Euroclydon - Bertha H S & Thomas Bennett BRAIN (General)

by jimashton , Saturday, February 19, 2011, 15:52 (5035 days ago) @ slowhands

Thank you Slowhands for the personalised item !!

My great great grandmother Mary Ann Marfell 1835 shown on the 1851 Census entry as servant to Thomas Brain 1807, was in fact his 2nd cousin twice removed, he is then of course my 2nd cousin 5 times removed. Mary Ann Marfell 1835 married her 1st cousin Cornelius Marfell 1832 in 1853. Cornelius died in an Iron Mining Accident at Wigpool in 1865.

As you say regarding the Thomas Brain 1851 Census entry, there are indeed Marfell's next door; my 1st cousin 5 times removed Jonathon Marfell 1795 and Phebe nee Meek 1795, Phebe being the daughter of Thomas Meek 1766 and Sarah Marfell 1767 - my great great great great great aunt !!

Within the same 1851 Census entry is daughter Anne Tommey Brain 1835, she married Cornelius Brain 1830 at Hope Mansell 1855. Their son Francis William Thomas Brain (later Knighted) was an Engineer who worked with Thomas Bennett Brain, owner of Trafalgar Mine and the person who had Euroclydon built. As a result, Trafalgar mine became the first mine to have electricity - see my posting:
http://www.forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?id=12849

As an aside, my grandmother Jane Kate Marfell 1888 - the grandaughter of Mary Ann Marfell above, married Tom Treherne 1885. When Tom Treherne worked at Trafalgar mine, he contracted scillicosis, which caused him to cease work and the whole family moved to Croydon, where my aunt was in service. He received nothing from the Mine owners. Ironically Jane Kate Treherne nee Marfell would not have known that Thomas Bennett Brain was her 3rd cousin.

In my 2008 posting on this thread, I indicated that I would email some pictures of Euroclydon. I cannot post those as they are extracted from a book and would probably cause copyright difficulties. It is however such an iconic and important Forest of Dean landmark, that I will post a photograph I took myself, unfortunately on a slightly misty day.

Jim Ashton