The Duke of Wellington - the pub not the man......

In an earlier post I mentioned that Richard Richards, my great-great grandfather who came over from Devon to Neath around 1870 (I think), held the licence of the Duke of Wellington pub in Old Market Street in that town. Until now, I was not sure when he took over the pub but with the help of some knowledgeable people in Neath*, I have now established the date as sometime in May 1893 - the 12th May 1893 to be exact (I think again!).

The Cambrian newspaper of 19th May 1893 reports the transfer of the licence from a Richard Morgan to Richard Richards. It can be viewed here under "Neath County Police - Friday" and then under "Transfers" http://newspapers.library.wales/view/3339959/3339966/58/ reads:

"The licence of the Duke of Wellington Inn was transferred from Richard Morgan to Richard Richards"

As the date of the newspaper was Friday 19 May, I am assuming that the Neath County Police arranged/facilitated the transfer the previous Friday 12 May.

A more recent picture of the Duke of Wellington is below and I hope to find some older pictures of the pub nearer the time Richard was there. It has a good reputation for live music these days. A quick review of the same newspaper as the above statement appeared suggested Neath towards the end of the 19th century could be a rough place - another article mentions a prostitute, married woman and the wife of a rag and bone collector being fined by the local court for being drunk and disorderly (though there is no evidence it was outside the Duke!). On the other hand, having experienced regular nights out in Neath in the 1980s and 90s, nothing much changes......

 

In researching this, I also came across several other pieces of interesting and useful information about the Richards family.

Firstly, that Richard and his wife Margaret (nee Morgan) were living at a "farm" in Tonna in 1905, and probably earlier. The Cardiff Times dated 29th April 1905 relates to an accident between a trap & cart driven by Richard (with Margaret as a passenger) and a grocer's cart; Richard and Margaret were "pitched out of their trap and received injuries which, though not serious, required medical attention". The article goes on to say that the "trap was wrecked and the cart damaged". ( http://newspapers.library.wales/view/3432724/3432726/20/)

Secondly, a sadder story of Margaret's brother. It appears that her younger brother Isaac (Morgan) had emigrated to the United States but met a tragic end at a relatively young age. The Cambrian dated 22 September 1905 reported the following:

"Neath Tinplater's Tragic Death.

A well-known tinplater, who formerly belonged to Neath, and named Isaac Morgan, brother to Mrs. Richards, of the Duke of Wellington, Neath, and who went out to America some years ago to Elwood, U.S.A., and afterwards to Greencastle, U.S.A., has met with a tragical death by drowning. It transpires that he went out fishing with party of friends in Big Walnut Creek, a mile west of the city. Here he was caught in a seine net, his foot becoming entangled in the meshes, and he gave one loud cry. It being very dark at the time his friends became alarmed and hastened to pull the seine to the bank of the creek, which only made death more certain to the unfortunate man, he being dragged through 7ft. of deep water. The party were fishing for bass. Deceased was greatly liked by everybody he came in contact with. He was only 35 years age therefore in the prime of life. He is survived by a widow and four children and was buried the City Cemetery. Rev. - Julian, of the Baptist Church offi- ciated. The members of the McKinley lodge of tbp Amalgamated Association escorted the bodv to the cemetery He was a share- holder in the Western Tinplate and Sheet Metal Company. His relatives in Neath and district are in deep sorrow over this far-off disaster, and deep sympathy is extended to his widow and children." (http://newspapers.library.wales/view/3347873/3347875/28/)


* Thank you to the Neath Antiquarian Society and Mr David Michael for pointing me towards this information and its sources.
 

