and E.C.Thomas & Sons (for Zoar Chapel of Rest).

Thanks to Ruth and Andy Webb, who, together with John Lewis-Tunster, took all the photographs and also to Ruth Webb who collected the verses off the gravestones. Ruth Roberts put the files together and stuck in all the photographs (which were all ordered via Kodak over the internet and delivered very promptly).

Ruth and Andy managed to decipher some gravestones that we had previously marked as ‘illegible’ in our earlier Grave Booklet and even managed to find three ‘new’ gravestones – which is another story!

Crunwere Church from Afar

2008-01-30T01:42:00.000-08:00

As we may be losing various parts of our church in the future I took a few photographs from the Castle Ely loop area to show it from a different angle.

Unfortunately I do not have a zoom lense!

This is the first church you see when entering South Pembrokeshire.

Church Symbolism

2007-11-28T10:13:00.000-08:00

Church Symbolism

Extracted from How to Read a Church (Pocket Guide) by Richard Taylor 2007
(kindly given to me as Christmas present - I wonder why??)

The main body of a church is the Nave - for the congregation. Nave comes from the Latin Navis - meaning ship.

Pews are a fairly modern introduction - before that most people stood - but there were some stone seats around the walls and columns; hence the saying 'the weakest to the wall'.

Beyond the nave is the Chancel - usually up a step and past an arch. Beyond the Chancel is the Sanctuary - also often separated by a step/arch/alter rail. Within the Sanctuary is the alter.

When churches began they all followed a similar pattern.

The East and South were the favourable sides. People faced East for worship - in the direction of the sunrise (probably a pre-Christian habit).

Most churches are built on an East-West axis. Entering towards the West and with the alter in the Eastern end. This is the common practice but not a hard and fast rule.

Images of Christian hope are often found in the eastern window. The western side was considered best for 'doom' paintings such as the Last Judgement.

The church's early policy was to absorb pagan sites, not destroy them - so churches were often build on older structures.

Lynchgate - from lic - Old English for corpse. The priest would come out form church to receive the legal certificate from the family while the coffin rested under the gate outside church.

Graves faced east - the 'honourable' direction - also Christians adopted the old Jewish custom of burial with the feet facing the rising sun - a sign of hope. It is believed that the faithful will rise again when Jesus returns to Jerusalem and they wished to be facing the right way.

The south side of the yard was preferred for burials. The north side often being used for suicides, criminals and unbaptised babies.

Churches therefore tended to be built towards the north of the yard with the entrance facing south with a long path.

Some yards have old crosses - sometimes used for open air preaching. Also before tombstones became commonplace it could act as a single memorial.

Stoup - a bowl of stone by the church door holding holy water for people to cross themselves with. Came from the Jewish tradition of washing hands/face/feet.

Font - usually placed at the rear of the church - the beginning of lifes journey. The journey down the aisle would therefore be your journey through life towards God. Fonts can be lidded. Water would be blessed at Easter and left for later use; therefore some were lead lined. In England font covers were compulsory from 1236. Nowadays the water is blessed on the day of use.

Early columns were often made to represent trees.

Lectern - where the Bible rests. Usually in the shape of an eagle - a bird that was thought to be able to look unflinchingly into the sun - just as the words of the Bible are the unflinching revelations of God.

Pulpits were introduced in about the 14th century when the focus was more on preaching and teachings.

Rood screen - sometimes divided chancel from nave. Rood is the Anglo-Saxon word for cross - and rood screens are often topped by a large cross and sometimes flanked by the Virgin Mary and St John, who were both present at the crusifixion.

Altar - the holy heart of the church - candles can be hung there - and sometimes a candle in a red lamp is kept burning as a perpetual flame to symbolise the continual presence of God.

Symbols

Crosses

The cross is the Christian's most important symbol.

There can be an empty cross (just the two cross pieces).

A cross/anchor (with the bottom curved like an anchor shape).

The Crucifix of Triumph - Jesus on the cross with his arms outstretched, usually wearing a long seamless tunic (before the 13th century they preferred not to have Jesus stripped).

The Crucifix of Suffering - this was more popular from the 13th century - Jesus was on the cross -with his head to one side - almost always the 'right' side. Shown having just died, wearing the crown of thorns, with nails in his palms and crossed feet and also a cut just below his ribs.

The Celtic or wheel-head cross incorporated the circle.

The Easter Cross is garlanded with flowers - especially lilies, though now possibly daffodils.

The Passion Cross has ends coming to points - representing the wounds of Jesus.

The Swastika was a fairly common cross in old Christian monuments in Rome - but since its associations of the 20th century is seldom now used.

Halos

When first introduced it was as 'see through' light - but by the Middle Ages had become vast golden cartwheels. By the Renaissance had shrunk again to be discreet hoops of light.

Some halos incorporate a crucifix shape (often for Jesus and Lamb of God).

The triangular halo is to represent the Trinity.

Sometimes there is a pointed star shape.

A square or scroll shape is used to denote the person was alive when the image was made.

Other Symbols are:-

Lamb - the lamb of God - Agnus Dei

Fish - symbolises Jesus - 3 for the Trinity. Ancient Christian symbol pre-dating the cross and used as a sign by the early Christians.

Dove - can be for God or The Holy Spirit.

Eagle - divine inspiration.

Rose - purity. Virgin Mary called a 'rose among thorns'. Red for martyrdom, white for purity.

Lily - associated with Virgin Mary.

Ivy - evergreen - immortality.

Palm Leaf - associated with victory since pre-Christian times. Commonly used as a symbol of martyrdom.

Colours - Liturgical colours - the standard ones being green, purple, white and red.

Green - colour of new life.

Purple - used for repentance.

White - Liturgical colour for Christmas and Easter.

In Christian art the following often meant:-

Black - sickness, death, devil, mourning.

Black and white can represent purity.

Blue - used for Virgin Mary and also Jesus. The blue colour was the most expensive and used only on the most precious subjects.

Brown - the dress of Franciscans - imitating poor peasant dress, renouncing the world.

Gold - colour of light, same meaning as white.

Grey - ashes, symbolise death of body - repentance.

Purple - Royalty, imperial power.

Red - fire - can mean hate or love. Mary Magdalene often in red.

White - pure, innocent.

Yellow - light, halos in stained glass. also used in Middle Ages to mark out plague areas - so suggested contagion. Judas sometimes in yellow.

Sacred Monograms - IHC and IHS. Both symbols for Jesus.

IHC is from the Greek spelling for Jesus (IHCOYC). Purists tend to prefer this as it is the earliest version.

IHS is the translation of IHC into Latin form.

INRI - this was nailed to the top of the crusifixion. Latin for 'Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews'. It was usual to have a placard placed on crosses bearing the man's name and crimes.

