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Transcript of the WILL OF GRIFFITH HOWELL 1894

This is the last Will and Testament of me Griffith Howell senr. Labrour of Tycwm ner Cefensty11a in the parish of Loughor in the County of G1anmorgan I give and Bequeath to my son Edward Morgan Howell one House and Garden now in the occupation of John Lloyd situate on the Wern in the parish of Llanrhidian Higher in the County of Glanmorgan and I also give to my son Edward Morgan Howell the whole of my Household Furnature and wareing apperal exept the Bed I now ley on I give to my Nece Sarah my son Edward Morgan Howell Daughter I request my son Edward to pay to Jemmima my Nece the Daughter of William Davies the sum of Five pounds out of the Leacehould property Before he takes possion of the Leacehould property I give and bequeath to my Daughter Sarah Wife of William Hopkins of Cefengorwydd Farm the House and garden now in the occupation of Rees Harris one the Wern in the parish of Llanrhidian Higher in the County of Glanmorgan subject to that my Daughter Sarah is to pay to my Nece Mary Ann Hopkins her Daughter the sum of Five pounds out of the Leacehould property Before she is to have possion of the property I also request that my son Griffith Howell to pay from the money due from him to me Griffith Howell to pay to my three Neces Elizabeth Daughter of William Morris the sum of Five pounds and also to Mary Ann Daughter of William Howell my son the sum of Five pounds and also for Griffith Howell to pay to Sarah Ann his daughter the sum of Five pounds the gardens of the Two Cottages is to be equaley Divided Between the two Houses and for Edward and Sarah to pay Equal Share of the Ground rent I give and bequeath the House and Garden that I now Give to my Daughter Sarah during her life and after her Dath I give to her son Evan Hopkins and should Evan die without Issue the House and Garden is to be divided between his surviving Brothers and sisters Also I give and Bequeath the House and Garden I give to my son Edward During his Lifetime and after his Death to be equaley Divided between his surviving children if there will be Eney Cash money left after paying my Depts and Funral Expences I give to Mary Ann Daughter of my son Edward I request the two trustees to see that the Diffarent Amounts of money to be paid as afore said within twelve months after my Dath I request my son Griffith to pay to my son William Daughter and to my Daughter Martha Daughter Elizabeth the Five pounds each due to them before he haves possion of the house and Garden on the Wern and if he dont pay within the twelve months they must take the money out of the Rent of the House I appoint my two sons Edward M Howell and John Howell to be the sole Executors of this my last Will In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this seventeenth Day of February one thousa Eight Hundred and ninty four Febr 19th 1894

Singe by the said Testator Griffith Howell
as his last Will and Testament in the
preassence of us preasent at the same
time who at his request in his preasence
and each other we have subscribe
our names as Wittnesses

Edward Morgan Berthllwyd
John Hopkins  Banycwm
David Thomas  Troyd y Rhue Cefenstylla

    his
Griffith             X        Howell
mark
I hereby certify that the above
mark is the mark of Griffith Howell

            Wittnes  Ed N Morgan
Berthllwyd
Feb 19th 1894


Commentary

I obtained a facsimile of the will from the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth. It is clearly an amateur effort by Welsh speakers whose grasp of English spelling is a bit insecure! Griffith uses the word ‘niece’ instead of ‘granddaughter’ in places. There are several ambiguities in it which a solicitor would probably have resolved.

My understanding is that Griffith left money and property as follows:

The legacies are far from evenly distributed. Quite why some are favoured and others not is not evident. If this gave rise to resentments, it might explain why Edward was careful in his will to leave everything to be divided equally between his children.

It is clear that Griffith owned two adjacent cottages in the Wern. These are probably what he means by ‘the Leacehould property’, because their gardens are to be equally divided and Sarah and Edward are to share the payment of the ground rent. Yet there is no mention at all of any property at Ty Cwm. We know from tithe maps that there was a house there before the one that Edward built, and that Griffith is living there in the 1861, 1871 and 1881 censuses. In 1891, though, he is with his daughter Martha at Cefnstylle. 1891 is when Edward bought the land on which he built the core of the present Ty Cwm (since much enlarged). What I don’t know is whether Griffith’s house was demolished, rebuilt or replaced.

The cottages in the Wern are easily identified in 1891. In the  census five houses at Wernoleu, apparently working down from the Three Crosses end, are occupied by:

In 1901 the occupants are: (actually listed in reverse order)

In 1911 there has been much change. William Howell (widr) is still there but his neighbours on both sides are different. It is difficult from the successive censuses to see who occupied the cottages left by Griffith.

In the 1939 Register Auntie Jane at Wernoleu is sandwiched between the Whites at Iscoed and William Howell at Sea View. I have been unable from the censuses to identify William Harries as one of the Harrieses living in the Wern before his marriage.