Before the Buses

ARTHUR HENLEY (1914–1987)

Like many other families in the coal mining areas of Monmouthshire, the roots of the Henley family were not from Wales. In the case of this family, they came from the county of Devon in southwest England.

Henry Henley had been Christened on 18th May 1783 at the church of St. Andrew in the village of Kenn, located about 4 miles southeast of Exeter. He was the son of Richard Henley and Sarah née Pain who were married in 1780 at Doddiscombsleigh, about 6 miles southwest of Exeter. On 3rd January 1809, Henry married Elizabeth née Moore at the church of St. Martin in Exminster, about 4 miles south of Exeter. They had four children, all of whom were Christened at the church of St. Michael and All Angels at Dunchideock, located about 4 miles southwest of Exeter. They were: Mary (on 12th November 1809), Henry (on 3rd November 1811), William (on 4th September 1814), and John (on 19th February 1816). On William’s Christening record in 1814, his father was recorded as a Labourer.

In December 1833, Elizabeth Henley née Moore passed away at the age of 50, and was laid to rest at Exminster on 15th December. On 27th July 1834 at the church of St. Martin at Exminster, Henry Henley married his second wife, Mary Back née Snell. Mary’s first husband was Samuel Back who she had married on 17th November 1806 at the All Saints church at Kenton, a village located about 7 miles southeast of Exeter. When the 1841 Census was taken on 6th June, Henry and Mary Henley are found living at Shillingford, located a little under 3 miles west of Exminster (Ref: HO107 Piece 219 Book 22 Folio 14 Page 23).

Following the death of his second wife Mary (late Back formerly Snell) in late 1847 at the age of 65, Henry Henley married his third wife, Mary née Guest in the summer of 1848 at Exeter. Mary was around 25 years younger than Henry, and in the 1841 Census is found living at Swales Building in Heavitree, a suburb to the east of Exeter (Ref: HO107 Piece 263 Book 16 Folio 11 Page 16). They had one child together, a daughter named Jane, who was Christened on 7th September 1849 at Alphington, located on the southwestern edge of Exeter.

On 23rd December 1849 at the parish church of Allhallows on the Walls in Exeter, the marriage took place of Henry and Elizabeth Henley’s son John, a Labourer, and Betsey Clarke. They were both residents of Rack Close Lane, their wedding taking place in the presence of John Gill and Ellen Gill. Their fathers were named as Henry Henley and John Clarke, who were both Labourers.

Betsy Clarke had been Christened on 16th May 1826 at the church of St. Swithun in Sandford, located about 2 miles from Crediton in Devon. She was the daughter of John and Elizabeth Clarke. When the 1841 Census was taken on 6th June, the Clark family are found living at Rack Close Lane in Exeter (Ref: HO107 Piece 266 Book 2 Folio 3 Page 1). John Clark is said to be 51 years-old, his wife Elizabeth is 46 years-old, and their children are John (aged 21), Betsy (aged 15), Richard (aged 10), Mary Ann (aged 6), and Martha (aged 4). The Clark family’s address at the time of the 1851 Census was given as Preston Street in Exeter (Ref: HO107 Piece 1868 Folio 361 Page 58). John is recorded as a 60 year-old Labourer, his wife is 57 years-old, and their children still with them are Richard (a 20 year-old Labourer), Mary Ann (an 18 year-old Labourer at Paper Mills), Martha (a 16 year-old Labourer at Woollen Mills), and Eliza (a 10 year-old Labourer at Woollen Mills). Ten years later when the 1861 Census was taken, the Clark family were living at 2 Stepcote Hill in Exeter (Ref: RG09 Piece 1399 Folio 19 Page 32). In this Census, John is recorded as a 71 year-old Farm Labourer who had been born at Broadclyst (located just to the northeast of the city of Exeter), his wife was a 67 year-old Wool Weaver who had been born at Sandford, and their youngest child Eliza is with them and is working as a Stay Maker.

John and Betsey/Elizabeth Henley had at least four children: Henry (born 11th April 1849 and Christened soon after on 29th April at the church of St. Andrew in Plymouth, Devon), Charles (Christened on 15th November 1853 at the church of St. John in Truro, Cornwall), John (Christened on 22nd January 1860 at the church of St. Michael in Heavitree, Devon), and Eliza (Christened on 29th March 1866 at the church of St. Budeaux in Devonport, Devon).

When the 1851 Census was taken on 30th March, the young Henley family are found living at 4 Elliss Street in Plymouth, John being recorded as a 33 year-old Railway Labourer (Ref: HO107 Piece 1879 Folio 137 Page 66). His wife is aged 24, and their son Henry is said to be 2 years-old.

