The Will of Morgan Price Nantygweision

Morgan Price Nantygweision died at the comparatively young age of 52 on 1st Mar 1805 just 6 years after his father William. He made his will in June 1804 indicating that he probably died of natural causes. His will can be seen at the NLW and online here.

Morgan Price's Will

(Note that this is part transcript, part précis)

Will probate valuation £145

 "This is the last will and testament of me Morgan Price of the parish of Mothvey in the county of Carmarthen, farmer.

 I give and devise one moiety half part or share (the whole into two equal parts to be divided) of and in all those messuages or dwelling houses, stables, gardens and appurtenances thereunto belonging, 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.] unto my brothers Rev. John Price and David Price, their heirs and assigns to such uses upon such trusts and to and for such intents and purposes as are herein after mentioned expressed and declared of and concerning the same (that is to say) to the use of my beloved wife Gwenllian and her assigns for and during the term of her natural life and from and after her decease as to for and concerning one moiety half part or shares, the whole into two equal parts or shares to be divided in the aforesaid moiety of the aforesaid hereditaments and premises with the appurtenances to the use of my son John Price his heirs and assigns forever and as to for and concerning the other moiety half part or share of and in the aforesaid moiety of the aforesaid hereditaments and premises with the appurtenances to the use of my son David Price his heirs and assigns forever."

Précis of the remainder of the will -

The tenement of Nantygweision and Drainllwynddu to his wife Gwenllian for the rest of her life.

After Gwenllian's decease the remainder of the tenement of Drainllwynddu to David his son.

After Gwenllian's decease the remainder of the tenement of Nantygweision to Morgan his son.

To his daughter Margaret ten pounds and suitable chambering after Gwenllian’s decease.

To his daughter Mary twenty pounds and suitable chambering after Gwenllian’s decease.

To Morgan, Joseph and Daniel 2 cows after Gwenllian’s decease.

To Morgan his son his cupboard bedstead and my largest iron pot after Gwenllian’s decease.

To Joseph my son his large brass pan, tribbet belonging to it and my kive or mash tun after Gwenllian’s decease.

To Daniel my son my clock and case and kitchen table after Gwenllian’s decease.

The rest and residue to Gwenllian subject to payment of debts. It is then up to her to decide how the inheritance should be apportioned at her death between his sons.

To my son John £5 being the legacy my late father bequeathed to me to be paid six months after my decease.

Gwenllian and David his son are appointed executors of Morgan’s will.

If Gwenllian marries a second time then the will was to be executed as though she had died.

Morgan Price

Dated 2 Jun 1804

Witnesses, Morgan Davies Llanerchgoch and William Morgan, Bailyglace.

Gwenllian's will states that Morgan's will was proved in the consistory court of Archdeaconry of Carmarthen 16th March 1805 by Gwenllian Price.

Notes:

1. Drainllwynddu is probably the origiinal name of Trawsllwynddu. It is significant that although Trawsllwynlddu and Nantygwesion were distinct properties in 1841 the latter had disappeared from the census in 1851 where Trawsllwynddu is listed as a property of 250 acres.

2. The initial part of the will sounds complex but as far as I can tell it is a device for ensuring that Gwenllian does not dispose of these properties during her life time. Morgan assigns them in trust to his brothers John and David and their heirs during Gwen's lifetime and then to his sons John and David his sons after Gwenllian's death. From the will of Mrgan's son John Price Tircyd we know that John did indeed inherit The Star and The Plough in Stone St. Llandovery in turn leaving them to his sons at his death.

3. It is noticeable that Morgan’s son William is not mentioned in his will but this does not necessarily mean that there was a rift between father and son. It should be remembered that William was married in 1803 and lived at Trawsllwynddu until approx. 1816 when he moved to Trichwmwl. Morgan may well have set up his son with stock etc. before his death and this might well be the reason that William is not mentioned in this will.  Morgan’s son John would have been 22 at this time and so may already have been farming Tircyd.

4 A kive or mash tun is a vessel for brewing. It is interesting that what we would consider basic furniture etc. was valued so highly at this time.

The Family of Morgan Price Nantygweision

Morgan Price was William Price Tynllwyn's second son. He is recorded as a freeholder and gent. in the parish records and he and his wife Gwenllian farmed Nantygweision.

The Usk Reservoir from the South shore

Nantygweision (meaning "servants' brook") was one of the eight or nine small farms to the South East of Myddfai Parish in an area generally known as Dolhowell. DOL HYWEL: an area which corresponds closely to the area of land now covered by the waters of the Usk Reservoir and its immediate environs. This being part of the grange belonging to Talley Abbey. Signifies the riverside meadow of Hywel. (David B. James Myddfai, Its Land and People.)