XP - the Chi Rho - also stands for Christ - from the Greek for Christ (XPICTOC). The Chi Rho has meanings that pre-date Christianity. Its popularity soared after 312 when it was adopted by the Emperor Constantine - the first Christian Roman Emperor.

Numbers - the octagon (8) sided shape was popular - half way between a square and a circle (to mean half way between earth (square and God (circle)). Often used for pulpits and fonts.

Triangle - Trinity - Father, Son & Holy Ghost. Or could be two triangles together or one inside a circle.

Fleur de Lys - this and other three petalled flowers were also used for the Trinity; as were clover and shamrocks.

The three Magi - from the 14th century they were shown depicting different races. Gold was for kingship, frankincense for priestliness and myrrh for embalming and death.

Who's Who?

John the Baptist - shown with wild dress and ragged hair and beard.

Mary Magdalene - with long blond/red hair. Often shown with a pot of perfume (which she had used on Jesus' feet).

Four Apostles - Matthew (man or angel), Mark (lion, often with wings), Luke (bull or ox with wings) and John (eagle).

St Paul - shown with receding hair and a beard.

St Peter - with keys (of heaven), an inverted cross and a cockerel.

St John - beardless and holding a chalice (with a serpent or dragon).

St Matthew - tax collector - may have money bags.

St James the Great - pilgrim's staff, hat and scallop shell.

St James the Less - shown with saw or club.

St Bartholomew - a set of knives.

St Philip - bread, sword, lance or fish.

St Jude - book or papers.

St Simon - saw.

St Thomas - carpenter's square.

St Stephen - palms and a stone.

St Andrew - a saltire cross.

St Agnes - a lamb.

St Catherine - a wheel.

St Christopher - a lamp with child on shoulder.

St Francis - scars on hands, preaching to birds.

St George - a dragon.

St Nicholas - three gold balls, children, bishop's mitre.

St Sebastian - semi naked - with arrows.

St Teresa - flowers.

St Veronica - a cloth with image of Jesus' face.

St Michael - sword and spear and stepping on dragon. Sometimes holding scales.

St Gabriel - often shown with lily or trumpet.

St Raphael - wearing pilgrim's clothes with a staff, pouch and fish.

The Ten Commandments often depicted on two tablets.

Llanteg Poppy Collectors

2007-11-13T03:04:00.000-08:00

Once again thanks to Tony and Margaret Brinsden of Norton Lodge who have sold poppies around the village.

They took over from Mrs M.Carter of Heatherland.

Previous to that poppies were sold my Miss Melfa Davies of Garness Mill who went around the village on her pushbike.

Remembrance Day 2007

2007-11-13T02:56:00.000-08:00

November 11th.

Once again we opened the Hall from 10.30am.

There were 15 of us present.

John Lewis-Tunster did a short series of prayers before we stopped for the 11am silence.

Afterwards poppy crosses were put on our displays.

Thanks to all who attended.

The afternoon Act of Remembrance was conductd by Rev'd Geach - we were 10 in attendance. Rebekah Chatwin placed the poppy cross and we had another two minute silence.

A collection was made for the Poppy Appeal.

Llanteg/Crunwere War Memorial

2007-10-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

As there was no memorial in the village to commemorate the War Dead the History Group decided to do their own.

This War Memorial was commissioned by the History Society in 2003 and designed and worked for free by Mrs Diana John of Ruelwall, being unveiled on 28th February 2004.

War Memorial in Llanteg Hall to commemorate the three War Dead from Crunwere Parish:-

William Davies, Bevlin, 9th October 1917

(Private, 2nd Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers)

William Davies, Private, 307169, Lancashire Fusiliers. William was born at Bevlin, Llanteg, the son of Lewis Davies and Ann Davies (nee Parry), and resided at Abbey Stream, Ludchurch with his wife Sophia Maria Willday. He enlisted at Carmarthen as a Private into the 2/8th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers, with the regimental number 307169. The battalion was part of 197 Brigade, 66th Division. The Division assembled in France in March 1917 and moved to the Flanders coast, until moved south to take part in the Battles of Third Ypres. They advanced against the German lines during the Battle of Poelcappelle, suffering terrible casualties, one of which was William, who was killed in Action on 9 October 1917. He is buried at Buttes New British Cemetery, inside Polygon Wood.

Hugh Slader Glanville, East Llanteg, 11th November 1917

(Private, 24th Battalion, Welsh Regiment)

Hugh Slader Glanville, Private, 320299, Welsh Regiment. Hugh was the son of James Cox Slader Glanville and Anna Maria Glanville, of Llanteg. He enlisted at Carmarthen into the Pembroke Yeomanry, with the service number 4286. The Pembroke Yeomanry had formed in Tenby for Home Defence, as part of the South Wales Mounted Brigade. They arrived in Egypt in March 1916, and on 2 February 1917 were disbanded, joining with the Glamorgan Yeomanry to form the 24th Battalion of the Welsh Regiment, as part of 231 Brigade, 74th (Yeomanry) Division. Hugh's service number then changed to 320299. The Division first saw action during the Second Battle of Gaza. Hugh was wounded during the Third Battle of Gaza, and Died of Wounds on 11 November, 1917, aged 26. He is buried at Beersheba War Cemetery. His brother William Leslie Glanville served alongside him, and at the time of Hugh's death was wounded and in Hospital at El Arish, Egypt. Fortunately William survived the war.

H.S.Glanville's memorial plaque - originally in Crunwere Church, Llanteg, but relocated to

Llanteg Village Hall in November 2009 due to the church closure.

James Edgar John Mason, Ruelwall, 14th June 1944

(Stoker 1st Class. HMLBO. Royal Navy)

James Edgar John Mason, Stoker, C/KX 143988, Royal Navy. James was the son of William and Catherine Mary Mason and the husband of Winifred Mabel Eileen Mason, of Ruelwall, Llanteg. He served in the Royal Navy as Stoker First Class, service number Stoker, C/KX 143988. James served aboard the Royal Naval Vessel, H.M.L.B.O. 6. The vessel was in fact a device that had been invented purely for the Normandy Landings, and was a Landing Barge, Oil. These Landing Barges came in a huge variety of different types, and were used for several purposes; defence, transportation, supply (of food, water and oil) and repair (fitted out with workshops). Little is known of what happened, but John is recorded as having been killed on 14 June, 1944 aged just 23. He is remembered on the Chatham Naval Memorial, Kent.

This information is also on http://www.pembrokeshire-war-memorial.co.uk/page33.htm

Brass Plaque to commemorate Diana John of Ruelwall who designed and
worked the memorial free for the History Society.

The War Memorial was unveiled by Mrs Eileen Oriel (widow of Mr J.E.J.Mason)
after a dedication by Rev'd Bate.