Nelson, Napoleon and John Richards

Really interesting day in Portsmouth visiting HMS Victory , the vessel used by the British under Nelson to defeat the Napoleonic French in 1805 at the Battle of Trafalgar. Although they won, Nelson was fatally wounded and news of his death was relayed to London from Falmouth by horseback, passing through here at Overton as a rest stop.....history lesson over but strange to think that my great great great grandfather John Richards from Trentishoe , North Devon, who was born a few months before the battle , breathed the same air.. (Below: Luke Richards (2007-) my son at HMS Victory, Portsmouth UK 7/1/17)

Jenny Vida Richards 1920-2016

My beloved grandmother passed away peacefully in June , the same day as my grandfather Richard Richards (1923-1979) passed away . Wonderful memories X 

Richard Richards (1884-1947) - my great grandfather

At Easter, Dad and I visited the grave of Richard, his wife Celia, and their son Thomas at Llantwit Cemetery outside Neath. The tombstone was quite overgrown so we cleared it a bit so at least we could read the inscription.

Thomas was one of twins, his other twin Jack apparently eventually left Wales and settled in Jersey and that is a strand of the family we need to connect with at some point and may have some family history to share. We don't know how Thomas died but it must have been tragic as he was only 19. My grandfather Richard, his brother, must have felt the pain. 

The tombstone states:

Richard Richards

Died Feb 1st 1947

Also Celia his wife

Died Sept 29th 1954

Also Thomas their son

Died Feb 26th 1935

Aged 19 years

The pub's role in the Richards ancestry - Part 1

The "pub", or public house, seems to have featured strongly in the Richards line, certainly from the mid 19th century onwards. We ran/owned pubs both in North Devon and, later, in Wales.

John Richards (1815-1897) was the father of Richard Richards, the latter being the family member that came over to Wales from Devon and was part of my direct line (see previous post here). It appears that John was born in Trentishoe in the same year as a very historic event - the Battle of Waterloo where the French Emperor Napoleon was defeated by the allied forces under the Duke of Wellington, which reversed what was started in the French Revolution and restored the French crown (link).

John married Mary-Ann Hoyles (1824-1891) in or around 1846, and it seems that Mary-Anne's family were running/owning the Hunters Inn in the Heddon Valley in the parish of Martinhoe.

Mary-Ann Richards (nee Hoyles)  

The 1841 census shows that the Hoyles were running the Hunters Inn in 1841, but that John and Mary-Anne had taken it over by the time of next census (1851). It's possible that John and Mary-Anne moved into the Hunters Inn before they were married in 1846, but perhaps one would have expected to have done that after they were married, i.e sometime between 1846 and 1851. Before they moved to the Hunters Inn, they were apparently living at Trentishoe Coombe Cottages, where there is evidence that their first 2 children Elizabeth (b. 1846) and John (b. 1849) were born.

Trentishoe Coombe Cottages (circa early 1900s) - posted in Ancestry.com stating "John and Mary lived in one of these cottages from 1845 to 1850. Elizabeth and John were born here. They then took over Hunter's Inn from Mary's family" (thanks to Angela Manning for posting)

My father outside Trentishoe Coombe Cottages January 2014

This narrows down the time they moved to the Hunters Inn to between 1849 and 1851. The following link referring to White's Directory of 1850 link to devonheritage.org states "John Richards, victualler Hunters Inn".  The image below is possibly from that time.

Hunters Inn (early 20th century, rebuilt post the 1895 fire which destroyed the building that John and Mary-Ann lived in) 

Hunters Inn today (http://www.thehuntersinnexmoor.co.uk)

Tragically, we know that John and Mary-Ann's eldest child, Elizabeth (or Eliza as it seems she was known) only survived 2 years. She is buried with her parents and her passing in 1849 is recorded on the headstone of their grave in Trentishoe church.

My direct ancestor, Richard, was born in the Hunters Inn in December/January 1850/1851 as we are told in the 1851 census (taken on 30 March 1851) to be 4 months old. His brother Thomas (see post here) was born a few years later in the Hunters Inn in 1853.

It would seem that John and Mary-Anne were running the Hunters Inn as late as 1880/1, as the 1881 census shows that they were living in Trentishoe parish. Hunters Inn was in the Martinhoe parish. So at least they were not living there at the time of the fire which devastated the pub in 1895! It is unclear which property they moved to, but both the 1881 and 1891 censuses showed them living in Trentishoe parish.

