Thomas Cecil blacksmith at Newlands and Lugwardine

[Luaperom]

I am trying to track a Thomas Cecil, born about 1833 in Welsh Newton, to a Thomas and Elizabeth Cecil. He was a journeyman blacksmith at his fathers farm/forge but left sometime after 1851 and travelled far and wide.

In April 1855 he seems to have married married an Elizabeth James, from Penallt, in Hereford. This much travelled blacksmith then had a son, Thomas, registered 1857 alternatively at Stow Green or Newlands, Gloucestershire, and a daughter, Alice, registered 1859 at Leominster.

The 1861 census places the family at Lugwardine, where he practises as a blacksmith. The address is Garden House (unreadable) which seems to be between the Garden House -  the home of an agricultural labourer and Longworth (?) Mill. The mill was large enough to employ two men.

The 1871 census places him and his family at the forge in Goodrich where he finally settled.

Can anyone cast any light on either his time at Newlands or Lugwardine. For example was the mill at Lugwardine refurbished at this time?

Paul

[mazi]

there were three mills in lugwardine, lugg bridge mill, tidnor mill and longworth mill, all were working then. there were a blacksmith family. father and son with wife as postmistress in hagley, I think the name was connor.

if you search google maps for "tidnor wood", immediately below the red arrow you will see a short length of dead end lane, at the end of this lane is Garden Cottage, can be seen on old-maps.co.uk.

longworth mill is a bit further down where the road crosses the river frome

[mazi]

oops, Mazi put a plate of food on the table and hinted at possible consequences if I did not come off the computer 

I have seen tidnor mill referred to as tidnor forge, and a suggestion that it was still "producing iron" in the early 1800s, if this helps.

Have you considered that Thomas born 1857 may have been born newlans/stow green because eliz. went home to her mum to have her first born, its very close to penallt., thos. could have stayed working in lugwardine area and never actually lived there

mike

[Luaperom]

Thanks,
I had not realized that Newlands was quite that close to Penallt. I still cannot find Stow Green but see that their is a Stowfield close by. I need to look at the original form tomorrow to see if it has been miss read.

It is a good notion that his wife went back to have her first child, although the 61 census does place all the family up in Lugwardine.  I will have to visit to take a look around the village and try to identify the places you mention.

Thanks again.

[mazi]

stow green would seem to be the site of an ancient castle, no more than a mound and some remains.
the common factor is that despite what county they are in welsh newton, penallt etc all have monmouth as their nearest market town