Stone Street The Plough

No. 32 Stone Street (The Plough Inn)

The Plough and its neighbours, Nos. 34 - 36, formed part of The Half Moon property in 1810 - 1811, but thereafter had a history of separate ownership...In 1810 - 1811, John Jones and John Davies were rated for "a house of Mr Price", which either stood on this site or, possibly, on that of No. 38. The Rate Book of 1836 has two entries of "House, Garden and Building" in respect of this site, by then already separated from the Half Moon and in the ownership of David Price. One house was The Plough, the other stood where Nos. 34 - 36 stand now. The tithe roll of 1841 names Mary Price as the owner of the two houses but the rate book of the same year names another David Price. In 1846, the rate book describes the property as a house and two part houses. By 1866 there were three houses on the site, the present 32 - 36. William Price then owned The Plough while David Price, the same or another owned Nos. 34 and 36. The " (A-C Vol. 2 p 224)

According to A-C there were two taverns at the Old Town Hall between 1810 and 1811, "The Plow" (sic) and "The Greyhound". These had closed before 1826 but the names were later revived for public houses in Stone St. "The Plough came into being in 1835 where Thomas Jones figures as a beer retailer in Pigot's Directory. The house is first mentioned by name in the rate book of 1836. Thomas Jones was still licensee in 1868, according to Slater's Directory. He was apparently the mayor in 1858."

"The house on the site of Nos. 34 - 36 was occupied in 1836 by William Davies, dealer in earthenware."

Now this is where things get complicated. The first thing to say is that William Price Tynllwyn must have either conveyed these properties to his son Morgan Price Nantygweision before his (William's) death in 1799 because in his final will William bequeathed all his Llandovery property to his son Rev. John Price and we know that at least this included The Half Moon (see previous post). The alternative is that Rev. John Price conveyed them to Morgan after his father's death in 1799 and Morgan's death in 1804. This is less likely for Morgan is described earlier in the parish records as a freeholder. At any rate these properties formed part of his estate at the time of his death in 1804.

In Morgan Price Nantygweision's will of 1804 he bequeaths these properties to his brothers David Price Glasallt and Rev. John Price in trust for the benefit of his wife Gwenllian until her death when they are to be shared between two of his sons John and David. Morgan identifies the properties clearly in his will as "situate in Stone Street within the town and borough of Llandovery in the parish of Llandingat in the said county of Carmarthen and now in the several tenures or occupations of John Jones, cobler [sic.], William Jones, blacksmith, John Davies, earthenware man and Joseph Jones, taylor [sic.]"

At the time of Morgan's death his sons John Price (Tircyd) and David Price (Trawsllwynddu) were 22 and 19 years old respectively. Gwenllian died in 1844 at which time the properties passed to her sons John and David as Morgan had willed.

The Plough is identified in the will of his son John Price Tircyd in 1855. "The Plough and The Star in Stone Street Llandovery now in the occupations of Thomas Jones and David Thomas to my sons John, Rees and David."

Rev. John Price died in 1819 so in 1836 David Price Glasallt would have held the properties in trust pending Gwellian Price's death. He died in 1837 and so presumably the property would have passed to one of his children continuing to be held in trust until Gwenllian's death in 1844. The David and Mary Price mentioned in the rate book of 1841are difficult to identify. David Price Glasallt did indeed have a son David Price of Tynewydd Myddfai who could have held the property in trust after his father's death but the Mary must remain a mystery.

By1866 at least part of the properties identified in the will of John Price Tircyd had passed to his sons John (also of Tircyd), Rees Price Cwmnantyboidy and David Price. William of 1866 is difficult to identify unless the property had been sold or conveyed to another branch of the family.

The mention of The Star in John Price Tircyd's will is also problematic. The 1861 census records Thomas Jones as the Innkeeper of the Plough but there is no Star in Stone Street. However there is a public house called The Star or The Old Star which is associated with the Price family and this will be looked at in another post.

No. 38 Stone Street The Drovers Arms

A-C states "The house cannot be identified in the rate books of 1810 - 1811 unless it was "a house of Mr Price" then jointly tenanted by John Jones and John Davies, but the site of this house in uncertain. At that period the land on which No. 38 stands must have formed part of another property, either that of Rev. John Price and William Price to the South (30 - 36) or that of Samuel Price, Postmaster to the North (40 - 52). The Drovers Arms was already in existence and in business as a tavern by 1826."

(Samuel Price was the grandson of Thomas Price, mercer who had inherited a ‘moiety’ (part) of Stone St. properties with William Price Tynllwyn.)