Nail making seems to have been a profitable business in the Forest of Dean, in particular for some members of my ancestral Robinson Family. In my search for more detail on its history and who was involved I came across the 'New Regard of the Forest of Dean' Index to Volumes 1-20 compiled by Dr L M Mayer-Jones in .XLS format and another for volumes 1-27. This shows that there is a section in Volume 15, pages 31 to 34, which covers all the indexed entries, including a reference to a book titled 'The Nailmakers of Littledean & Mitcheldean' by Averil Kear. Can anyone advise me how I could get a copy of Vol 15, pages 31 to 34, and also whether the said book is available? I have not had any success myself. ChrisL

The publishers, Forest of Dean Local History Society offer a reprint service. This is the webpage:http://forestofdeanhistory.org.uk/LHSpubreprintenq.html

Mike

Hi Chris,
if you've not already found it this prior thread discusses nailmaking and has some interesting links etc.
http://forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?id=33242

If you are in the Gloucestershire area, particularly the FoD, the public Librairies hold many copies of The New Regard. I think this link will work for the current catalogue search page. Volume 15 is available at Lydney, Cinderford and Gloster.
http://capitadiscovery.co.uk/gloslibraries/items?query=new+regard

I may well be wrong but I think Averil is, or was, active within the FoD Local History Society ?; it may be worth asking them via their webpage(see Mike's post) to try and find a copy of her book. She has had other books published by Lightmoor/Black Dwarf press, I'm sure they'll be able to help too, contact them here
http://lightmoor.co.uk/view_book.php?ref=L9082
If you're not aware, these publishers are from the Dean and have extensive experience and knowledge of the industrial history of the area, and are very nice people too !
Their books and many others can be obtained from the excellent Forest Bookshop in Coleford, as can back issues of The New Regard.
http://www.forestbookshop.com/pages/Categories/0000000001.html

Good luck !

Averil is a member of this site and may be able to advise you on the availability of her book.

If you click on Users (top of page) and search AverilKear (one word)you will see an Envelope icon on the right hand side of her details. You can use that to send a private message to her.

Thanks Mike, I will investigate. ChrisL

Tnanks Jeff that's all extremely helpful, especially as I live on the other side of the Globe though I was born in Gloucestershire in the Cotswolds but never heard of one of the most fascinating parts of England, geologically, archaeologically and historically, while there as I moved away when I was 4 years old. ChrisL

Thanks ChrisW. Most helpful too! ChrisL

Just as a matter of interest: Gloucestershire Genealogical Database:

Between 1816 and 1868 - 56 Nailers have Goal records - 20 + one young 11 year old labourer….. from the Forest of Dean

28 July 1816: WRIGHT (Alias) - George age 19 (Littledean)
26 July 1816 : JONES George age 19 (Littledean)
18 April 1817: HOLDER Roger age 38 (Ruardean)
1 April 1818: YOUNG William age 31 (Littledean)
16 October 1820: HALE Edward age 38 (St Briavels)
31 January 1822: BUMFORD William age 30 (Littledean)
29 September 1822: WESTWOOD Cornelius age 33 (Newent)
21 January 1822: DAVIES William age 30(Littledean)
11 August 1823 1823: WALDEN GEORGE age 26 (Littledean)
6 June 1826: GWILLIAM George (St Briavels) no age given
20 August 1847: GWILLIAM James age 18 (Littledean) **
31 May 1850: GWILLIAM James age 20 (Littledean) ** probably the same chappie
23 October 1851: YOUNG Amos age 20(Littldean) **
23 October 1851: YOUNG William (age 67 (Littledean) ** seem to be related
27 May 1853: GWILLIAM Alexander age 68(Littldean)
23 March 1855: COOPER George (Coleford) - no age given
2 March 1856: NIBLETT George (Littledean) - no age given
16 January 1864: GWILLIAM James -age 37 (Popes Hill) Nailer
16 January 1864 GWILLIAM James -age 11 (Popes Hill) Labourer
21 November 1865: COOPER George - age 24 (Coleford)
6 August 1872: GWILLIAM James age 50 (Littledean)

Need to cross-check to see what all these Nailers got up to?? the GWILLIAM name appears 7 times !!!

