The John Bowen you refer to in 1871 census is my g uncle. The entry re his birth is ]difficult to read (Cwm Haven rather than Carmarthen) He was in fact born in Cwmafan, Glamorganshire (cf Michaelstone Parish records)

1861 Census Lydney (Address "house)
John Bowen Head 30 Refiner of Iron Cwm Haven
Jemima Bowen Wife 33 Lydney
Emily Bowen Daughter 3 Lydney
Rachel Bowen Daughter 1 Lydney

My direct descendant is THOMAS BOWEN (b 1843 Rogerstone Monmouthshire)
Their father also JOHN BOWEN and household appear as follows:-

1861 Census Lydney . Road or Street "Cottage"

John Bowen Head 53 Refiner Iron Manufacturer Glamorgan
Joanna Bowen Wife 50 Wife Glamorgan
Jenkin Bowen Son 19 Shearer in Tin Works Pontypridd
Thomas Bowen Son 17 Forgeman Basleck (Bassleg) Monmouthshire
Mary E Bowen Daughter 15 Scholar Monmouth
Rhoda Bowen Daughter 12 Scholar Monmouth

1871 Census Lydney Station Road
Joan Bowen Head Widow 60 Margam
Jenkin Bowen Son Unmarried 29 Shearer Tin Works
Thomas Bowen Son Unmarried 27 Hammerman Tin Plate Works Bassleg Monmouth
Mary E Bowen Daughter Unmarried 25 Monmouth

John's wife is sometimes referred to as Joan but also as Joanna or Joannah

If anyone is interested in further details of this family please e mail me.

Please can anyone help with the history of Station Road? The 1871 census has my g g grandfather John BOWEN "Refiner Iron Manufacture" and family living in Station Road where John and his wife Joan BOWEN lived for the rest of their lives. 10 years previously the 1861 census has them located in "Cottage" . They moved to Lydney from Rogerstone, Monmouthshire circa 1852. Would "cottage" refer to the old cottages at Middle Forge or those in Swan Lane and did the "cottages" become Station Road?

Hi KatieAnn,
apologies for my late reply, I did start working on this when you first posted, however my own lack of personal experience/knowledge of the area bar driving thro on the A48 many years ago, plus some apparent ambiguities wrt your post, led me to wait for other replies first.
Tonight I've revisited your query in some depth, and think I've made progress, or maybe just been studying the wrong family !?!. However I've foolishly just "lost" the lengthy text of my entire post before pressing "send", my fault entirely, so will now ask you this one question to check I'm on the right tracks before I follow it up.

Please can you confirm if this is the same household you're researching ?.
When I found them a few weeks ago, I vaguely recall reading John's wife went under a different name in the Census, and I found web postings confirming Joan was indeed a nickname?. However the more I've looked into your query tonight the more confused I'm getting, for various reasons, so seems wise to check with you before possibly going off at a tangent.

1871 Census

Household schedule number Given Name Surname Relationship Age Estimated Birth Year Gender Birth City Birth County Birth Country

John Bown Head(refiner of iron) 40 1831 Male Glamorgan Carmarthenshire Wales
Jemima Bown Wife 43 1828 Female Lydney Gloucestershire England
Emily Bown Daughter 13 1858 Female Lydney Gloucestershire England
Rachael Bown Daughter 11 1860 Female Lydney Gloucestershire England
John G Bown Son 10 1861 Male Lydney Gloucestershire England
Thomas H Bown Son 7 1864 Male Lydney Gloucestershire England
Albert Bown Son 8 Months 1870 Male Lydney Gloucestershire England

This family were in the area since 1861 at least, and at Station Road Lydney in 1881, so seem a good general fit in many ways, however I think there are discrepancies with your original post.

Looking forward to your reply so we can progress, many thanks, Jeff