Mrs Eileen Oriel (widow of David Edgar John Mason,
with Mr Mason's two brothers - David and Dennis

Mrs Eileen Oriel with her son Alan Mason and daughter Barbara Howells (nee Mason)

Mr Alan Mason, his mother Mrs Eileen Oriel, his sister Barbara Howells

and Ruth Roberts, History Society Secretary

Judith Lloyd, History Society Treasurer, presenting flowers to

Mrs Diana John of Ruelwall who had worked the tapestry

Family group picture of members of the Mason family,

siblings and descendants of James Edgar John Mason who died in 1944

Andrew Mason, grandson of James Edgar John Mason

Families and friends gathered for the short service followed by tea and refreshments.

The History Group also ensure that the Village Hall is open every Remembrance Sunday for anyone who wishes to come and pay their respects.

Virtual Tour of St Elidyr Church Crunwere

2007-10-24T02:22:00.001-07:00

Crunwere Church

South porch rebuilt in 1878 on site of earlier porch. Decoration added by Hugh James of Arfryn

Vent in south wall of South Transept could indicate that there is an underground chamber (may have been added in 1878 when built)

Gravestone embedded in the outside wall of the South Transept. Stone states:

Near this wall lies the body of John Howell A.M.

The son of Reynold Howell of Trenewyed, Gent.

He was sometime Rector of New Radnor but in the year of Trial 1691 was deprived of all that he could not keep with a good conscience.

Who died Jan. 17th 1727, aged 70.

(A stone tablet in memory of a non-juring clergyman)

Ordnance Survey Trig Plate on south wall of South Transept

Crunwere Church

Named Lann Cronnguern in the 12th century Book of Llandaff
Of limestone rubble construction

Rebuilt in 1843 (when the South Transept was added) and restored in 1878 at a cost of £550(with the exception of the North Transept and Tower)

A medieval church central within an earthwork of a disappeared village site

Old door into church

Restoration Fund box just inside doorway

Memorial to right of doorway in Nave

Memorial to left of doorway in Nave

NAVE

32ft x 18ft

North Nave Window

Called the Broomylake Window - with a representation of the farm. In memory of Alfred James (Churchwarden for 25yrs - died 1950), his wife Elizabeth (died 1939) and their daughter Evelyn (died 1931)

South Nave window

The Lord and his Mother - in memory of Benjamin Hancock Morris (died 1941), Elizabeth his wife (died1949) and their daughter Annie (died 1936)

View down aisle to altar

Memorial plaque to Hugh Slader Glanville who died in the 1st World War

View into North and South Transepts

Two plain windows

Old gas lamps still in place

View west back down aisle

The Pulpit

Views from the pulpit

South Transept

Down aisle

Poor photograph showing wooden ceilings

Looking into North Transept

Tiled floors apparently date from the 1878 renovations

(suspended floors in 60% of church)

Possible under floor heating in 5% of church

SOUTH TRANSEPT

14ft x 11ft

View into South Transept

NORTH TRANSEPT

14ft x 11ft

View into North Transept

(Plaque to Mr Benjamin Jones of Heatherland who bequeathed money in his Will for the instalation of electicity to church)

CHANCEL

15ft x 12ft

Rood beam

Wooden Rood Beam erected in memory of Robert Davies late of Greenacre (1861-1936) and his wife Emma E. (1866-1945). A gift of their son Paul Davies, Faith, Judy and Paul Junior, California (1957)

East window over altar

Victorian stained glass window over altar gifted by the late Mrs Georgiana Morgan of Heatherland in memory of her husband Rev'd Richard Morgan (a son of Trenewydd)

Small vestry window

Small door into vestry

Reredos - oak panelling behind the altar in memory on Thomas Jones (Priest) and Jane Morgan (erected by Emma Jane Jones in 1934)

Ten Commandments either side of altar

FONT
Heavy oak font lid in memory of Mabel Prosser (died 1950) -
given by her sister Patty Davies of Sparrowsnest

View of font and towards altar

TOWER

17ft x 16ft

Dates from the mid 16th century

Of traditional Pembrokeshire type with three storeys. The western door was blocked up and a window installed.

Cross on door into base of tower area

Hatch and bellrope in base of tower

Western window (once the doorway)

Door up to tower

Three apertures for bellropes (only one in use)

West window where indentations from staircase are only just visible top right above window

St Elidyr Church Crunwere - Incumbents from 1344

2007-10-06T06:25:00.000-07:00

List of Incumbents
Names from 1344 to 1987 were researched by Mr Charles F.Shepherd for his booklet
St Elidyr Crunwere - A Historical Note, first published in 1933 and revised in 1988
These are names he was able to trace and may not be the complete list - we have added names up to the present date.