When the next Census was taken on 7th April 1861, the Henley family are found in the neighbouring county of Cornwall (Ref: RG09 Piece 1523 Folio 120 Page 22). John is recorded as a 45 year-old Labourer, his wife was 35 years-old, and their children were Henry (aged 12), Charles (aged 7), and John (aged 1).

At some point following the birth of their youngest child Eliza, the Henley family moved to the Machen area of Monmouthshire, their address in the 1871 Census being given as Full Moon (Ref: RG10 Piece 5353 Folio 141 Page 37). John is a 55 year-old Labourer, his wife Elizabeth is aged 44, Henry is a 21 year-old Labourer, Charles is a 17 year-old Collier, John is an 11 year-old Scholar, and Eliza is a 5 year-old Scholar.

In the spring of 1872, John and Betsey Henley’s son Henry married Harriet née Wright, the daughter of John Wright and Hannah née Cheavers who had been married on 27th May 1848 at Trevethin near Pontypool. In the 1871 Census, Harriet is 17 years-old and living at Upper Machen with her step-father and mother, Edward and Hannah Jones (Ref: RG10 Piece 5353 Folio 111 Page 44).

Back in Devon, in the village of Alphington, Henry Henley passed away in February 1873. His age when his death was registered was given as 93, but his burial entry at Alphington on 20th February gave his age as 94.

In the 1881 Census, which was taken on the night of 3rd April, John Henley is found working as a Stone Breaker (Road Labourer) at Exeter. He is said to be married, and is lodging with his widowed sister-in-law, Eliza Bonner née Clark, and her family at Stepcote Hill (Ref: RG11 Piece 2154 Folio 25 Page 16). Meanwhile, back in South Wales, his family are again found at Full Moon (Ref: RG11 Piece 5274 Folio 51 Page 62). On Schedule 628 are his 53 year-old wife Elizabeth, their 28 year-old son Charles (a Coal Miner), their 21 year-old son John (also a Coal Miner), and their 15 year-old daughter Eliza. On Schedule 629 is their 31 year-old son Henry (a Coal Miner), their 27 year-old daughter-in-law Harriet née Wright, their 1 year-old grandson John, and their 1 month-old granddaughter Henrietta. Tragically, Henrietta died in September 1882 at the age of 1 year 7 months, and was laid to rest on 17th September.

On 16th November 1885, John and Elizabeth’s daughter Eliza married Ivor Tasker, their fathers being named as John Tasker and John Henley. When the 1881 Census was taken, Ivor (a 19 year-old Coal Miner who was born at the hamlet of Neath Higher in Glamorgan) was boarding with the Davies family at 62 Tredegar Street (Ref: RG11 Piece 5272 Folio 33 Page 17).

When the next Census was taken on 5th April 1891, the Henley families are again found living at Full Moon in Machen (Ref: RG12 Piece 4383 Folio 121 Page 75). In this Census, Elizabeth Henley née Clarke is a 64 year-old Dressmaker, and is now widowed. There is a possible death registration for her husband, John Henley, (aged 71) at Exeter in late 1887 (vol. 5B p. 76). Elizabeth is living with her son and daughter-in-law, John and Mary Ann née Morgan (Ref: RG12 Piece 4383 Folio 118 Page 70 Schedule 359). On Schedule 383 are Henry Henley (a 42 year-old Coal Miner), his 36 year-old wife Harriet, and their children 11 year-old John, 8 year-old Rosina, 3 year-old Henry, and 2 year-old Charles. On Schedule 384 are Charles Henley (a 37 year-old Coal Miner), his 34 year-old wife Jane née Williams (who he married on 14th June 1875), and their children Lavinia (aged 13), Charles (aged 10), Henry (aged 8), and Alice (aged 3).

In the summer of 1898, John Henley’s wife, Mary Ann née Morgan, passed away at the young age of 33. More than a year after the death of his wife, John married his cousin Alice née Bonner (the daughter of Eliza Bonner née Clark who his father had been lodging with at the time of the 1881 Census).

The 1901 Census, which was taken on the night of 31st March, is the last Census Elizabeth Henley née Clarke appears in. She is recorded as a 74 year-old widow who was receiving parish relief. She was living with her son-in-law and daughter, Ivor and Eliza Tasker, at Wattsville (Ref: RG13 Piece 4964 Folio 19 Page 29). Meanwhile, Henry and Harriet Henley had moved to the coalmining town of Abertillery where they are found living at 95 Princess Street (Ref: RG13 Piece 4936 Folio 168 Page 72). Henry is a 51 year-old Coalminer Hewer, his wife Harriet is now 46 years-old, and their children are John (a 21 year-old Coalminer Hewer), 17 year-old Rose, 13 year-old Henry, and 12 year-old Charles.

