Book 2.

The Roach Family- From Winterbourne, Gloucestershire, England

1. Roach – the name and early history

The name Roach as for our early family (sometimes spelt as Rouch, or alternatively in other families as Roche which is still used) is old in English history dating from the early Norman period. In English, its origins are topographic as originally it was the name for someone who lived by a rocky crag or outcrop, from the Old French roche translated into Norman as rocque , both later replaced in English by rock . That is, it may be a direct derivative in either language of the word, rock applied as a description of a person. Alternatively, its use can come from the town or village of habitation rather than a particular person, examples being from such towns so named of Roach in Devon, Roche in Cornwall and South Yorkshire or from Roche Castle in Wales, the particular family themselves perhaps never having had an ancestor directly associated with a rocky outcrop. Although it is originally a Norman or Breton (these now being parts of France) name transferred to England, it is also common in Ireland although it is not indigenous there as again it is of Norman origin with habitational roots. Whichever of these is the origin of our family’s name, its earliest manifestation is thus from France, from Normandy, Brittany or nearby counties. Examples in France are Les Roches in Seine-Maritime, Normandy or La Rochelle in Charente-Maritime which is further south between Brittany and Aquitaine, both names also deriving from the Old French . Note that while Normandy was a Frankish area taken over by the Norse (Norwegians The town name Winterbourne (also spelt and Danes) in the 9 th and 10 th centuries, Wintreborn, Wynterbourne, Winterburn Brittany had strong links with Devon and and Winterborn) is said to be derived Cornwall due to immigration to it from the from a particular burn (Bradley brook) south west of Britain as early as the 6 th or which dries in the summer but flows in 7th centuries after the Anglo-Saxon settlers winter. It was sufficiently important to began to dominate the English hierarchy. have a bridge over it at the point where it

reaches the parish as early as 1364, Given the above, it seems possible that, as "Motteford" (Muddy Ford, now Matford) our Roach family’s location was Watley’s Bridge being complained of as broken End, Winterbourne Parish near the Welsh through default of Winterbourne and border, our family name came either from Frampton Cotterell. This parish is now some rocky outcrop in the Cotswold Hills the only one of the name without an or perhaps from a Welsh town with strong appendage. There is a Winterbourne St. Anglo-Norman associations rather than James, Berkshire, and there are twenty of directly from Norman –French the name in Wiltshire and Dorset, all of immigrants. But this is speculation and it is which now have some distinctive suffix, also possible that we may have had e.g., Winterborne Abbas, Winterborne ancestors associated with the early Monckton, Winterbourne Dantsey. Norman invasion after 1066 (as is the case Watley's End appears as Watler's End, on any family line given the immense Wadley's End, Walter's End, and Watt- number of ancestors nearly a thousand lays End. The origin is not clear. years ago). The lineage is however not provable.

The first historical record in England of the name in any of its variants is John de Roches, which was dated 1086, in the Domesday Book (Bedfordshire), during the reign of King

35 William, " The Conqueror " (or “the Bastard ” to the English), 1066 - 1087. The earliest records relevant to our family are from some 500 years later which shows them in the Gloucestershire countryside (English West Country) at Winterbourne where there is no nearby habitational connection with the Roach name. Winterbourne (see Appendix 2, Maps) is a large village currently now of around 9,000 inhabitants about 5 miles north-east of Bristol and is thus on the outskirts of that modern, expanded city. In the 1800s however, it is likely that it was separated from Bristol by a number of miles and, while it would have been influenced in trade and commerce by the larger seaport town, it would have operated socially much in its own right. It lies near the River Frome which flows south east from Old Sodbury, past Winterbourne and through the beautiful Frome valley where it joins the River Avon which earlier passes near Bath. This river system then flows back to the north and west through Bristol city to enter the Bristol Channel at Avonmouth.

The Winterbourne Parish Church (Anglican) where records of the Roach births, deaths and marriages emanate is St Michael's, a building believed to date from the 12th Century and which celebrated its 800 th anniversary in 1998. It is away from the centre of Winterbourne and sits in green fields amongst attractive cottages with its spire clearly visible from the village. At the altar, there is a stone depiction of the Last Supper, based on the painting by Leonardo da Vinci. Of further interest, Winterbourne Court Farm Barn (a 14th century tithe barn) is close to St Michael's and is said to be an outstanding and unique example of its type. The original lease is purported to have been granted to a knight in the services of the powerful Berkeley family for, so the legend says, his services in helping to dispatch the unpopular King Edward II (because of his defeat by the Scots at Bannockburn, his probable homosexual relationships with Piers Gaveston and Hugh St. Michael’s Parish Church, Despenser) at the bequest of his wife, Queen Winterbourne. Isabella, daughter of the French king, and her lover, Roger Mortimore.

2. Roach and related families in Gloucestershire from about 1600 to 1800

2.1 Roach, Rouch (early references to the name): The earliest historical record of the Rouch name that may be traceable to our family in Winterbourne is a Richard Rouch, born to a father, Nicholas Rouch on 17/6/1604. A few years later, on 29/10/1620, a William Rouch married a Margaret Trippatt. If the above families were connected to each other, either records were lost (most likely) or the family resided away from Winterbourne perhaps on a farm, in another village or in the more important city of Bristol. No further records then appear for over one hundred years until on 28/11/1725 a Robert and Martha Roach had a son, also called Robert. The spelling of the surname had now changed but this is most likely due to the proclivity of the transcriber as on occasions, the older spelling reappeared at a later date. Then, on 17/7/1759, a Martha Roach married a John Allpress. Given the dates and the given name

36 of Martha, she may have been the daughter of the above Robert and Martha. Whether there were sons in addition to Robert to carry on the Roach name from Robert and Martha into future generations or whether there was a parallel branch from a preceding generation from which we are descended is unknown.

2.2 Possible antecedents of the first of our known Roach ancestors : After 1750, the name starts to appear more regularly in Winterbourne records. First, a Charles and Betty Roach had children, Thomas (31/7/1768), Amelia (31/12/1769) and Christian (a daughter, 17/2/1771) while an Isaac and Jane Roach produced Jane (23/4/1769) and Christian, also a girl (25/11/1770). It is likely that these two families were connected, probably as brothers, as 30 years later in the next generation an Isaac Roach (call him the second Isaac) appears married to Hannah (perhaps also called Ann?) with a daughter (or daughters) Esther, (24/11/1799, 4/6/1820) and sons called Charles (perhaps named after their uncle or grandfather) baptized 2/2/1806 and again 19/11/1812. This repeat of the names probably meant that either the first child of that name died young or more unlikely that, for some unknown reason, the baptismal ceremony was carried out twice. A daughter Jane was baptized on 26/4/1801. An infant Charles died on 20/11/1812 and may have been the second of the two sons referred to above. It would seem that the records may not be complete as this second Isaac Roach must have been born around the same time period as the births noted above for the children of both Charles and Isaac (about 1770) and it seems most likely that one of these, possibly Isaac senior was his father. This older Isaac, noted as Isaac Roach “senior”, was buried on 9/11/1806. Also, a Jane Roach, probably his wife was buried only shortly before on 21/2/1806 but we are given no indication of her age. An Ann Roach died on 1845 aged 77 at Stoke Gifford about 2 miles to the west of Winterbourne in 1839 aged 69 while the younger Isaac died in 1841 aged 73. Hence, they were both born in 1868. It seems most likely but not completely certain that this Ann was not our Anne, (Anne Maggs, the wife of John Rouch, see section 2.3) but the wife of the younger Isaac Roach.

2.3 Our first identified ancestor: John Rouch is the first who can, with reasonable certainty, be labeled as our By a deed of July, 1834, 2 acres of Frenchay ancestor then appears but his parents Common was conveyed to the Church cannot be identified. He could have Building Commissioners as a site for the been the child of either Charles and church and burial ground. The description of Betty or Isaac and Jane with the birth the boundaries is: "from Bradley Bridge , record missing in both cases but it course of the Bradley Brook , line of the should be noted that his birth Tythings as far as Quarry Barton , close to the coincides with that of Amelia and Turnpike Road which it follows South to the Jane in each of these families top of Whiteshill , then turns East out of it Jones respectively, so he was possibly a down a lane leading to ' Mill , thence twin. Alternatively, he may have East and North-East by a steep narrow Mr. descended from another brother or passage, by the house occupied by Roach perhaps a cousin or may not have , then passing some new cottages until been related at all, although the latter it reaches Damason Bridge , then to proceed seems to be less likely as there are no South and South-West following the course of other records of Roach families in the the Frome ." area at that time. Another possibility is that his family came from somewhere away from Winterbourne where the records have not been obtained. What is recorded is that on 13/4/1789, John Rouch (note the older spelling) married Anne Maggs, the latter being a

37 reasonably common surname in the area. Her ancestors, the earlier Maggs family will be dealt with later. Now this couple were both born about 1770 as can be ascertained from John’s death record, a John Roach, (with name changed to the newer spelling) being buried on 9/1/1837 aged 67 in Winterbourne. Hence 1769 is his likely birth year. Hannah’s birth record is available and she was christened as Hannah Maggs on 8/7/1770. A Hannah Roach was buried on 4/9/1839, aged 69 which matches perfectly. It seems that she used the diminutive of Hannah, (that is Anne) during her life as she was known as that at her marriage and on the birth records of her children.

Now a mention of “ the house occupied by Mr. Roach ” occurs in 1834 in relation to a land transfer for the Frenchay Church and burial ground (see box page 37) but Frenchay is some 2 miles south of Watley’s End where the next generation were definitely located so it is unclear whether he is our direct line or from another branch (eg perhaps Isaac or Charles Roach) as indicated above. However, as the year 1834 is 3 years before his known burial, our John Rouch provides a distinct possibility for this reference. Another item of note is that an Ann Roach age 76 is recorded in the 1841 census as living at Watley’s End which is in the north part of Winterbourne but that is presumably the wife of Isaac (the second) as Hannah was already buried by then.