Hi MPG,
good stuff, all very interesting. A complete guess for now but I wonder if their nailmaking trade was suffering due, perhaps, to cheeper mass-produced nails being available from elsewhere, so causing the Gwilliams to fall into difficult times and even gaol ?.

The Gwilliam family don't appear to have been covered in depth in prior threads, so for starters we can find (there are 225 Gwilliam PRs in Littldean alone);

Record_ID: 32283
Entry_Number: 648
Year: 1832
Month: Mar
Day: 29
Parents_Surname: GWILLIAM
Child_Forenames: James
Fathers_Forenames: Alexander
Mothers_Forenames: Ann
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: L[ittle] Dean
Occupation: Nailor
Officiating_Minister: J Parsons Curate
Event: Baptism
Memoranda: Son 2 years of age
Notes:
Register_Reference: P110 IN 1/5
Page_Number: 81
Parish_Chapel: Littledean
Soundex: G450

James' siblings, father is a nailer for all case;
Year Surname First Name Fathers Forename Mothers Forename Event Parish/Chapel More detail
1822 GWILLIAM Elizabeth, Alexander & Ann, Baptism Drybrook More detail
1822 GWILLIAM Caroline, Alexander & Anne, Baptism Littledean More detail
1826 GWILLIAM Albina, Alexander & Ann, Baptism Littledean More detail
1826 GWILLIAM Ann, Alexander & Ann, Baptism Littledean More detail

Record_ID: 185078
Entry_Number:
Year: 1791
Month: Mar
Day: 20
Parents_Surname: GWILLIAM
Child_Forenames: Alexander
Fathers_Forenames: John
Mothers_Forenames: Martha
Mothers_Surname:
Residence:
Occupation:
Officiating_Minister: Wm Fryer Minister
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P110 IN 1/4
Page_Number: 4
Parish_Chapel: Littledean
Soundex: G450

Record_ID: 19408
Entry_Number: 649
Year: 1872
Month: Mar
Day: 15
Surname: GWILLIAM
Forenames: Alexander
Residence: Westbury on Severn
Age_at_death: 87
Officiating_Minister: William Lockett
Event: Burial
Cause_of_death:
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P110 IN 1/12
Page_No: 82
Parish_Chapel: Littledean
Soundex: G450

(May not be the same Alexander ?)
Cannot find his marriage in PRs.

------------------------------------

Also in Littledean, perhaps different branch of the same family business ?

Record_ID: 32110
Entry_Number: 475
Year: 1827
Month: May
Day: 2
Parents_Surname: GWILLIAM
Child_Forenames: James
Fathers_Forenames: Daniel
Mothers_Forenames: Mary
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: L[ittle] Dean
Occupation: Nailor
Officiating_Minister: J D Ostrehan Curate
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P110 IN 1/5
Page_Number: 60
Parish_Chapel: Littledean
Soundex: G450

Record_ID: 19855
Entry_Number: 296
Year: 1908
Month: Mar
Day: 4
Surname: GWILLIAM
Forenames: James
Residence: Little Dean
Age_at_death: 77
Officiating_Minister: Robert Bruce
Event: Burial
Cause_of_death:
Memoranda: Died 29 Feb 1908; occupation Green Grocer
Notes: No. of Grave 128
Register_Reference: P110 IN 1/13
Page_No:
Parish_Chapel: Littledean
Soundex: G450

So born abt 1831, but which James ?. (Love the Minister's name!)

Year Parents_Surname Child_Forenames Fathers_Forenames Mothers_Forenames Mothers_Surname Residence Occupation Parish_Chapel
1827 GWILLIAM James, Daniel & Mary, L[ittle] Dean Nailor Littledean
1831 GWILLIAM Daniel Hoskins, Daniel & Mary, Gloucester Nailor Littledean

Record_ID: 116737
Entry_Number: 398
Year: 1825
Month: Jul
Day: 23
Grooms_Surname: GWILLIAM
Grooms_Forenames: Daniel
Grooms_Age:
Groom_Condition:
Grooms_Occupation:
Grooms_Residence: of this parish
Grooms_Fathers_Surname:
Grooms_Fathers_Forenames:
Grooms_Fathers_Occupation:
Brides_Surname: WILLIAMS
Brides_Forenames: Mary Ann
Brides_Age:
Brides_Condition:
Brides_Occupation:
Brides_Residence: of this parish
Brides_Fathers_Surname:
Brides_Fathers_Forenames:
Brides_Fathers_Occupation:
Licence_or_Banns: Banns
Date_of_Banns:
Signature_or_Mark: He signs she marks
Witness_1: James Wheeler
Witness_2: Eliza Gwilliam
Other_Witnesses:
Officiating_Minister: John Edmund Jones Curate
Event: Marriage
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P154/15 IN 1/12
Page_Number: 133
Parish_Chapel: Gloucester St Nicholas
Soundex_Groom: G450

More to follow later..

