Thomas Jones

3G-grandfather of Norma Margaret Oliver

Born:

c1753

Married:

(1) 1779 Cardiganshire, Wales to Jane Morgan

(2) 20 Oct 1801 St David's Church, Llanddewi-Brefi, Cardiganshire, Wales

Died:

Jun 1819 Bettws Bledrws, Cardiganshire, Wales. Age 66

Buried:

25 Jun 1819 St Bledrws, Bettws Bledrws, Cardiganshire, Wales

Timeline

c1753

1779

1784-1788

1791

1795

1799

Feb 1801

Oct 1801

1804-1819

Jun 1819

Born [1]

Married Jane Morgan, likely at Llangybi, Cardiganshire [2]

Lived with family at Llwyn-bobby, Bettws Bledrws, Cardiganshire. Appointed churchwarden and overseer for the poor for 1784 by St Bledrws Church [3] [4] [5]

Lived with family at Maes-y-felin-fach, Bettws Bledrws, Cardiganshire and appointed churchwarden and overseer for the poor [6a and 6b].

Appointed churchwarden and overseer for the poor for St Bledrws Church, Bettws Bledrws, Cardiganshire, Wales [7]

Lived with family at Llwyn-bobby, Bettws Bledrws, Cardiganshire [8]

Death of wife, Jane [9]

Married Elizabeth Jones at St David's Church, Llanddewi-Brefi, Cardiganshire [10]

Lived with family at Maes-y-felin-fach, Bettws Bledrws, Cardiganshire [11] [1]

Died at Maes-y-felin-fach, Bettws Bledrws, Cardiganshire, Wales. Buried at St Bledrws' Church [1]

Biography

Early years

Thomas Jones was based in the village of Bettws Bledrws in Cardiganshire. It was a small village - only around 200 inhabitants - located on the road to Tregaron [11].

He was born around 1753, however the first record we have of him was a banns record to Jane Morgan from the village of Llangbyi, next to Bettws Bledrws [2].

Marriage banns were public announcements of an impending marriage made in the parish churches of a bride and groom. Banns were read in the respective churches for three Sundays prior to the marriage and allowed citizens in each marriage to raise any legal impediments to the marriage. For example, a pre-existing marriage, the couple being too closely related, or lack of consent [12].

Thomas was recorded as being of the parish of Bettws Bledrws, which means he had resided there for at least some time prior to the marriage, or may have been born there. As a resident, the banns had to be read at St Bledrws, the parish church for Bettws Bledrws, as well as St Cybi, in the parish of Llangybi, where Jane resided.

It is likely the couple subsequently married at St Cybi's church, as it was common for the marriage to take place in the bride's parish. However, marriage records for Llangybi at the time do not appear to have survived.

St Cybi 's Church, Llangybi, Cardiganshire

Churchwarden and overseer of the poor

After the marriage, the couple settled in Bettws Bledrws, living in a wooded area known Llwyn-bobby, "baking bush".

We don't know what Thomas did day-to-day but it is very likely he was a farmer, which was the most common occupation in this area at the time, being a rural community. However, additionally, he was involved with parish business. In 1784, and again in 1791 and 1795 he served 12-month terms as the parish churchwarden and overseer of the poor [3] [6a and 6b] [7].

The appointment for the position of churchwarden and overseer of the poor was made by the vestry each Easter. The vestry was the collective decision-making body for the parish and generally met as needed, with an annual meeting each Easter to audit accounts and appoint parish officers [13].

The churchwarden was the senior parish officer and was expected to maintain order and peace in the church and churchyard at all times, especially during services. Thomas would have been expected to protect the church edifice and keep up repairs, as well as any items belonging to the church; to carry into effect any parochial regulations; and, if needed, be the legal representative of the parish at large. As a churchwarden, Thomas' duties would have additionally included administering poor relief such as money, food and clothing to the poor of the parish; supervising the poorhouse; and calculating and collecting the poor rate. In his capacity as overseer of the poor, he would have worked under the supervision of a Justice of the Peace and kept accounts. Both positions would have been unpaid [14] [15].

St Bledrws Church, Bettws Bledrws, Cardiganshire

Death of wife and re-marriage

In February 1801, Thomas' wife Jane died and was likely relatively young and in her 40s [9].

In October of that same year, Thomas re-married Elizabeth Jones, from the nearby village of Llanddewi-Brefi. By this time, Thomas was about 48 years of age and Elizabeth was around 32 years. The pair married in Elizabeth's church of St David's, Llanddewi-Brefi [10].

