Edward Davies,miller and shop keeper.

[eric]

Can any one please help, G. G. G. Great grandfather Edward Davies was was born circ 1792. I know nothing about his early life can any one please help?
In 1829 he was a shopkeeper and grocer in Llandrinio by 1841 he ran two maybe three corn mills in Worthen, Shropshire. His wifes name was Elizabeth, she was born circ 1791. Who were their parents, when and where did they get married and where was their original place of birth? It transpires that the family continued to remain in the shop keeping business, I'm not quite so sure whether they remained  as corn millers, although I believe they could have continued in the trade until the early 1900's.
Any help would be extremely welcome. Very many thanks, Eric.

[mezentia]

Hello Eric

One of my ancestral lines are millers, also in and around Shropshire, but before that Hertfordshire, possibly Surrey, possibly definitely Warwickshire, and maybe Staffordshire and/or Derbyshire. It seems to me that millers, and particularly journeyman millers, moved around quite a bit. A contact in Stourport suggested that the canals were an effective means of passing information about mills around the milling community, but that doesn't explain why or how three of my lot ran and owned mills in the extreme depths of rural Shropshire, well away from any canal system, although fairly close to the river Severn.

You could try contacting Tim Booth of the Midland Wind and Watermill Group, who keeps Wrickton Mill. He's very knowledgeable about Shropshire mills and has been very helpful in my researches.

David

[eric]

Hi David,
Thanks for your reply, Edward Davies appeared to run three water mills in Worthen ,Shropshire at on time. I believe we had other relatives a William Davies who were millers in Churchstoke. You did not give the contact address for the lead you suggested or perhaps he may contact me.
Many thanks ,Eric.

[mezentia]

Slater's 1859 directory has these millers near Bishops Castle:

Davies James, Cox
Hamar William, Brockton
Tomlins John, Snead
Williams, John, Lydham

In Clun, theres a John Davies at Castle Mill

Any help?

David

[eric]

Hi David,
Many thanks,  Edward Davies ran the Mill at Brockton up untill his death around 1845. I believe he ran the mill at Walton further up stream and maybe Worthen Mill further down stream. He was a shop keeper in 1829 at Llandrinio he may have been a miller at that time also. I believe his son Edward George Davies married a daughter of a William Davies a miller at Churchstoke. Have you any information regarding these. Many thanks.
Regards Eric