My Grandfather’s Generation

My great grandparents, William Jones and Louisa Godwin, were married on 5th December 1896 at Abertillery in Monmouthshire. Their wedding took place in the presence of Louisa’s cousin George Godwin and William’s sister Polly (Mary Jane) Godwin née Jones. William was a 24 year-old Coal Miner of 58 Newtown Blaina Gwent, while 18 year-old Louisa gave her address as 56 Newtown, the home of her uncle and aunt John Godwin and Ann Woolford née Lovell. Their fathers were named as John Jones and William Godwin, who were both Coal Miners.

Louisa Godwin was born on 10th December 1878 at Talywain near Pontypool. She was the daughter of William Godwin (born 16th February 1840) and Emily Gray (born 25th August 1844), who had both been born at Nailsea in the Yatton area of Bedminster in Somerset. William and Emily were married on 13th January 1862 at the Pontypool Register Office, in the presence of Mary Williams and Frederick Cooper. Their fathers were named as Benjamin Godwin, Deceased, and Samuel Gray, an Engineer. William and Emily were first cousins, their mothers Mary and Hannah being the daughters of John Vawer and Mary née White who were married on 28th October 1806 in Bristol. Louisa’s siblings were: William (born in 1865); Mary (born and died in 1867); Emily (born 18th March 1869); Ann (born 18th March 1871); Sarah (born 20th September 1873); Louisa (born in 1875 and died in 1878); Benjamin (born 6th April 1877); Mary Hannah (born 4th June 1882); and Eliza (born 29th March 1885).

The town of Nailsea is located in a beautiful rural area of North Somerset, 8 miles southwest of Bristol and 11 miles northeast of Weston-Super-Mare. It was an industrial centre, based primarily on coal mining and the manufacturing of glass.

William and Louisa JONES had a total of eleven children, all of whom were born at Abertillery:

Their first child, a daughter named May, was born on 10th October 1897. She was followed a little over a year later by their first son William, who was born on 30th October 1898. Another son, David Arthur, joined the family on 13th March 1901.

When the 1901 Census was taken on the night of 31st March, their address is given as 58 Newtown, Blaenau Gwent (Ref: RG13 Piece 4935 Folio 96 Page 27). William is a 29 year-old Coal Hewer, and with him are his wife Louisa (aged 22), and their children May (aged 3), William (aged 2), and David Arthur (aged 1 month). Also living with them is Louisa’s 16 year-old sister Eliza Godwin.

Boarding with John and Ann Godwin at number 56 in the 1901 Census was 23 year-old Jethro Luton, a Coal Hewer, and his brother Charles, a 21 year-old Postman, was visiting (Ref: RG13 Piece 4935 Folio 96 Page 27). Boarding nearby with George and Mary Jane Godwin at 4 Poplar Row was 26 year-old Collier Hewer Harry Luton (Ref: RG13 Piece 4935 Folio 125 Page 24). The three Luton boys had all been born at Frampton Cotterell in Gloucestershire, and were the sons of John Luton and Ellen Louisa née Gardiner who had been married at Bristol on 7th April 1874.

Frampton Cotterell is located 7 miles northeast of Bristol in south Gloucestershire. The River Frome runs through the village, and the scenery has been described as varied and picturesque. The name Cotterell is derived from the Cotele Family, lords of Frampton Manor in the 12th and early 13th centuries. The area’s stone quarries and collieries were extensively worked, and the manufacturing of hats gave employment to many of the local residents.

On 20 September 1901, Eliza Godwin gave birth to a son who she named William John Godwin. The following year, in the summer of 1902, she married Harry Luton, and had three more children who were all born at Abertillery: Vera Emily Louisa (on 12th June 1903); Harry (in the summer of 1905 who died in late September the same year); and Charles Edmund (on 19th July 1907). Electoral Registers and other records show that Harry and Eliza Luton moved around the Abertillery area, including living at 4 Green Villas in 1904, Old Penybont in 1905, 58 Newtown in 1905, 58 Clynmawr in 1909, and 34 The Rows in 1909.

William and Louisa Jones’ next child, my grandfather Stanley, was born on 6th December 1902. I can’t help but wonder if he was named after Stanley Road in Garndiffaith where his mother’s family were living at the time of the 1891 Census (Ref: RG12 Piece 4363 Folio 62 Page 33).

