Boyt’s Buildings, Alma StreetBoyt’s buildings was an address that I somehow stumbled over. I was intrigued that it was located somewhere along Alma Street in Abertillery, but where? After all, Alma Street is a very long street! Using Electoral Registers, Census entries, newspaper articles, and other resources soon led me to their location ... and they were incredibly close to where I live! In fact, they were the underhouses of the other half of the block of houses where my family has lived since the mid 1930s! The two following newspaper advertisements from the South Wales Gazette give a very clear indication of exactly where Boyt’s buildings were located. The first is from the issue dated Friday 23rd November 1917, and the second is from Friday 4th March 1921:
It appears there were only six underhouses known as Boyt’s Buildings, no. 1 was located under no. 158 Alma Street, no. 2 was under no. 160, and so on up to no. 6 which was under no. 168. Although there were also underhouses at nos. 170 and 172, it appears they were not included under Boyt’s Buildings. Reginald Boyt also owned stables located at the rear of nos. 170 and 172 Alma Street which were rented by Robert Charles Wright in 1917. Something that really interested me was who had lived at Boyt’s Buildings over the decades. When the 1911 Census was taken, the following families were enumerated at Boyt’s Buildings: Ref: RG14 Piece 31838: 1. (Schedule 132) 2. (Schedule 131) 3. (Schedule 130) 4. (Schedule 129) 5. (Schedule 128) 6. (Schedule 127) Electoral Registers show that around the same time period, Alfred Wintle was living at 158 Alma Street, while from 1913 to 1915 his address was given as “Under 158.” Robert Evans was said to be living at 160 Alma Street; Arthur Williams was living at 162; Walter Johnson was at 164; Thomas Breeze was said to be living at “Back Alma Street,” while in 1913 his address was recorded as 5 Boyt’s Buildings; and the earliest entry I’ve found for Michael Loughran so far was in 1914 where his address was given as Tillery Terrace. Newspaper articles from 1917 show who the tennants of the properties owned by Reginald Boyt were, and how much they were paying in rent: No. 158 – Messrs Joseph Partridge and Thomas Breeze, 6s. 9d and 4s. 3d each; No. 160 – Messrs. Arthur Kingsbury and Walter Johnson, 6s. 9d and 4s. 3d each; No. 162 – Messrs. Robert Charles Wright and William James Palser, 10s. 6d and 4s. 3d each; No. 164 – Messrs. Alfred Wintle and Stephen Marsh, 6s. 6d and 4s. 3d each; No. 166 – Messrs. Henry Thomas Ball and Albert John George, 6s. 6d and 4s. 3d each; No. 168 – Messrs. Fred Cullis and Samuel Reed, 6s. 6d and 4s. 3d each; No. 170 – Mr. George Silverthorne, 6s. 6d; and No. 172 – Mr. Benjamin Evans, 6s. Electoral Registers from 1918 confirm that in each case, the first tennant listed lived in the upper two storeys, which had the higher rent, and the second tennant paid the lower rent for the underhouse. When the 1921 Census was taken on the night of 19th June, the following families were enumerated at Boyt’s Buildings: Ref: RG15 Piece 26097. 1. (Schedule 202) 2. (Schedule 203) 3. (Schedule 204) 4. (Schedule 205) 5. (Schedule 206) 6. (Schedule 207) Again, comparing Electoral Registers from around the same time period, Reginald Lane was living at 1 Boyt’s Buildings; Stephen Marsh had recently moved from number 4 to number 2; Henry John Jones is found at number 3 but several years later moved to number 1; Thomas Bennett is found at number 4; Albert John George is found at number 5; and Samuel Reed is at number 6. Sadly, the 1931 Census was destroyed during World War II, but Electoral Registers still give us a glimpse of who was living at Boyt’s Buildings around that time and in the few years either side of the Census. At no. 1 were Henry John Jones, Stanley Brooks, Charles Brindley, and Edward Thomas & Vera Tillings; at no. 2 were Stephen Marsh, and Henry Charles & Eleanor Wedge; at no. 3 was Annie Jones; at no. 4 was Rose Taylor; at no. 5 were Ernest Barnett and William George Davenport; and at no. 6 was George Price. It’s apparent that during the 1930’s, the underhouses along this stretch of Alma Street were being used less and less as dwellings. When the 1939 Register was taken on 29th September, only the first three underhouses known as Boyt’s Buildings were being lived in: Ref: RG101 Piece 7432B. Under 158. (Schedule 279) Under 160. (Schedule 280) Under 162. (Schedule 281) The Electoral Registers for the same time period give the Wright