John died in 1897 and is buried as St Peters Church, Trentishoe with Mary-Anne who had died earlier in 1891 and their infant daughter Eliza. Their grave is in close vicinity to that of John's father Richard (1790-1875).

The grave of John Richards, his wife Mary-Anne (nee Hoyles) and their daughter Eliza (Elizabeth) - St Peters Church, Trentishoe

Part 2 of the pub's role in our family line revolves around John's son Richard who moved to Wales and it was his son (another Richard) who ran a pub in Neath, the Duke of Wellington (ironically commemorating the victor in the war which was won in the same year that his grandfather was born!)..........see next post!

Thomas Richards (1853-?) - the original founder of the Richards' coal merchant business?

This post focuses on a person who is a slight deviation from my direct ancestry, but in terms of his occupation is definitely relevant to the story of my direct line.

To provide some more recent context. My father and his brother (Gwyn), and their father before him, owned a coal merchant's business in the village of Aberdulais, about 2 miles from Neath. The work was hard and I experienced that personally by helping out during holidays. The coal business ceased in the early 1990s due to the building of the new A465 road which came straight through the coal yard.

It seems that my great grandfather (Richard!) and my great-great grandfather (Richard again!) were not in the coal business, but my great-great grandfather's brother Thomas was. And possibly, this is where the coal business started off from. So what do we know of Thomas and how did the coal business develop over time?

My previous post here mentioned a Thomas Richards, who appears to have come over from North Devon to Wales with his brother Richard Richards (my great-great grandfather) in the second half of the 19th century. The census of 1891 shows Thomas living with his wife Mary and family at Tyn Yr Heol Fach*, in the parish of Llantwit Lower, just outside Neath. His occupation is set down as "coal merchant". The next (1901) census shows him still at Tynyrheol Fach as a "coal merchant (retail)" and also his son, another Thomas Richards, as  in a similar occupation. The 1911 census, ten years later, shows that he was  "coal merchant and farmer" at Tynyrheol Farm, Tonna; probably the same property as Tynyrheol Fach (but I'm not completely certain). Thomas was not living at the property in 1911 (though he still may have been in the coal business with his father or on his own) and another son, Frank A Richards was mentioned "assisting in the coal business".

Unfortunately, Ancestry.com records do not show any further information for either Thomas senior, Thomas junior or Frank beyond 1911, so at this point I cannot say which of them, if any, continued the coal business. It is very possible that my grandfather Richard Richards got into the coal business himself via his great-uncle Thomas or uncles Thomas/Frank, or perhaps their offspring, rather than setting up a new business from scratch; though a conversation with my father suggests that my grandfather set up his own coal merchant business, so it was possible that there was some inter-family business rivalry!


* It appears that Tynyrheol Fach or Farm (whether they are the same of different properties) is different from Tynyrheol which is mentioned in the link attached (here) as being on "the Neath road, Tonna". Fach and/or Farm may have been an adjacent property. Certainly the censuses mention above distinguish between the two properties and Tynyrheol was headed up by the Jones family.



  

More about Richard (1851-1912)

So Richard (1851-1912) was the one who came over to Wales and started a Richards dynasty in Neath!

Richard was 4 months old during the census of 1851 and at that time he was living at the Hunters Inn, in the parish of Martinhoe, a neighbouring parish to Trentishoe. It's therefore likely that he was born at the inn that his father, John, and his mother, Mary-Ann, kept at the time. The 1861 census shows that the 10 years old Richard was still living in Martinhoe, though whether he and his family were still running the Hunters Inn at that time is not known to me as yet.

As I mentioned in my last post, the 1871 census shows him having arrived in Wales and working as a "stone breaker" so he must have arrived sometime between 1861 and 1871. He would have been a young man, anything between 10 and 20 years of age, though if he came over to Wales (it seems without his parents, though possibly may have been accompanied by his brother Thomas*) one would have thought he was nearer to 20 than to 10. But in those days, anything was possible, and further research may shed some light about his journey to Wales from Devon.