Their next two children were both girls, Beryl who was born on 23rd November 1904, and Gladys Emily on 4th January 1907. Their brother Gwyn was born on 29th September 1908, followed by another sister, Nancy, on 25th October 1910.

Meanwhile, a colliery related accident at the Rose Heyworth Pit led to the death of Louisa’s uncle, John Godwin, in 1908. With regards the inquest on his death, the South Wales Gazette of Friday 18th December 1908 reported:

The following year, Harry Luton, Eliza Godwin’s husband, died of “natural causes” on Friday 26th February as reported on in the South Wales Gazette of Friday 5th March:

When the 1911 Census was taken on the night of 2nd April,the family are living in the same cottage, but the address is given as 58 Blaenau Gwent Rows (Ref: RG14 Piece 31834 Schedule 230), although Electoral Registers give their address as 58 Clynmawr. William is a 39 year-old Coal Hewer, Louisa is now 32 years-old, and with them are their children May (aged 13 and said to be her mother’s help), William (aged 12), David Arthur (aged 10), Stanley (aged 8), Beryl (aged 6), Gladys Emily (aged 4), Gwyn (aged 2), and Nancy (aged 5 months). William and Louisa are said to have been married 14 years, the total number of children they’ve had is 8, all of them still living. Another household is enumerated at 58 Blaenau Gwent Rows, 27 year-old Eliza Luton née Godwin with her three children William John (aged 9), Vera Louisa (aged 7), and Charles Edmund (aged 3) (Ref: RG14 Piece 31834 Schedule 229).

William and Louisa’s next child, another daughter, Lilian, was born on 27th December 1912. Very sadly, less than two years after Lilian’s birth, the family experienced first-hand the life-threatening working conditions of the coal mining industry. This is how it was reported on in the South Wales Gazette and Newport News of Friday 13th November 1914:

Electoral Registers show that by 1915, Eliza Luton née Godwin had moved a short distance to 1 Poplar Row, just a few doors away from her cousin George Godwin and Mary Jane née Jones at number 4.

William and Louisa’s final two children were born a little over a year apart, Doris Enid on 6th March 1917, and William Towey on 28th May 1918.

Three years later when the next UK Census was taken on 19th June 1921, the family are again found living at 58 Blaenau Gwent Rows (Ref: RG15 Piece 26096 Schedule 3). William is a 49 year-old Colliery Fireman at the Ebbw Vale Colliery Company’s Rose Heyworth Pit in Abertillery, Louisa is now aged 42, 20 year-old David Arthur is a Colliery Hewer at the Rose Heyworth Pit, 18 year-old Stanley is recorded as a Hewer of Coal with the Lancaster & Company at Abertillery (but at the time was out of work), Beryl is 16 years-old and in part-time education, Gladys Emily is 14 years-old and in part-time education, 12 year-old Gwyn is in whole-time education as are 10 year-old Nancy, 8 year-old Lilian, and 4 year-old Doris Enid, while their youngest child William Towey is 3 years-old.

Also in the 1921 Census, their oldest daughter, 23 year-old May, is found working as a Cook for William Walter Evan Mules at the Marine Hotel in Penarth, Glamorgan (Ref: RG15 Piece 26512 Schedule 269).

Eliza Luton née Godwin is found in this Census living at 1 Poplar Row (Ref: RG15 Piece 26099 Schedule 139). Eliza is aged 36, William John is aged 20 and is an out of work Miner at the Rose Heyworth Colliery, and her 13 year-old son Charles Edmund is also with her. Meanwhile, her 18 year-old daughter, Vera Emily Louisa, is working with her cousin May Jones for William Walter Evan Mules at the Marine Hotel in Penarth, Vera’s occupation being recorded as a Maid (Ref: RG15 Piece 26512 Schedule 269).

