Window to the past: 1901

THE CENSUS FOR MELIN Y COED AND ENVIRONS IN 1901 by Ken Davies

1901 saw the end of the Victorian era, as Queen Victoria died on the Isle of Wight on 22nd January. Liberal MP David Lloyd George was forced to flee from a pro-Boer meeting as riots broke out and the Boer War continued. Robert Gascoyne-Cecil (Conservative) was Prime Minister. Italian Marconi transmitted a Morse code signal across the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. Tottenham Hotspur, then a non-league club, won the F.A. Cup.

With the dawning of the Edwardian era, let’s follow in the footsteps of one of the many census enumerators, Owen Hughes of Mill Bank, Melin Y Coed, as he records details of his friends and neighbouring families living in the Melin Y Coed area over a century ago.

Window to the past: 1891

THE 1891 CENSUS FOR MELIN Y COED AND ENVIRONS

Transcribed by Ken Davies

In 1891, a new Elementary Education Bill made free education available for all families in England and Wales. The Times newspaper made a devastating attack on the Prince of Wales, condemning him for mixing in doubtful society and indulging in “questionable pleasures”, thereby putting at risk the “monarchial principle”. Thomas Hardy’s novel Tess of the D’Urbervilles was published, and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was published in The Strand Magazine. Nearly one third of the population now lived in towns of more than 100,000 inhabitants, compared with just one in eight in France.

Meanwhile in Melin Y Coed, enumerator Owen Hughes was preparing for his written entries in the 1891 census. This census is fortunately more specific with places of birth.

Window to the past: 1881

1881 MAETHEBRWD AND TY BRITH CENSUS

MELIN Y COED, CARMEL, NANT Y RHIW ETC.

The fat lamb trade in Wales about this time began to take off. Arable land was reducing and permanent grazing land was on the increase. Farming generally in Wales was small scale. From 1880 a change in the law allowed farmers to shoot game. After 1800 the Sheep Fair was no longer held on the Great Orme following the Honey Fair. The first paddle steamer on the Conway, the "St. Winifred", had been joined by the "St. George". It had been decided to hold Voelas Manor Court every other year instead of every year.

Urbanisation, wealth, communication, the size of the middle class and population of the country as a whole were all on the increase (Population in the past ten years had increased by 3.4 million).

A window to the past: 1871

CENSUS RETURNS FOR 1871

Transcribed by Ken Davies

On the 29th March, Queen Victoria opened the Royal Albert Hall. In June, an underwater electric cable connecting Shanghai and London, via San Francisco, is opened. Lewis Carroll writes ‘Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There’, the sequel to ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’. Anna Sewell wrote ‘Black Beauty’. Charles Dickens had died the previous year. In November, Dr David Livingstone was found alive near Lake Tanganyika, by Welshman Henry Morton Stanley. The population of Llanrwst district was given as 3,767. We shall join Robert Williams on his travels as he records the residents of the Tybrith area of Llanrwst.

The first entry for Melin Y Coed is annotated Ty Uchaf. There are no further house names recorded in the hamlet of Melin Y Coed.

Window to the past: 1861

1861 CENSUS FOR MELIN Y COED AND ENVIRONS

Transcribed by Ken Davies

Work on building the first underground railway in London had been going for a few months and Florence Nightingale’s first hospital, St Thomas’s, had recently been set up. Newspaper prices were set to fall after the abolition of ‘taxes for knowledge’ duties. Charles Dickens published the first episode of his novel 'Great Expectations'. Mrs Beeton’s ‘Book of Household Management’ was published. Prince Albert, Prince Consort to Queen Victoria died aged 42. Llanrwst’s population in the census was 3,953. Gwilym Cowlyd won the Chair in the National Eisteddfod in Conwy with ‘Mynyddoedd Eryri’.

Census enumerator John Owen paid his first call in Melin y Coed as he recorded census details for the Ty Brith area. Thomas Jones, 30, a mill carrier of Llanrwst, was the first to receive him in the village.

A window to the past: 1851

THE 1851 CENSUS FOR MELIN Y COED AND ENVIRONS

Transcribed by Ken Davies

The 1851 census gives the overall population of the British Isles as 20.8 million, with 17.9 million living in England. Dartmoor prison was 1 year old. Mary Shelley, the novelist who wrote "Frankenstein", and Turner the painter both died. Thousands of Britons leave to join the Australian gold rush. Queen Victoria opens the Crystal Palace Great Exhibition. Llanrwst population was 3,602. The population increased by 371 from 1831 – the Napoleonic War was in progress during this time.

In the township of Ty Brith Isaf, enumerator I. Arkham put pen to paper and recorded the local inhabitants for the 1851 census.

His first call was to Richard Hughes, 31, of Henefail and his wife Mary, 31. They had three children, Jane, 5, Margaret, 3 and Hugh, 8 months. Richard was an agricultural labourer. He and his children were born in Llanrwst, but his wife came from Penmachno.

A window to the past: 1841

THE VILLAGE OF MELIN-Y-COED IN 1841 

Transcribed by Ken Davies.

In 1841 Queen Victoria had been married to Prince Albert for 12 months, and. he introduced the first Christmas fir tree to Britain this year. Sir Robert Peel became Prime Minister. The first train pulled out of Paddington station and the Taff Vale railway became the first in Wales, running between Cardiff and Merthyr Tydfil. The Penny Post had been in use for 12 months.

On the 8th of June 1841, census enumerator Hugh Hughes knocked on the door of Elias Williams and his family – the first from the village of Melin Coed in the township of Tybrith Isaf to be recorded on the 1841 Census.

The map survey of 1800 published in 1839-40 called the village Pentre y Coed.

This first census supplied just basic information. It recorded every person living at that address on that night. The village had a total of ten households. No house names were noted. Adults ages tended to be rounded to the nearest 5 years, eg 48 would be 50.

Further census records (in progress)

1871 Census

Tyn Twll

William Williams, Head, Married, 60, Farmer of 66 acres. B. Llanrwst. Blind.

Jane Wms Wife 56 b. Gwytherin.

Owen Wms. Son Unm 34 b. Llanrwst. Farm-ers son.

Eleanor Wms Daur Unm 26

Margaret Daur Unm 24

Robert Wms Son Unm 21 Farmers Son

William Roberts Grandson 5 Llandudno

Edward Jones, Servant, 15, Farm Servant, Bala.

1871 Census

Penrallt

Robert Lewis, Head, Married, 52, Farmer 38 acres, b. Llanrwst.

Elisabeth Lewis, Wife, Married, 61, b. Llanrwst

Mary Edwards, Servant, Unm. 18, General Servant Domestic, b. Pentrefoelas.

Robert Lewis Serant unm 22 Farm Svt b. Llanrwst.