family’s address as 1 Boyt’s Buildings; the Nicholas family are living at number 2; and intriguingly the Morgan family are recorded as living at 168 Alma Street. In the 1939 Register, schedules (282 and 283) are recorded as Under 174 and Under 176 respectively. So it appears that the underhouses of numbers 164, 166, 168, 170, and 172 were not being lived in at the time the Register was taken. This possibly indicates that the Morgan family moved from 168 (or Under 168) where they are found in the Electoral Registers for 1937, 1938 and 1939) to Under 162 prior to the 1939 Register being taken. The most recent references of Boyt’s Buildings that I’ve found so far are in relation to the Wright family from the early 1950s. Mary Ann Wright passed away on 31st January 1951 at 1 Boyt’s Buildings, she was 82 years-old, and was buried at the Blaenau Gwent Cemetery, located very close to their home. The following year, on 5th November, her husband Robert Charles Wright also passed away at 1 Boyt’s Buildings. He was 86 years-old, and was buried at the St. Paul’s Churchyard, Cwmtillery. Of course, I was fascinated to know who Reginald Boyt was, and where his family were from. His birth was registered in 1867 as Reginald Philpott, and he was born at Llanfrechfa near Cwmbran in Monmouthshire. He was baptised there on 30th November, the son of Ann Philpott. His mother married George Boyt in 1869 in the Newport Registration District. Prior to moving to Abertillery, the Boyt family were living at Pontnewydd (Ref: RG12 Piece 4365 Folio 134 Page 25). Shortly after that Census, Reginald was married in the summer of 1891, his bride being Elizabeth Ann née Plummer. Elizabeth Ann was the step-daughter of John Rogers, a Grocer of 54 Cwm Street in Abertillery at the time of the 1891 Census (Ref RG12 Piece 4354 Folio 61 Page 11). Reginald and Elizabeth had four children: Ernest (1892–1893); Bertram (1894–1955); Percy Plummer (1896–1959); and Hilda May (1898–1951).
Electoral Registers show that Reginald Boyt was living at 63 Cwm Street (later known as Somerset Street) in Abertillery from at least the summer of 1893, while his father George is found at Tillery Road West (which appears to be another name for Alma Street) from at least the summer of 1895. Very sadly, Reginald’s wife, Elizabeth Ann née Plummer, passed away at the very young age of 26 on Friday 7th October 1898, as reported on in the Merthyr Express of Saturday 15th October:
Shortly after the death of his wife, Reginald moved to the bottom end of Alma Street, to no. 33, where he is found in the 1901 Census (Ref: RG13 Piece 4935 Folio 157 Page 5). He’s a 33 year-old widower, and his occupation is recorded as a Coal Miner Hewer, although Kellys Directory for 1901 records him as a Contractor. With him are his brother-in-law, Frederick Cullis, a 22 year-old Coal Miner Hewer; his sister Mary Ann who is also 22 years-old; their son Albert Ronald Cullis who is just 3 months-old; and a 14 year-old Servant, Annie Brian. Also in the 1901 Census, his father George, two siblings James and Sarah, and his 4 year-old son Percy are found at 158 Alma Street (Ref: RG13 Piece 4935 Folio 167 Page 26). His brother Henry George is also living at the top end of Alma Street in one of the underhouses, possibly under no. 158 (Ref: RG13 Piece 4935 Folio 171 Page 34). Reginald’s daughter Hilda is found with John and Mary Rogers at 72 Cwm Street in Abertillery where she is recorded as their adopted daughter (Ref: RG13 Piece 4936 Folio 147 Page 29). Electoral Registers show that by the summer of 1905, Reginald had moved away from Abertillery to Bargoed where he’s found in the 1911 Census. His address is given as 28 Cardiff Road, his occupation being recorded as a Railway Contractor (Ref: RG14 Piece 32417 Schedule 108). With him are his 64 year-old father George, who is also working as a Railway Contractor; his 67 year-old mother Ann née Philpot; his two sons, 16 year-old Bertie and 14 year-old Percy who are both Railway Contractor’s Labourers; and his 8 year-old niece, Cissie Olive Silverthorne. Also in the 1911 Census is Hilda May Boyt who is once again found at 72 Somerset Street with John and Mary Rogers, this time recorded as their granddaughter (Ref: RG14 Piece 31845 Schedule 161). Meanwhile the Cullis family are still living in Abertillery, at 168 Alma Street (Ref: RG14 Piece 31838 Schedule 113). Reginald Boyt passed away on 2nd March 1917 at Bargoed, and was laid to rest at the Blaenau Gwent Cemetery in Abertillery. |