The first mention of Lynwood is on the 1911 census when Alfred Thomas a 66 year old widower from Llangattock, son Edgar 34, a blacksmith born in Lanvair Kilgedin along with his daughter Edith 29 who had married George Sexton 29 from Hereford and grandchildren Annie 2 and Edith 3 both were born in Kemys Commander.

The 1914 poor rate says the owner is Edgar Thomas.

Lynwood was sold to L R Bowen of Oak Cottage in 1920 for the sum of £260.

The property is not mentioned on the census of 1921 but in 1923 Sidney and Laura Jenkins are in residence.

The 1939 electoral register says George and Nellie Ricketts are at Lynwood, George was born in 1896 he is employed as an underground labourer, Nellie was born in 1904, children Fred and Donald are both attending school while Ellis and Edmund are under school age there is also one closed account. Ellis died in 1945 in Pontypool. The photograph is George and Nellie Ricketts.

I remember the James family at Lynwood in the 1950’s/60’s they kept a small shop on the premises.

Number 4 Nantyderry Cottages was not occupied on the census of 1891.

On the 1901 census 26 year old William Powell a signalman from Hereford with his wife Harriet 24 also from Hereford were in residence, staying with them is their 9 year old relative from Ebbw Vale, Sophie Hart.

In 1911 Sarah Taylor a 72 year old widow, her son Jesse Taylor and his wife were in residence, Jesse was 34, born in Rhyd-y-meirch Llanover the son of George, a carpenter, he gave his occupation as a butler, Sarah his wife was born in Bristol.

In 1921 gardener Eli Henry Jenkins with his family have moved into number 4.

Eli came from Ledbury he was 33, his wife Viola, 33 from Swansea, as was a visitor, Annie Solomon aged 55. Eli and Viola’s children are Joan Viola 2 and 2 month old Eric Henry.

The electoral register of 1939 says Ernest Rouse, a gardener and chauffeur born in 1913 and his wife Mary Ellen born 1913 and their son Anthony who is under school age are in residence. Ernest Rouse died in Cheltenham in 1994.

Nantyderry No. 3

The census of 1891 says Henry Neate aged 25, a railway signalman born in Hereford is residing at number 3 with his family, wife Clara, 23 from Llanvihangle Crucorney and their son Albert Henry 2, born in Goytre, Living with them is Clara’s sister Sonia Harrison aged 17.

Henry Neate married Susannah Mills and had three children, Harry, Edwin and Hannah, he was moved to Cheltenham with his occupation as a signalman, he died in Cheltenham in 1930 leaving probate of £1278 0s 5d to Alfred Roberts assistant post superintendent.

By  1901 the new occupier of number 3 was Charles Southam also a signalman, Charles was 25 from Hereford, his wife Sarah 23 was from Abergavenny, they have a one year old son Charles who was born in Llanvihangel Crucorney.

By 1911 Tracy Leeworthy 30 a GWR signalman and his wife Maud, daughter Mollie Gwendoline along with their niece Madeline Florence Sweet and boarder Albert Price were in residence.

They remained at  Nantyderry until about 1918 as the new family who took residence was Charles Wagher and his wife Annie, followed shortly in 1921 by Emma Collet a widow, her husband John having died in 1918, Emma and John’s children were John 25, a gardener working for D Knight, Nantyderry, Blanche Maria 14, and a boarder Sandford George 34 from Gloucester. They moved back to Worcestershire at some point.

By 1935  Percy, Doris and George Jones lived at number 3.

By 1937 William Rouse and his family took residence, they remained in Nantyderry for many years moving into the station house by 1939 as on the 1939 electoral register for number 3 is Reg Gwatkin, a tiler and plasterer born in 1914, with his wife Winifred born in 1909.

Reg Gwatkin died in 1964

William Rouse died in 1960 aged 83 and Harriet in 1940 aged 76.

I am unable to ascertain who is at number one until the census of 1891 when Stephen Gregory 76 from Corsham and his 75 year old wife Mary from Ireland are in residence.

This had changed by 1891 to Maria Taylor 63, she occupied the grocer’s shop, living with her are her sons Benje 32, a tyler and plasterer, Jesse 24, a groom and 22 year old daughter Eliza, all the family were born in Llanover.

By 1901 David Hughes, 28 year old from Carmarthen employed as a cattleman on a farm was in residence along with his family, Ellen his wife was 30 from Conwy, children Alice 7, Winifred 4 and one year old Griffith, who were all born in Carmarthen.

In 1911 Martha Thomas a widow born in Goytre is in residence, she is 71 years old.

By 1921 the Allchurch family had taken up residence, Charles Tasker Allchurch married Beatrice Ellen Salter in 1909 at Badsey church Herefordshire.

Prior to coming to live in Nantyderry Charles had a military tribunal relating to his exemption from military service, the document dated 17^th October 1916 says he is 34 and working at Mr Blakes market gardens of 9 acres and being the sole labourer on the establishment was granted temporary exemption until 1^st January 1917.