2.4. Maggs (Meggs) ~1670 -1770, Rodman ~1650-1701: Before continuing with John and Anne Maggs, Meggs : This name is of early and the next generation of Roach medieval English origin and is one of the children, a brief look at the antecedents rare group of modern surnames classed as of the Anne (Hannah) Maggs family is "matronymics" where the original surname needed. First, Maggs is quite a common is derived from the name of the first name in the area and it may be widely bearer's mother (ie the female side), the spread throughout England in general. In majority of surnames being created from the 50 year period after 1750, some 85 patronymics. In this instance, Megson Maggs births, deaths and marriages can means the " son of Megg ", the latter being a be identified in the Winterbourne area medieval female given name as a short alone. Now Anne Maggs was baptised as form of " Margaret ", which was very Hannah, daughter of Jacob and Mary popular in the Middle Ages in England. Maggs on 8/7/1770. Mary Maggs, The origin of Margaret is believed to be previously Mary Barns, married Jacob Persian, borrowed into Greek and Latin as Maggs on 1/2/1770. Jacob and Mary had "Margarita ", meaning " a pearl ". It was the children Hannah (called Anne, 8/7/1770), name borne by several early Christian Mark (6/12/1772 buried on 15/3/1774), saints in Europe, this helping to spread its Martha (12/3/1775 buried on 15/4/1776), popularity. Other matronymics from this a second Mark (12/10/1777), Jacob same name source include Maggs, Magson, (20/10/1782 buried on 11/1/1785) Moxson, Moxon, Moxham and Mox(s)om, followed by another Jacob and an Megson, Megge sone. Edward, both baptised on 1/7/1787. Note that the name Mark is consistent with the children of John and Anne Rouch in the next generation.

A Jacob Maggs, the father of Anne Maggs was buried on 26/7/1810 and, assuming his age at marriage was between 20 and 30, this would mean that he was born between about 1740 and 1750, making him about 60 to 70 at death. This seems reasonable and is supported by the fact that he is the only Jacob Maggs listed. Now a Jacob Meggs (note the change of spelling) was born to William and Elizabeth Meggs and baptised on 8/7/1739 so this

38 seems with reasonable certainty to be him. There is no record of the marriage of William and Elizabeth so this probably occurred outside of the Winterbourne area and Elizabeth’s maiden name has not yet been found. However, Jacob’s father, William Meggs seems to be the son of a Winterbourne couple, Samuel and Anne Meggs who were married on 2/6/1701, this Anne’s maiden name being Rodman. Samuel and Anne were likely to have been born about 1670 to 1680.

The children of Samuel and Anne (Rodman) Meggs were Elizabeth (17/3/1701), Samuell, (1703, note the spelling), John (1704, buried 1723), Anne (1707), William (29/5/1709) and Mary (1714). Samuel Meggs (senior) was buried on 11/10/1724 and Anne, wife of Samuel followed on 15/1/1730. There also appears to be two other daughters not recorded on the birth records who died between Samuel’s and Anne’s burials. These are Sarah, buried 1728 and Hannah buried 1729 both listed as daughters of Anne Meggs (widow). Of the above children, it seems that William aged 30 at the time was the father of Jacob Meggs (as discussed above), born in 1739. Another recorded child, Samuel Meggs, son of Samuel and Anna Meggs (baptized 1/8/1726) is likely to have been the son of William’s older brother, Samuell.

Now no earlier information can be Rodman is a very old name in both Germany found on the Meggs family prior to and England where it is quite widespread and the older Samuel but Anne there are several explanations regarding its Rodman’s parentage is available. origins. In German areas, it is of Old German They were John and Sarah Rodman, origin pronounced Rahd-man , meaning the maiden name of the mother "renowned man ". A Rodman is found as early being unknown, who had children as the 800s in the Register of the abbey of John (11/7/1673), Sarah, (6/4/1674), Weden-an-der Ruhr. The English version may Elizabeth (10/2/1676 dying on be more prosaic and various interpretations 19/11/1676) and Anne (3/3/1678). have it as a spear carrier or, after the middle Thus, at her marriage to Samuel ages, as a surveyor’s assistant. A further Meggs, Anne Rodman would have explanation is that it derives from “ living by the been about 23. Samuel was probably road guard wisely ” which is slightly obscure. about the same age or a little older Rodd is also the name of a township in than Anne and future researchers Herefordshire about 50 miles north west of should look for his birth around Winterbourne so it may have been simply “a 1665 to 1670. As she was a man from Rodd ”. A Nicholas de la Rodd youngest child, Anne’s parents, John appears in the Hundred Rolls, a census of and Sarah Rodman were probably England and parts of Wales in 1274 - 5 and born about 1640 to 1650. A possible 1279 – 80 that surveyed liberties and land father of John Rodman was a ownership in an attempt to produce a second Thomas Rodman married to Domesday Book. Here, the name comes from Elizabeth who had four recorded, the Hundreds (Anglo Saxon land divisions) by children Thomas, James, Peter and which most returns were recorded. Dorothy in 1654, 1657, 1661 and 1664 and some possibly unrecorded, before he himself was buried on 17/7/1670. A John Rodman is on the records as dying on 14/9/1604. It is just possible that he was the father of Thomas but that would have meant that Thomas was conceiving children up to about 60 years of age so it is more likely, if this is a valid connection, that John was the grandfather.

39 2.5. Barns, Barnes ~1620-1770 Now we can return several Barnes, Barns, Barnet : This surname has generations later, to Mary Barns, the three possible origins. Firstly, it may be a wife of Jacob Maggs, the couple who topographical or an occupational name of were married in 1770. This Mary Anglo-Saxon origin for someone who lived or Maggs was buried at Winterbourne worked at a barn (a Middle English word) on 22/11/1825 aged 81, indicating which is a development of the Old English (pre that she was born in 1744, confirming 7th Century) " bern ", meaning barn, granary, or her baptismal record (9/10/1744) and more specifically, bere, " barley " and oern, fitting appropriately with her "house .". The place name Barnes, on the husband’s, Jacob Maggs, birth in Surrey bank of the Thames in West London, 1739 (see Maggs section above). has that origin and some families may have Mary’s parents were Thomas and hailed from there. There were also Barnes Betty Barns who had additional families whose name derived from a father children Joseph (1753), Thomas called Barn, a pet form of Barnabas not now (1754), Stephen (1756), Hester (1756, used, but it means 'son of prophesy or buried 1759), Thomas (1759) and consolation .' Secondly, it may be of Anglo- Ann (1762). A Mary Barns had an Saxon or Old Norse origin, being that borne by illegitimate daughter on 20/4/1768 the son or servant of a “ berne ”, an early called Hannah and another Hannah Middle Ages term for a member of the upper was baptised as the daughter of Betty classes. This derives from Olde English Barns in the following year. Could "beorn " or Old Norse " barn " or “ bjorn ” this be the same girl being taken over meaning young warrior or bear. Barne was by the grandmother? Mary, if our occasionally used as a given name and some of ancestor would then have been 24 and the surnames may derive from this. Thirdly, it an illegitimate child was a severe may be of Irish origin, an Anglicized form of impediment at that time. Jacob Maggs the Gaelic " O'Bearain ", descendant of Bearan, and Mary were then wed almost two meaning a spear. London Church Records list years later (1/2/1770) when Mary was the marriage of John Barnes to Joane Bowes 26. However, there was another on September 16th 1539 at St. Mary presumably younger Betty Barns who Woolnoth. The first recorded spelling of the had a son James in 1771, (no father family name is that of Philip de Bernes, dated named) and she married John Maggs, 1250 in Surrey during the reign of King Henry not Jacob Maggs, in 1772. Still, as III. At the time of the British Census of 1881, there is no other Mary Barns, the the relative frequency of the surname Barnes above hypothesis for the mother of was highest in Dorset (2.9 times the British Hannah Maggs being this Mary Barns average), followed by Wiltshire in the south seems likely. west, then in seven other counties elsewhere. The parents of Thomas Barns are most likely to have been Thomas and Catherine Barns who had children Christian (a daughter, 1701), Thomas (probably our ancestor 6/2/1703), Joseph (1704). An interesting but obscure entry is that Christian Barns, Tibbot or Bampton (why three surnames?) had a child, Hannah in 1722 and is probably the Christian above. A Thomas Barns most probably the father noted above was buried on 28/11/1714 and Catherine Barns, widow, followed 14 years later on 19/12/1728 so her husband was certainly deceased by then.

The only Thomas Barnes (note a spelling difference) birth record that fits this senior Thomas (called here Thomas senior) is in 1659 which means that he was having children in 1701 to 1704 up to about 42 to 45 years of age before dying at 55. If this is correct, his

40 parents were Thomas (called here even more senior) and Martha Barnes with children Ann (born 1657, buried 1658) and then Thomas (senior). The even more senior Thomas and Martha were likely to have been born around 1625 to 1635. Martha then died relatively young in 1663. A Thomas Barnes married to Grace then appears having a son Joseph in 1668. This is a possible re-marriage of Thomas (more senior) at about 35 years of age. Thomas and Grace do not appear to have had further children. Note that the name of their son, Joseph matches that of one of the sons of Thomas and Catherine who could have been called after his uncle. Also, a Grace Barns (widow) died in 1709.

3. Roach, Rouch in Gloucestershire, authenticated history from 1790

After this long, somewhat speculative Uley is a very attractive village in the diversion into the deeper past, we can county of Gloucestershire about 10 miles continue the more precise story of the north of Winterbourne. It is situated in a children of John and Anne Rouch. John wooded valley in the Cotswold and Anne were married on 13/4/1789 escarpment, on the road between Dursley and rapidly began producing a family. and Stroud. The population is around Indeed, the first child called John was 1,100, but was much greater during the baptized about seven months later on early years of the industrial revolution 12/11/1789 dying as an infant on when the village was renowned for 20/6/1790. In all, they had ten children producing blue cloth. The place name over the next twenty one years, John (recorded as Euuelege in the Domesday being followed by Anne (15/5/1791), Book) probably signifies ‘ clearing in a Mary (13/3/1793) who died seven days yew wood ’. The huge iron age hillfort of later, Mary again (13/4/1794) who Uley Bury spanning over 23 acres is possibly died in 1811, Margaret nearby. A stone age long barrow 40 m (10/4/1796, died 10/8/1797). So John and long, 28 m wide, 2 m high called ‘ Hetty Anne may have had bad luck with their Pegler’s Tump ’ is a little further north early children with perhaps only one of west. It also contains Roman period burials the first five surviving 1. A son, John and the Romans built a temple at West (born 1/4/1798, christened 22/4/1798) Hill, near Uley, on the site of this earlier followed Margaret and he is most prehistoric shrine. Knapp lane passes very probably our ancestor although the close to this. census records discussed later show some discrepancies. Then came Mark (20/4/1800) and Ann (2/1/1803). Does this later Ann mean that the first Anne also did not survive? After Ann, was Sarah (6/4/1806) and Elizabeth (23/9/1810) who died on the 9/2/1812. Thus, of the ten births, only two boys and two girls may have survived to adulthood.