A little over two years later in late 1923, May Jones was married back in her home area, her groom being William James Cook (born 11th January 1897). “Jim,” as he was known, was the son of Henry Cook (born in 1867 at Taunton, Somerset) and Alice Ann née Griffiths (born 11th September 1866 at Cogan, Glamorgan) who were married on 22nd August 1892 at Llandough in Glamorgan. It appears he was named after his grandfathers, William Griffiths and James Cook. In the 1911 Census, the Cook family are living at School House in Cogan, Penarth, William James being recorded as a 14 year-old Errand Boy (Ref: RG14 Piece 32174 Schedule 287). In the 1921 Census, he is indexed as James, and is living with his family at 6 Ivy Street in Penarth (Ref: RG15 Piece 26519 Schedule 6). He is recorded as a 24 year-old Fitters Helper with the C W Society Ltd in Cardiff.

Just a few years after May and Jim’s wedding, the South Wales Gazette and Newport News of Friday 28th January 1927 reported on another fatality that happened at the Rose Heyworth Pit which deeply affected the family:

In the spring of 1927, Vera Emily Louisa Luton married Cecil Robert Osborne Barnfield (born 19th September 1899). Cecil was the son of John Osborne Barnfield and Mary Jane née Large who were married in 1894 at Stroud in Gloucestershire. In the 1911 Census, Cecil is found with his family at 4 Green Meadow Villas in Cwmtillery, where his mother is recorded as a Shopkeeper (Ref: RG14 Piece 31840 Schedule 214). Cecil’s father passed away on 27th February 1910, he was 65 years-old. In the 1921 Census, Cecil is a 21 year-old Coal Miner Hewer and is found with his remarried mother, Mary Jane Vranch, and step-father, Robert Vranch, at 2 Green Meadow Villas, Cwmtillery (Ref: RG15 Piece 26095 Schedule 89). Robert and Mary Jane were married in the Crickhowell Registration District in the latter part of 1912.

Electoral Registers show that by 1930, Eliza Luton née Godwin had moved again, this time to 2 Smith Road, where she is found until at least 1933. They also show that Louisa Jones née Godwin stayed at 58 Newtown until at least 1934, and that by 1935 she had moved with her grown-up children who were still at home to nearby 53 Rose Heyworth Road. Over the next few years, three of her children were married.

In 1935 Gladys Emily married James O’Brien (born 28th December 1902). James was the son of Patrick O’Brien and Annie née Edwards who were married in the summer of 1888. In the 1921 Census, James is living with his widowed mother and siblings at 11 James Street in Penarth, where he worked as a Railwayman with the Taff Vale Railway at Penarth Dock (Ref: RG15 Piece 26513 Schedule 122).

In 1936, David Arthur married Clarice Shearn (born 26th January 1910). Clarice was the daughter of George Shearn and Jane née Chivers who were married in 1901 in the Clutton area of Somerset. In the 1911 Census, the Shearn family were living at 35 Marlborough Road in Six Bells (Ref: RG14 Piece 31847 Schedule 262). Ten years later when the 1921 Census was taken, they are found living at Roch Street in Abertillery (Ref: RG15 Piece 26102 Schedule 268).

In 1937, Gwyn married Dora Woodward (born 18th June 1916 in the Whitefield area of Bury, Lancashire). Dora was the daughter of Samuel Henry Woodward, a Saddler, and his wife Sarah née Barlow who were married in the spring of 1908. In the 1921 Census, 5 year-old Dora, her parents, and 10 year-old brother Samuel are found living at Glendore, Dales Lane, in Whitefield (Ref: RG15 Piece 18796 Schedule 241).

Eliza Luton née Godwin passed away at the Mental Hospital in Abergavenny on 23rd February 1938, she was 53 years-old. The last time her name appeared in Electoral Registers at 2 Smith Road was in 1933, although her sons and daughters-in-law, William John Luton and Gladys Maude née Osment were living there until at least 1934, and Charles Edmund Luton and Esther née Morgan were living there until well after the end of World War II. So it seems likely that Eliza spent at least a few years receiving some much needed care and attention. This is how her funeral was reported on in the South Wales Gazette of Friday 4th March 1938:

When the 1939 Register was taken on 29th September, Louisa Jones née Godwin is found at 53 Rose Heyworth Road, Abertillery (Ref: RG101 Piece 7431I Schedule 172). Living with her are her children Nancy (a School Teacher), Doris Enid (a Post Office Clerk), and William Towey who is recorded as Incapacitated.