On the census of 1921 Charles Tasker Allchurch is 39 from Bredforton Hereford, he is employed by D Knight’s market gardens in Nantyderry, Beatrice his wife is 30, their children are Hilda 11, Alfred 9, Margaret 5, Florence 4 and two year old Wilson, all the children were born in Badsey.

By 1926 the Allchurch family had moved to Little Mill where they were successful market gardeners.

Charles Tasker Allchurch died in November 1947, probate of £2694 1s 9d was left to Beatrice., he is buried in St Peter’s church.

For a very short while Alice Flowers lived at number 1 but had left by 1927.

On the 1939 electoral register says Thomas Edward Fay, a retired GWR platelayer born in 1874 and his wife Laura born in 1870.

Thomas Fay was born in Havant, he married Laura Reed in 1911 and lived with his father-in-law, a general haulier in Llangibby. Thomas and Laura had a daughter Caroline Maud who was 2 in 1911. They moved from Nantyderry to St Helen’s Lancashire about 1950 where Thomas died in 1956 followed by Laura in 1960.

Nantyderry Railway Cottages No.2

The Rev. Thomas Evans about 1869 built the cottages. Living at number two in 1881 was Edwin Poole, Edwin was born in1843 a few miles away in Kemys Commander, the son of Dennis an agricultural labourer and his wife Elizabeth.

He married Elizabeth James at St Woolos in 1875, on the census Elizabeth is 40 she was born in Llanelly.

On the census of 1871 Edwin was a servant at the Cross Inn, Lanvair.

Edwin and Elizabeth Poole remained at the cottage for many years, in 1891 he was a gardener, living with him on the census besides his wife Elizabeth was a boarder called William Beard who was a railway porter born in Westbury Gloucestershire.

Ten years later on the census of 1901 Edwin had become the second gardener, possibly at Nantyderry House.

Edwin was still a gardener in 1911, he is now 67, living with him and Elizabeth is Charles Ecott a coachman aged 35 from Hereford.

Elizabeth Poole died in January 1915, she was buried at St Peter’s Church. Edwin remains at his cottage although on the census of 1921 it says Edwin is living on his own at number 4. (I have had difficulty in establishing who lived in the cottages due to the enumerators having different ideas as to the way they were numbered, or in some cases, no numbers whatsoever).

Edwin died in August 1927 and was buried along with Elizabeth at St. Peter’s Church Nantyderry.

I have searched the electoral registers for the new residents of the cottages but once again the house numbers are missing which means I would have to guess who lived where.

In 1939 the electoral register says Archibald Rosser, his wife Anne and their 4 children were living at number 2.

16 May 1945 Western Mail – for sale,  3 cottages owned by Mr M O’Sullivan

There is an adult baptism at St Peter’s in July 1951 of Glyn Harvey Charles Arthur born in 1928, Glyn is living with his parents Henry and Frances at number 2. he is a British railway employee.

Heathfield was built just before 1891, the census of that year says Edwin Richards 71 and his 66 year old wife Elizabeth are in residence.

Edwin Richards’s father was Josiah, who was employed in a senior roll at Rhymney Iron works, he died by a fall in the engine room in March 1839. The family had to leave their family home Plas Llecha but all the children were well educated. Edwin  went on to be employed in senior managerial rolls at Tredegar Iron & Coal co., Rhymney Iron & Coal Co and Ebbw Vale Steel & Iron Works, he also was managing director of Caldecot Tinplate Co., Ltd. It was Edwin’s brother Windsor who became a top name in the industry.

In 1905 Edwin put Heathfield up for sale:

Modern attractive villa, Heathfield Nantyderry, good supply of water, garden, orchard, lawn near the River Usk, post, telegraph and church. 5 minutes walk to Nantyderry Station, 17 trains daily. Apply by letter to Edwin Richards, Nantyderry.

It appears Heathfield wasn’t sold as Edwin remains there and tries to sell the following year, 1906 when an advert appeared in the Free Press for the sale of Heathfield at the Greyhound Hotel in Abergavenny on 17^th August.

The census of 1911 says Edwin and Elizabeth had been married for 47 years and had no children, Edwin is 81 and born in Dowlais, Elizabeth 76 born in Bassaleg.

Edwin died on the 11th January 1916 at Llysbrechfa Caerleon, probate of £7690 was granted to his wife Elizabeth.

Elizabeth was still residing at Heathfield on her own on the census of 1921. Elizabeth died on the 1st May 1924 at Heathfield, probate was granted to Alfred Henry Watkins, solicitor and Lizzie Jane Herring wife of Albert Herbert Herring, her effects were valued at £9255 15s 10d.

The 1939 Electoral register gives Alice Marfell, retired farmer and her daughter Nellie at Heathfield.