1 The Icelandic volcano, Laki, erupted in 1783 and caused widespread famine in much of Western Europe for more than five years. Many people, particularly young children, died in the UK due to the resulting famine.

41 The elder of these boys, John married Beaver Hats: In Europe during the period Eliza Uley at St Johns, Bristol on 1550-1850, hats made of felted beaver fur 26/3/1820. Uley is a small village in were fashionable. The soft, resilient material Gloucestershire and Eliza’s surname is could be easily combed to make a variety of obviously derived from it although hat shapes including the familiar top hat. The whether she herself was born there is demand for beaver pelts in Europe ultimately unknown. John and Eliza appear in the drove the animal to near extinction. By the 1841 and 1851 census data with ages late 1500s, the beaver was extinct in Western given as 54 and 64 for John and 41 and Europe and almost so in Scandinavia and 50 for Eliza. Now that would mean Russia. The North American fur trade that John was born in 1787, Eliza in became a new source, helping to fuel 1800 or 1801. That is, this John was colonial expansion. In 1624, when New supposedly born some 1 to 2 years York was founded, Dutch settlers were before the marriage of John Rouch and recorded as having shipped 1500 beaver and Anne Maggs and certainly well before 500 otter skins to Europe. During the hatting the second John. If this is correct, he process, a solution of " nitrate of mercury " would have been 32 or 33 at marriage was brushed on the pelt. This produced a while Eliza was 19 or 20. yellow-red color on the fur tips making it Superficially, he seems more likely to "carrot " coloured. The mercury raised have been the second John born 1798, miniature scales on each individual fiber 22 at marriage although the first is increasing the wool's matting ability. The certainly also plausible. But the pelt would be dried and then the wool shaved consistency of the census ages from it using a semi-circular knife. In provides some doubt. As Eliza’s age is subsequent steps using heat and moisture, correct, the information is likely to the mercury would be released as a vapour. have been given by one of the family After long term exposure to these fumes, the but it is possible that whoever either amount of mercury in the Hatter's body gave the census collector data or the would reach dangerous levels. Mercury census collector himself in recording attacks the nervous system causing it, made an error of ten years but why? uncontrolled muscle twitching, a lurching Did he look older than his years? Or gait, difficulties in talking and thinking. did John deliberately mislead the Eventually, the term " mad as a hatter " collector? I doubt that. An intriguing became a common description of someone possibility considers the twin sons of experiencing severe mental problems. Many Jacob and Mary Maggs, his mother Hatters eventually died of mercury Anne’s parents. These twins were born poisoning. 1787 when their parents were 48 (Jacob) and 43 (Mary), oldish in those days with other children to look after. Is it possible that one of these was given to John and Anne Roach as a replacement for their son John (who died in 1789) and was brought up being called John Roach? But why then name a later boy born in 1798 John as well? It is probably unlikely but it is an interesting speculation. If so, our line would actually be Maggs, not Roach. There are many questions that still need answering.

John and Eliza (nee Uley) Roach had thirteen children recorded as being born in Winterbourne. They may all have survived as I can find no burials although there are some possible deaths with two of the daughters. John is listed as a Hatter from Watley’s End, which is in the north of Winterbourne. In order, these children are Ann, 24/12/1820, Elizabeth, (surname spelt as Rouch), 7/4/1822, Eliza, 4/5/1823, Hannah, 29/8/1824, John, 12/2/1826. All these except Elizabeth have the middle name Uley. Does this indicate that

42 Eliza came from a family that considered their surname important which would mean that it was of long standing? I note that a James and Elizabeth Smith had four children in the 1820 to 1830 period and gave them all the middle name of Roach. James was also a hatter at Watley’s End. So it is possible that the practice of using the female surname in that way was common. If so, it is possible that James Smith’s wife, Elizabeth Smith was of the Roach family,

Following the birth records further, the next children of John and Eliza Roach do not have Uley as a second name. First, there is Mary 3/2/1828 who was given the middle name of Knapp, Knapp being a lane just north of Uley village and several Knapp surnames existed in Winterbourne at that time. It is also associated with the cloth trade which was important in the Uley economy. Then follows Alfred, 30/8/1829, Edith, 10/7/1831, Sarah, 4/11/1832, Hannah, 26/10/1834, Sarah (again) 31/12/1837, Martha, 14/3/1841 and Henry, 12/2/1843.

Locational ma p of Watley’s End: ~ 1800

In the 1841 and 1851 census data, John is given as living at 109 Watley’s End and employed as a hatter. In the same house is Thomas and Martha Hooper, Thomas Hooper

43 apparently being the owner. On 6/7/1808, Thomas Hooper married Martha Uley so it seems likely that Martha and Eliza were sisters, Eliza probably being younger.

In 1841, also living in the same house were children John, 14, Mary, 12, Alfred 10, Lydia, 8, Hannah, 4 and Martha, 4 months. Comparing this with the births indicates that Ann Uley, Elizabeth, Eliza Uley and Hannah Uley had left home (or perhaps had died) by then. John Uley, Mary Knapp and Martha were correct within a year for their birth dates while Alfred and Hannah the younger were two or three years older than the census suggests. Lydia cannot be traced on the birth register and it may be possible that she was a cousin or somewhat unlikely, a daughter of one of the older girls, all four of these ranging in age from 17 to 21 in 1841. Edith (aged 10) and Sarah (either aged either 9 or 4) are not there and they may simply have been temporarily living with a relative. Lydia is a mystery.

In the 1851 census, they were still at the same address but the children living with them were Elizabeth, 20 and Henry, 8. Henry has the correct age while Elizabeth is far too young for an 1822 birth. It could be a mis-recording of 29 or 30 or the name could be a mistake for Edith which would match her age. Sarah in either her 1832 or 1837 form does not appear in either census and as she was too young to have left home, she may have died or been living with relatives. From the death index, there are two possible entries relevant to the missing daughters, these being John Roach’s child buried 1839, Mr Roach’s daughter buried 1841 both being from Watley’s End.

Also on the 1851 census, a John Roach Jnr. 25, agricultural labourer married to Eliza 21 is listed as living nearby in 111 Watley’s End, Winterbourne. He is certainly John Uley Roach, the first of the children listed in the 1841 census.

On a housing document for 1851, John Roach is noted as occupying 133 Watley’s End, a house and garden, owned by Thomas Hooper. Another John Roach is in 141 Watley’s End, this house being owned by Emanuel Maggs. There are several other occupants, not unusual at that time. In some research that I did in nearby Bath in 1986, I noted that many houses in the West Country in the first half of the 19 th century often had multiple families even in the one room, some moving into beds when the others moved out. These Roach males in nearby houses are probably the father and son, it being most likely that John (Senior) would be in 133. But if so, who was the John Roach in 141? Both Hooper and Maggs have association with the Roach family, the former being a brother-in-law of Eliza Uley, the latter probably related to the senior John’s mother. It is possible that the housing document and the census, being taken at different times, indicate that the younger John, (probably) moved from 141 to 111 after his marriage. An 1844 tithe map of Watley’s End, Factory Road End shows a Thomas Hooper owning lot 16 (see map page 43) and this may be the house where John and Eliza Roach (senior) were living at the time. Relating lot numbers and house numbers is difficult but this could mean that lot 16 and house 133 were the same. A nearby lot, number 85 was the factory of George and Isaac Simmonds, both hatters in 1851 so it could be where John Roach Snr worked. Hatting was a major occupation at Watley’s End at that time, these being of the type known as ‘ beaver hats’ (see box page 42). It was a dangerous occupation, terminal for the beaver (probably skinned alive as with most fur animals even till today, an obnoxious practice) and sometimes for the hatter as it was associated with nerve deterioration. However, it is unknown whether John Roach’s health was adversely affected.

44 By the 1861 census, no trace of the family can be found in Watley’s End, Winterbourne or surroundings. Also, there are no records of the burials of John Roach or Eliza (Uley) Roach in the Winterbourne area so they may have moved elsewhere some time after 1851. All we know is that their son John Roach and his wife Eliza emigrated from England to Australia in the 1850s. This John, called John Uley Roach, was born in 1826 as noted above and married Eliza Young Hinton on 1/9/1850 at Winterbourne. Their first child, Marianne was born there on 20/7/1851 shortly before they emigrated to Australia. But before continuing with their Australian history, the Hinton background needs elaboration.

4. Hinton ~1800 - 1850

Our Hinton name is from the West Hinton is a name used moderately in England and Country of England and therefore there are many in the Wiltshire, Gloucestershire most likely belongs to the first of region. It is an English habitational name from the groups mentioned in the text any of the 15 places (10 of these with an box and so means High additional suffix) called Hinton which split into Settlement. There are several two groups with different etymologies. The most villages with Hinton incorporated common set (in Dorset, Gloucestershire, into their name in the Wiltshire, Hampshire, Herefordshire, Somerset, Wiltshire) Gloucestershire border region, one is from the Old English hean (originally from a possibly associated with our preposition heah ‘high’) plus Old English tun family name being about 10 km ‘enclosure’, ‘settlement’. The other slightly more directly north of Bath on the high northerly (Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, ridge. This village lies about 10 Shropshire, Suffolk) derives from the Old English km west of Castle Combe and is hiwan ‘household’, ‘monastery’ but there are only halfway between there and a few examples of these being town names. Winterbourne.

