Arrow Cottage – Newtown Road
I was told by Brenda Harris, nee Merrick, who lived all her life on Newtown Road that the ground on which Arrow Cottage and many of the properties along the road were built was purchased by her Merrick family from Little Mill in the early 1900’s who then later sold plots individually for house building.
1907 is the earliest date I can find for Arrow Cottage being listed on the electoral register. The register says Arthur Jenkins is the owner, although his full name is Edward Arthur; he married Matilda Hunt at Inkberrow on the 1st January 1904 saying he was a builders foreman.
Following on to the census of 1911 Arthur Jenkins is a 31 year old carpenter who was born in Usk, his wife Matilda was born in Inkberrow, they have three children, Owen 6, Norman 2, and 5 month old Jocelyn, all born in Goytre. The census also says the property has 5 rooms and that Arthur and Matilda had been married for 7 years.
The rateable value in 1910 was £5 5s, the gross value was £7, the poor rate for Arrow Cottage in 1914 was being paid by Arthur Jenkins.
Edward Arthur died in 1927 at The Nook, Lanvair Kilgeddin, he was 55 years old, and was buried at St Peter’s Church.
An article in the Free Press dated December 21st 1934 says Norman Jenkins, of Goytrey, a garage proprietor was fined £2 10s with 10s costs for driving without due care and attention. (Full article can be read in the newspaper.)
Matilda and son Norman were still at Arrow Cottage in 1939. There were no electoral registers during years of the Second World War. In 1945 Norman is at Arrow Cottage on his own.
By 1948 the new owners were Stanley Hayes, his wife Gertrude, son Stanley and daughter Gwyneth.
I don’t know how long the Hayes family remained at Arrow Cottage.
My Morris family moved in about 1963, my parents then selling to Bob Price at a later date.