.... the demise of a smack, a fishing vessel, named 'Gem' who sunk on 25th June 1861.
It was actually being used for movement of goods in the Bristol channel at that time.

I am interested in John Reynolds and his 2 sons from Awre/Blakeney.
John was the Master at the time of the tragedy! All three lost their lives when the boat went down.
I am led to believe they may have been transporting treated iron for Trefil Mine, near Tredegar, which was the Tredegar Iron Company.

1. I have recently received a report from the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales,
what a mouthful, on Gem and now have reference numbers. The vessel sank in the river usk or near-by. It was 88 nt
wooden sailing smack built 1842 carrying iron ore caught in a southerly gale, it foundered in the usk estuary.

2. Confirmed Gem sank in the river usk near the pylons which cross over the river usk south of Newport.
You can see it on google, close to the lock gates,bear in mind they say estimated position.

3. If you look at the 1861 census for our John he is in Newport as Captain
of vessel Gem and he gives the names of the crew on board, this was in
April as well as a name of John Phelps or Philips born.1802 in Awre in
gloucestershire is given. The report on the enquiry into the tradgedy refers to one survivor as an old man no name given,
so assumed to be name given in census 2 Months earlier. I have since tried to trace
this man and his family, He was born c1802 this makes him older than John Reynolds ie c1804
I believe the old man is John Phelps.

1861 Vessel Gem

John Reynolds abt 1806 Newnham, Gloucestershire, England Master Vessels, Monmouthshire
John Philps abt 1804 Awra, Gloucestershire, England Mate Vessels, Monmouthshire
Thomas Reynolds abt 1844 Newnham, Gloucestershire, England Boy Vessels, Monmouthshire

1851
John Phelps abt 1802 Awre, Gloucestershire, England Head West Dean, Gloucestershire Water Pilot
Hannah Phelps abt 1797 East Dean Wife West Dean, Gloucestershire
Ann Phelps abt 1835 East Dean Daughter West Dean, Gloucestershire
William Phelps abt 1836 East Dean Son West Dean, Gloucestershire

Anyhow some net searching has found this 2009 thread which I suspect you are already aware of and indeed may have been part of at the time ?
It seems the ship was the sailing smack "Gem" out of Newport carrying iron ore, floundered in a gale and sank at the mouth of the River Usk, only one survivor of the four man crew.

I hope this helps, J.

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,416045.0.html

Just letting you know that the GM Harris (Gilda) is a cousin of mine and John reynolds is her GG Grandfather as follows. Gilda Harris her mum is Joan Humphries and her mum was Mabel Lott whos mum was Mary Joynes whos mum was Mary Reynolds the daughter of John Reynolds. That is all I know. Hope this clears up the connection.

The Review letter was supplied to me as a photograph of the item in the Review, and the correspondent's name and address were right on the edge of the frame. It appears to say "G.M. Harris" and the address appears to be either Enley or Epley Road, Newent. As mentioned, I can't see such a road anywhere on streetmap. The name Harris didn't ring any bells with me.

Please can you post the Review Harris address you mentioned, hopefully someone else will recognise it. In fact, I wonder if this the sort of article that might be scanned into the website's "Documents" section, it sounds a good read ?.
Thanks.

By astonishing coincidence I recently learned of a letter in the Forest of Dean & Wye Valley Review in September 2005 which reveals a distant connection between me and the deceased three Reynolds. That letter arose from publication of a postcard written in Pitman shorthand by Mr F L Lott, who apparently was the correspondent's great-grandfather.

He, Frederick Llewellyn Lott, had been a guard on the Severn & Wye Railway and later kept a shop at Tutnalls, Lydney, next door to a house called Clydesdale.
He shared this retail enterprise with his wife. She was the daughter of Mr and Mrs Joynes, who kept the turnpike house at Moseley Green. And she, Mary Joynes, was the daughter of John Reynolds who drowned with his sons. The letter of 2005 said simply that the drowning was in "the channel" but this thread makes it clear that this was not the English Channel but the Bristol Channel or indeed the Severn Estuary.

Mr Lott died in 1946, aged 85, at Bourton-on-the-Water, but was buried at Lydney. And this is why: Mr and Mrs Lott had two daughters, Mildred and Kathleen. Mildred married Oscar Sterrey, of 29 Albert Street, Lydney, who was one of my grandmother's brothers. Oscar and Mildred had two children, one of whom was Bob Sterrey. Mildred then died, whereupon Oscar married her sister Kathleen. Oscar became postmaster at Bourton, as did his son Bob. Fred Lott must have moved there prior to his death, or died there while visiting.

Contact with the Review might get you into touch with the 2005 correspondent, one Harris giving an address in Newent which I can't locate on streetmap, but there might be further information from that source about the accident.

The letter of 2005 also confirmed the existence of the memorial at Blakeney Baptist Chapel. I found this thread while searching for further details of the drowning tragedy. Thus, those who drowned were my father's uncle's wives' grandfather and his two sons.

1851
John Reynolds abt 1803 Awre, Gloucestershire, England Head Etloe, Gloucestershire
Elizabeth Reynolds abt 1809 Awre, Gloucestershire, England Wife Etloe, Gloucestershire
Charles Reynolds abt 1850 Awre, Gloucestershire, England Son Etloe, Gloucestershire
Eliza Reynolds abt 1834 Chapston, Monmouthshire, Wales Daughter Etloe, Gloucestershire
James Reynolds abt 1842 Awre, Gloucestershire, England Son Etloe, Gloucestershire
John Reynolds abt 1836 Awre, Gloucestershire, England Son Etloe, Gloucestershire
Martha Reynolds abt 1847 Awre, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Etloe, Gloucestershire
Mary Reynolds abt 1838 Awre, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Etloe, Gloucestershire
Thomas Reynolds abt 1844 Awre, Gloucestershire, England Son Etloe, Gloucestershire
William Reynolds abt 1840 Awre, Gloucestershire, England Son Etloe, Gloucestershire

so I'll try to track down the deaths, knowing that the 1861 Census for England was taken on the night of 7 April 1861.

1861 Victoria Beer House
Elizabeth Reynolds abt 1808 Awre, Gloucestershire, England Wife East Dean, Gloucestershire Mariners Wife
Charls Reynolds abt 1848 Awre, Gloucestershire, England Son East Dean, Gloucestershire
Martha Reynolds abt 1845 Awre, Gloucestershire, England Daughter East Dean, Gloucestershire