1344 Simon Johan

1349 Richard Portyn

1407 Thomas Bron

1407 James Vayner

1486 John David

1486 John Tudor

1534 Griffin Lloid

1554 Nicholas Nicols

1631 Humphrey Smart

1703 Charles Williams

1755 Thomas Williams

1783 Thomas Dalton

1830 William Morgan

1830 David Jones

1839 William Davies Phillips

1886 William Garner

1907 Richard Roberts Jones

1917 Evan Davies

1923 Robert Jackett

1934 Daniel Morgan

1948 Isambard George Horatio Bowen-Harries

1955 D.G.Lloyd Jones

1958 David Stanley Hobbs

1979 John Burrenston Lewis

1987 David Williams

1995 Nicholas Cale

2002 Dylan Bate

2007 Sarah Geach - last vicar at Crunwere.

Trig Points in Llanteg Vicinity

2007-09-28T01:43:00.000-07:00

From http://www.trigpointinguk.com/trigs/view-trigs.php?q=1086143

A list of trigpoints, near to grid reference SN 18700 10720

1.6
Sych Farm
TP6292
CARMARTHEN
Dyfed
SN202110
none
Secondary
Pillar

3.2
Marros Beacon
TP4671
CARMARTHEN
Dyfed
SN203080
none
Primary
Pillar

3.3
Craig-Y-Borion
TP2532
NARBERTH
Dyfed
SN158090
none
Secondary
Pillar

3.7
Brandy Hill
TP1587
CARMARTHEN
Dyfed
SN213133
none
Secondary
Pillar

4.2
Castle Merhen
TP2036
NARBERTH
Dyfed
SN146117
none
Secondary
Pillar

4.8
Pendine
TP0719
CARMARTHEN
Dyfed
SN234098
Passive station
Primary
Pillar

5.1
Pendine Cross Roads
TP0214
CARMARTHEN
Dyfed
SN237102
Passive station
none
Rivet

5.6
Windleway
TP6966
CARMARTHEN
Dyfed
SN242114
none
Secondary
Pillar

7.1
Llanddewi Gaer
TP4462
NARBERTH
Dyfed
SN144163
none
Secondary
Pillar

7.5
Windberry Top
TP6961
NARBERTH
Dyfed
SN113090
none
Secondary
Pillar

8.0
Bryn Banc
TP1726
NARBERTH
Dyfed
SN198185
none
Secondary
Pillar

8.5
Llansadurnen
TP4478
CARMARTHEN
Dyfed
SN271104
none
Secondary
Pillar

9.2
Broadfield
TP1651
NARBERTH
Dyfed
SN128036
none
Secondary
Pillar

11.2
Llangynin
TP4473
NARBERTH
Dyfed
SN251199
none
Secondary
Pillar

11.4
Pant Dwfn
TP5283
CARMARTHEN
Dyfed
SN294146
none
Secondary
Pillar

11.7
Martin Hill
TP4679
NARBERTH
Dyfed
SN069115
none
Secondary
Pillar

11.8
Robeston Wathen
TP5702
NARBERTH
Dyfed
SN080157
none
Secondary
Pillar

12.0
Crosshands
TP2620
NARBERTH
Dyfed
SN194226
none
Secondary
Pillar

12.4
Minerton
TP4844
NARBERTH
Dyfed
SN088031
none
Secondary
Pillar

13.6
Portis Bach
TP5502
NARBERTH
Dyfed
SN132231
none
Secondary

Trig Point - St Elidyr's Church

2007-09-28T01:37:00.000-07:00

(From - http://www.bench-marks.org.uk/bm10311)

Flush Bracket S0621: Llanteg
SE angle of St. Elidyr's Church - 420.104', later 419.943' [Aberaeron to Carmarthen].LocationGrid reference: SN 1870 1072.Landranger 158: Tenby & Pembroke.

Structure: Church.Waypoint: FS0621.

Neighbouring Flush Brackets
S7948
Red Roses 1.99km to the northeast.
G5124
Near Marros 2.19km to the southeast.
G5125
Marros 2.70km to the southeast.
G5123
New Inn, Amroth 3.72km to the south.
G5126
Green Bridge Inn 3.82km to the southeast.

The nearest fundamental bench mark is Haverfordwest (1969), 22.54km to the west.

Logged Visits Logged on 17th April 2005 by RHW.

Grid reference: SN 187 107.

Condition: Good.

Crunwear Church, Llanteg. SE corner S face. set well back, very narrow road

Britain's First Female M.D.

2007-09-27T07:28:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to Mrs Carter of Heatherland and Mrs Davies of Trenewydd for giving such a warm welcome to Professor Neil Mcintyre when he visited the village in late September 2007.

Professor Mcintyre has retired from the Royal Free Hospital in London and has researched (and is still researching) the life and family of the first British female doctor of medicine to qualify on the continent (she graduated from Zurich in 1870 - the first lady from St Petersburg had graduated three years earlier).
Frances Hoggan (nee Morgan) was a descendant of Richard Morgan of Trenewydd and her mother, Georgiana Philipps, later lived at Heatherland.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Hoggan
Frances Elizabeth Hoggan MD (née Morgan) (20 December 1843 – 5 February 1927) was the first British woman to receive a doctorate in medicine from a university in Europe, and the first woman doctor to be registered in Wales.
Frances Hoggan was born in Brecon, where her father was a curate. She was brought up and educated at Cowbridge and later at Windsor. During her teens, she gave birth to an illegitimate daughter, who was brought up with her mother and passed off as Frances' sister.[1] She went on to study at Paris and Düsseldorf. She obtained her medical qualification from the University of Zurich in 1870, completing the six year course in three years. In 1874 she married Dr George Hoggan. She later practised in London as a specialist in women's and children's diseases. Together with her husband, she opened the first husband-and-wife general medical practice in the UK. She became a campaigner and social reformer, and toured the United States lecturing. She had a particular interest in racial issues, and was a speaker at the Universal Race Congress in London in 1911.
Her cremated remains are buried, with her husband's, in Woking cemetery.

Mountain Chapel Unveiling Photos

2007-09-21T10:58:00.001-07:00

Tidy hedges - thanks to Mike Abel

Ruth Roberts cutting the cakes
Display boards with pictures of chapel and gardens
Our two picture cakes

Tidy gravestone

Tony Brinsden and Rev'd Sarah Geach after the unveiling

Cars all down Stoney Road!
Rev'd Geach unveiling the plaque

Before the service

Mountain Chapel Unveiling - Pictures September 2007

2007-09-21T10:28:00.000-07:00

Pretty heather in the yard

The nicely decorated graves

Information Panel

More of the graves

Seats inside the chapel area

Review of this Blog

2007-09-13T12:25:00.000-07:00

Just found this review of our Blog while searching Google:-

http://www.llanteghistorysociety.blogspot.com/ is a brilliant and simple solution to the problem which confronts many societies who would like a website of their own — Llanteg History Society created a blog! Blogs are almost exclusively used by individuals for a wide range of activities, from on-line personal diaries to being devoted to a particular activity, such as family history or in my own case I do a blog about my local park. Llanteg is north-east of Tenby in Dyfed and the site contains a wealth of historical and topical information about the village and, because of its immediacy, has a lovely friendly feel, as if you know the place. I was encouraged by a friend to set up my blog and it took me no more than a couple of hours to do. It's very easy to add images and links to other websites. To see what can be achieved this is a ‘must see’ website.

http://www.local-history.co.uk/news/070809webwatch.html

Mountain Chapel Unveiling

2007-09-09T11:43:00.000-07:00

Unveiling Ceremony on 9th September.

This was done by Rev'd Sarah Geach after a short dedication ceremony.

An introduction and background on the history of the chapel was given by Clr Tony Brinsden (also Chairman of the History Society).

We were pleased to see so many relatives and friends at the chapel for the ceremony, and also back at the Hall for tea and a chat afterwards.

Those who had donated towards the planters were given a framed photo of the chapel and a thank-you letter for their support.

Our work will continue at the chapel to ensure that is remains a fitting feature in the village.

James Merrilees of Stanwell -1890s

2007-08-21T03:49:00.000-07:00

The following has been kindly sent to us by Darryl Gwynne - decendant of Mr Merrilees.
Darryl lives in Canada but we are now corresponding via e-mail. I am in the process of editing the following:-

Gwynne Family

James Merrliees of East Lothian, Scotland

According to the entry on the marriage certificate of James Gwynne his father was James Merrilees. James Gwynne was probably named after his father and the surname Merrilees was exceedingly rare in Wales. The names, along with James Merrliees' occupation as Steward, make it almost certain that I have the right man as father of James: Scotsman James Merrilees (the only Merrilees in the south Wales censuses of the time) was Steward to the Hon. W. H. Yelverston of Whitland Abbey. There seems little doubt that James Merrilees abandoned his lover Mary Gwynne. He was across the channel in Bristol in 1841, when she and her two children had already been confined to the Pembroke Workhouse where she died a year later. James was back in the Pembrokeshire - Camarthenshire border area by 1851. It seems very unlikely that James would have been rejected as a husband by Mary or her family; he had a good career and was from a respectable family in Scotland so it is almost certain that Thomas and Hannah Gwynne would have wanted him to "do the right thing" and marry their daughter.

