Roadmans – 407 on the 1841 Tithe Map.

Roadmans was an Earl of Abergavenny property, containing a cottage, 5 acres 1 rood and 37 perches. The fields were Cae Cenol, Can Draw, Can Betty James, Old Orchard, a Cottage garden and a field, Little Meadow, Little Field and Car Clawdd. It was a small agricultural holding, although modest in size the property remained occupied as a farm for many years and provided another valuable insight into rural life in Goytre

The property itself had an assessed value of £115 and was held under an earlier lease originally granted to John Jones between 1774 and 1778 for the lives of Thomas 17, Mary 19 and William Edwards aged 3.  A small plan of the holding accompanied the lease documents, demonstrating the estate’s continuing interest in the management of even relatively small tenancies.

The Earl of Abergavenny’s 1821 parish survey says the occupier is still John Jones, who died in 1836 aged 90.

Floowing the death of John Jones  John Watkins took the lease in 1838 from the Earl of Abergavenny for the lives of Ann 63 and James 40. The census of 1841 says John Watkins is 55 years old a farmer, Elizabeth his wife died in 1845 she was buried at St Iltyd’s Mamhilad.

On the 1851 census William Watkins, the son of John, is the head of the family at Roadmans, he is aged 42, his wife Roseanna is 33, their children are Thomas 7, William 5, Ann 3, and Elizabeth 1 month. They also have a 13 year old servant Emma Morgan.

In 1856 John Watkins died, he was buried alongside his wife at St Iltyd’s Church Mamhilad.

A particularly informative lease survived from 2 Feb 1859 granted to William Watkins and covered a cottage, garden and 5 acres of land. The leased is based upon the lives of Williams sons, William 11 and George 4, together with Thomas Thomas 5, the son of Thomas Thomas of Great House Farm Mamhilad. The annual rent was 4s 6d together with traditional heriot and alienation payments.

By 1861 William Watkins is a farmer of 15 acres, his son William is 13  an agricultural labourer, daughter Ann is also 13, Elizabeth 10, George 7, Sarah 5 and Matilda is just one month old.

By 1881 William Watkins is  71, his wife Roseanna is 63, he is a farmer of 15 acres, he is mentioned again on the tithe update of 1889 as the leaseholder of Roadmans.

There is an advert in the Free Press on the 13th August 1896 for a farm sale at Roadmans on behalf of Mrs R Watkins of live and dead stock, furniture etc.

By 1901, a new family had taken up residence. The census records  show David Morgan, aged 52 and born in Glascoed, living there with his wife Martha Morgan, they had previously lived at Church Farm. David worked as a farm haulier, a demanding occupation involving the transport of agricultural produce, timber and other goods throughout the district.

The Morgan family became closely associated with the property. A memorial records the death of Martha Morgan, “the dearly beloved wife of David Morgan of Road Farm, Goytrey,” who died peacefully on 6 July 1924 at the age of eighty-three.

Only four years later another obituary marked the passing of David Morgan. Published on 29 July 1928, it described him as a native of Glascoed who had farmed and lived at Church Farm, Goytre, and worked as a timber haulier. He was eighty-one years old.

The same year he was fined by Pontypool Court for leaving stones on the road, again in 1906 he was fined 5s, this time for allowing a heifer to stray on the highway.

By 1907 his daughter Martha had married Frank Howells and they lived at Roadmans, their children were Ethel, Elias, Henry Grant, and a daughter Gwendoline who died in November1910. The same year the gross rateable value of Roadmans was £6.

The 1911 census says David Morgan is aged 62, a farmer born in Llanbaddock, Martha his wife is 67, living with them is their granddaughter Martha Jenkins aged 17. The other family is Frank Howells 27, a waggoner, born in Hereford, and his wife Martha 28, born in Glascoed.

David Morgan aged 81 of Road Farm died in 1918 and in July 1924 Martha Morgan, wife of David died, she was 81. Two years later a daughter of Frank and Martha Howells called Frances died age 2.

The 1921 gives two families at Road Farm, David Morgan 73, he was born at Ty Mawr Mamhilad, he was a farmer and general haulier – Morgan & Howells, his wife Martha is 78, Martha was born in Griffithstown.

Frank Howells 37 was born in Fawley Hereford, he is working with his father-in-law as a haulier in their business, his wife Martha is 38, born in Griffithstown, daughter Ethel is 15, son Elias is 13, a general farm worker, Henry Grant is 12, all the children were born in Goytre.

Martha Howells, wife of Grant purchased Road Farm from the Earl of Abergavenny in 1927 for the sum of £275.

Martha and Frank Howells and their family remained at Road Farm for the remainder of their lives, and after they both died their son Arthur and his family lived there.

I have very fond memories of the family and spent so many happy hours playing at Road Farm with my dear friend Sandra. Although never a large farm, Roadman’s Cottage illustrates the history of the smaller rural holdings that formed the backbone of the parish. Through the Watkins and Morgan families, the property reflects generations of agricultural labour, hauling, tenancy and family life that characterised much of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Goytre.