1870 Free Press

February 5th

A Very Dear Rabbit

Aaron Rosser and Thomas Jenkins, two respectable looking young men pleaded guilty of trespass in pursuit of game on lands belonging to the trustees of the Pontypool Park Estate at Mamhilad.
William Paul, keeper on the estate, deposed that he saw defendants on lands at Tredomer, which was strictly reserved, they had guns and dogs and Mr Rosser shot a rabbit. He had not seen them there before.
Mr Masey, the head keeper said he had had no complaint to make against defendants before this.

Fined 20s

 February 12th

And also, all that Freehold Cottage & Garden called
Twyn-y-Rhws situate in the parish of Goytrey, aforesaid
And occupied by Mr John Griffiths, at the yearly rent of £5
For further information:
Bythway and Greenway
Solicitors
Pontypool

March 26th – Those Goytrey Roads! Those Goytrey Roads!

Mr Isaac Lewis came before the bench to make an application with reference to one of the roads of Goytrey. In our last, instead of saying that his claim on the Highway Board was for “completing” the road, it should have been “as compensation” for the road.
Mr Lewis, on being asked what application he had to make said that he wanted compensation for the ground which was taken onto the road, and which had been a portion of his farm.
Mr Watkins said this was quite another matter to that which had been before the Board.
Col. Byrde told Mr Lewis, that according to his wish, he could not take part magisterially in the hearing of the case.
Mr Lewis repeated that he wanted compensation for ground taken out of his farm for the road.
Mr Watkins said that the compensation widening a road was a matter for agreement between the surveyor and the party aggrieved.
Mr Lewis said he also applied respecting the temporary road, and the damage done to his farm by vehicles being taken in every direction, both before and behind his house.
He had been offered a portion of the money he claimed for the temporary road, but not for the other matter. He claimed £4 for the ground taken into the road and £7 for the temporary road.
Mr Watkins objected to the jurisdiction of the Bench under Jervis’s act, which provided that after 6 months action could not be maintained, and that it would become a matter for the jury.
The Board had however, offered £3 as compensation for the temporary road, and Mr Lewis had better accept that than prefer a claim in the proper quarter with regard to the other matter.
He should be sorry if the bench thought that the Board did not give Mr Lewis full value.
Mr Lewis said he had been used very badly, the worst in the parish, by vehicles going in all directions, the whole of the winter by his house.
Mr Berrington told him that the Bench had no jurisdiction, and could not help him even if they wished. They advised him to take the £3.
The Rev. T Evans pointed out to Mr Lewis that his claim was for two things, and that the Bench had no power to deal with the question of compensation for the ground taken into the road. That was a question for the jury: but he had another claim, and if both claims were satisfied he might have as much as he desired.
Mr Lewis consented to have the £3 that was offered, and try the other question elsewhere.

 April 16  PENYSTAIR ROAD

To the Editor of the Free Press

Sir, – The public and the Editors of the County papers must be pretty well tired with the subject of the Penystair road and the futile attempts made by the Rector of Goytre to justify his acts by misrepresentations, but I must beg your indulgence for once to enlighten some of your readers respecting the statements of the rev gentleman, by way of a summary to his proceedings.

I will only refer to matters of fact, and will not take up much of your space.  First of all, notice the beginning of this newspaper controversy by an announcement in the county papers by the Rector himself: – That the question of the gates had been “summararily and finally settled by ten parishioners.” Intended to convey an impression that independent parishioners had removed them, – these parishioners, it seems, being himself and his servants and labourers.

Then notice the refusal to a parishioner the right of representation to the Highway Board he claims for himself, and because Mr James, of Upper Goytrey House, takes his friends to join him in a letter, he is called by the Rector a “tale-bearer” and “Partizan”.  Surely, Mr Editor, this is not very fair dealing, or fair speaking either.  Mr James had surely the same right of petition as the parish clerk had to apply for signature over and over again on behalf of the Rector:  and if Mr James found that the parish might be involved in a new era of law expenses, it was certainly a very natural apprehension after past experience of the heavy law experiences the Rector had been the means of leading the parish to incur the remembrance of which is still fresh in the minds of many of the poor people of Goytre, yet the expression of the views held by Mr James and his friends is termed by the Rector as “pressure.”

The question of the transport of stones does not affect the matter, as the gates were no obstruction to traffic, but if it did, there is abundant evidence adverse to the Rector’s assertions on this point.

All questions of “traffic” is well known to have had no influence whatever in this matter.  It is patent to everyone who knows the facts of the case that there was no “traffic” on the road, and that it was of no real use to any one.