In May, 2007 I followed the trail of James Merrilees and his ancestry, starting in west Wales and ending in East Lothian, Scotland. James turns up in the 1851 and 1861 censuses as the Steward (person responsible for the day-to-day running of the estate) for the household of the Honourable William Henry Yelverton, former Member of Parliament and resident of the Victorian house at the ruins of Whitland Abbey. The Abbey House is located in Camarthenshire near the Pembrokeshire border just a few miles south of the Castell Dwyran area where Thomas Gwynne was born. William, a wealthy Irishman, had acquired the estate through his marriage to Lucy Morgan. (T. Bunbury website). Gillian Parker, owner of Whitland Abbey House, gave me a tour around the estate and showed me documents pertaining to Whitland history. The original Abbey (one of many ruined following the dissolution of monasteries by Henry VIII in the 1500s) was the main Cistercian House in west Wales and identified with the national aspirations of the Welsh people and princes (monks had settled at Whitland in 1151 under the patronage of Rhys Ap Gruffydd) (Terence James Manuscript).

James Merrilees apparently had become relatively wealthy by about 1870 - probably from a paternal inheritance - as by 1871 census he had moved to his own property, Thane Cottage, just a short distance into Pembrokeshire in Amroth where he was a farmer of 21 acres. In the 1870s he had moved north again (back toward Whitland) to Stanwell Villa, Llanteg, in Crunwear parish, Pembrokeshire (Llanteg: Turning Back The Clock), where his acreage had increased by seven (1881 Census). In 1871 and 1881 James lived with servant, Elizabeth Davies, a milkmaid who was about 10 years his elder. Following that he lived alone, and remained a bachelor. James lived at Stanwell Villa from at least 1881, through 1891 to the end of his life in 1896. All censuses list his birthplace as Scotland and the 1851 sheet gives a more specific location as East Lothian (just east of Edinburgh). James Merrilees outlived his son James Gwynne by about three years. Stanwell Villa still stands near the village of Llanteg. The current owners have modified the orginal stone house by adding a second story. James Merrilees died of natural causes at Stanwell Villa aged 85 on March 14 1896. According to death certificate information, an inquest was held two days later. Such an occurrence did not necessarily indicate suspicious circumstances. It could mean that the coroner needed more information relating to the cause. For example if a doctor has not seen the deceased or could not determine cause-of-death then a post-mortem took place which may result in an inquest. An inquest might also be called if a death occurred away from home or out in public (Dyfed email list March 2007).

James died a wealthy man. He owned seven properties, and left five pounds to each his tenants, "who shall not be in arrears with their respective rents." He also bequeathed charitable legacies to Sunday Schools for "Bible teaching and no other purpose" (for many years he was superintentdent of Sunday Schools in Amroth: see gravestone information below). Merrilees left Stanwell to his grand-nephew with the strange proviso "that he change his name to Merrilees within 12 months" and should reside at Stanwell. This proviso appeard to have been overcome, however, as the property was sold by 1911.

For his own lasting monument James left 30 pounds for a tombstone made from "Scotch red granite" (Llanteg: Turning Back The Clock). The large red gravestone is still in excellent condition sheltered by trees on the east side of the Crunwere churchyard, and reads:

To the Sacred Memory of
James Merrilees of Stanwell Villa
Died 14th March 1896 aged 85 years. Buried 18th March 1896
He was a native of the lowlands of Scotland and was
The red ganite gravestone of James Merrilees (background)
for many years churchwarden for the parish of Amroth
and Superintendent of the Sunday school at Amroth
Honour thy father and thy mother that thy
days may be long in the land that the
Lord God giveth thee
1891 From The Mirage.
Even Now a Halo Lingers Over
Those Hollowed New Born Spheres
Gathering the Heart's Best Treasures Home
And Longing for a World to Come

The links between generations of Merrilees are firm: in 1868 a James Merrilees of Aberlady, East Lothian, left a will which describes his son, and co-executor for the will, James as a farm overseer at Whitland Abbey in Wales. Our Merrilees male lineage consists of many generations living in the East Lothian area of Scotland. With only one exception, all are named James. In total there are six generations, possibly even seven (see below) of James, and eight if we include James Gwynne. To reduce confusion I borrow a device from monarchial history and use I to V for all the James Merrilees in the direct male lineage. James I, my 8x great grandfather, was a fairly wealthy 17th century blacksmith - James Mirrieleyes. Jan Kelly's family history of the "clan" (yes, there is even a Merrilees tartan: see the Merrilees Website) revealed a direct line back to this James.
The "farm overseer" James (V) of Wales was the reprobate who deserted young Mary Gwynne and their child, yet he remains the link to a direct paternal line of ancestry for us Gwynne males back to about 1610! It is fascinating to consider that this link might be eventually proven in a genetic way.
The Y - chromosome of males is inherited intact from father to son to grandson, and so on through the male line, and is therefore expected to show a reasonable correlation with surname (Jobling 2001).
There are exceptions, of course, including illegitimacy such as in the case of Mary Gwynne and James Merrilees. The Merrilees family historians have had the Y chromosome genetic material (DNA) of many Merrilees male analysed. It turns out that a common male Y "haplotype" turns up in males of all the main groups of Merrilees living today who have given samples. I intend to have my DNA analysed to see if our Gwynne males have inherited this same Y- type. This is one of those rare occasions in which a genealogical paper trail of ancestry can be potentially verified using genes!

The 1868 Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland (edited by John Marius Wilson) describes James V's
birthplace, Aberlady (population in 1831 about 973), as "a parish, . . . on the north-west coast of the county of Haddington (East Lothian); bounded on the north by the frith of Forth, which here forms Aberlady bay, and by the parish of Dirleton; on the east by Dirleton and Haddington parishes; and on the south by Gladsmuir parish ... The village of Aberlady, 5 miles north-west of Haddington, consists of one long street of a good appearance. It is occasionally resorted to by the inhabitants of Haddington as a bathing-place; but the surrounding country presents little that is attractive to the stranger."

I visited Aberlady in May 2007 and found a pleasant seaside town. The church where James (V) Merrilees (of Wales) was baptised has a yard behind that connects directly with the coastal vegetation along the stony beach. According to the Aberlady Village Website there are several stories about the origin of the town's name. "In Pictish, Aberlady may mean "Aber" - mouth or confluence, at "ledaig" - a smooth place, i.e. the bay. In the story of St Kentigern the name used was "Aberlessie" - meaning "the mouth of stench" - referring to the piles of rotting fish to be found there. More favourably, Christian tradition held that the name Aberlady was
derived from an early chapel dedicated to "The Blessed Virgin Mary" commonly referred to as "Our Lady"." The site goes on to state that "Aberlady which was a local centre for weavers in the 18th century and also a noted centre for smuggling. Imports included bark for tanners, linseed cake, malting barley and guano. With the arrival of the railway in 1846 the shipping trade through the port of Aberlady declined. In 1845 the Burgh sold its rights of anchorage, etc. to the Earl of Wemyss. For the next twenty years or so a few farmers shipped in potatoes, manure, and so on from Leith. The last load to be unshipped at Aberlady was a cargo of stone from Fife for building Aberlady manse in 1863-64."