Eliza Young Hinton was born in Castle Combe, (see Appendix 2, Maps) Wiltshire, now regarded as one of the prettiest villages in England, on 2/1/1831, her parents being John Hinton, a labourer and Sarah Young. It is interesting that there is some confusion about her mother’s maiden name. After John Uley Roach’s death, Eliza married again in Australia. On her marriage certificate, she gives her father’s name as John Hinton and her mother’s (maiden) name as Sarah Young which is consistent with the naming procedure discussed about the Roach family. However, on her death certificate, her son John, the informant refers to his grandmother as Sarah Ann Mills. The former name, Young is most likely to be correct given Eliza’s middle name 2 while there is a vague possibility that the latter could come from a second marriage of John.

John Hinton and Sarah Young are shown on the Castle Combe register as marrying with the consent of parents on 25/4/1825 this indicating that one or both were under twenty one at the time but it seems that that applied only to Sarah. That is, she was born after 1804. The most likely possibility for John Hinton’s birth is a John Hinton, born at Castle Combe on 8/4/1803 to parents John and Elizabeth (Betty) Hinton which would have made him 22 at marriage. A John Hinton and Elizabeth Neale were married at Castle Combe on 26/8/1796 and fit the birth date of a son born in 1803 and hence are very likely to be his parents but this is not proven.

2 The only marriage in the UK that seems at all possible is a John Hinton to Eliza Hill (possibly a mis- transcription of Mills in December, 1843 at Kings Norton, Somerset but that is just before Sarah’s death.

45 John and Sarah Hinton (nee Young) had eight children, Frederick (1826), Henry (1828), Eliza Young (1831), Isabella Young (1832), Jasper (1834), Hezekiah (1836), Hoziah (1840) and Faith (1843) before Sarah died in 1843 aged 36. Therefore, she would have been born in 1807 or 1808 and was only 17 or 18 at marriage. Note that Faith was baptized on 22/10/1843 and both Faith and her mother Sarah were buried on the same day some five months later, 3/3/1844 perhaps due to an epidemic or prevalent illness at the time.

A further record gives Sarah’s parents as William and Sophia Young with Sarah being born on 28/2/1808 with brothers Henry (1806, died 1807), William (1810, died 1811) and a further William (1812). The marriage took place on the 17/11/1805 of the parents, William Young to Sophia Fry of the parish of Biddestone, a village only about 6 km south east of Castle Combe. A Sophia Young was buried in 1838, aged 60 which is consistent with the above, as she would have been born in 1778 with her daughter Sarah being born when she was 29 or 30. A John Fry and Elizabeth Uncles were married at Biddestone on 11/10/1738 but Sophia could not have been their daughter as she would have been born some 40 years after the marriage. Rather, they could have been her grandparents. A curious record in that area refers to William Young, ( alias Mills ) being buried on 22/4/1840 aged 73, hence born in 1767. This appears to be where the Mills name comes from but it is not clear why he used that as an alias or how it came to be interpolated into the naming system in later generations. It seems likely that Young was his real name and Mills was adopted for some unknown reason later in life. The only records in the locality that I can find of the birth of William Young are as the son of William and Hannah (1763) or of James and Mary (1776). Either is possible.

However, to further compound this Young, Mills naming problem, a Berthial Diver died in Maryville, Newcastle, NSW in 1923 aged 87. She was born in Bristol (or nearby) in 1836 and arrived in NSW in 1851, probably to Maitland where she was married in 1854. Her father was said to be John Hinton (a gardener) and her mother Eliza Mills. The naming is too much of a coincidence to not be relevant. This John Hinton may be quite different to the father of Eliza Young Hinton. However, if the John Hinton’s were one and the same, it would mean that Berthial was born about the same time as Sarah Hinton’s sixth child, Hezekiah. Is it possible that John Hinton remarried after Sarah’s death in 1844 to another Eliza who was a widow and already had children, with them taking his name? It is very strange. What is the connection between the Hinton and Mills families? That there is seems to be certain but we will probably never know exactly what it was.

5. Roach and Hinton in Australia

On 23/3/1852, John Uley Roach 26 and Eliza Young Hinton 21 with an infant daughter Marianne (aged 1) arrived in Australia aboard the “Sir George Seymour ”, a ship of about 850 tonnes, having left Falmouth on 26/12/1851. John is designated as an agricultural labourer and Eliza as a dairywoman, both being C of E. John’s parents were John and Eliza Roach while Eliza’s were John and Sarah Hinton, father living in Castle Combe, mother dead. Eliza had a brother, Henry living at West Maitland. John paid 3 pounds for the passage for himself and family. Hezekiah Hinton, aged 16 was on the same ship. He was certainly Eliza’s brother as the age corresponds with his birth date.

46 Henry Hinton, 20 (Eliza’s 3 year older Maitland: In 1818 Governor Macquarie brother) and wife Sarah Ann, 18 had decided that that area was to be settled and arrived earlier in 1849 on the ship John Eckford, John Smith and William “Emigrant ”, a vessel of some 750 tonnes. O'Donnell arrived. Others followed during Note that John Roach (in 1885 on his the next few years, and then came Mary mother, Eliza’s death certificate) gave her Hunt better known as Molly Morgan, a mother’s name as Sarah Ann which was woman of such a dominant personality that his aunt’s name, not Sarah which was his her name was applied to the place which grandmother’s. Of interest in relation to was known for a few years as " Molly the name confusion discussed above, a Morgan's Plains " though officially it Mills family were on the same ship, these remained Wallis Plains. Eckford's land was being John and Rebecca, both aged 30, at East Maitland, while Smith settled on with children Emily, 3 and George, 1. the east side of the creek and O'Donnell on Whether or not there is a connection is the west. Gradually settlement moved uncertain. More relevant is the arrival in along the route now occupied by the Great 1853 of the “ Bloomer ” with three Northern road in the direction of Singleton. Hintons on board, Bethia 14, Jasper 18 Other families established homes in that and John 48. Bethia seems to be the direction. In 1829, Governor Darling had a Bethial mentioned above as the names town proclaimed at the junction of Wallis are unusual although there is a slight Creek with the Hunter River called discrepancy in the birth year (1839 Maitland, (after Lord James Maitland, Earl instead of 1836 but I suspect the 1839 of Lauderdale) with an original population date to be more accurate). Jasper being an of 150. By 1853, there were three unusual name with birth year that is divisions, Morpeth (navigational head, correct (within a margin that can be population 754), East (population 1099) accounted for by the month of the year) is and West Maitland (the town in the probably Eliza Young Hinton’s sibling swamp, population 3131). while John would have been born in 1805, close enough to the 1803 to be the person identified as Eliza Young Hinton’s father. However, there was no Eliza Hinton (nee Mills) on board as suggested on Berthial Diver’s death certificate. Assuming Bethia’s 1839 birth (and name) is correct, she may have been the youngest surviving Hinton sibling as no trace can be found of Hosiah in the UK or Australia. Isabella seems to have married at age 18 in Chippenham, a larger town about 10 km east of Castle Combe which could mean that the remaining family, possibly including Frederick, emigrated to Australia. In that case, Eliza Mills may well have been an older woman in the UK associated with the maternal grandfather, William Young (Mills), who looked after the younger children after Sarah Hinton died.

Now a John Hinton, son of John, a carpenter and Sarah was baptised on 27/1/1856 but died on 30/1/1856 (this is on the St Mary’s, West Maitland Parish but not on the NSW register). It seems that he was part of the family and the father could be John, Eliza’s father. But the Sarah could not be Eliza’s mother as she had died in England so this would mean either that John had remarried a woman with the same given name as his first wife or that it that there was confusion with Eliza’s brother, Henry’s wife who was Sarah Ann. Now a Sarah Hinton, aged 68 died in Newcastle in 1888 and therefore would have been born about the same time as Henry’s wife and that is the most plausible hypothesis but she could have been John’s unknown second wife. Henry Hinton himself is more obscure as several of the possibilities on the NSW death records give an incorrect father with mother unknown but a Henry E. Hinton having a father John and mother Sarah died in NSW at

47 Rockley which is west of Oberon, in 1910. It is just possible that this may have been him. If so, he would have been 82 at the time. John Hinton is also difficult to trace. A John Hinton with father John and mother unknown died at Sofala in 1865 and he seems to be the only possibility in NSW. If this is Eliza’s father, he would have been about 62 at the time. Ezekiah Hinton, probably with a name too unusual to not be Eliza’s brother, died at Armidale in 1905, said to be aged 74 giving an apparent error of 4 or 5 years compared with his birth, Jasper (father John, mother Sarah) died at Adamstown, Newcastle in 1915 at about 79 (therefore born about 1836) while a Frederick Hinton aged 79 died at Scone in 1905 matching the known birth (baptismal) year. So while Frederick’s immigration record cannot be found, it seems that he came to Australia as well, possibly before his two year younger brother Henry.

Whether there were Hintons in the area around Maitland before Henry Hinton arrived in 1849 is open to question. On some of the documentation, the area associated with the family is Branxton, originally called Black Creek (still called that at the well known town of Pokolbin), only some 18 kilometres. further north-west of Maitland. Here Henry Hinton, a farmer and Sarah Ann had a child Charles there on 11/10/1857 (St Mary’s register). Also, about 8 kilometres east of Maitland, there is a small village of Hinton on the banks of the confluence of the Paterson and Hunter rivers. From Maitland Mercury records, this village already used that name by 1843 and so it could not have been named after a newly arrived 20 year old Henry Hinton in 1849 3. Does this mean that there were other Hinton families already in the Maitland area who either were or were not related? There has been a suggestion that the postmaster at Hinton bore that name but as yet, there is no evidence of this. This needs further research.

