On Saturday at the Swansea Museum Book Fair when I was on the Glamorgan FHS stall, a
gentleman asked me why a street in St Thomas, Swansea was called Benthall Place, as there
seemed to be no connection of anyone called Benthall with that area. I investigated a
little and this is what I found.
From the Cambrian Index
www.swansea.gov.uk/cambrian the first
reference to Benthall Place, St Thomas was in September 1883.
On 28 Dec 1876 at Ystradgynlais Ernest,son of Edward BENTHALL J.P. of Dorset married Jane
daughter of Wm. PRICE J.P.,Glantwrch, Swansea Vale. This couple then had daughters born in
London reported on 16th May 1878 and 11th July 1879.
From censuses Ernest BENTHALL was born about 1844 in Jepon,Bengal. His
father's death in 1889 aged 82 and the marriages of two of his brothers in 1888 in
leafy suburbs of London were also in the Cambrian. Edward BENTHALL in 1861 census in
Sherborne was born Totnes, Devon 'Bengal Civil Service 28 years'. Ernest in 1881
in Kensington was a Clerk in the India Office, wife Jane R., born Wales. In 1901 he had
retired to Bournemouth and his wife was shown as born Ystradgynlais about 1847. Ernest had
been with an uncle in Stanwell, Middlesex in 1851. No obvious connection to Swansea area
apart from his wife.
From census, William PRICE was a surgeon born Pontardawe 1803, with a
wife Mary born Swansea 1812 approx. Jane Rogers PRICE was born in Ystradgynlais ,
registered in Neath District Sept. quarter 1846.
From the Cambrian again, 19th July 1845 Wm. PRICE, surgeon, of
Glantwrch, Ystradgynlais married Mary JENKINS of Kilvey House, Llansamlet.
From 1841 Census at Kilvey House Llansamlet Mary seemed likely to be eldest daughter of
the Head of household Elias Jenkins,64,Copper Merchant.
From the A2A link Gareth provided, the will of Elias JENKINS of
Swansea was dated 1850. Also a transfer of lands he signed for John Freeman and Copper
Company for the Swansea Vale Railway , dated 1846 and another in Birmingham archives dated
1834 where he signed for the same company.
From the Cambrian Elias JENKINS died in January 1850 at Glantwrch, so
he was presumably Mary's father. Who was he? The death of one of his daughters,
Sarah, was in the Cambrian in 1875,in Bristol. His son Elias had died in 1836 age 18, and
his wife in 1820 'of White Rock'.
In 1867 The Cambrian had an article about the introduction of copper smelting to the White
Rock Works and referred to Elias JENKINS, manager to 1850. Back on 17th June 1809 Elias
JENKINS of White Rock married Miss ROGERS, daughter of Mr ROGERS of Neath.
So Benthall Place, St. Thomas was named after the husband of the eldest daughter of the
eldest daughter of Elias JENKINS, manager of the White Rock works, who may indeed have
inherited his interest in land in the area.
Not my family, but an instance of an interesting research exercise in local history.
Jeff