The Surname Merrilees

Jan Kelly gives the details.
"The name Merrilees seems to derive from an estate in the Binns / Linlithgow area of West Lothian, from an Old English word meaning “pleasant pasture." Henri de Merleis, living at
Myrge Laese in 1170, is named in the Staffordshire Pipe Scrolls. The same farm is named Meryleys (1529), Mureleyis (1602), Myrey Lees (1773), Merrylees (1830), and is presently a line of cottages at a cross roads. There is no “correct” way to write the word Merrilees; it is a spoken or heard sound rather than a spelling. In the 1600s it was more often spelled with an ‘i’ or ‘y’, more recently the name is spelled with an e, Merrilees. Despite its age, and the
spread of the family into Midlothian, East Lothian, Lanarkshire, Renfrew and
Ayr, the entire known Merrilees family descends through either James Merrylees and Elspeth Blair, or a brother or cousin (all male DNA tests are the same, for all branches of the family). It was not a large family, in the 1841 Census for Scotland there were 51 households in total with the surname Merrilees, with only half a dozen families in England. In 1691 in East Lothian, in the Hearth Tax records, there were 6 families."

James Merrylees and Elspeth Grieve

James (V) Merrilees was born in Aberlady on 15th January 1812. He was the second child and firstborn son of parents James (IV) "Myrrilees," a spirit dealer (in good scotch one would hope), and Elspeth Grieve. A third James (III) (Myrrilees) along with George Grieve, were listed in the parish records as witnesses for the christening on January 26th 1812. These were almost certainly the young James's grandfathers. Strangely, his mother Elspeth also used the Christian name "Euphemia" - the names changed several times over the christenings of her nine children from 1810 to 1828: she was Elspeth for the first five and number 8 and Euphemia for the 6th and 9th. She was buried as Euphemia. In 1821 (October 26) James (IV) and Euphemia appear in the Register of Seisins (referring to the act of registering possession of a feudal property) when the couple apparently registered ownership of a tenement and garden. The legal document reads as follows: "James Merrilees residing in Aberlady, seised, Oct 21 1821, in a Tenement and Garden on the south side of the Village of Aberlady: on Disp. by Andrew Whitehead, residenter in Haddington, with consent of Margaret Gardener his spouse, Oct 17 1821: and Euphemia Grieve, his spouse: seised, in liferent of said subjects" Twenty years later, the 1841 Census for Aberlady lists James (IV) aged 55 Spirit Dealer, Euphemia age 53, along with (daughters) Euphemia aged 20, Anne aged 15, and Margaret aged 13. Euphemia died in 1853 and James (IV) in 1868 (aged 83). A gravestone still well preserved in Aberlady Kirk (church), reads as follows (beginning with their daughter Barbara):

In memory of
Barbara Hunter
the beloved wife of
Alexander Hunter
who died 20 October 1840
deeply regretted by all
who knew her
Also her mother Euphemia Grieve
wife of James Merrilees
who died 2 February 1853
Also Isabella Merrilees wife of
John Thomson who died Dec 12 1859.
Also James Merrilees their father
who died 12 Sept. 1868 aged 83

The Rest of the Merrilees Story

James (IV), father of "James in Wales," was born in Direlton, East Lothian, on 15 December 1785, the second child and son of James (III) Merrylees and Isabel Barrie who produced seven children (mainly in Direlton) between 1783 and 1800. "James Mirralees labourer and Issobell Barrie daughter to James Berrie labourer gave up their names for marriage"at Canongate Church in Edinburgh on 23 November 1781. James and Isabel are buried not far from the looming tower of Direlton Kirk. Their monument (still well preserved) reads:
Erected
by
Richard Runciman
Wright, Kingston
To the memory of
James Merrilees
His father in law, who died
June 23rd 1841 aged 84 years
and of his wife
Isabella Barrie
who died January 27 1841
aged 83 years
and also his daughter
Christina H. Runciman
who died 23 Febry 1846 aged 20 months
and also of his wife Barbra Merrilees
who died at Glasgow 24th Augst 1850
aged 50 years