5.1 The Roach family: John Uley Roach and Eliza Young (Hinton) Roach moved to West Maitland immediately after their arrival in Australia and proceeded to expand their family that already consisted of Marianne, born in England in 1851. The next children were John, our great grandfather (15/6/1853), Henry (1856), Alfred (1859), Elizabeth on the NSW register but who seems to have been called Sarah on some family records (1861), Hannah (1863), William Thomas (1865), James (1868), Eliza Ellinor (1872, note the spelling) and Isabella (1875). John and Henry were born in Maitland, the remainder being Newcastle births. From information from a descendent of Henry 4, his birthplace was in fact Anvil creek, near Black Creek (Branxton) but there is no official confirmation of this. Eliza may have been staying with her sister-in-law, Sarah Ann Hinton for the birth confinement.

Now both the NSW birth records and the parish records of St. Mary’s, West Maitland show that twins, John and William Roche, sons of John and Eliza were born on 15 th and 16 th June 1853 respectively and both were baptised soon afterwards on the 10 th of July. John is undoubtedly our great grandfather but there does not appear to be any other reference to William. A William T. Roach, son of John and Eliza died in Hamilton in 1933 but he is undoubtedly the William Thomas born in 1865. What happened to the first William is unknown but it is likely that he died very soon after birth. There is a burial of a Roach child in the Anglican cemetery at Maitland.

3 Barry Milton says, probably correctly, that this town is not relevant to our Hintons. But Australian towns were usually named after either high profile persons or the towns of origin in the UK of the immigrants. The greatest number of towns in the UK called Hinton are near Castle Combe. When families emigrated, the chosen region often depended on where relatives (Hintons in our case) or friends had already settled. 4 Mrs Shirley Richards

48

Thus, John Roach (with surname The A.A Co. was instrumental in the growth of spelt Roche) was born in the Parish the Hamilton area of Newcastle, operating the of West Maitland at Dagworth (see mines and owning most of the land. Hamilton later). His father’s (John Uley was originally known as Pittown, Borehole or Roach) occupation is given as Happy Flat. Its early history dates from the ‘labourer’ but as he worked at discovery of coal roughly opposite St Peter's Dagworth, this probably meant Church in the part of Hamilton known as ‘mine labourer’, an occupation Cameron's Hill. A borehole was sunk and a shaft being much sought after in the completed in 1849 and was known as the D Pit, Maitland-Newcastle district when or Borehole. Pittown grew up somewhere in the the mines developed because it vicinity of today’s Beaumont street to service the gave a secure remuneration. need s of the miners and their families However, the move to Newcastle somewhere about 1857 probably The Ancient Order of Druids (AOD) was was because of the new mines in founded in England in 1781 as a secret society. Newcastle and the decline of some Tradition says that it was organised by Henry of the earlier, higher level, Hurle, builder and surveyor at a meeting at the (shallow) Maitland mines. While Kings Arms Tavern in Poland Street, London. It he obviously had a long is not a religious organization, but rather a employment of over twenty years society dedicated " to preserve and practice the as a coal miner, it unfortunately main principles attributed to the early Druids, resulted in his death at age 54. This particularly those of justice, benevolence and occurred at the Borehole Pit in friendship ." Hamilton (see box above). The newspaper report states that on the 28 th December, 1880 he was jammed between two large coal wagons. A witness stated that Roach was letting down some wagons to be filled with small coal and was standing between the two lines of rail handling the brake. He was caught between the transverse end of the moving wagon and another stationary one on the other line. His overseer stated that he had been doing this work for about fifteen years and was allowed to do it in his own way. It appears that he was not killed instantly but died on the 31 st of December, the funeral following the next day. The death certificate notes that it was a rupture of the liver caused by the accident. What a sad New Year for Eliza and their many children. It can be seen from the funeral notices that he was a member of a lodge, the Order of Druids (see box above) and that his place of residence was Commonage, Hamilton which was a region with property held in common as was traditional in the UK, often with areas to run animals, particularly cows. Photograph labeled Mr Roach: Brown eyes, dark brown hair, brown whiskers. Mr Roach does not seem to be John Roach (the teacher) as he looks about 40 and the dress style is old. It is most likely John Uley Roach, the first to emigrate. From the son’s age, this would have been taken between 1860 and 1875

49 But John Uley Roach was not the only one of the family to die in a coal mining accident. One of his sons, James, 31 also died in 1900 from a coal fall at the Stockton pit. Here, while breaking a coal face, a two ton lump that was expected to come away did not and while he was replacing the ‘ sprags ’ to hold it, it fell unexpectedly and crushed him. He died almost immediately most probably from suffocation although other injuries were severe. He was described as a quiet, retiring man and a good citizen and left a wife and four children. It was noted that he was seriously afflicted with deafness and he may not have heard indications of the coal face rupture. James’ birth certificate says that he was born at Lake Macquarie Road, suburb not given. Further, one of John Uley’s grandsons, David John Roach, son of Henry Roach was killed in an accident at Hebburn colliery in 1916 after working for only a few weeks in the pit.

Eliza, with at least three children who were still dependents married again a little over a year later (14/2/1882), this time to Jacob Hall, a widower and storekeeper in Lambton. This lasted only three years as she died on 14/1/1885 from lung congestion following a strangulated umbilical hernia. The lung congestion was probably due to a bacterial infection. An umbilical hernia, when it occurs in adulthood, is predominantly in females usually caused by substantial overweight or pregnancy. As Eliza was 54 at the time, pregnancy seems to be unlikely.

Now John Roach (born 1853), the eldest son of John Uley and Eliza Young Roach was born in the West Maitland parish at Dagworth, as he notes on his marriage certificate. It is located about 10 km south from West Maitland and about the same distance west from East Maitland. Shirley Richards back in 1982 informed me that John’s younger brother, Henry Roach who was her Great Grandfather 5 and was born at Anvil Creek near Branxton in 1856 (see above) but this location needs confirmation. This is some 25 km west from Maitland and hence about the same distance from Dagworth so it is possible that the family moved there in the intervening three years or, more likely that the birth confinement was because of Hinton relatives there. It is also interesting that years later John’s son George put the birth of his father at East Maitland on his death certificate which is much closer to the village of Hinton but the evidence of any association there is lacking. Geographically, East Maitland is just as accurate a location to Dagworth as is West Maitland although the parish seems to have been situated in West Maitland.

John following his father also began his working life as a coal miner as evidenced on his marriage certificate of 15/3/1873 and later on his daughter’s birth certificate registered in February, 1874 (Mary Eleanor, the first child) born when he was not yet quite 21. Strangely, he gives his age as 21 on the former certificate although he did not turn 20 until June 1873. John was married to Ellenor Hopkins, she being 19 at the time, in the Registrar’s Office, Newcastle. At that time, he lived in Hamilton while her address was Darby Street in the next suburb. Did the Registrar’s Office marriage indicate some scepticism about conventional religion or was it simply more convenient? They had nine children, Mary Eleanor (already noted, 22/2/1874, birth registered as being at Darby Street, Newcastle), William John, 1876, George Alfred Evans (1878), Herbert James Richard (1879), Arthur Henry Evans (1883), Victor Thomas (1884), Ethel May Ann (1886), Cecil Horace Hopkins (1888) and Eliza Gladys (1893).

5 Some of Henry Roach’s descendents owned property on Coon Island in Swansea Channel until some time in the 1950s. One of these, Ernest Roach, worked at Zara Street Power station where Bert Milton also worked. Barry remembers calling there in about 1950 when Ernest would have been about 62.

50

Dagworth: This is not a town but a colliery of 245 acres located only a few kilometres south west of Maitland about equidistant from East and West Maitland. To locate it exactly, the colliery tunnel was three miles sixty-two chains (6.04 kms) by road from Maitland Post Office, five miles five chains (8.15 kms) by road from Kurri Post Office and two miles eight chains (3.27 kms) by rail from the junction with the NSW Government Railways at East Greta Junction. The site was on a portion of Emmanuel Hungerford's Property " Lochdon Estate ", the original grant being 2000 acres. The official location is on Portions 28, 30 and 31, Parishes of Maitland and Heddon, County of Northumberland. It is designated as Mining Lease No. 8 and a neighbouring mine is East Greta No. 1 Tunnel to the south-west. The Dagworth tunnel was 566 yards closer towards West Maitland than the first Tunnel (East Greta No. 1) and was very close to the later East Greta railway station.

At this tunnel colliery, there were also two inclined seams, the top seam (Greta) being twenty-nine feet six inches in thickness while the bottom seam (Homeville) was twelve feet thick. The two seams were separated by a fifty-eight feet band of conglomerate. It was the Homeville or lower (bottom) seam that was mainly worked. The whole of the seam was removed, but it was taken in two operations, the bottom coal being won first. The roof was conglomerate with patches of mudstone while the floor was generally hard sandstone with fire-clay in some parts.

The East Greta Coal Mining Company started to drive the second colliery tunnel early in 1894 (well after the Roach family had left the area). However coal trade from 1893 to 1898 was depressed, the mining operation efforts were not major and it was not until the end of 1896 that coal was produced there in any quantity.

John Roach had considerable achievement during his life which was, in fact rather short. At some stage, possibly about the time of his marriage, he was studying mathematics as evidenced by a textbook dated 1872 found in the old general store (corner store) at Morisset owned by the Gambrill family. The youngest daughter, Eliza Gladys (Aunty Glad to our generation) married into this family and records were found when the shop was sold in the late 1960s or early 1970s as reported in a local newspaper at the time. Cecil Horace Roach owned (or rented) the milk bar next door. The family association at Morisset began in 1891 (4/9/1891) when John Roach and his family moved there. Theodore and Angelina Gambrill and five children arrived at Morisset in 1888. The family was the second to settle in the town. Arthur, or Wal as he was known, was a plumber by trade when he married Eliza Gladys Roach, the daughter of Morisset Public School's first headmaster, John Roach. Wal and Gladys opened a general store in Yambo St. Gladys ran the shop while Wal plied his trade, part of which included the manufacture of water tanks for Morisset Hospital. Wal also introduced the first motorised taxi service in Morisset. In 1932, the shop was relocated to Mullard's Chambers, on the corner of Dora and Short Sts. Wal and Gladys had four children, John Charles (1911), Gwendoline Clarice (1913), Gladys Winefred (1917) and Mary Dawn (1930). John, with the help of his wife Joan, ran the taxi service until 1977 when ill health forced him to retire. Gwen, a well loved member of the community, continued with the shop until it was sold in 1968. Win married George Pope, an orchardist of Martinsville. Dawn became a school teacher and married the local Police Sergeant, Harold Robinson.