He married Margaret Morgan in St Catwg's church, Cadoxton (a village outside Neath) on 26 November 1873 when he was 22 years old and living in the Pentwyn area of Neath. I am not sure, and trying to find out, which part of Neath that is. Margaret was also from Neath, living at Gellia Fach (a farm?). Richard's occupation at the time seems to have changed to a collier from stone breaker. His father John obviously appears on the marriage certificate, but one wonders whether he was actually present and/or whether any other family members were there. Maybe Thomas stood close to his brother?

It appears that Richard took over and resided at the Duke of Wellington pub sometime after 1888. By this time, he was gathering quite a collection of offspring and the 1911 census shows that he and Margaret had 12 children in total, of which 8 survived. By 1911, only 3 children were living in the pub - Richard (my great grandfather), Kate and Maud**.

He is also noted as a "church sexton" in the 1881and 1891 censuses.

As far as I understand, his son Richard (my great grandfather) took over the Duke on his father's death in 1912.

* An interesting story for another blog post is Richard's brother Thomas. Ancestry.com website shows that was born in 1853 at the Hunters Inn and was two years younger than Richard. He was married to Mary in 1874, a woman born in Lynton, Devon. Were they married before they left Devon? Or did they leave on their own journey to Wales as young lovers? The 1881 census saw them living in Llantwit Lower, an area of Neath near the village of Tonna and appear to have remained there at least up until 1911 Wales Census (the census shows him living at "258 Tynyrheol Farm, Tonna, Neath" in the parish of Llantwit Lower). His death date is not recorded on ancestry.com. What is interesting is that the 1911 Wales census shows his occupation as both a farmer and coal merchant. As my own father, and my grandfather, were coal merchants, I wonder if my grandfather got involved (apprenticed?) in the coal business via his "uncle" Thomas, as my great grandfather does not appear to have been involved himself. Maybe. 

** Maud, or Clara Maud L Richards per ancestry.com, appears to have only died relatively recently in 1975 but it is not a name that I have come across before in family discussions. Another interesting future blog post!

The Richards move to Wales

I'm still trying to work out how to post an image of the family tree which would make things a whole lot clearer to others following this blog and my thought processes.

In the meantime, here is a narrative version of my line, starting from me and going down the paternal line:

Philip Roger Richards  (b.1968)
Clayton Windsor Richards (b. 1944)
Richard Richards (b. 1913, d. 1979)
Richard Richards (b. 1884, d. 1947)
Richard Richards (b. 1851, d. 1912)
John Richards (b. 1815, d. 1897)
Richard Richards (b. 1790/2, d. 1875)

The initial research goes beyond this, currently to Baronet Sir John Richards (b. abt 1640) but there is some evidence that the tree is not accurate from the last person mentioned in the list above, and in any case it's not relevant for the point of this post.

The point of this post is to identify which of the Richards' from Devon were the ones who came over to Wales. In turns out, according to the research of Angela Manning (who still lives in near Trentishoe, Devon, and appears to share my ancestry) that of John Richards' (1815-1897) nine children, four of them went over to Wales. This included Richard (in bold in list above) who is my great-great grandfather, and who was the one who started my line of the Richards' in Wales. The 1871 census shows him inn Wales at that time as a "stone breaker", a "collier" in his marriage certificate to Margaret Morgan in Cadoxton (a village outside Neath where I was brought up) before it appears that he took over the Duke of Wellington pub sometime after 1888.

The other children of John and his wife Mary-Ann who went over to Wales, according to Angela Manning, appear to be Thomas, Grace and William Richards. According to the current information on Ancestry.com, Thomas appears to have lived in Llantwit Lower (which is in/near Neath) - I wonder whether him and his brother Richard were close? Grace married a Thomas Phillips, and at one time lived for some time in the Cardiff area (Canton is mentioned as her residence in the 1901 census). William, according to Ancestry, was not the son of Mary-Ann and there is no evidence on Ancestry of where he lived in Wales.  