According to Jan Kelly, James (III) and Isabel's last child "Barbara born 1800 married Richard
Runciman. When she died Richard emigrated to Otago on the South Island of New Zealand in 1853 on the (ship) Rajah with his five children and with Alexander Merrilees his nephew." James and Isabel's first child William at the ripe old age of 72 also eventually emigrated to New Zealand. James Merrylees (III) was born in North Berwick on July 1 1757, the last child (of eight born between 1739 and 1757) of William Merrylees and Barbara Smith. Barbara was born on February 28 1714 in Gladmuir to William Smith and Jean Heriot. The birth of William Merrylees and his twin brother Christian on May 5 1703 was announced in the parish register "bapt. to James Mirrilies and Agnes Wilson his spouse twins called William and Christian. witn. Wm. Thomson and Wm Smith." These are first twins to turn up in our family
history. This brings us back to Aberlady where the Direlton Kirk and Merrilees Monument
twins were the last of seven children of James Mirrilies (II) and Agnes Wilson. James (II) and Agnes were married in Aberlady on 29 October 1682. This James was recorded as paying two (Scots) shillings Hearth Tax in 1691. James (II) was born on 23 July 1648, the fifth child of James (I) and Elspeth Mirrilyes. On "ye 27 of Jully James Mirrilyes maried to Elspeth Blair" in the Ormiston (East Lothian) parish church on the north bank of the River Tyne. They had eleven children, mainly born in Pencaitland, between 1641 and 1661. Given their marriage date, James (I) and Elspeth would have been born about 1610-15. Jan Kelly's report states that "(James I) may have been born in eastern Midlothian, probably Inveresk or Dalkeith
(just east of Edinburgh), not in East Lothian. Parish records started around 1596. (James I) lived in Pencaitland for most of his life, where he was the blacksmith. The two Ormiston parish records (for births of three of James and Elspeth's children) may be his wife’s home parish. There is a "Testament dative” (died intestate) for James (I) and Elspeth in 1664, to settle their affairs (see Appendix). The other four Merrilees known at the time are named John, Robert , David, and Nichol. James, though, would seem to be the son of an earlier James Merrilees (note: this would be a sixth James Merrilees!), the man who witnessed at the baptism of (James I and Elspeth's first son and second child) Johne (born 1643). Alternatively he could be the James born to David, b. 1617, in Dalkeith." Both James (I) and Elspeth died in 1663. As mentioned, they died "intestate" meaning there was no will. The 1664 "Testament Dative" (see Appendix) listed their goods and chattels worth about £260 and which consisted of "two horses estimated . . . to £40, item, one cow and one calf worth £20; sown on the ground crops in the year of God above . . . 2 bolls barley, 3 bolls oats, and 3 bolls peas (lots of details of the crops followed), £90 money (worth about £7,500 in today's currency); the whole household furniture of their dwelling house [clothing, personal possessions] of the abode with a smith anvil? and hammer and . . . materials belonging to a smith estimated all in to the fowine (?) of £80 Scots."
References
Aberlady Village Website. www.aberlady.org.
James, Terence. Dyfed Archaeological Trust document on Whitland Abbey (courtesy of Gillian
Parker).
Jobling, M.A. (2001). In the name of the father: surnames and genetics. Trends in Genetics 17:
353-357
Merrilees Clan Website. www.merrileesclan.org.nz
Llanteg Local History Society. Llanteg: Turning Back The Clock:
Appendix 1. The 1868 Will of James (IV) Merrylees
(Record of Commissary Court, Haddington (the county seat) Vol XVI Inventories and Deeds. Ref SC 40/40/16, pp 362 366). According to Jan Kelly the original is three pages in length and very wordy.
Here are just a few of the details:
"Inventory of the personal estate ... of James Merrilees residing in Aberlady who died Aberlady 12
Sept 1868. Given up for confirmation by James Merrilees, Farm Overseer, Whitland Abbey, Wales,
and Robert Merrilees, Manager to Messr. Cross, Seed Merchants in Glasgow, Trustees and Executors
of the Deceased.(values are probably in Scots Pounds). Cash £2.10.0: value of household including
bed, table linens, books, body clothes etc, £15.8.0. Deposited in the Bank of Scotland, Haddington,
£170.0.0. Interest thereon to deceased's death £1.9.7. do. to the date of oath to this inventory £0.5.11,
= £171.15.6 principal, = £189.13.6. Principal sum due to the deceased by his son Robert Merrilees
£700.0.0.Estate £889.13.6. In summary: "I James Merrilees:" ... executors James and Robert ... to pay
"at the first Whitsunday or Martinmass next after my death": to son Robert £200: to daughter
Euphemia Merrilees wife of George Nichol Commercial Traveler in Edinburgh, £200 [codicil that
Euphemia's money to be withheld by the trustees who will pay her the interest on it: if she dies,
money to return to estate, it is not available to George Nicholl]: to daughter Margaret Merrilees wife of
Edmund Strachan, gardener in Dumfriesshire, £200: to granddaughter Euphemia Thomson daughter
of John Thomson and his wife my deceased daughter Isabella £70 [adjusted to £80 in codicil]: to
granddaughter Euphemia Rennie daughter of John Rennie and his wife my deceased daughter Marion
Merrilees £70: to sons of Margaret Merrilees, James Edmond Strachan and Robert Edmond Strachan
£80.All of the daughters' money to be in their own names and not available to husbands.Books to be
divided amongst the whole of children and grandchildren, plus the crockery, bed, table linens, and
etc., all itemised. James in Wales to receive no pecuniary advantage as he will succeed as heir to
heritable property in the village of Aberlady, this property to remain in the family."
Appendix 2. 1664 Testament Dative of James (I) Mirreleyes
"Translation" (in right hand column)of the Testament Dative (i.e. intestate, when the preson died without
leaving a will) and Inventory of Goods and Gear for James "Mirreleyes" in 1664 (From Jan Merrilees Kelly)
JAMES MIRRIELEYES James Mirrieleyes
25 OF MARCH 1664 25 of March 1664
THE TESTAMENT DATIVE AND INVENTAR The Testament Dative and inventory [?]
OF THE GOODES & GEIR PERTEINING & BELONGING of the goods and gear pertaining and belonging
TO UMQUHILE JAMES MIRRIELYES IN WESTER PENCAIT- to the late James Mirrielyes in Wester Pencaitland
LAND AND UMQUHILE ELSPETH BLAIR HIS SPOUSE and the late Elspeth Blair his spouse
THE TYME OF THAIR [RECENT?] DECEISS QUHUA DECIET the time if their [recent?] decease . QUHUA deceased
[UIR?] THE SAID JAMES IN THE MONTH OF ERGUST [UIR?] the said James in the month of August
i aj SIX # THRIE SCORE THRIE YEIRS AND THE SAID DE- thousand six hundred three score and three years and
the said de-
CECST ELSPETH BLAIR IN THE MONTH OF DECEM- ceased Elspeth Blair in the month of Decem-
BER IN THE SAID YEIR OF GOD FAITHFULLY MADE & ber in the said year of God faithfully made and