That the sawing away of the posts and the removal of the gates was a malicious act, originating solely in personal feeling on the part of the Rector of Goytre, is universally believed and it will be long before this belief is effaced from the minds of many now living in this parish or neighbourhood, despite all that is said and written to the contrary.

The statement put before the public that Col. Byrde with “high hand” procured two justices to view the road and make an order, at the time the gentleman was away in Ceylon, should at least clear the rev gentleman from such free use of such terms as “Unscrupulous” in writing of other.  Does not such a mis-statement as this cast discredit upon the whole of his version of the matter?  “Ex uno disce omnes.” (One specimen is enough to judge by.)  Then notice the complaint made by the Rector of unfair treatment by the chairman of the Board that he did not let him know he was going to inspect the road, in which he omitted to mention that he had changed his postal address from Pontypool to Abergavenny, which called the delay in the receipt of the chairman’s notice.

It was the Rector, in fact, who had requested the chairman to inspect the road and yet he joined Mr Bateman in his vehement attack upon him at the meeting of the 11th of March and actually denounced his visit to the road as “unauthorized” and “contrary to the rights of his office” which he himself had asked the chairman to make.

The Rector’s attempts in his various letters to make it appear that 170 yards of the lane had been taken in Col. Byrde’s field, simply because the thorns and briers had been cleared away from the bank when there was no hedge, speaks for himself.  It needs no comment.

If anyone is sufficiently interested to take a country walk to Goytre and see that celebrated Penystair road, he will be in a position to estimate the value of the Rectors merits(?) in his boasted championship of parish rights, which it would be far better for himself, and the parishioners, if he had let alone.

I am, sir, your obedient servant, FINIS.

July 9th – Found Not Stolen

Wm. Morgan of Goytrey was charged with stealing a reap-hook, the property of Charles Ferrers Edwards. He pleaded not guilty.
Mr Alexander Edwards conducted the prosecution.
John Watkins deposed that he was a labourer at the Race Farm. He left his hook by the hedge side, while he went to get some breakfast and when he returned it was missing.
P.C Henry Gardener deposed that from information he received, he went after the charcoal waggon, and overtook it about 100 yards from Mr Edwards’s gate. Prisoner was driving it. Told him that a hook was missing and that he must search the waggon. Prisoner said “well if you are going to search I did pick the hook up”
Witness found the hook concealed under the bags of charcoal at the bottom of the waggon.
Showed the hook to Mr Edwards who identified it as his property. Prisoner asked Mr Edwards to look over it, but Mr Edwards said the case was then in the hands of the police.
Defendant said that he picked the hook up on the slope of the turnpike road. He carried it some distance down the road in his hand, then seeing no one who was likely to own it, he threw it into the bed of the cart, and when he got to the wire works, told Mr John that he had picked it up.
There was no concealment about it.
Richard John deposed that he had known the prisoner for years, and had been in the habit of supplying him with charcoal at Mr Hill’s works. Witness saw the hook in the waggon and asked defendant where he got it from. Defendant said that he picked it up by the side of the ditch in Treherbert Road, and that he thought some one had been cutting grass with it; or had been sitting down and left it behind; and that he carried it in his hand some way, and then, seeing no one, threw it into his waggon.
Witness reached the sacks one by one and threw them into the waggon, that is how they came to be covered.
The bench considered there was not any felicitous intent and dismissed the case.

September 3rd.

Mr Stinchcombe, a farmer, of Monkswood, after returning from Pontypool market on Saturday last, was told that some cattle were trespassing in a field belonging to him, near Usk. He drove over to see.
On his way home again his trap came into collision with a cart near Rhadyr Mill, and he was thrown out and three of his ribs were broken. Of one the shafts of his trap was snapped off and the horse galloped away, dragging the vehicle, and was stopped near the Hendre Farm. Mr Stinchcome’s little boy, who was riding with him, retained his seat and was uninjured.

September 25th.

We have recorded that on Saturday 28th August, Mr Stinchcombe, farmer, of Monkswood, was thrown from his trap near Rhadyr Mill, and had three of his ribs broken.
On Sunday last he thought himself much better and rose and ate a hearty dinner. Some time later he fell back into his wife’s arms and expired.

September 25th.

An interesting tea and public meeting was held at Saron Baptist Chapel on the 8th inst.
A sumptuous tea was done ample justice to and was followed by lively and appropriate addresses from Mr P Williams, Pontypool College; Mr Tomkin, Abergavenny; Rev S Jones, Lanithel; Thomas Hanover; and Davies Chapel Ed;
The chair was occupied by Mr Morris, Goytrey.

 

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