James PILE

[uncleagent61]

Hi, good to meet you too. I have photos of Benjamin's gravestone which I can email to you.
cheers, Linda

[uncleagent61]

Sorry - not concentrating - I don't know why I thought your name was James!

[Trees]

I'd love that photo wil PM you many thanks

[Trees]

Did you notice Bridget Pile nee Keen was a lava seller in 1851 HO107/1895 fo216 p30? Lava bread is still sold here in South Wales but I had no idea it was used in Devon interesting find
Did you find the Kelly publicans on my site?

[uncleagent61]

Yes I did notice the lava seller - we used to buy laver bread in Bristol in the early 1970s, at a greengrocers at the bottom of Blackboy Hill. I haven't bought any since living in Wales though!

And yes, I found the publicans on your website. The second John Kelly is the twin of Thomas, and both John senior and Thomas had a second occupation as ropemakers. Thomas is listed as ropemaker in 1851. William was also a bootmaker. Mary Ann Perry nee Sanders was his second wife and mother of Harriet. His first wife was Elizabeth Pile. Their oldest child Maria Pile Kelly, my great great grandmother, was barmaid in the Royal George in 1861. She married Herbert Ebenezer Glover, an Appledore mariner, in 1863 at Swansea Register Office. I wonder if his parents disapproved of him marrying the barmaid and so they went off to Swansea to get married! Pure speculation on my part, but I can't think of any other reason for them not to marry in Appledore.

[Trees]

Yes I have the twins baptisms ( from Barnstaple RO)
KELLY   John twin   son of   John and Sarah   20.11.1816   Appledore   rope maker
KELLY   Thomas twin   son of   John and Sarah   20.11.1816   Appledore   rope maker

Have you got these?
Kelly, Thomas (1890) - Deed: Publican of Northam.
- 3 Dwelling Houses in West Appledore (Formerly One) Sold to Christopher Cobbledick (See Deeds of 10 Cross Street Northam). -
 25/01/1892 - House in Irsha Street and Garden Conveyed to Him, Sometime in the Occupation of Grace Slade, Unto Use of Henry Granville Shirzill Wilkinson.
 30/07/1872 - He Borrowed £70 from George Brayley-Brayley on 3 Houses in Cross Street and one in Appledore.
11/06/1892 - Mortgage to Secure £20 and Further Advances on 9, 10 and 11 Cross Street - Described as a Retired Innkeeper. - 01//03/1893
It seems Thomas was a man of property!

Thomas was a licencee in Fore Street in 1871 and at the Kingsley in 1881

Twin John was a publican and joiner in 1851 in West Street He is listed as a beer retailer in 1832 Slater's directory.
1857 WEST APPLEDORE
Alphabetical List of Professions, Trades, Etc
Kelly John, beer retailer, King's Head
1861 Irsha Street, Appledore

so its not clear which pub he was keeping and when he moved O suspect it was a beer house in
west Street probably selling a brew he made himself for a side line. He is always on baptisms of his children as a Joiner.

We think our Joseph Diment came across from Appledore to Porthcawl on a ship captained by a Bale cousin, as one minute he is a farm labourer in Abbotsham the next a Farm labourer in Laleston. We think Appledore was  likely to have originally been Aber Torr (Mouth of the river Torr) we know there was a regular trade, coal to Devon and gravel back to Wales so it would be easy for anyone to nip across to Swansea or Porthcawl if they wanted to get wed away from the family. What do you think of this idea?

[uncleagent61]

No I haven't got all of those - thanks. Christopher Cobbledick also married a Kelly daughter, though I'll have to look it up to see which one! We found his gravestone in Northam churchyard too - I have lots of photos of Kelly and related gravestones in both Northam and Appledore.

Do you know the two books on Appledore by David Carter? Lots of useful information. He said that one of the 4 houses in The Path, which is off Irsha Street, was the King's Head, and when we stayed in Appledore just over a year ago we stayed at No 4 The Path.

“The property at numbers 1 and 2 was a pub called the King’s Head which dates back to at least 1822 when the landlord was Samuel Sanders. In the 1870s Christopher Cobbledick became the landlord, staying until the pub closed in 1901. When the house was renovated in the 1970s Cobbledick’s suit was discovered still hanging in a sealed chamber!”
Samuel Sanders may be connected to William Kelly’s 2nd wife Mary Ann Perry nee Sanders.

1871 Clark and Mary Swift are listed at the King’s Head, Irsha Street, Appledore.
Mary Ann Swift (c1843 – 1933) = daughter of John & Prudence Kelly. Clark Swift (c1841 – 1914) = innkeeper and mariner in 1871.

Christopher Cobbledick (c1837 – 1923) married Sarah (1840 – 1918), daughter of John and Prudence Kelly. In 1871 Christopher and Sarah Cobbledick were living in Fore Street, Northam with their 4 children, and either in the same property or next door to John Kelly senior and John Kelly junior, both widowed, and next to Thomas Kelly at the Kingsley Hotel on the other side. Thomas Kelly doesn’t appear on the Appledore censuses, implying that he’s in Northam. Ditto John senior.

I imagine there was plenty of traffic to and fro across the Bristol Channel - there must have been huge numbers of boats that people could hitch a ride on!