"During the historic period much of the area was operated as a grange, Dôl Hywel, which had been granted to Talley Abbey by 1324 (Ludlow 1998). The grange chapel, dedicated to St David, was also a chapel-of-ease to Myddfai parish (ibid.), but its site appears to lie beneath the Usk Reservoir. It was an upland grange, probably operated by tenant farmers primarily concerned with the mountain pasturing of animals, and appears to have been largely unenclosed during the historic period, as it still is today. The earliest historic maps depict it as open moorland with few settlements." (Cambrian Archeology)

Usk Reservoir. Trawsllwynddu would have stood on the other shore. Nantygweision would have been under the reservoir.

The farms were separated from the remainder of Myddfai parish by Mynydd Myddfai (Myddfai Mountain) more commonly known as Mynydd Bach (little mountain). Nantygweision was flanked by Tircyd (meaning "adjoining land") to the West and Trawsllwynddu (meaning "across the black grove") close by. All three farms formed part of the Cilgwyn estate at that time. Trawsllwynddu appears to be a later name as it is referred to as Drainllwynddu (possibly meaning "blackthorn grove"?) in Morgan Price's will of 1804.

Looking carefully at a map of the area of 1891, the positions of the farms can be accurately pinpointed. In fact both Tircyd and Trawsllwynddu farmhouses were situated just above the present waterline on the Northern shore of the Usk reservoir. Nantygweision by this time looks comparatively small and its location today seems to be beneath the reservoir not far from the estimated location of Trawsllwynddu. In fact it's significant that after 1841 Nantygweision is not mentioned in the censuses. I would hazard a guess that the land of the two small farms were merged and Nantygweision ceased to be inhabited after Gwenllian's time - she was living there aged 90 in 1841 and died in 1844.

It is also worth noting that Dolhowell forms a rather isolated part of Myddfai parish and is bounded to the East by the area of Traianglas in the parish of Llywel which is in Breconshire. In fact Aberhenwen Fach (Myddfai) which is to the East of Trawsllwynddu is divided from Aberhenwen Fawr (Traianglas) by the Henwen brook which flows down from Mynydd Bach into the Usk river. From a modern geographic viewpoint it is rather surprising that this area did not form part of Trainglas, but then this also forms part of the county boundary. It is not therefore that surprising that in lots of ways the families in this area grew away from the established church at Myddfai and joined the Independent cause at the newly established Saron chapel at Cwmwysg. This is illustrated by the fact that Morgan was buried at Myddfai PC in 1804 and Gwenllian was buried at Saron. These factors also account for the marriage of some of Morgan and Gwen's children with Llywel partners. 

The Family of Morgan Price Nantygweision, Myddfai

Morgan PRICE Nantygweision (1753 - 1805) bp. 29 Apr 1753 MPC bd. 1 Mar 1805 Myddfai PC = Gwenllian Davies (1749 - 1844) Married 8 Nov 1777 at Llywel PC, bd. Saron Independent Chapel, Cwmwysg (MI 1)

Children

(According to Wm. Price Tynllwyn's will, Morgan had 9 children in 1799).

Margaret PRICE (1778 - ) bp. 11 Sep 1778 Myddfai PC = Rees WILLIAMS (1762 - 1846) d. 14 Apr 1846 aged 84 (MI A30 Defynock Parish Church). Rees and Margaret were married 7 Nov 1806 Myddfai PC (Wit: W Price, Rees Davies and Lewis Lewis). 1841 census Cwrtfoesydd, Cray, Rees (Tiler) aged 75, Margaret aged 60

• Children (per census) - Elizabeth (bca 1816), Rees (bca 1821), Lewis (bca 1826)

William PRICE, Trawsllwynddu / Trichwmwl, farmer, (1780 - 1823) bp. 22 Jun 1780 Myddfai PC bd. 3 Mar 1823 (aged 44) Myddfai PC = Elinor JONES Llywel (1780 - 1860) bp. Llywel d/o Morgan John and Gwenllian 30 Apr 1780. Married Llywel PC 8 Jul 1803 bd. 9 Oct 1860 Myddfai PC. It appears that, based on the fact that the baptisms of his children took place while he was at Trawsllwynddu (PR entries) William and Eleanor lived at Trawsllwynddu until approx. 1817 when he moved to Trichwmwl and his brother David took over at Trawsllwynddu.  (Eleanor continued to live at Trichwmwl after William's death (1841 and 1851 census) died at Black Cock Myddfai, home of her daughter Anne). More details of William and Elinor are given in a separate post.

John PRICE, Tircyd (1782 - 1854), farmer, bp. 24 Jun 1782 bd. 18 Oct 1854 (73) Saron Ind. Cwmwysg (MI 2) = Mary PRICE (ca. 1773 - 1808) bd. 23 Mar 1841 (67) Saron Ind. Cwmwysg (MI 2). Married 9 Dec 1808 MPC. This family line will be expanded in a future post.

David PRICE, Trawsllwynddu (1785 - 1861), farmer bp. 18 Nov 1785 MPC bd. 4 Aug 1861 (77) Saron Ind. Cwmwysg (MI 16) = Anne REES (1786 - 1836) bd. 13 Nov 1837 (47) Saron Ind. Cwmwysg. Married 20 Nov 1818 MPC. This family line will be expanded in a future post.