51 Previously, he had been Head Teacher at Barnsley School for eight years, appointed 24/7/1883. Whether or not that was his first teaching appointment is not known.

As the informant on his mother’s death certificate in 1885, he gave his suburb as Teralba which is some ten kilometres away, too far to travel on a daily basis at the stage but it may be that the school and address lay somewhere in between or that suburb boundaries were different. The move to Morisset was to become a Master in the school there. Contact with Newcastle remained during these years, Eliza Gladys being born in Merewether in 1892. After eight years at Morisset, a further move to Hargreaves near Mudgee occurred with the appointment being on 7/7/1899. However, another move then took place to Hargreaves, near Mudgee and it was there that his daughter, Mary Eleanor met and married William Milton in 1902. Hargreaves gave John the position and title of Headmaster and his progression from the coalminer of his youth, perhaps self educated, was certainly an achievement. It seems that mathematics could have been his specialty as the newspaper article commented on the use of his old textbooks with the quote that “ most of the items found are in excellent condition and would excite the curiosity of the modern master, especially the questions for advanced primary mathematics ”.

Unfortunately, a few years later, John contracted liver cancer (although it is not clear that it was a primary cancer as the liver is a common location of a secondary cancer) and died in Hamilton, Newcastle on 27/11/1909, aged 56. From information from Dawn Gambrill, the family returned to their home in Morisset during the last stages of his illness which was for no more than a year, so they had retained their links there during the period in Hargreaves.

Ellenor Roach (nee Hopkins) lived on in Merewether for a further 15 years, passing away at age 70 of chronic nephritis, uraemia and diabetes mellitus, quite a mixture of problems. It is noted that her residence at the time was 7 Lingard Street, Merewether which is the home that I remember as that of her daughter, our grandmother, Mary Eleanor Milton and her husband, William Milton. Ellenor is recorded as being born in Wales and having lived 65 years in NSW. As with her husband, she was buried in the Methodist Cemetery at Sandgate. So as far as this history is concerned, this ends the Roach dynasty, it now being connected with the new name of Milton and can be followed on that document. Thanks to Mrs Shirley Richards and Mrs Joan Murray, I have available a more complete record of the descendents of John and Ellenor Roach and some of the other family branches but that is not reproduced here.

52 John Roach as a schoolteacher: Above: John Roach with an early class, probably at Barnsley School – circa 1880 Below: John Roach with a later class, probably at Morisset School - circa 1890

53

Photos of John and Ellenor Roach ~ 1900: Left: John and Ellenor Roach Right: Ellenor Roach on left, then clockwise, Mary Eleanor, Ethel May, two unknown children (probably Marianne’s), Marianne McCartey, nee Roach (probably), Eliza Gladys, Cecil Horace all named children being Ellenor’s.

6. Hopkins and Evans:

6.1 Arrival in Australia Starting in Australia may seem The name, Hopkins is an English patronymic from back to front but it is the Hopkin derived from Hobb, probably itself sequence in which the family Norman-French and a diminutive of Robert. The has been identified. Ellenor surname is widespread throughout southern and Hopkins who married John central England and is very common in South Roach at Merewether, Wales. In Ireland, it is an Anglicized form of the Newcastle, NSW on the 15 th of Gaelic Mac Oibicín, itself a Gaelicized form of an March 1873 was 19 at the time. Anglo-Norman name although in other parts of At her death on the 1 st July, Ireland, Hopkins is generally of direct English 1924, her age is given as 70. origin. Our ancestor is of South Welsh descent She was buried in the Methodist where there was considerable Anglo-Norman cemetery, Sandgate as had been settlement and influence indicating a likely original her husband John before her. English branch on the male line. Assuming the above ages to be recorded correctly, she was born between 1/7/1853 and 15/3/1854. Her marriage certificate designates her birthplace as Tredegar (see Appendix 2, Maps), then part of the county of Monmouthshire, South Wales, UK and her parents were William Hopkins and Mary Evans, the latter information being confirmed on her death certificate.

54 Ellenor Roach with grandsons: ~ 1920 Jack Milton (left), Bert Milton (right) and grandson-in-law Les Parfitt (centre) married to Nell Milton

From the shipping records, her Evans : Welsh: patronymic from the personal name mother Mary aged 37 (hence born Iefan (Evan ), with redundant English patronymic – rd about 1826) arrived on the 23 of s (for son). The modern form of the personal name September 1863 with two is Ieuan , (Evan or Ewan) and is the Welsh form of children, Eleanor (a slightly John. In England, it appears in several counties in different spelling but certainly the the mid north-west (eg Lancashire, Staffordshire) same person) aged 10 and but has a reasonable presence in several Welsh Margaret, aged 8, the ship being counties including Monmouthshire although it is the “ Peerless”. Mary is shown as most common in Glamorgan. the daughter of Richard and Betsy (ie probably Elizabeth) Evans, the same given names as those of her husband’s parents, a not impossible coincidence. These records show that Mary’s religion was Baptist, that her husband, William was already in Newcastle, her father was still in Tredegar while her mother was already deceased. Ellenor, as already described, married John Roach while Margaret married William Rudge in 1879 at Singleton, John Roach being one of the witnesses. Note that the Hintons had lived in more or less that area (Branxton to Scone) as discussed above. Margaret died in 1920, Ellenor in 1924. Ellenor’s descendents have been considered above in the Roach section and records of Margaret’s children are known but they, not being our direct line, are not included here.

Now Mary Hopkins nee Evans (Ellenor’s mother) and the two children arrived in Newcastle alone. William as common with the recruitment of mine laborers at that time

55 had arrived on the “ Hotspur” on 18/7/1862 over a year earlier, he then providing a deposit in October 1862 for his family to come at this later date. William, a miner from Tredegar gave his age as 30, hence being born in 1832, also stating that he was a Protestant (denomination unspecified) who could both read and write. In August 1861, his deposit had been paid by a William Davis who was also a miner from the same town and who probably was the brother-in-law of Mary Davies, William Hopkin’s sister (see later). The families of these villages at that period of history seemed to have been very close knit. Note that it is important to distinguish between the wife of William Hopkins, Mary Hopkins (nee Evans), who is in our direct line and William Hopkins’ sister, Mary Davies, (nee Hopkins) whose certificates provide much information. To clarify this I will designate the former, our direct ancestor, wherever there is likely to be confusion as Mary Hopkins (Evans) and the latter as Mary Davies (Hopkins). Note that the spelling Davis for both Mary and Isaac is often interchanged with Davies but they are almost certainly the same persons. Also, in regard to the close knit villages, it is interesting to note that the Australian Agricultural Company brought out many miners from Tredegar at that stage, one ship, the “ Walter Morrice ” carrying 49 miners and families, their original address being designated as Tredegar Iron Works.

6.2 Hopkins in Wales William Hopkins was the son of Richard and Elizabeth Hopkins of Tredegar, South Wales and was born about 1829 or 1830 according to his death certificate (age 40 on 24/2/1869), although his baptismal date 20/6/1830 makes him only 39, but baptism was often months after birth. His parents are listed as “not known” by the informant but can be ascertained from his sister, as discussed later. The shipping information, see above, gives his birth date as 1832 at the time he arrived in Australia in 1862 but the former date seems to be more realistic. Also from his death certificate, his age at marriage is said to be 26 which would then make its date 1854 or 1855. Note that Ellenor’s birth was in 1853 or 1854 while Margaret’s was 1855 or 1856 and recording errors within about a year were common. So he is more likely to have been married in 1852 or 1853 putting his birth to about 1826. However, it seems from his wife Mary’s death certificate that there were two older girls listed as children of the marriage , Elizabeth and Mary A, respectively 10 and 7 years older than Ellenor. Mary’s death certificate states that she was 75 at death on the 14 th of July, 1899 and hence was born in 1824; that is from 2 to 6 years before William. This information would imply that the first child, Elizabeth was born in 1843 or 1844 when Mary was 19 or 20 which is quite reasonable but when William (if born in 1830) was only 13 or 14 which is so unlikely that it is impossible for him to be the father. It is also some 10 years before the stated marriage age (26 years) on William’s death certificate. They could have been children of relatives that they brought up or, a possible suggestion is that they were from a previous relationship, either legitimate or not 6. This is consistent with his death certificate which specifies two children whilst hers says four. It should be noted that Ellenor was either born a year or two before their calculated marriage year or that the marriage date was earlier than recorded, say 1853 when William was 25. There is no record of a marriage between a William Hopkins and a Mary Evans in the UK Free BMD between 1850 and 1860 although there is one at nearby Swansea in September 1849 and another (the latter recorded as William Hopkins to either Mary Evans or to Ann Lewis, there being two marriages noted without designating which husband married which wife 7)

6 See Footnote, page 60 for another possible explanation. 7 The UK certificates need to be obtained.

56 at Neath in March, 1849. If either of these is correct, it would mean that he was married at about 19 to 22 years of age.