6/11/14 update : Angela Manning of Combe Martin (who is also a relative) has  drawn to my attention that William Richards, Richard's brother, lived  close by to Richard at 35 Rosser Terrace, Neath (1901 census) and at 35, Sydenham Terrace, Penydre, Neath (1911 census). The Penydre area of Neath is no more than half a mile from the Duke of Wellington pub. 



 

Combe Martin to Trentishoe - the trail moves

My father, Clayton Windsor Richards, celebrated his 70th birthday on 3 January 2014. As a treat, the family organised a get together in Combe Martin for a few days and we had a very enjoyable stay at the Sandy Cove Hotel (link).

Dad and grandchildren at the Sandy Cove Hotel, Jan 2014

Dad knew that his family originated from the Combe Martin area but knew little more than that. In fact, he had never visited the village before. Beforehand, I had managed to contact some knowledgable local experts via Facebook (link) who managed to clarify the Richards story somewhat. Trevor Dunkerley who lives in the village, and a deft hand at the ancestry.com website, had informed me that the family had actually lived in Trentishoe, a hamlet and parish a few miles outside Combe Martin towards Lynton. An interesting twist in the story is that my great great great grandfather John Richards (1815 - 1897) ran the Hunters Inn in the Heddon Valley, close to Trentishoe. Today, the inn remains very popular with locals and tourists (link) and we met the current owner who himself is looking into the history of the inn. It was John's son, Richard (1851-1912), who appears to be the one who left the Devon nest and ventured over to Wales and started the Richards line over there.

Before leaving for home, we visited St Peter's Trentishoe and paid respect to the graves of John Richards and his wife Mary Ann (3rd pic below with John's name right at the bottom of the gravestone) and his father Richard Richards (1790/2-1875). The line beyond there needs further work. The initial research kindly undertaken by Trevor suggests that the line moved to Trentishoe from Lynton, a nearby small town. The line - for the moment at least - ends tantalisingly with the name Baronet Sir John Richards, born in Toulouse (France) about 1640 and christened in Lynton. Further validation work, yes, but surely exciting!

Richard Richards 1790-1875

John Richards (1815-1897), his wife Mary-Anne Richards and daughter Eliza Richards (not captured in picture) 

Starting out

I suspect most families have at least a vague idea of their ancestors or family tree beyond the second generation. Observe the sentimental scene of grandparents and parents sharing stories with the children beside the fireside on winter evenings. Names of people and places are drawn out from the dusty attics of memory, permeate the room with their presence for a few brief moments, then evaporate quickly into the collective cloud of the past. They are rarely documented. The stories are oral, and are meant to be told and not necessarily written.  In any case, such was the case with myself.

My name is Philip Roger Richards, born 18 October 1968 in Neath, in the county of West Glamorgan, in the principality of Wales which is part of the United Kingdom. I was born to Clayton Windsor Richards and Heulwen Richards (nee Jones) and have two younger siblings - Arwel Wyn Richards and Meinir Eleri Richards. I married Nicola (nee Kirkman) in Neath on 27 May 2000. I have two children, Kirsten Jamie Richards (b. 26 June 2002 in Tilburg, Netherlands) and Luke Clayton Richards (b. 11 June 2007, Stellenbosch, Republic of South Africa). My wife and children currently live in Overton, a village in the county of Hampshire, United Kingdom.

Nikki and I with our children Kirsty and Luke (Somerset West, South Africa 2011)

This blog is meant to provide a means for me to reflect and document the researching of my family tree. I am not a professional family historian/geneaologist so my methods may be inefficient, but I intend to learn something about better methods as I go along and have some fun in the process. 

I also hope that this will be interesting to the rest of my immediate family and to my and my father's extended family and that they may be able to add some information to make the research more accurate and interesting.

A specific note of gratitude to Mr Trevor Dunkerley of Combe Martin, Devon, the importance of whose place of residence will hopefully become clear in the next post. He, together with other members of the Combe Martin History Forum on Facebook (link here ) were both helpful in terms of providing very useful information in getting me started, and at the same time restoring my faith in the potential and usefulness of social media sites like Facebook!