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From: Thomas Roderick <>
Subject: Re: [Mon] Blaenafon/Blaenavon
Date: Thu, 6 Apr 2006 09:49:41 -0400
References: <200604060900.k36908W1017249@lists8.rootsweb.com>
In-Reply-To: <200604060900.k36908W1017249@lists8.rootsweb.com>


It seems more complicated. If one lived in Blaenafon in the early
1800s, one could live in the parish of Llanfoist, Llanwenarth, or
Llanover. So one must really search the registers of all three
parishes as well as the later parish of Blaenafon if you are
following a family through years but in the same location. My family
lived perhaps in the same locality in Blaenafon from 1800 to 1858,
but their records are in Llanover, Llanfoist, and Blaenafon.parishes
When I was in Blaenafon and searched the registers that the vicar
kindly brought up to the vicarage (about 1963), I saw registers that
pertained to Llanwenarth in Blaenafon and Llanfoist in Blaenafon and
Llanover in Blaenafon. I know other registers for at least Llanfoist
and Llanover were kept at their churches at the same time. So for
example, my great grandfather was born in Blaenafon in 1840, but his
baptism was in Blaenafon, residing in the parish of Llanfoist. So
his baptism was recorded in a register in Blaenafon, not down the
hill in at the Llanfoist Parish Church. I have seen a map of
Blaenafon showing how the 3 parishes intersected the village, but do
not have a copy of it. I hope someone can find one. Llanfoist for
example covered the cottages of New Row to the north and east,
Llanover more to the south of the village. I believe the church in
Blaenafon was built in 1806.

Of course the reason for all this complication was that Blaenafon
happened to be located in 3 parishes originally (perhaps a 4th as
well, but I have forgotten), and the burgeoning growing population
used the church in Blaenafon as a sort of chapel of ease, and were
baptized there, but living in another parish officially. A
consequence for example, for a person who is looking for a baptism of
a person born in Llanfoist is to of course look in the official
registers of Llanfoist, but not to overlook the registers of
Blaenafon, where although living in Llanfoist, were baptized at the
Bleanafon church

The vicar in Blaenafon in 1863 (can someone tell me his name) was so
kind. As we stood on the vicarage doorstep overlooking the sun set
at the close of a busy day, he asked me "And tell me, what
denomination did your family follow in the United States.?" I
replied somewhat apologetically "They were Congregationalists". He
paused a few seconds and then replied, "What a pity!". I think it
was half in humor and half serious. It all happened when my gr gr
grandfather William Roderick m. Leah Williams whose mother was Leah
Jayne, a prominent Independent Church family in Pontnewynydd,
Pontypool, and Blaenafon. But I am sure the Vicar would have been
just as generous in letting me use the old parish registers had he
known of the Independent connection when I arrived.

I searched the Llanfoist registers at Llanfoist Parish Church with
a very nice vicar there in 1950 (wish I could remember his name; he
reminded me of a professor I had) , but of course found nothing on my
family. I searched the Llanover registers with Rev. and Mrs. George
Walker in 1963 who seemed as much interested in my search as I was.
Very generous nice couple, even served me tea while we searched
seated confortably in their living room in the vicarage near the
Llanover Church, both now deceased and buried in the church yard of
Llanfoist.
I believe all these registers are now in Aberystwyth at the National
Library of Wales.

Wifth further research over these years, we have the Williams
families (2 of them) back into the early 1700s, the Jayne Family,
probably into the late 1600s (a monophyletic family), and through Y
chromosomal DNA analysis, the Roderick-Rhydderch famiily back into
patronymic time to 1675, all beginning in Blaenafon in the early 1800s

Grand memories.


Regards,

Tom

T. H. Roderick
Bar Harbor, Maine USA

On Apr 6, 2006, at 5:00 AM, wrote:

