William Bill Henry WILLIAMS 1847 Trelleck (General)

by slowhands , proud of his ancient Dean Forest roots, Thursday, April 26, 2007, 02:39 (6212 days ago)

William "Bill" Williams was born on 7 March 1847 in the parish of Trelleck, a
few miles south of Monmouth in Gwent. He was illegitimate. His mother, Elizabeth
Williams, an illiterate country girl, had in her teens gone to work as a servant
at Lydart House, a large country house at Mitchel Troy near Monmouth. There she
worked for Thomas Oakley JP and his family.

The Oakleys were well-to-do. Attached to the house they had a farm of over 600
acres, which no doubt was profitably run. Their wealth was shown by the retinue
of seven living-in servants, which included a footman, as well as outdoor staff.
The eldest son of the family was a solicitor who practised in Monmouth. Another
was a curate and a third was also to become a clergyman.

Elizabeth Williams was seduced by the eldest son, Thomas William Oakley, who was
then unmarried and about twenty-nine or thirty years old. She became pregnant,
and when her pregnancy was too great to conceal she went to Trelleck, where her
baby was born. The child was christened William Henry Williams in the parish
church ten days later.

Oakley's seduction of Elizabeth was perhaps just another example of the son of a
Victorian squire taking advantage of a working girl, but he did not deny his
paternity; he accepted responsibility and maintained his son for many years.

Oakley married a few years after Bill's birth and sired many more children, but
he kept in touch with Bill. His address at Lydart House is in the back of his
diary, and Bill twice reminds himself that he must write to 'T.W.O.', as he
calls him.

What happened to Elizabeth we do not know - She may have died shortly after his
birth: an unmarried Elizabeth Williams died in Penallt near Trelleck in 1849,
aged twenty.

On the other hand, knowing that Oakley was prepared to pay for her son to be
looked after, she may have abandoned him and gone off to start life afresh, for
the disgrace of becoming pregnant out of wedlock was considerable in Victorian
times, and bringing up an illegitimate child a constant reminder of that
disgrace.

In any event the child was soon farmed out to George and Rachel Herbert, an
elderly couple who lived in Monnow Street, Monmouth. The 1851 census refers to
Bill as George Herbert's nephew, but the Herberts were more likely to have been
paid child-minders. Oakley paid for Bill's time there and for his education at
William Bradshaw's private school.

The Diary of a Working Man, 1872-73: Bill Williams in the Forest of Dean
Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Sutton Publishing (29 Sep 1994)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0750905840
ISBN-13: 978-0750905848

Ref. to Records

Birth ?
Name: William Henry Williams
Year of Registration: 1847
Quarter of Registration: Apr-May-Jun
District: Monmouth (1837-1939)
County: Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Monmouthshire
Volume: 26
Page:

Name: Elizabeth Williams
Year of Registration: 1847
Quarter of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep
District: Monmouth (1837-1939)
County: Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Monmouthshire
Volume: 26
Page: 51

1841 Trelleck Monmouthshire ?
Thomas William abt 1771 Monmouthshire, Wales
Mary William abt 1801 Monmouthshire, Wales
Edwin William abt 1834 Monmouthshire, Wales
Elenor William abt 1821 Monmouthshire, Wales
Elizabeth William abt 1829 Monmouthshire, Wales

1841 Mitchel Troy Monmouthshire
Thomas Oakley abt 1776
Elizabeth Oakley abt 1791
Beatrice Oakley abt 1826
Emelia Oakley abt 1826
James Oakley abt 1826
Julia Oakley abt 1821
Rhoda Oakley abt 1826 Monmouthshire, Wales
Thomas Oakley abt 1816 Mitch

1851 Lydart House Mitchel Troy Monmouthshire

Thomas Oakley abt 1774 Shropshire, England Head
Elizabeth Oakley abt 1791 Gloucestershire, England Wife
James Oakley abt 1830 Mitchel Troy, Monmouthshire, Wales Son
Rhoda Oakley abt 1828 Mitchel Troy, Monmouthshire, Wales Daughter
Thomas Wm Oakley abt 1818 Mitchel Troy, Monmouthshire, Wales Son
William Oakley abt 1823 Mitchel Troy, Monmouthshire, Wales Son

1851 Monmouth Monmouthshire
George Herbert abt 1791 Bath, Somerset, England Head
Rachael Herbert abt 1794 Lanhihaugh, Monmouthshire, Wales Wife
Emma Herbert abt 1835 Monmouthshire, Wales Daughter
Sarah Richards abt 1827 Lanvihangch, Monmouthshire, Wales Visitor
William Henry Williams abt 1847 Trellick, Monmouthshire, Wales Nephew