Isaac, Isaacs : Jewish, English, Welsh, French, etc. Incidentally, the official cause of from the Hebrew personal name Yishaq ‘ he William Hopkins’ death in laughs ’. This was the name of the son of the Newcastle was phthisis which he biblical Abraham by his wife Sarah. It probably had been diagnosed with a year means ‘ may God laugh (i.e. smile) on him ’. This earlier and which means a name, popular among Jews, was also widely used ”dwindling or wasting away ” in medieval Europe among Christians. In England usually associated with and Wales it was one of the Old Testament names tuberculosis or emphysema. As a that were particularly popular among coal miner and with a childhood Nonconformists in the 17th–19th centuries which in a mining town where children accounts for its frequency as a Welsh surname. as young as about eight were (Welsh surnames were generally formed much often used as laborers, the latter later than English ones, “ ap followed by the seems very possible. father’s name ” meaning son of being more common.) In the UK, it appears in a few counties Now his parents, Richard and in England (Lancashire, Lincolnshire and Elizabeth Hopkins had several Gloucestershire) but is most common in other children who can be Monmouthshire, Wales and Devon in England. identified, one being Mary, born about 1819 who married Isaac Davies. They immigrated to Australia before William Hopkins, also with Isaac arriving before Mary and sponsoring her and their children in a similar manner to the way William Hopkins brought out his family. It is from her records (shipping and death certificate) that the Hopkins parents’ names, Richard Hopkins and Elizabeth Isaacs can be identified. Elizabeth was already dead by the time of the 1851 British census and Richard was claimed to be deceased by the time of Mary’s arrival in Australia in 1859 although the shipping arrival records were often rough and may not be wholly reliable. Recorded children of Richard and Elizabeth Hopkins were Richard, born in 1824, William, as noted above being baptized on 20/6/1830 and Elinor, (a different spelling again but of course, our great grandmother Ellenor’s aunt) on 29/1/1833. Richard Hopkins is listed as a miner on Elinor’s birth records and the location is Quarry Row, Tredegar Ironworks. It is all consistent. It would be surprising in that age if there had not been other children and it is likely that the one called Richard (as above) later emigrated to Newcastle. There is a reference to a Richard Hopkins ( from Newcastle Historical Society records, courtesy of June Braby ) living next door to the Davies in Ranclaud 8 Street, Merewether although no further trace can be found of him.

The Hopkins family in Wales lived at 32 Quarry Road, Bedwellty which is very near Tredegar Ironworks just south of the town of Tredegar itself. It seems to have been a very poor dwelling area with many of the Ironworkers and Miners living nearby. The senior Richard Hopkins (William’s father) must have been born about 1795 (the age on the 1851 census is not clear and could be any one of 55, 56 or 58), although the record shows that this birth was not in Tredegar, Monmouthshire but in the next county, Glamorganshire at a place called something like Llangntyd? Or Llanytyd? These are too obscure in the

8 In Merewether, Newcastle, NSW, Ranclaud Street is parallel to Frederick Street, being the next one west. There is also a Hopkins Street which joins Lingard Street (where William Milton and his wife Mary Eleanor, nee Roach lived) and is just behind the Prince of Wales Hotel at the Junction. Is this a coincidence?

57 handwritten document to be properly identified and cannot be located. However, a village of Llanhilleth (also called Llanhiledd) that is not very far from Tredegar can be found but it is in Monmouthshire rather than Glamorganshire. A Richard Hopkins died at Bedwellty (see Free BMD, UK) in March 1863 and another in June 1865. Either could be him but this would mean that the NSW immigration note for Mary Davies (Hopkins) that her father was dead in 1859 was incorrect. Further research is needed. The maiden name of William’s mother, Elizabeth Hopkins can be found from Mary Davies (Hopkins) birth records where it is given as Elizabeth Isaacs.

6.3 Evans Now we will return to William Hopkins’ wife, Mary Evans. From the shipping records, Mary Hopkins, (Evans) was born in South Wales in about 1824 of parents Richard and Elizabeth (Betsy) Evans although it may have been a year or so earlier if the death record in NSW (see later) is correct. That is, she was about 29 at marriage in 1855 although, as discussed above, there is some small uncertainty in this as she may have been two years older. She died at Morisset, NSW in 1899, her death certificate giving her age as 75 as previously noted, hence born in 1824. The Morisset location confirms that the Roach family had retained their links there even after John’s move to Hargreaves as Headmaster. Mary Evans was said to have been born in Aberystwyth, South Wales, father Richard Evans’ occupation a limeburner (for cement production, assumedly) and her mother’s maiden name is unfortunately unknown. Aberystwyth is on the west coast of Wales some 100 miles from Tredegar so when and how she travelled there to eventually meet a noticeably younger husband in William Hopkins is unclear. It could have been due to an earlier marriage or a misunderstanding of the Welsh town names by the funeral director (David Lloyd) who reported her death as alternatively, there is a town Abertillery in the next valley only 10 km from Tredegar. Could there be a confusion between this and Aberystwyth which is much further away? Abertillery is very close to Llanhilleth. I believe that Abertillery is more likely but there is no proof of this.

Although on arrival in NSW she was a Baptist, it seems that by her death she had become a Methodist (Primitive Methodist) consistent with the religion of her daughter, Ellenor. She was buried at Sandgate cemetery and the undertaker was David Lloyd who also certified the death, the note below this saying, “ to Relations, Merewether ” which is somewhat obscure but indicative that the family still had both Morisset and Merewether connections.

At this stage, nothing can be confirmed about her early life or siblings in Abertillery (or perhaps Aberystwyth) but it would seem from the records of Tredegar ( see Historical Note page 64 ) that life there in the 1800s was harsh. As she seems to have married William Hopkins in about 1855, (from William Hopkins 1869 death certificate, it is “ unknown ” on hers) given the two older girls, Ellenor’s birth in about 1854, Margaret’s in 1856 and records not yet obtained of a speculated marriage in 1849, some mystery remains. Was William about five to ten years older than he admitted to being but if so, why? Was there an earlier marriage or relationship that was not legitimized? William’s death certificate shows two female children only whereas Mary’s shows four females so it seems that he was not the father of the first two. The gap of seven years between Mary A. her second child and Ellenor her third seems long for those days but whether there were children in between (from either relationship) who died is not known. There was a cholera epidemic in Tredegar in the 1850s so child deaths were common. Could she have been a sort of

58 adoptive mother of the first two? But it is possible that Mary had been married, officially or otherwise to someone before William. But a mystery remains.

6.4 Hopkins in Newcastle And what happened in Australia after William died? Information from relatives indicates that the Hopkins and Davies families lived together in Ranclaud Street, Merewether after his death or perhaps even before. Mary, William’s wife did not marry again and it must have been very difficult at that time for a woman to bring up two young children unaided. What is possible is that after their father’s death, Mary and the children, Ellenor and Margaret moved in with their Davies relatives where they were brought up as part of an extended family which included their aunt, Mary Davies (Hopkins) in Ranclaud Street, Merewether. It is on record that Isaac and Mary Davies lived there and there may, with that address, be a connection between John Roach and Davies in subsequent generations. John’s wife, Ellenor gave her address as Darby Street at the time of her marriage and this also appears on some death certificates. That may be because (from comments by Dawn Gambrill), John’s older sister, Marianne McCarty ran a nursing home there. Marianne died in 1937. The extended family may also have included the Richard Hopkins recorded as living next door and he may have been Mary Davies’ and hence William Hopkins’ brother. This close association of the two families may also explain why, when the son of Mary (Hopkins) and Isaac Davies, Ezekial died in 1905, his son-in-law gave his (ie Ezekial’s) parents names as Isaac Davies and Mary Evans, not Isaac Davies and Mary Hopkins which is correct, perhaps confusing the two from a generation before that was unknown to him, particularly as Mary Davies (Hopkins) had died some 11 years before Mary Hopkins (Evans).

Given this close association, it is worth looking at Mary Davies (Hopkins). Her husband Isaac Davies was born in Breconshire, the county just north of Tredegar, in 1816 but he was living in Tredegar as shown on the 1851 UK census. He arrived in Australia before his family. The date is not clear but an Isaac Davis (probably another minor spelling variation) was in the colony before his wife Mary who arrived with their four children on the Nimrod 0n 7/4/1859. The children ranged from 19 down to 5 so it is likely that Isaac had been in Newcastle for some time and it is noted that he is recorded as having sponsored other arrivals from Tredegar as early as 1854. An older daughter Mary Ann is reported (communication from a descendent, June Braby) to have arrived with Isaac. From the 1851 UK census, she was 11, 3 years younger than her brother William and hence was born in 1840. William Davies at 14 on the census could have been born in about 1837 but 1839 or 1840 is more likely. Now Mary Davies (Hopkins) on the arrival records is said to be 39 and hence was born in 1820 and it is quite plausible that she had her first child by 1837. But her death certificate, as so often, raises questions. It records her as being 57 in August, 1888, hence born in 1831, married at 17 to Isaac Davies and having had 29 years in NSW. Her correct age is more likely to have been 67 as her eldest son was 49 in 1888. That is, she was married in 1838, arrived in 1859 which does check with the shipping records she being about 38 on arrival. Also note that the shipping arrival records show William Davies who arrived with her was aged 19 whereas the census suggests 22 or 23, a significant discrepancy but the former checks with his death certificate. Whatever was his true age, June Braby suggests that because he was the eldest child and a male, he had been left behind to care for the family but there is no confirmation of this. There is certainly a gap in the births from the census, William, 1840, Mary Ann, 1840 and then Ezekiel 1850

59 and Elizabeth 1852 9 but other children may have died young. Interestingly, the NSW death certificates show three Ezekiels aged 45, 42 and 40 in 1888 but what this implies is unknown. Mary’s address in Tredegar before departure is given as 32 Quarry Row, Tredegar Ironworks. Mary’s parents on the arrival records were Richard Hopkins, still living in Tredegar and Elizabeth, nee Isaacs, deceased. Note that it was a William Davis who sponsored William Hopkins in 1861 and he was probably a relation of Isaac Davis. A later record shows that both Isaac and Mary Davies were Presbyterian, not Baptist as was Mary Hopkins (Evans) on arrival with her daughter Ellenor Roach, but the latter was buried as a Methodist a generation later.

If it is assumed that Mary Davies (Hopkins) was the eldest of these Hopkins children, which is a guess rather than a fact, and that she was most likely born in 1820, this gives us an indication that her parents (and hence also William Hopkins’ parents), Richard Hopkins and Elizabeth Isaacs were probably married around 1818. Hence, their birth dates were probably around 1785 to 1800. On the 1851 UK census, Richard is shown living as a lodger with Isaac and Mary Davies and their children at Quarry Row. His age is written obscurely but it looks like 56 so he would then have been born in 1795 making him about 23 at marriage which fits well. So far, I have been unable to trace any further records for him. Of Elizabeth Isaacs, no records of birth or death have been located.