St David Llanddewi Brefi Cardiganshire.jpg

St David's Church, Llanddewi-Brefi, Cardiganshire

By 1804, the family had moved to the farm next to Llwyn-bobby, called Maes-y-felin-fach,"the small mill field" [11].

Thomas lived here with his wife and children until his death in June 1819 at the age of 66. He was buried at St Bledrws on the 25th of Jun 1819 [1].

Bettws Bledrws map 1880s - showing Maes-y-felin-fach and Llwyn-bobby.jpg

OS map of Bettws Bledrws from the 1880s showing Llwyn-bobby and Maes-y-felin-fach

Source information

Thomas Jones, Burial record, St Bledrws Bettws Bledrws Parish Register [Church of England], 25 Jun 1819, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]. Residence at time of death was Maes-y-felin-fach.
Thomas Jones and Jane Morgan, Marriage banns record, St Bledrws Bettws Bledrws Parish Register [Church of England], 1779, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]. The banns record notes that Jane was of “Llangybe” (Llangybi, Cardiganshire), so it is likely the marriage took place there (banns records were read in parishes of the groom and bride if they were from different parishes, which is why this banns record was read in Bettws Bledrws). The parish records for Llangybi are not available for this time period, so marriage records cannot be checked.
St Bledrws Bettws Bledrws Parish Register [Church of England], 1784, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]. Interspersed between the baptism, marriage and burial records, the parish register also records vestry business for the parish. The following was recorded for 1784: “Thos Jones Llwynybobi Churchwarden and overseer of the poor 1784”
John Jones, Baptismal St Bledrws Bettws Bledrws Parish Register [Church of England], 18 Oct 1786, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]. Parents' residence given as Llwynyboby.
St Bledrws Bettws Bledrws Parish Register [Church of England], 1788, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]. Thomas Jones acts as a signatory to parish business. He signs his name as "Thos John Llwynboby".
St Bledrws Bettws Bledrws Parish Register [Church of England], 1791, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]. Alternate page recording the same event can be seen here. Interspersed between the baptism, marriage and burial records, the parish register also records vestry business for the parish. The following was recorded for 1791: “1791 Thos. John [sic] for Maesyfelinfach Churchwarden & overseer of the poor for this ensuing year 1791”. Thomas’s residence for the period 1784-1799 is otherwise only given as Llwyn-bobby, however, Maes-y-felin-fach was right next to Llwyn-bobby and Thomas was later recorded as living there from 1804 until his death.
St Bledrws Bettws Bledrws Parish Register [Church of England], 1795, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]. Interspersed between the baptism, marriage and burial records, the parish register also records vestry business for the parish. The following was recorded for 1795: “We present likewise Thos. Jones to be church warden and overseer of the poor for this ensuing year 1795”.
Jane Jones, Baptismal record, St Bledrws Bettws Bledrws Parish Register [Church of England], 2 Jan 1799, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]. Parents' residence given as Llwynyboby.
Mary Jones, Burial record, St Bledrws Bettws Bledrws Parish Register [Church of England], 3 Feb 1801, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]. I note that the record states name is Mary (wife of Thomas Jones), however there doesn't appear to be any Mary, wife of Thomas anywhere else in the Bettws Bledrws parish records - only Jane. Date of death would be right for Jane too (between 1799-Oct 1801). There is no other record of a Jane Jones being buried during this time period. So I believe this record might relate to Jane and there was an error in recording her name in the parish register.
Thomas Jones and Elizabeth Jones, Marriage record, St Bledrws Bettws Bledrws Parish Register [Church of England], 20 Oct 1801, Ancestry [www.ancestry.co.uk]. Note that, although his name is recorded as Thomas Jones, he signs his name as "Thomas Johns".
Obituary for Thomas Jones, The Cambrian, Aug 1891. Confirmed family was living at Maes-y-felin-fach by 1804.
Banns of marriage, Last edited 31 Oct 2024, Wikipedia [en.wikipedia.org]
Vestries, Churchwardens and Overseers, Parish Relief, London Lives 1690-1800 [londonlives.org]
Churchwardens' Responsibilities - 1835, Deopham History [deophamhistory.co.uk]
Overseer of the Poor, Last edited 29 Sep 2024, Wikipedia [en.wikipedia.org]