Keith Merrick <keith(a)merrick5191.fslife.co.uk> wrote:
I have an ancestor that lived in the Dolyhir area,(ROGERS), possible at
the station as he worked on the railway. the area has changed a lot
owing to a quarry digging up most of the land, can anyone tell me if
Dolyhir was a village or just a name for the area?
===================
Dear Keith,
I have been involved in researching Williams and Baynham families who
lived and worked in this area, and have visited Dolyhir many times. The
name Dolyhir seems to have been used to describe the locality rather
than merely the railway station. Even the Ordnance Survey 'Pathfinder'
map (sheet 993), published in 1988, names Dolyhir Quarry, Dolyhir
Cottages, and Dolyhir Bridge, as well as using Dolyhir as the name of
the area.
One of the families I was researching lived at what were then called
"New Cottages, Dolyhir" in the early 1900s.
In 1911, the local newspaper, the Kington Times, reported thus on the
funeral of an inhabitant of Dolyhir:
-------Quote begins----------
Dolyhir - Funeral of Mr. C. Williams
The funeral of Mr. C. Williams, who died at his residence of New
Cottages, Dolyhir, aged 70 years took place at Kinnerton Churchyard on
Thursday (February 23rd). The Rev. L. Davies, Stanner, officiated at the
burial service. The deceased, who had been an employee of the Old Radnor
Trading Company for 18 years was much respected and generally well known
in the district, and much sympathy is felt with the widow and family in
their bereavement. His remains were reverently borne to their last
resting place, a distance of 4 miles, by four of his fellow workmen, the
bearers being Mr. T. Baynham, Blacklands; Mr. J. Lewis, Rhydolfford; Mr.
W. Lewis, Dolyhir; and Mr. W. Hopton, Stanner. The chief mourners were:
Mrs. Williams (widow); Mr. and Mrs. C. Williams (son and
daughter-in-law); Mr. and Mrs. A. Williams (son and daughter-in-law);
Mr. and Mrs. M. Williams (son and daughter-in-law); Mr. and Mrs. J.
Evans (daughter and son-in-law); Mr. and Mrs. E. Jones (daughter and
son-in-law); Mr. and Mrs. T. Edwards (daughter and son-in-law); Mr. and
Mrs. J. Moss (daughter and son-in-law); Mr. F. Williams (grandson); Miss
P. Williams, Miss S. Evans, Miss K. Evans, Miss G. Evans, Miss B. Evans,
and Miss A. Evans (granddaughters); Messrs. J. Jones (grandsons).
Floral tributes were numerous and beautiful. The coffin supplied by Mr.
J. Lingen, New Radnor, was of polished elm with brass fittings. Mr. T.
Price of Siluria sent his trap to convey the widow, and the funeral was
an impressive one.
--------quote ends------------
[Source: "Kington Times", 4 March 1911, page 4 ]
As you can imagine, finding such detail in a report is a genealogist's
dream! :o)
The Old Radnor Trading Company operated the limestone quarry at Dolyhir.
The local history section of the public library in Kington
(Herefordshire) has an excellent collection of the Kington Times
covering the period from the 1890s through to the 1920s.
Kind regards,
John
----------------------------
John Ball, Ystalyfera, South Wales, UK
E-mail: wfha(a)clara.co.uk
Homepage:
http://home/clara.net/wfha/
Welsh Family History Archive:
http://home.clara.net/wfha/wales/
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