Also in Quarry Row, Tredegar an Evan and Elizabeth Hopkins had a daughter Elinor 15/6/1833. This is the same name and spelling as the last recorded child of Richard and Elizabeth Hopkins, baptized 29/1/1833. But that may simply be due to the spelling of the officiating Registrar (or Minister). Was Evan Hopkins a brother of Richard?

7. Final summary:

Although there is an enormous amount of information on this branch of the family, there is still much left to discover about the origins of the Roach, Hinton, Hopkins and Evans families and their predecessors. We probably have a better idea of how they came to Australia, what they did here and what they achieved than we have of some of the other branches considered, (the Miltons and the Parfitts). As always, going backwards in history means that there must eventually be a dead end but with these, more than some of the other families considered, there is a reasonable glimpse of what may have been their even earlier origins in Gloucestershire. The items that could be investigated further are the origins of the Uley branch of the Roach family and the association with the name Knapp, the Young, Mills confusion with the parents and grandparents of Eliza Young Hinton and how Berthial Diver fitted into the relationship. On the Hopkins side, the town or village of the birthplace of Mary Hopkins (Evans) in Wales needs to be found and her two “missing daughters” identified. Finally, some more information on the Hopkins family in Tredegar would be helpful. I may be able one day to add more information but it is more likely to be the task of a later generation. Whatever the case, this has to be, at least temporarily the end of a long and complex document.

9 Is it possible that Mary Ann and Elizabeth Davies, born 1840 and 1852 respectively are those reported on Mary Hopkins (Evans) death certificate as Mary Ann (1843) and Elizabeth (1846) with substantially incorrect ages listed? The obvious closeness of the families and Mary Davies (Hopkins) earlier death may well have meant that Mary Hopkins (Evans) whose husband had been long deceased, supplied the role of their mother?

60 Some additional photographs

I have number of Roach family photographs mostly from Cecil Roach’s album, some that can only be identified as possibilities. These are included below with notes.

The Roach family: ~ 1900. Back row, from left : Mary Eleanor, Herbert James Richard, William John, Victor Thomas, Arthur Henry Evans, Ethel Mary Ann, George Alfred Evans, Middle row, from left : John Roach, Ellenor Roach; Lower row, from left : Cecil Horace Hopkins, Eliza Gladys

The house at Morisset Ellenor Roach owned by John and Ellenor Roach .

61

Marianne McCarty , nee A Roach male: Cecil Roach Roach who ran a nursing Most likely, it is John home in Darby Street, Roach , the school teacher. Merewether for many It does not seem to be one

years. of his sons. (see photo page 61)

.

Roach-Milton Family photo, 1938: From left, Back row : Jack Milton, Cecil Roach, Bert Milton (with Janice), Front Row : Olwen (Ollie) Milton, Ivy Milton, Dawn Gambrill, Eliza Gladys (Glad) Gambrill nee Roach, Margaret Milton, Merle Milton (with Brian)

62 Historical Note: Tredegar and Bedwellty

Tredegar is about 35 miles in a northerly direction from Cardiff and about 24 miles from Newport. In the mid 18th century it was a beautiful area amongst forested hills with a few scattered farming homesteads. There were a few small privately owned iron works, small coal drifts and levels. The first recorded iron works in the Sirhowy Valley was Pont Gwaith Yr Hearn developed by two Bretons and worked by men from Penydarren in Merthyr. The 16 foot high furnace finished about 1750 and the Sirhowy Iron Works was erected in 1750 by a Mr Kettle of Shropshire. This was eventually taken over by Mathew Monkhouse and Richard Fothergill who extended it greatly. In 1778, the ironworks opened its first coal fired furnace. In 1818 it was taken over by the Harfords of Ebbw Vale.

The Town of Tredegar situated at the north end of the Sirhowy Valley was developed from about 1800. The land east of the river was owned by Sir Charles Morgan who granted a lease in 1799 to Mathew Monkhouse, Richard Fothergill and Samuel Homfrey to build the Tredegar Iron Company. The west bank of the river was owned by Lord Tredegar. The Tredegar Iron Company turned Tredegar into a boom town in the 19th century, its population growing from 1132 in 1801 to 34,685 by 1881 with the influx of people searching for work with the T.I.C.

By 1805, a 24 mile stretch of tramline had been laid by the Tredegar Iron Company and Monmouthshire Canals to transport coal and iron ore to Newport docks. Trams were pulled by teams of horses. In 1829, the Chief Engineer of Tredegar Iron Company was authorised to purchase a steam locomotive from the Stephenson Company. The steam engine was built at Tredegar Works and made its A steam engine built at Tredegar, an 1854 St th David locomotive maiden trip on December 17 1829. The train from Tredegar to Newport carried 50 tons at an average speed of 6 miles per hour. Later, seats were added to carry passengers and it became one of the first passenger carrying services in the world. In 1891 Tredegar Iron Company ceased production and in 1907 the Whiteheads Iron and Steel Company took out a lease on the southern section of the TIC works.

Because of all the iron production, not only in Tredegar but also in the neighboring towns, the local area that was so rich in minerals resulted in the opening of many coal mines. The limestone and iron ore was quarried at Trefil, an outlying area of Tredegar. These necessities for producing iron were transported by trams and the place where many of these lines converged became the Market Square.

Around 1850, Tredegar Iron Company employed between 2000 and 3000 people at its 9 furnaces, mills shops and ancillary plants. Most of the wages earned went into the pubs and licenced premises. The men worked hard and they drank hard. The houses that

63 appeared were small with very poor sanitation. This caused real health problems with epidemics such as cholera being rife. One such epidemic took place in 1849 and a special cholera cemetery was opened behind Cefn Golau cemetery. The cemetery is still there with many gravestones still standing.

As the number of houses grew, so did the number of Public Houses and Licenced Premises. In 1858 there were four Hotels, namely, The Cambrian, The Castle, The Tredegar Arms and The Greyhound. There were a further 25 Inns or Taverns plus 20 Beer Retailers. At this time all licenced premises were open from 6.00am until 11.00pm, these hours being the same on a Sunday. Slaters Directory for 1858/9 states that there were also 2 English Baptist chapels, 3 Welsh Baptist chapels, 2 Calvanist Methodist chapels, 2 Primitive Methodist chapels, 1 Church of The Latter Day Saints, 3 Wesleyan Methodist chapels as well as a Roman Catholic Church and St Georges Parish Church, a total of 20 religious establishments in the area.

Bedwellty workhouse (the Spike): In those days there was no welfare state with unemployment and sickness benefits and if a man did not work both he and his family starved. If it was proved that this person could not possibly provide for him or herself, there was another option open that was formidable and humiliating. Since the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536 there had been a Poor Law of one type or another in England and Wales. These laws made the responsibility of the disabled, old, lame or blind, that of the Parish. Each Parish was encouraged to have its own " Poor House " where these unfortunates could be housed and put to work for their keep. To discourage people from making a claim, the residents were kept under a strict regime of bed, work, bed, and had living conditions lower than the lowest paid worker. On entry to the establishment, the claimants would be stripped, bathed and given a " uniform " of the poorest possible quality, separated from other family members and forbidden to make contact with them again. These " Poor Laws " were enacted to try to reduce the spiraling costs to the Parish.

Bedwellty Union Workhouse Under the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, a number of Parishes were merged into a single building. The Bedwellty Union Workhouse (1849, "Ty-Bryn " known locally as " The Spike ") was erected on a hill on the outskirts of Tredegar in 1852 and covered the Parishes of Abertillery, Aberstruth, Bedwellty, Ebbw Vale, Rhymney and Tredegar. The stone building was very austere with accommodation for 311 inmates. Its Guardian minute books from 1849 to 1930 are now in the Gwent County Records Office in Cwmbran.

Left: Tredegar Town Hall By 1818, Samuel Homfrey, owner of the TIC, had erected the Town Hall and the adjoining Market Hall. The Town Hall was originally a school. The workers at the Tredegar Iron Co had 2p a week deducted for school fees for their children. When applying for work at the TIC, preference was given to those educated there.

64 In 1858, the Town Clock Left: Tredegar Town Clock was erected in the centre of the Market Square (later to become " The Circle "). The clock has 4 faces, facing East, North West and South respectively. The clock is surmounted on a cylindrical column with a square plinth as its base. The structure is 72 feet tall and was designed to be seen and heard from all areas of Tredegar. The clock chimes on the hour and on the half hour and was placed for the convenience of the men and women working in the Sirhowy and Tredegar Iron Works and also for the miners working in the recently sunk collieries at Ty-Trist (1841) and Bedwellty (1850). On the West side of the plinth is an effigy of Wellington with the inscription " Wellington, England’s Hero ", the North of the plinth carries the Royal Arms of England, the East has the name and description of the manufacturer with his crest, " Charles Jordan, Iron Founder, Newport, Mon ", while the South has the inscription " Presented to the Town of Tredegar from the proceeds of a Bazaar, promoted by the late Mrs. R P Davies. Erected in the year 1858 ". It is said that the total cost of erection and manufacture was £1,000. £500 came from the Bazaar that was organised by Mrs. R P Davies, the wife of the works manager, £400 was donated by Mr R P Davies, the works manager and the other £100 was raised by the people of Tredegar.

Although there were Left: Tredegar many religious Temperance/Workmans Hall establishments in the town, these were filled mainly by the children of the many large families that prevailed at that time. Most of the working men (and women) preferred to use the licenced premises. The main pastimes were gambling, fist fighting, dog fighting, cock fighting, road racing, in fact anything that would carry a bet, usually money that they could ill afford to lose. The more sober of these people thought that the town should be governed against this type of behaviour by a local body of people that were aware of the current conditions. In 1854 the Monmouthshire Merlin reported that a meeting had been held in the Town Hall to open a reading room for the people of Tredegar and surrounding areas. A committee was formed, headed by Mr. R P Davies, the works manager. Around 1860 a scheme was started to provide a building for " Entertainment, Instruction and Propagation of Temperance ". The scheme was supported by all the works and mine managers and a decision was reached to sell shares at £1 to the workmen. The Industrialists of the time, greatly affected by the drunken behaviour and absenteeism of their workers and the housewives losing housekeeping money to gambling, supported this scheme. By late Autumn 1861, the building was ready for opening.

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