>
>
> MONMOUTHSHIRE-D DigestVolume 06 : Issue 114
>
> Today's Topics:
> #1 Blaenafon/Blaenavon ["LOIS HOPKINS"
> <>]
> #2 Re: [Mon] Blaenafon/Blaenavon ["John Ball"
> <]
> #3 Re: [Mon] Blaenafon/Blaenavon ["Ann Macey"
> <]
> #4 EDWARDS, John & PRITCHARDS, Mary ["Pat"
> <>]
> #5 Re: [Mon] Blaenafon/Blaenavon ["John Ball"
> <]
>
> Administrivia:
>
> To contact the MONMOUTHSHIRE-D list administrator, send mail to
> .
>
>
> ______________________________
>
>
> From: "LOIS HOPKINS" <>
> Date: April 5, 2006 4:41:23 PM EDT
> To:
> Subject: Blaenafon/Blaenavon
>
>
> What parish is Blaenafon/Blaenavon located in?
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> Lois Hopkins
>
> ______________________________
>
>
> From: "John Ball" <>
> Date: April 5, 2006 5:42:59 PM EDT
> To:
> Subject: Re: [Mon] Blaenafon/Blaenavon
>
>
> Lois Hopkins <> wrote:
> What parish is Blaenafon/Blaenavon located in?
> ===================
>
> Dear Lois,
>
> Blaenavon was originally in the ancient parish of Llanover, but it
> became a
> parish in its own right in the 19th century.
>
> There is a great deal about Blaenavon on the late Bryan Morgan's 1901
> Kelly's Directory website:
> http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~familyalbum/kblavon1.htm
>
> Kind regards,
>
> John
> --------------------
> John Ball, Ystalyfera, near Swansea, Wales, UK
> E-mail:
> John's Homepage: http://www.jlb2005.plus.com/
> Images of Wales: http://www.jlb2005.plus.com/walespic/
> Welsh Family History Archive: http://www.jlb2005.plus.com/wales/
>
> GENUKI Breconshire Maintainer: http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/BRE/
> Joint Administrator - Powys (& BRE/MGY/RAD) mailing lists
>
> ______________________________
>
>
> From: "Ann Macey" <>
> Date: April 5, 2006 5:47:46 PM EDT
> To:
> Subject: Re: [Mon] Blaenafon/Blaenavon
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "LOIS HOPKINS" <>
>
>> What parish is Blaenafon/Blaenavon located in?
>
>
> It isn't located IN any parish because it is a parish with it's own
> parish
> church - St Peter's.
>
> Ann Macey
> List Admin
>
> ______________________________
>
>
> From: "Pat" <>
> Date: April 6, 2006 12:15:12 AM EDT
> To:
> Subject: EDWARDS, John & PRITCHARDS, Mary
>
>
> Hello Listers
>
> John EDWARDS (44yr) & Mary PRITCHARDS (30yr) were married at
> LLangattock Vibon Avel 18 May 1842 in the Parish Church in the
> faith of Church of England. His father was Phillip EDWARDS and
> her father was William PRITCHARDS.
>
> How can I research Phillip & Williams families, as I don't know
> their wives names, or any siblings names. They may have lived at
> Newcastle.
>
> Many thanks
>
> Pat Simpson (NZ)
>
> ______________________________
>
>
> From: "John Ball" <>
> Date: April 6, 2006 3:01:15 AM EDT
> To:
> Subject: Re: [Mon] Blaenafon/Blaenavon
>
>
> Lois Hopkins <> wrote:
> Thanks to you and also to Anne for the info.
> Was it in Llanover or it's own parish in the 1820s-1830s?
> ================
>
> Dear Lois,
>
> The answer to your question is given on the page of the 1901 Kelly's
> Directory whose URL I gave you:
> --------------
> Under the provisions of the "Local Government Act, 1894," the civil
> parish
> was formed, and comprising the same area as *the ecclesiastical
> parish,
> constituted in 1858*....
> The church of St Peter... was opened in 1804 and consecrated in
> June, 1805:
> --------------
>
> This clearly indicates that the ecclesiastical parish of Blaenavon was
> constituted in 1858 (from part of Llanover parish).
>
> A plaque on the wall at the entrance to St Peter's Churchyard
> states "St
> Peters Church - Built in 1805 by the ironworks proprietors, it
> contains many
> features made of cast iron, including tomb covers, pillars, and the
> font".
> The church was originally a chapel of ease for Llanover, but would
> have
> achieved parish church status in 1858 when the new parish was formed.
>
> Thus in the period in which you are interested (1820s-1830s),
> Blaenavon was
> in Llanover parish.
> The Kain and Oliver map showing parish boundaries, confirms this to
> be so.
> [Kain, R. J. P. & Oliver, R. R., "Historic Parishes of England and
> Wales: an
> Electronic Map of Boundaries before 1850 with a Gazetteer and
> Metadata".
> Colchester, Essex: History Data Service, UK Data Archive
> (distributor),
> 2001. SN: 4348]
>
> Kind regards,
>
> John
> --------------------
> John Ball, Ystalyfera, near Swansea, Wales, UK
> E-mail:
> John's Homepage: http://www.jlb2005.plus.com/
> Images of Wales: http://www.jlb2005.plus.com/walespic/
> Welsh Family History Archive: http://www.jlb2005.plus.com/wales/
>
> GENUKI Breconshire Maintainer: http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/BRE/
> Joint Administrator - Powys (& BRE/MGY/RAD) mailing lists
>
>


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