Morgan PRICE* (1788 - before 1834) bp. 12 May 1788 MPC = Anne ? Morgan was living in 1804 at the time of his father's death but had died when his mother Gwenllian made her will on 23 Aug 1834 - the will mentions his widow Anne. There are two children (Mary 1827 and Elizabeth 1829 baptised to Morgan and Anne Price, Pwll Uchaf at Saron, Cwmwysg) but no record of Morgan's death has been found.

Elizabeth (1790 - 1804) bp. 23 Jun 1799 MPC Almost certainly Elizabeth Price Dolhowell bd. 4 Jan 1804 (Myddfai PR). She is not mentioned in Morgan's will dated 2 Jun 1804 but her sisters are.

Mary PRICE (1793 - 1871) bp. 8 Aug 1793 MPC  bd. 29 Apr 1871 (88) Saron Ind. Cwmwysg (MI 44) = Thomas THOMAS (1788 - 1862), Llywel bp. Sep 1788 Llywel s/o John Thomas. Married 15 Nov 1811 MPC. Lived at Gwernwyddog, Llywel (just to the East of Trawsllwynddu in Traianglas). This family line will be expanded in a future post.

Joseph PRICE (1797 - 1861) bp. 26 May 1797 MPC d. 25 Dec 1861 bd. Saron Ind. Cwmwysg (MI 1). Lived at Nantygweision with his mother until her death then with his brother David at Trawsllwynddu. Gwenllian's will makes it clear that he was in some way mentally impaired or backward and special provision was made in it for his maintenance (he having received no share of his father Morgan's estate). It is possible that he married (there is a marriage for Joseph PRICE= Margaret PHILIP17 Feb 1824 MPC and there is no other Joseph Price known in the parish records of the time). Gwenllian his mother entrusted Joseph to David's care after her death and from the census information it appears that he lived there until his death when he was buried with his mother at Saron, Cwmwysg.

Daniel PRICE (1799 - ) bp. 3 Mar 1799 MPC. = Margaret THOMAS (d/o David & Mgt. Thomas bp. 31 Aug 1794 MPC). Married 2 Feb 1821 MPC (witnesses William Price and Wm. Thomas) d. 14 May 1839 aged 45 MI 7 Saron, Cwmwysg.

Children - fom the Saron baptismal Register

• Gwen b. 6 Apr 1822, bp. 20 Apr 1822 Cefnarthen Independent d. 1 Sep 1824 MI 7 Saron 
• Sarah b. 16 Aug 1824 bp. 25 Aug 1824 Bwllfa, Traianglas  
• Gwenllian b. 19 Aug 1826 bp. 26 Aug 1826 Bwllfa, Traianglas 
• Margaret b. 3 Aug 1828 bp. 17 Aug 1828
•            Daniel bp. 23 Nov 1830 Clos Traianglas  
• Shadrach b. 14 Dec bp. 18 Dec 1832 Clos Traianglas d. 5 Dec 1833 MI 7 Saron 
• William b. 30 Oct 1834 bp. 22 Nov 1834 Clos Traianglas

 Census Information

1841 Nantygweision

Gwen Price, 90, farmer, N

Joseph Price, 40, Y

Gwen Price, 20, F.S., Y

General Notes 

Morgan and Gwenllian's son John settled at Tircyd. David eventually settled at Trawsllwynddu taking over from William who, after initially living at there, finally settled at Trichwmwl which is directly on the opposite (north) side of Mynydd Bach. Nantygweision, Trawsllwynddu and Tircyd originally formed part of the Cilgwyn Estate. Trichwmwl was owned by Edward Jones of Velindre, he Llandovery solicitor.

Nantygweision, Tircyd and Trawsllwynddu all disappeared under the water when the Usk Reservoir was completed in 1955. Due to their geographical location it is easy to understand how the families living on these farms would have grown as many ties with Llywel parish to the North East of them as well as with the home parish of Myddfai from which they were separated by the physical barrier of Mynydd Bach.

*Morgan and Gwenllian's son Morgan is something of a mystery. He was alive at the time of his father Morgan's death in 1804 (he would have been 16) but had died before 1844 when Gwenllian's will was written. In that will she bequeathed a sum to his widow Anne which might imply that he had died not long before. No burial or MI has been found for Morgan. However the baptisms recorded at Saron and the nearness of Pwll Uchaf to Nantygweision and Trawsllwynddu seem to be a good indication that he an Anne lived there for a time. (One marriage which might fit would be Morgan Price = Anne Jones at Llanfairarybryn PC 31 Dec 1825 - he would have been 37. However this is highly speculative and the entry seems to indicate that both parties were of Llanfairarybryn parish. The witnesses were David Morgan and Morgan Jones.)

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.)