Also in the 1939 Register, William James and May Cook are living at 3 Bromfield Place in Penarth where he worked as a Painter (Ref: RG101 Piece 7553G Schedule 60); David Arthur and Clarice Jones are living at 11 Station Road in Penarth where he worked as a Coal Trimmer (Ref: RG101 Piece 7354G Schedule 16); my grandparents Stanley and Eleanor Mary Jones are living at 180 Alma Street in Abertillery, his occupation being recorded as a “Labourer Repairs Below Coal” (Ref: RG101 Piece 7432B Schedule 275); Beryl is living at 24 Braidley Road in Bournemouth where she worked as a Domestic Help for a Doctor of Medicine named Walter Asten (Ref: RG101 Piece 2236A Schedule 112); James and Gladys O’Brien are found at Marine Buildings at Penarth where he worked as a Dock Gateman for the Great Western Railway (Ref: RG101 Piece 7553E Schedule 263); Gwyn and Dora Jones are found at Parkfield House, Hogbens Hill, in the Swale area of Kent, where he worked as an Elementary School Master (Ref: RG101 Piece 1852B Schedule 187); and finally, Lilian is an Officer and Staff Nurse at the Darrell Hall Sanatorium at Robertsbridge in the Battle area of Sussex (Ref: RG101 Piece 2535B Schedule 184). One of the patients at Darrell Hall at the same time was a Radio Engineer named Paul Geoffrey Hillyard (born 7th April 1912), the son of George Inglose Hillyard and Helen Renee Wilson who had been married in 1906 in the Fulham area of London. In 1940, Lilian and Paul were married, but very sadly, their time together was to be short-lived, as he died at the age of 31 in 1943.

In 1943 in the Grimsby area of Lincolnshire, Doris Enid married Peter Lorin Maynard (born 22nd September 1920 at Fulham, London). Peter was the son of Joan Elsie Maynard (born 19th October 1888 at Worth in Sussex). In the 1921 Census, Peter and his mother are found at 14 Westcliff Terrace Mansions in Ramsgate, Kent (Ref: RG15 Piece 04478 Schedule 299). His mother is privately employed as a Domestic Servant for a lady named Sarah Campbell Swift who is recorded as an “Invalid.” During 1922, Peter’s mother married William Levi Dimon in the Chertsey area of Surrey, and they had a daughter Joan Elsie (born 2nd February 1923). William Levi Dimon passed away in 1929 at the age of 51, and was buried on 23rd April at Tandridge in Surrey. When the 1939 Register was taken, Joan Elsie Dimon née Maynard is found with her daughter Joan Elsie living at 69 Elm Grove in Worthing, Sussex (Ref: RG101 Piece 2598D Schedule 176). Electoral Registers appear to show that Peter and “Doll” as she was known spent the early years of their married life at 53 Rose Heyworth Road in Abertillery, from 1945 to 1948, although military records show that Peter served in the Royal Navy at HMS Victory from 1944 to 1954. Peter’s mother, Joan Elsie Dimon née Maynard, passed away at the age of 78 in early 1967 in the Worthing area of Sussex.