Hi MPG,
good stuff, all very interesting. A complete guess for now but I wonder if their nailmaking trade was suffering due, perhaps, to cheeper mass-produced nails being available from elsewehere ?.

More to follow later..

Littledean area was "centre" of nail making industry - Iron , wood for charcoal etc ideal for forges.

but yes the scale of the industrial revolution did for the local industry...

On Ancestry Criminal Records

14 August 1872

James GWILLIAM the Elder - Larcency - 6 cal. months (age 50 previous thread)

------

Found Not Guilty

James GWILLIAM and James JNR - 30 March 1864 - Robbery with Violence (age 37 and 11 previous thread)

---

19 October 1847

James GWILLIAM - age 18 - Larcency - imprisoned for 3 months (age 18 previous thread)

--

7 August 1850

James GWILLIAM of Littledean - Robbery before convicted of felony - Acquitted (age 20 previous thread)

---

GWILLIAM Alexander - 27 June 1853

Larcency - 14 days hard labour (age 68 previous thread)

---

Summer 1826

George GWILLIAM - 1826 - Afsault with intend to Ravish - imprisoned: 2 years

This is part of a paragraph from Averil Kear's article in the New Regard:

Early records of convictions in the Forest of Dean show that men quite often stole quantities of wood to keep their homes and forges supplied. Richard Jones, a nailor, of Littledean was convicted in 1783 of 'cutting and rooting up 1 acres of hazel wood in the Forest of Dean' and in 1787 John Brain, a nailor, also of Littledean was convicted of 'cutting and rooting up a quantity of underwood". When John Gwilliam, a nailer of the same place was caught in 1808 cutting down a young beech tree, he was fined 40/- (40 shillings) and 6/- (6 shillings) expenses, a great deal of money for a man trying to provide for his family.

Mike

This is a paragraph from Averil Kear's article in the New Regard:

The Gwilliam family of Littledean were nailmakers by 1766 when young John Coleman of Mitcheldean was apprenticed by Robert Gwilliam and by the early nineteenth century the Gwilliams had become well established as the leading manufacturers of nails in the area. Henry Gwilliam had seven sons and one daughter and when he died in 1817 he made sure that all were well provided for especially John, stating in his Will, 'to my son John Gwilliam I leave my dwelling house and nailshop and sider mill stables and pigs cot garden brewhous and the pees [piece] of ground aginoing [adjoining] it also my goods chattels and living stock that I shall leave'. Three or four members of the Gwilliam family were nail-makers in Littledean until at least 1897 when Jeremiah Gwilliam moved to Chalford near Stroud to carry out his trade there.

Mike

Just add to Jefff's note:

Alexander Gwilliam married Anne Lawrence at Painswick Parish Church on 17 July 1814

James Gwilliam who died in 1908 was the son of Alexander and Anne

Daniel Gwilliam died 13 August 1896 at the age of 94 and is buried in Stroud Cemetery. His son, Benjamin was a nail-maker and traded in Malmesbury. He died at the age of 43 in 1880 and his widow and children emigrated to New Zealand.

Mike

Ancestry

UK, Register of Duties Paid for Apprentices' Indentures

Master's Name: Jno GWILLIAM (Nailer)

Apprentice Name: Jno WATKINS

Residence Location: Littledean, Gloucester

Payment Date: 14 July 1794

Various payments listed following page….

----

Master's Name: Cha GUILIAM (Nailer)

Apprentice Name: Joseph POWELL

Residence Location: Littledean, Gloucester

Payment Date: : 24 December 1779

Thanks Mike for those extracts, makes sense now that the nailers would need the extra fuel to feed their workplace as well as their families, difficult times.

Searching the Welsh newspapers website gives this mention, again looks like a Gwilliam just trying to lead a normal life during hard times, and subject to very strict justice.

From the Cardiff Times of 20th December 1879

"HOLLY STEALING.— At the Littledean petty - sessions on Monday—before Sir Thomas Crawley Boevey, Bart., and Mr Russell J. Kerr — George Wynn, jun., of Littledean, and Thomas Gwilliam, youths, were charged with stealing a quantity of holly, value 2s, from a tree the property of Joseph Bennett, and doing damage to the amount of 5s. It was shown that the defendants entirely stripped the side of a young tree, and they were fined 10S each with costs, and ordered to pay the damage."
http://welshnewspapers.llgc.org.uk/en/page/view/3420256/ART20/gwilliam%20littledean%20f...

From this site's PRs, these are the only Thomas Gwilliam PRs I can find in Littledean c1879; not our youth, but another nailer;

Record_ID: 32813
Entry_Number: 385
Year: 1845
Month: Jan
Day: 4
Parents_Surname: GWILLIAM
Child_Forenames: Thomas
Fathers_Forenames: Thomas
Mothers_Forenames: Hannah Minett
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: Little Dean
Occupation: Nailer
Officiating_Minister: G Palling Off[iciating] Min[ister]
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P110 IN 1/6
Page_Number: 49
Parish_Chapel: Littledean
Soundex: G450

Birth Details
Child Surname Child Forename Father Surname Mother Surname Mother's Former Name Year District Office Register Entry
GWILLIAM Thomas GWILLIAM GWILLIAM COLE 1845 Forest of Dean Westbury on Severn, Newnham 6 44

Could this have been our youth, aged abt nine in 1879 ?

Record_ID: 19916
Entry_Number: 356
Year: 1914
Month: Feb
Day: 8
Surname: GWILLIAM
Forenames: Henry Thomas
Residence: Eastern United Colliery Ruspidge [?]
Age_at_death: 43
Officiating_Minister: Robert Bruce H. Armstrong M.A
Event: Burial
Cause_of_death:
Memoranda: Body brought from Littledean; Died 5 Feb 1914
Notes: No. of Grave 24
Register_Reference: P110 IN 1/13
Page_No:
Parish_Chapel: Littledean
Soundex: G450

------

His accomplice in "crime", George Wynn junior & senior ?

Record_ID: 1056093
Entry_Number: 53
Year: 1852
Month: Aug
Day: 15
Parents_Surname: WYN
Child_Forenames: George
Fathers_Forenames: George
Mothers_Forenames: Mary
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: Little DeanLittle DeanGlos
Occupation: Chymney Sweeper
Officiating_Minister: B. Jenkyn
Event: Baptism
Memoranda: Born July 11th 1852
Notes:
Register_Reference: D6514 1/1
Page_Number: 4
Parish_Chapel: Littledean Independent
Soundex: W500

Birth Details
Child Surname Child Forename Father Surname Mother Surname Mother's Former Name Year District Office Register Entry
WYNN George WYNN WYNN HORSHAM 1852 Forest of Dean Westbury on Severn, Newnham 12 376

Record_ID: 4843
Entry_Number: 308
Year: 1878
Month: Sep
Day: 22
Grooms_Surname: WYNNE
Grooms_Forenames: George
Grooms_Age: 24
Groom_Condition: Bachelor
Grooms_Occupation: Coal Miner
Grooms_Residence: Bilson
Grooms_Fathers_Surname: Wynne
Grooms_Fathers_Forenames: George
Grooms_Fathers_Occupation: Chimney Sweep
Brides_Surname: GRINDALL
Brides_Forenames: Sarah
Brides_Age: 21
Brides_Condition: Spinster
Brides_Occupation: [not stated]
Brides_Residence: Bilson
Brides_Fathers_Surname: Grindall
Brides_Fathers_Forenames: Benjamin
Brides_Fathers_Occupation: Labourer
Licence_or_Banns: Banns
Date_of_Banns: [not stated]
Signature_or_Mark: He signs she marks
Witness_1: Mark of George Wynne
Witness_2: Mary Wynn
Other_Witnesses:
Officiating_Minister: William Barker Vicar
Event: Marriage
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P109 IN 1/7
Page_Number: 154
Parish_Chapel: Drybrook
Soundex_Groom: W500
Soundex_Bride: G653

His father ?

Record_ID: 19692
Entry_Number: 133
Year: 1894
Month: Oct
Day: 1
Surname: WYNN
Forenames: George
Residence: Littledean
Age_at_death: 73
Officiating_Minister: George A.P. Arbuthnot [?]
Event: Burial
Cause_of_death:
Memoranda: Died on 26 Sep 1894; occupation Sweeper
Notes: No. of Grave 185 [?]
Register_Reference: P110 IN 1/13
Page_No:
Parish_Chapel: Littledean
Soundex: W500

Hi Chris, no problem, happy to help.

I presume you've probably already found this reference to your ancestors ?
The British History website is always worth a look as this shows !

"Littledean was the home of ironworking and metal trades by the mid 13th century, when four itinerant forges fuelled by timber or charcoal were operating there. Henry of Dean felled a grove before 1282 to provide charcoal and among the forges at work in Littledean at that time was one belonging to a sharesmith. Nailmaking had been established by 1327, when a nailer was one of the wealthier inhabitants, and became the most important trade in Littledean. Seventeen nailers listed in 1608 included men of some wealth, notably members of the Robinson family whose descendants were in the trade until the 19th century. Among the craftsmen of the parish in 1608 were also two pinners."

"In the later 18th century many poor inhabitants continued to depend on nailmaking and mining for a livelihood. Although several nailmakers such as Philip Robinson (d. 1809), who took over his uncle's business in 1776 and acquired some coalworks, prospered, the trade was mostly in the hands of poor labourers working individually. In 1851 it gave employment to 28 parishioners but in the later 19th century it was gradually abandoned and by the First World War had virtually ceased."

From: 'Littledean', A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 5: Bledisloe Hundred, St. Briavels Hundred, The Forest of Dean (1996), pp. 159-173. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=23258
Date accessed: 28 June 2014.

It's interesting to read that these nailmakers are considered to be "poor labourers", which fits-in with the posts further down this thread and their brushes with the law. I must confess this biased metalworker had been thinking they were skilled workers so would have held a reasonable status in life !. I should have known better, rather reminds me of London's silk weavers who had once been highly paid and respected, yet within a few years after 1861 found themselves out of work due to mass-produced French imports. I guess in earlier generations the Dean nailers were better off before they too had to compete with more competition with the factory age.

------------

From this site's PRs, ref the above;

The uncle ?

Record_ID: 127516
Entry_Number:
Year: 1776
Month: Feb
Day: 24
Surname: ROBINSON
Forenames: Philip
Residence:
Age_at_death:
Officiating_Minister: Benj[amin] Webb Min[iste]r
Event: Burial
Cause_of_death:
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P110 IN 1/3
Page_No: 74
Parish_Chapel: Littledean
Soundex: R152

Phillip the nailer ?;

Record_ID: 166005
Entry_Number:
Year: 1745
Month: Feb
Day: 24
Parents_Surname: ROBINSON
Child_Forenames: Phillip
Fathers_Forenames: John
Mothers_Forenames: Jane
Mothers_Surname:
Residence:
Occupation:
Officiating_Minister: Whetham Hill minister
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes: Old style date 1744/45
Register_Reference: P 110 IN 1/3
Page_Number: 18
Parish_Chapel: Littledean
Soundex: R152

Record_ID: 185086
Entry_Number:
Year: 1791
Month: Jun
Day: 24
Parents_Surname: ROBINSON
Child_Forenames: Philip
Fathers_Forenames: Philip
Mothers_Forenames: Ann
Mothers_Surname:
Residence:
Occupation:
Officiating_Minister: Wm Fryer Minister
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P110 IN 1/4
Page_Number: 4
Parish_Chapel: Littledean
Soundex: R152

Record_ID: 326972
Entry_Number:
Year: 1809
Month: Jun
Day: 18
Surname: ROBINSON
Forenames: Phillip
Residence:
Age_at_death: 64
Officiating_Minister: Hanbury Davies Curate
Event: Burial
Cause_of_death:
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P110 IN 1/4
Page_No: 11
Parish_Chapel: Littledean
Soundex: R152

(Age fits the 1745 baptism above) The PRs show several earlier Philip Robinsons in Littledean).

Amazing MPG, thanks very much. I only had one record of a James Gwilliam, the Gwilliam family are one of the well known nail making families of Littledean but I only had one record of a misdemeanour - chopping down a tree unlawfully, for firewood! The dates are very helpful. Thanks, ChrisL

Thanks Jefff. This is the most amazing, cooperative Forum that I have had the pleasure of coming across. I have a record of a John Gwilliam mentioned in a Robinson (my family) will but haven't yet found out whether they were related family wise or just business wise. They were certainly a very successful nail making family eventually, until the late nineteenth century. Thank, ChrisL

The decline of the nail making industry started in the second half of the 19th Century when nails began to be made from wire in Birmingham. Thanks for your comment Slowhands, ChrisL

Thanks again MPG. Must have taken tough guys to make tough nails! ChrisL

Thanks Mike, all good material! ChrisL

Thanks MPG, as mentioned before, the dates with the names and occupations are invaluable as you would know! ChrisL

Thanks Mike. I have an early memory of Painswick, between my birth in Frampton Cotterell and the time when I left to go to the Isle of Wight when I was 4 years of age. I hadn't come across the Gwilliam family before doing my Robinson family research but they do sound adventurous in many ways! Thanks ChrisL

Thanks Mike, very tempting I'm sure, without a source of fuel, no nails! ChrisL

Thanks Jefff. You have all the records there that we have, in the right relationships, the only thing is that from another source, Rev George Robinson, one of the 12 children of Philip (1744-1809) ID 185086, wife of Ann Huggins, in a letter of 1861, wrote that Philip (1702-1776) ID 127516 was one of two cousins of John (1712-1784) who is the Father of Philip (1744-1809) ID 185086. Will have a look at it again to see which is the more likely, cousin or uncle. Thanks ChrisL

On checking again this mystery of 'uncle' v 'cousin', the most likely Robinson to have had coal interests, and was in fact a 'coal proprietor' amongst many other 'irons in the fire', was in fact the one we have as Philip's (1744-1809), died 1809, Father!! John (1712-1784). The fact that John was a Coal Proprietor is in the same 1861 letter from Rev George Robinson as the comment about the 'cousins' who lived over the road!
There are three descendants of this Robinson family living down under in Oz, including yours truly, doing research, so have asked the other two what they think. Do we have the right Father or his he the Brother of the real Father of the Philip who died 1809? ChrisL.

Men in Armour for Gloucestershire 1608 (a list of all able bodied men fit to fight) this includes their age and stature etc

http://www.coaley.net/glos1608/index.php

Can search by occupation: Nailer or by name i.e. ROBINSON -

Littledean

John ROBINSON nailer A40 middle stature A40 means age about 40 - middle stature - means fit to make a musketeer
Adam ROBINSON nailer A40 middle stature
Jeffery WRIGHT servant to Adam ROBINSON nailer A40 tallest stature - means fit to make a pikeman
George ROBYNSON Nailer A 40 middle stature

and again Littledean

Christopher FOLEY servant to the said George ROBINSON A20 lower stature - means fit to serve with a caliver
George GROVE servant to the said George ROBINSON A40 tallest stature

Littledean

Anthony GROVE nailer A40 tallest stature

Fod Records

Baptism at Littledean - 16 June 1817

George GROVE father Anthony

Thanks again Jefff for drawing attention to a major error in my tree, I have found that 'Uncle' is correct and I have the wrong brother as the father. Rev George Robinson confirms it too in his all so important letter of 1861!! Thanks ChrisL

Many thanks MPG. That will be a great resource to have access to! ChrisL

The link to Men and Armour in Gloucestershire 1608 has now been added to our Links page under Genealogy Research.

Michael

That's great Michael. Certainly a very handy document, thanks, ChrisL

Henry Thomas Gwillam was my great grandfather and had a large family I have been trying to trace, his wife was Fanny from Cinderford, Henry Tomas was killed in a mining accident and his youngest daughter my grandmother Kate Gwillam only passed away last year aged 99. Henry Thomas was killed along with a Mr Leyshon. I don't know if there are any family members still in the Forest area.