GIVEN UP BE JOHN MIRRIELYES SON TO THE SAID UMQUHAE given up byJohn Mirrielyes son to the said late
DEFUNCT AND ONLY [ ] DATIVE [ ] AND NEIR- defunct and only [ ] Dative [ ] and nearest
EST OF CINE TO YIN BY DE… OF THE COMMISSES OF EAESY of kin? to [YIN] by de….. of the COMMISSES of EASEY
AND THE SAINYNE OF THE SAID ACTT THE SAID DAY OF and the signing of the said Act the said day of
MARCH 1664 YERES BEIRS March 1664 years BEIRS.
IN THE FIRST THE SAID UMQUHAE JAMES MIRRIELYES AND In the first the said lateJames Mirrielyes and
HIS SAID SPOUSE HAD NO OTHER GOODS NOR GERE PERTEINING
OR
his said spouse had no other goods or gear pertaining
or
BELONGING TO THEM THE TYME OF THEIR DECEISS FIEFD EXCEPT belonging to them the time of their decease fiefed except
THE PARTICULARS FOLLOWING TO WITT TWA HORSS ESTIMAT the particulars following, to wit, two horses estimated
[ ] to xl Lib ITEM ANE COW & AND CAEF WORTH xx Lib [ ] to £40, item one cow and one calf worth £20.
ITEM SOWEN ON THE GROND CROPT & YERE OF GOD ABOVE Item, sown on the ground crops in the year of God
above
SPEIT TWO BOLLS BEIR THRIE BOLLS OATES & THRIE BOLLS PEISS SPEIT 2 bolls barley 3 bolls oats and 3 bolls peas
[ ] BEING COLLECTED [ ] IN AHIND THE SAMYNE WITH THE [ ] being collected [ ] in behind the same with the
INNES THAROF EXTENDIT ONLY TO VI BOLLS BEIR NYNE INNES [interest?] thereof extended only to 6 bolls barley
nine
BOLLS OATES AND SEX BOLLS PEISS PRYCET OF THE BOLLS BEIR bolls oats and six bolls peas priced? of the bolls barley
WITH THE FODDIE vi Lib OF THE BOLLS OATES & FODDIE iiii Lib with the fodder £6 of the bolls oats and fodder £4
AND OF THE BOLLS PEISS WITH THE FODDIE iii Lib SUMMA OF THE
SAME
and of the bolls peas with the fodder £3. Sum of the
same,
lxxxx Lib MONEY ITEM THE WHOLE INSIGHT AND PLENNISHING £90 money. Item, the whole household furniture
OF THAIR DWELLING HOUSE [ABUTHREMENTS] OF THE BODIE
WITH
of their dwelling house [clothing, personal possessioons]
of the abode with
ANE SMYTH STANDIS AND HAMMES AND [ ] MATERIALS
BELONGING
a smith anvil? and hammer and [ ] materials belonging
TO ANE SMYTH ESTIMAT ALL IN [ ] TO THE FOWINE OF to a smith estimated all in [ ] to the FOWINE of
lxxx Lib SCOTTES MONEY £80 Scots money
SUMMA OF THE INVENTAR …………….ii # xxx Lib Sum of the inventory … £230
FFOLLOWS THE DEBTS AWINE TO THE DEID Follows the debts owing to the dead.
ITEM ¥ [ ] RESTAND AWAND TO THE SAID UMQUHAE JAMES
MIRRIEItem,
the [ ] RESTAND [remainder?] owing to the said
former James Mirrielees
LEYES AND HIS SAID SPOUSE THE TYME OF Y REXUE DECECSS
SIESD
and his said spouse the time of the REXUE decease
seised
UIR [BE ] JOHN REID IN COLSTONNE xx Lib BE AND ANNE BLAIR IN
WODHEND xii Lib
UIR [be ] John Reid in Coalstone £20 by one Anne
Blair in Woodend? £12
SUMMA OF THE DEBTS AWINE TO ¥ DEID … xxxii Lib Sum of the debts owing to the dead, £32
SUMMA OF THE INR WITH THE DEBTS ii # lxii Lib Sum of the inventar with the debts, £262
FFOLLOWS HER DEBTS AWINE BE ¥ DEID Follows here debts owing by the dead.
ITEM THE [ ] RESTAND AWAND BE THE SAID UMQUHAE DEFUNCT
& HIS SAID
Item, the [ ] RESTAND [remainder?] owed by the
said former defunct and his said
SPOUSE THE TYME OF THE DECECSS TO SIR L’OT SINCLAIR OF
REMSTONE
spouse [at] the time of the decease, to Sir Lancelot
Sinclair of Remstone
FOR THE [ } OF SONE PARCELS OF LAND CROPT SEISED xxx Lib for the [ ] of SONE parcels of land cropped, seised
£30
ITEM [ ] TO HIM HALF ANE DUSSANE OF HENS AND HALF ANE
DUSSANE
Item, [ ] to him half a DUSSANE [dozen?] of hens and
half a DUSSANE
OF CAPONES PRYCE OF THE HEN AUCHT SCHILLING AND OF THE
CAPON
of capones, price of the hen 8/- and of the capon
x s INDE 5 Lib 8 s ITEM TO JAMES DAILL SERVAND FOR HIS YEIRS 10/- INDE £5.8.0. Item, to James Daill, servant, for his
years,
FIE [ ] iii Lib TO ELSPETH SCOTT SERVAND FOR HIR YEIRS fee [ ] £3, to Elspeth Scott, servant, for her years
FIE [ ] iiii Lib ITEM TO JON LAELAW SERVAND FOR ANE fee [ ] £4, to Jon Laelaw, servant, for an
YEIRS FIE xii Lib ITEM TO {J ] BLACK SERVAND FOR ANE years, fee £12,. item to J. Black servant for an
YEIRS FIE vi Lib MONEY years fee £6 money
SUMMA OF THE DEBTS AWINE BY ¥ DEID lxxxviii Lib xii s Sum of the debts owing by the dead, £88.12.0
(S NOTA 4 LIB 14 s) - note in margin S NOTA £4.14.0 [fee to the lawyer?]
RESTS OF FRIE GEIR THE DEBTS DEDUCED i # xli Lib xii s Rest of free gear the debts deducted £141.12.0
TO BE DIVYDIT IN THRIE PARTS DEIDS PARTS - lxxxxiiii Lib viii s To be divided in three parts DEIDS parts £94.8.0
SIR JOHN NISBITT & NONDIRSTANDING & NOE DECERNED & Sir John Nisbitt and notwithstanding and not discerned
and
CONFERME TO ¥ [ ] AND ANNE BLAIR WRIGHT IN [ ] confirmed to the [ ] and Anne Blair Wright in [ ]
AND DAVID MIRRIELEYS SMITH IN DUDDING- and David Mirrieleys smith in Dudding-
STONNE - BECOME [ ] AND ANE ACT BEIRS stonne - become [ ] and an act BEIRS
¥ - symbol for ‘the’ iaj - thousand # - replaces the document’s script symbol for hundred: Lib, short for Libra, Scots Pound
Roman Numerals: i, 1; v, 5; x, 10; l, 50 Word endings: ’it’ instead of ‘ed’ - diviydit, divided - ‘and’ for ‘ing’, awand, owing.
1 boll = 3 bushels 3 pecks, or 1.944 gals BEIRS: beir, beire, Sc. f. bear, beer, bere, bier, birr; obs. pa. tense bear v.; also = of both.
Not known.
Testament Dative - The Commissary Court apointed an executor when someone died intestate. Written in ‘Secretary hand’.
MFA News Sept 1999 Volume IV. Original in Scottish Record Office, Ron Merrylees in Yorkshire had it transcribed. Some words not
legible.
David Mirrieleys, smith in Duddingstone, was probably b 1614, the son of Nichol Mirrilees & Margaret Steill, he married Agnes
Johnstone in 1651, and was the smith in Duddingstone after 1660. He was thus the same generation as James and Elspeth. James
may be son of David Mirrileis (& Janet Cleghorne?) b 1617 Inveresk. Relationship? Why is there no distribution to James and Elspeths’ children?James (IV) Merrylees' Will, dated October 16 1868 (Appendix 1), was "given up for confirmation by James Merrilees, Farm Overseer, Whitland Abbey, Wales, and Robert Merrilees, Manager to Messr. Cross, Seed Merchants in Glasgow, Trustees and Executors of the Deceased." Interestingly the will states "James in Wales to receive no pecuniary advantage as he will succeed as heir to heritable property in the village of Aberlady, this property to remain in the family."
The link between James Merrilees and East Lothian, Scotland begins with the 1851 census where it is listed as James' birthplace. The link was fleshed out after I found the Merrilees Clan Website and subsequently contacted William Merrilees of Scotland and Jan Kelly (nee Merrilees) of New Zealand (now known to be fifth cousins to me and to each other) who supplied information. Jan provided a complete and impressively detailed family history from which most of the following is derived.
James Merrilees: The East Lothian Connection