Within two years, Harriet Henley had to cope with the deaths of one of her sons and her husband. On 22nd August 1903, their son Henry (a 16 year-old Coal Miner) passed away at 105 Princess Street, and was buried soon after at the Blaenau Gwent Cemetery. The cause of death was recorded as “Tubercular Peritonitis 10 weeks, Asthenia.” His father Henry was present at the time of his death and was the informant. Then on 5th June 1905, Henry Henley passed away at 21 Bryn Morgan Terrace in Cwmtillery, he was 56 years-old. His occupation was said to be a Coal Miner, the cause of Death being recorded as “Acute Bronchitis 3 weeks, Syncope.” His widow, Harriet, who was present at the time of death, was the informant.

On 25th December 1906 at the Holy Trinity church in Nantyglo, Henry and Harriet’s 18 year-old son Charles married Edith Gertrude née Booth (born 6th March 1890 at Cwmtillery). Their wedding took place in the presence of William Henry Parsons and George Booth, their fathers being named as Henry Henley and John Booth (who were both said to be Colliers).

Edith was the daughter of John Booth and Mary Jane née Boulton who had been married locally in late 1881. In the 1891 Census, Edith is with her parents who are lodging at Heath Cottage, Mount Pleasant, in Cwmtillery (Ref: RG12 Piece 4353 Folio 85 Page 33). Her father John was a 35 year-old Coal Miner who had been born at Pontypool, and her 29 year-old mother was born at Pucklechurch, located about 8 miles northeast of Bristol. The head of house was Mary Jane’s father, Edward Bolton, a 58 year-old Milk Dealer who had also been born at Pucklechurch. A little more than two years after this Census, John Booth passed away at the age of 37 on 23rd May 1893, and was laid to rest soon after at the Blaenau Gwent Cemetery. In the summer of 1895, the now widowed Mary Jane Booth married her second husband, Benjamin Fieldhouse, the Landlord of the Old Bridge End Inn at Penybont who had also been recently widowed. When the next Census was taken in 1901, Edith was with her step-father and mother at the Old Bridgend Inn (Ref: RG13 Piece 4935 Folio 175 Page 41).

Charles and Edith Gertrude Henley had a total of six children: Charles (born 13th September 1907), Trevor Henry (born 3rd April 1909), Edith Thora (born 12th February 1911), Muriel (born 8th August 1912), Arthur (born 12th January 1914), and Marshall Clifford (born 7th March 1917).

Electoral Registers show that the Henleys were only at Brynmorgan Terrace for a few years, before Harriet returned to 105 Princess Street where she is found in the 1911 Census (Ref: RG14 Piece 31846 Schedule 191). Living with her is her son John, a 31 year-old Coal Miner Hewer. Shortly after this Census, Harriet returned to 21 Brynmorgan Terrace where she stayed for the rest of her life.

Also in the 1911 Census are Charles and Edith Gertrude Henley, who were living at 14 Islwyn Road at Wattsville (Ref: RG14 Piece 32012 Schedule 384). Electoral Registers record their address as 14 Full Moon. Charles is a 23 year-old Coal Miner Hewer; his wife Edith is aged 22; their first two sons Charles and Trevor Henry are 4 and 2 years-old respectively; their first daughter Edith Thora is 1 year-old; and they also have a 19 year-old Servant working for them named Gwendoline Cuff. Electoral Registers show that Charles and Edith moved their family back to Abertillery shortly before the outbreak of World War I, their address being recorded as 4 Railway Terrace, Penybont.

In the midst of World War I, the 28th January 1916 issue of the South Wales Gazette reported on three Abertillery soldiers who were charged with being absentees from the 2/3rd Battalion Monmouthshire Regiment at Bedford since Saturday January 22nd. They were named as Herbert Sweet, Charles Henley, and Henry Griffin, who were remanded to await escort. Tragically, on 9th November 1917, Charles Henley (Service No. 266820 – formerly Service No. 3190) was killed in action at France and Flanders. His name appears on the Tyne Cot Memorial at Passchendaele, Arrondissement Ieper, West Flanders, Belgium.

Edith Gertrude Henley née Booth married her second husband, Howard Rees, in the spring of 1920. They had the following seven children: Iris Eileen (in 1920), Olive (in 1922), Lewis Edmund (in 1924), Myfanwy (in 1926), Ernest John (in 1928), Kenneth (in 1930), and Graham (in 1936).

Howard had been born on 21st April 1888 in the Angle area of Pembrokeshire. At the time of the 1911 Census, he was living at 81 Somerset Street in Abertillery, his occupation being recorded as a Timberman Below Ground (Ref: RG14 Piece 31845 Schedule 213). He is living with his 36 year-old sister Alice Mary Jenkins, her three daughters Elizabeth (aged 6); Elsie (aged 4); and Edith (aged 2); and their 17 year-old brother, Lewis Rees who was working as a Coal Miner.