As your Grandmother died last year aged 99 - year of birth was 1914

Kate GWILLIAM - mother's maiden name POWELL - July/August/September 1913 - Westbury on Severn

---

Just had a quick look at Ancestry Public Members Tree (not sure if any of these are yours?) or how much information you have

There are 3 trees with Henry Thomas GWILLIAM and Fanny POWELL

cath jones 105 family tree
Diane's Cornish/Dean Tree
Carey Family Tree **

1911 Census, Penbryn Cwn Pen Coed, Glamorgan

GWILLIAM

Henry Thomas - 40 - all born Little Dean
Fanney - 42
Beatrice - 17
Edith - 14
Jane - 12
Frances - 10
Rose - 8
Henry - 8 months

Henry Thomas GWILLIAM death listed as 5 February 1914, Eastern United Colliery, Ruspidge, East Dean

Fod Records

Burial at Littledean, 8 February 1914

Henry Thomas GWILLIAM
residence: Eastner United Colliery Ruspidge
age 43
Memoranda: Body brought from Littledean, Died 5 February 1914
No. of Grave 24.

---

Ancestry Probate

GWILLIAM Henry Thomas of Littledean, Gloucestershire, Collier, died 5 February 1914 at Eastern United Colliery Ruspidge East Dean Gloucestershire. Adminstration Gloucester 18 September to Fanny GWILLIAM Widow. Effects: £82

--

Burial at Littledean Independent - 9 February 1914

Herbert LEYSHON, age 26 -residence: Broad St. Littledean

??
(can find a HUBERT aged 22 and a Collier 1911 census - and Freebdm lists death Hubert aged 26 Herbert)

1911 Census, Pleasant Style, Littledean
LEYSHON
Hubert - 22 - collier, married 1 year, born Steam Mills, Glos
Elizabeth - 22 (maiden name MORRIS - married 1910 - WoS Register Office)
Dorothy - 1 month

--

1901 Census, Littledean

William DEANE - 35, Collier, Timberman, born Littledean - Glos
Fanny DEANE - 31, born Dudley, Staffs
Hubert LEYSHON, 10 Wife's son, born Drybrook

---

Fod Records - Marriage - 2 Sept 1894, Littledean

William DEANE age 25, Widower - Miner
father: James DEANE
married
Fanny LEYSHON - 24, Spinster
father: William LEYSHON, Tin Worker

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If this is the correct Hubert LEYSHON, his wife Elizabeth gave birth to twins (Hubert & Elizabeth) - 23 August 1914 and had them christened - 23 September 1914 at Littledean Independent.

Hilda Elizabeth LEYSHON, Widow, age 33 - of Broad St, Littledean - married Walter BAYLIS - 28 April 1923 at Littledean Independent.

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From the Carey Tree

GWILLIAM/POWELL
Children

Beatrice May 1893-1973
Edith Edlith - 1897
Mary Jane - 1909
Frances Maud - 1901-1967
Florence Rose - 1902 - 1979 ***
Ivy Doris - 1906-1982
Evyd - 1907
Henry Thomas - 1910-1972

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and from this tree: Florence Rose GWILLIAM married Dennis Wentworth ROBINS - October 1922, Westbury on Severn

This marriage is found on Gloucesteshirebdm

http://ww3.gloucestershire.gov.uk/bmd/

- 1922 Register Office, Westbury on Severn Forest of Dean

http://www.cmhrc.co.uk/site/disasters

Henry T GWILLIAM 1914 can be found on the above site.

'Taking out a pillar of coal on the rise side etc etc. a piece of rock 12 foot long, 7 foot side and 5 foot thick, fell from the roof - 2 killed

Owner, H.Crawshay & Co

Henry Gwilliam and Hubert Leyshon were killed by the falling of a huge fall of stone from the roof in Eastern United Colliery, on 5th February 1914. They were filling coal into coal trucks at the time of the fall and were killed instantly. Eric (ky) Warren once told me that his father recalled that the lumps of rock were so big that they had to be blasted apart in order to get the bodies out from underneath. A lad named Horace Evans was badly injured in the initial fall, but survived. The coal was being worked "to the rise" and the coal heaved out and downwards, causing the roof to fall. The men's bodies were brought out with due reverence in bags, due to their horrific injuries.
This case was well known in mining circles, but as most of the old miners have passed on now, the story is gradually fading. I am doing my best to make sure this does not happen.
Dave Tuffley