Station House Nantyderry
The first mention of the station house I can find is John Williams being the master is on the 1861 census.
John married Hannah Mathews, a widow, on the 9th June 1859 at Lanvair Kilgeddin church.
On the census of 1861 John is 27, station master at Nantyderry, John was born in Llanthewy, Hannah his wife is 37, she was born in Llangibby, living with them are children Margaret 11, Alfred 9 and three year old Louisa.
By 1865 Thomas Pape was the station master, he was also the agent for the Usk Observer newspaper, where the newspaper could be purchased or adverts placed with him. Thomas was born in Louth, Lincolshire, the son of Mathew and Harriet, one of four children, he married Keziah Griffin from Hungerford in December 1848 in Berkshire, on the census of 1851 he was a policeman in Westminster.
The census of 1871 says Thomas is 40, Keziah is also 40, their children, Thomas 11 and Henry 10 were born in Mynyddyslwyn, where Thomas was a railway policeman before being the station master in Nantyderry.
There is an undated document in which Keziah and daughter Annie are invited to tea by Lady Llanover.
In November 1888 an assault took place at the station on an elderly woman called Mary Gregory by Henry Neate, a signalman, who accused her of eating his supper. He had left the station to go and signal a train, upon returning he noticed some of his supper was missing and accused Mary of eating it which she denied.
On meeting her the following night she admitted she had eaten his supper, he caught hold of her and said that if she wasn’t an old woman he should have shaken her. He then pushed her all the way to the end of the row to her own house where he threw a bucket of water over her. (Full article in Free Press.)
Thomas remained the station master at Nantyderry for 30 years until his death in June 1895,
Keziah then went to live with her son Henry, a mariners agent in Newport until her death in January 1908, she was laid to rest in St Peter’s Goytre, with Thomas.
The new station master was Henry Sawyer from St Barton’s Gloucester, the son of Henry George and Ellen Creed, he married Emily from Llanvihangel Crucorney in 1889 in Abergavenny. On the census of 1901 Henry is 39, Emily is 35, their children are Violet 11, Hannah 9, both girls were born in Abergavenny, their third daughter Gladys 7, was born in Goytre.
Henry Sawyer placed an advert in the Free Press on 3rd October 1902 offering a £10 reward for the return of his lost dog Spring.
By 1911 Henry Sawyer had moved to Hereford.
The new station master was John Williams, his wife Jennett and their three children, Elsie, George and Arthur, in 1911 John was 42 and Jennett 44, Elsie was 18, George Keeton was 12 and Arthur Keeton 10. John and Jennett had been married for 23 years. John and his family had left Nantyderry by 1915.
The new station master was Edward Spencer, he remained at Nantyderry until his death in 1933.
On the Electoral Register in 1935 the occupier of Station House is William Rouse, his wife Harriet and son Reginald. William was born in Hereford in 1889, the son of Charles and Mary and Preece. William died in 1980.