When the 1921 Census was taken on the night of 19th June, the Rees family are found living at 4 Railway Terrace in Abertillery (Ref: RG15 Piece 26097 Schedule 223). Howard is recorded as a 33 year-old out of work Coal Miner Hewer, his wife Edith is aged 32, and their daughter Iris is just 5 months old. Also with them are Howard’s Henley step-children, Trevor (aged 12), Muriel (aged 8), Arthur (aged 7), and Clifford Marshall (aged 4). Very sadly, a little under two weeks before this Census was taken, Edith’s son, Charles Henley, died at the age of 13 years 8 months, and was buried at the Blaenau Gwent Cemetery.

Also in the 1921 Census, once again living at 21 Brynmorgan Terrace, is 65 year-old Harriet Henley, and her 41 year-old son John who is working as a Coal Hewer at the Six Bells Colliery of John Lancaster & Co. (Ref: RG15 Piece 26095 Schedule 2).

The South Wales Gazette of 29th July 1927 reported that Arthur Henley was one of four who had been successful in passing the entrance examination to the Newport Technical College, the others being Glyn Andrews, Ronald Farquhar, and Gwyn Meredith.

Harriet Henley née Wright passed away at the age of 75 on 17th February 1931 at 21 Brynmorgan Terrace, and was laid to rest at the Blaenau Gwent Cemetery

In December 1936, Arthur Henley and Doris Eileen née Cleaton were married at St. Michael’s church in Abertillery. The following newspaper report on their wedding appeared in the South Wales Gazette of Friday 8th January 1937:

Doris Eileen Cleaton was born on 25th March 1915 at Abertillery. She was the daughter of Arthur Cleaton (born 17th August 1873at Dilwyn in Herefordshire) and Sarah Ann née Bryan (born 23rd March 1878 at Blaenavon) who had been married in 1896. Just like the Rees and Henley family, the Cleatons had also lived in Cromwell Street from about 1926.

When the 1939 Register was taken on 29th September, Arthur and Doris Henley are found at 39 Granville Street, Abertillery, his occupation being recorded as a Master Baker (Ref: RG101 Piece 7432H Schedule 108). They are living with Doris’ parents, and her widowed sister, Emily Margaret Baynton (born 18th July 1896). Emily’s son George (born 9th April 1922) was also with them, his occupation being recorded as a Baker.

The 1939 Register also shows the Rees family living at 10 Little Park in the Abbotts Ann area of Andover, Hampshire (Ref: RG101 Piece 2367A Schedule 23).

Prior to the end of World War II, Arthur and Doris Henley moved their young family to 69 Tillery Road on the eastern side of the Cwmtillery valley. Just a few years later, it became the registered address of Henley’s Bus Services Ltd., and remained so for many years.

So far, the earliest newspaper clipping I’ve found regarding Henley’s buses was in the South Wales Gazette of Friday 9th December 1949. It was an advertisement for The newly formed Abertillery Garrick Dramatic Society who were presenting Noel Coward’s lightest comedy “Hayfever” at the Legion Hall in Blaina on Tuesday 13th and Wednesday 14th December. Special buses were being arranged from Six Bells and the Foundry Bridge on those days, at 6:30 Six Bells Post Office, Cwm Hotel to Blaina; at 6:20 Foundry Bridge to Blaina; and on Wednesday only, at 6:20 Alma Street and round Cwmtillery, stopping by request. These special buses were operated by “Henley’s ’Buses, Ltd.”

The following year, Henley’s started a new bus service on Monday 2nd October from Abertillery Town to the new Rose Heyworth Housing Estate. Operating via Brynteg and Blaenau Gwent, the route started at the Fire Station at 15 minutes past the hour, returning from North Attlee Avenue at 30 minutes past the hour. The first bus left the Fire Station at 8:15 a.m. and the last at 10:15 p.m.

On 27th January 1963, Edith Gertrude Rees (late Henley formerly Booth) passed away at the age of 73. She was laid to rest at the St. Mary’s Churchyard at Abbotts Ann, in Hampshire. Howard survived Edith by a little more than 10 years, until he passed away on 14th February 1973, and was laid to rest with his wife at the St. Mary’s Churchyard at Abbotts Ann.

Over the years, Henley’s fleet of buses and coaches grew, and in the mid 1970s they took over the local bus operations of Collier’s Garage of Hill Street, which included local bus services. It has to be said that Henley’s became a well-known and highly respected company, not just locally but throughout the UK, and remains so to this day.

Arthur Henly passed away on 13th April 1987 at the age of 73, and was cremated at the Gwent Crematorium, Croesyceiliog. His widow, Doris Eileen née Cleaton survived him by 23 years, until she passed away on 13th April 2010 at the wonderful age of 95. She was also cremated at the Gwent Crematorium, Croesyceiliog

CREDITS

The Henley coat of arms is by houseofnames.com.