At Bournemouth in the spring of 1950, Beryl married Reginald Albert Cann (born 28th April 1899 at 6 Jesse Cottages, West Hill Road in Bournemouth. He was the son of Walter Cann, whose occupation was recorded as a “Gardener (not domestic)”, and Lillie née Hewson who were married in 1888. Reginald had previously been married, his first wife being Elsie Frances May Wilcox (born 18 June 1900 at Longham in Dorset) who he married in 1918. in the 1921 Census, they are found living at 6 Richmond Road, Parkstone, in the Poole area of Dorset (Ref: RG15 Piece 10195 Schedule 112). Reginald’s occupation was recorded as a Milkman, and he was employed by Pettey’s Dairy of 33 Old Christchurch Road in Bournemouth (Ref: RG15 Piece 05486 Schedule 47). Their first child was a son named Dudley Walter Reginald (born 20th October 1919). Another son named Raymond William Gordon was born in late 1923, who very sadly died aged 1 in early 1925. On 1st October 1927, the Swanage Times & Directory reported that Elsie had applied for “a seperation and maintenance order against her husband, Reginald Albert Cann, of Poole-road, on the ground of persistent cruelty and desertion. ... Mr. Montague Freeman, of Vale-road, Branksome, a former lodger, said, in evidence for the defence, that while he stayed at the house he had never seen defendant strike his wife. ... After a lengthy retirement the Bench granted an order, the defendant having to pay 20/- a week for the wife and 10/- for the child.” Then in its issue of Friday 20th January 1928, the same newspaper reported that “Reginald Albert Cann, a dairy proprietor, of Branksome, was summoned by his wife for failing to contribute under a maintenance order made on September 29th last. The amount of the arrears was £13 9s.” He was given six weeks in which to pay off the arrears. There were two more Cann sons born to Reginald, their mother being Mildred Kathleen Shave: Hugh Victor Albert (born in 1929); and Gerald Roland (born 25th February 1931). In 1931, Reginald and Mildred are found together in Electoral Registers at 21 Fernside Road in Poole. Their relationship evidently didn’t last much longer, as in 1934 Mildred Kathleen Shave married Arthur Goldsmith at Poole, and they had a daughter Phyllis Agnes Mary later the same year. Meanwhile, Elsie gave birth to a daughter Eunice Joan in 1930. In the 1939 Register, Reginald is found living at 38 West Howe Road in Bournemouth (Ref: RG101 Piece 2245D Schedule 010). Reginald, indexed as Albert R, is recorded as being married, and his occupation is given as a Dairy Charge Hand. Gerald is found with him, as is an entry which is “officially closed,” most likely his other son Hugh Victor Albert (who died in 2019). Meanwhile, his wife Elsie, indexed as “Elsie F M Freeman,” and also said to be married, is found living at 95 Flat Ashley Road in Poole (Ref: RG101 Piece 6921I Schedule 40). Her “husband,” Arthur Montague Freeman (born 20 Apr 1896) is a Butcher’s Shop Assistant, most likely the Montague Freeman who had given evidence in 1927. Arthur and Elsie were also married in the spring of 1950 at Bournemouth.

in 1961, Lilian Hillyard née Jones mmarried her second husband, Henry Vaughan Thomas (born 28th December 1908). “Tommy” as he was known was born in the Harrow on the Hill area of Middlesex, the son of William Henry Thomas (born 10th October 1856 at Leominster in Herefordshire) and Annie née Dunne (born 6th June 1871 at Tipperary in Ireland). When the 1921 Census was taken on 19th June, the Thomas family are found living at Shrubbery Cottage, Shooters Hill in Plumstead (Ref: RG15 Piece 03031 Schedule 92). His father was a Dock Labourer with the Port of London Authority at the Royal Albert Docks at North Woolwich. London Electoral Registers show that he was at Shrubbery Cottage in 1930 and 1931, and that his parents and sister Elsie were still at the cottage until 1934. Electoral Registers also show that by 1936, they had moved to 2 Stanhope Park Road in Ealing, where they were living at the time of the 1939 Register (Ref: RG101 Piece 0711C Schedule 162). Although he isn’t with his parents at this time, both his sisters are there, Elsie (born 10th February 1902) who is a Bookkeeper and Cashier, and Kathleen Mary Sims née Thomas (born 30th December 1900), the wife of Charles Augustus Morley Sims (born 17th October 1901), who she married on 10th April 1932 at Plumstead. It appears that his father, William Henry Thomas, died at the age of 85 in early 1942, and Electoral Registers show that his widowed mother Annie and sister Elsie stayed at 2 Stanhope Park Road until at least 1949.

Glamorgan Electoral Registers show that in 1962, William James and May Cook, and Peter Lorin and Doris Enid Maynard were living at 3 Bromfield Place in Penarth. Following Reginald Cann’s death on 19th December 1962, Beryl is found living nearby at 30 Westbourne Road in Penarth until at least 1978, and in 1963 Peter and Doll had joined her there for a short time. They are found together again at Westbourne Road from 1971 to 1978.

Back row (left to right): Lillian, David Arthur, Nancy, Beryl, Gwyn, Stanley, William Towy, and Doris Enid.
Front (left to right): Gladys Emily, Louisa née Godwin, and May.

South Wales Gazette, Friday 19th November 1965:

South Wales Gazette, Friday 26th November 1965: