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Wales (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Wales => Anglesey => Topic started by: Rol on Sunday 05 June 11 18:34 BST (UK)
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I am hoping that somebody familiar with 18th c. people and sources in the Newborough area may have noticed mentions of the above man (and any others bearing his rather unusual surname) in the course of their local researches -- and so be able to tell me of sightings beyond those very few already known to me.
Despite having only a very time-limited opportunity to assist me, recently someone most kindly hunted for and discovered the following relevant entries in Newborough PR (there may of course be more):
1755 BAPT. William ye son of Rotherick Meylor, Exciseman, & Jonett his wife, December 17th
1758 BAPT. Hugh, son of Rotherick Meylor, exciseman & Jonet his wife, June 22nd
1760 BAPT. Elizabeth, daughter [&c as above], January 31st
1762 BAPT. Thomas, son [&c as above], August 1st
Aside from the location of other references in general, I would be particularly grateful if anyone were able to discover when and where Meyler married. I have found no Anglesey hits whatever in the genealogical databases accessible to me. Those indicate that the surname, almost invariably spelt "Meyler", originates in Pembrokeshire; virtually all references lead back to that county.
There is some interesting background. William Meyler (b.1755) went on to become the leading bookseller at Bath in Jane Austen's time. He ran a circulating library in the town from the 1770s and was the founding editor and later sole proprietor of the Bath Herald. He was also a minor poet -- an anthology of his work was published in 1806.
"Spenserians", the excellent online database about UK poets established by the Department of English at Virginia Tech University, reproduces a detailed memoir of Meyler's life published by his friend Joseph Hunter, which originally appeared in a Sherborne newspaper shortly after Meyler's death: see this link (http://spenserians.cath.vt.edu/BiographyRecord.php?action=GET&bioid=4929). The piece includes a remarkably precise statement that Meyler was a native of Anglesey, and proud of the fact:
William Meyler was born at Newburg, in the Isle of Anglesea, December 13, 1755. His family was respectable; and, with the customary genealogical predilections of the Cambrian character, traced their pedigree to a period early in British History. Valiant warriors and enraptured minstrels were among their ancestors; but, as Mr. Meyler himself used to remark, it was the latter alone whose dispositions were hereditary in the family, and to which his own could claim affinity In the island of his birth, the ancient Mona of the Druids, whose dark groves, and immense mounds of earth, remain as relics of their worship, it is probable the mind of the future poet became impressed with the associations of fancy. At length in his 9th year, at which period he was utterly unacquainted with any language except his native Welch, it was thought high time that some attention should be paid to his education. His uncle, the Rev. Thomas Meyler, was at that period the highly respected master of the Free-Grammar school at Marlborough, and thither it was determined he should be sent. Accordingly, mounted on a little Welch poney, and escorted by a relative, he quitted his home, — which he saw but once afterwards.
Yet this uncle was clearly a Pembrokeshire man born and bred, as confirmed by the record of his matriculation at Oxford (Alum. Oxon.). So were those ancient Anglesey roots really those of William's mother Jonet?
I would be most appreciative if someone can identify any useful clues about these people.
Rol
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Try and see if Anglesey archives will search the parish records for you they might charge you for this service go to Anglesey county council web site for their web page and phone number
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Thanks for that thought about parish registers, Cae Howell.
As noted in my opening post, I have been lucky enough to receive some very useful assistance with Newborough PRs already. (Vital in every sense, as I live so far away and relatively few PRs seem to have been transcribed and published by the good folk of Anglesey -- let alone digitised.)
The staff at Llangefni Archives have been very helpful to me in dealing with past enquiries, and I am sure they would always do their best -- but I think that a more general search, perhaps extending to other parishes on the island, would be asking them to stretch their resources more than is fair. Of course, at present there is also the practical problem of the Archive office's temporary closure for refurbishment. According to their website, they re-open on 3 October.
As you say, one could almost certainly arrange for that sort of wider project to be undertaken on a fee-paying basis. Indeed, it is always open to us all to commission professional research. But for now I think that I shall see what I can do by keeping a-hold of the paddle and trying to move the canoe along myself -- with, of course (as the old song goes), "a little help from my friends"! ;)
What I am really hoping is that some local or family historian who has spent a lot of time in past years looking at local records for the purposes of their own research may just happen to recall spotting the name somewhere, on the "it stuck out like a sore thumb" principle.
One should add that, as an offset to the dearth of published PRs, there is the great boon of the Gwynedd FHS's superb work on the MI records -- these days more endangered. So if anybody can spot a Meyler or two there, that would be fantastic . . .
Rol
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With ref. to this edited passage from my original post:
... a detailed memoir of Meyler's life published by his friend Joseph Hunter ... includes a remarkably precise statement that Meyler was a native of Anglesey, and proud of the fact:
William Meyler was born at Newburg, in the Isle of Anglesea, December 13, 1755. His family was respectable; and, with the customary genealogical predilections of the Cambrian character, traced their pedigree to a period early in British History. ... His uncle, the Rev. Thomas Meyler, was at that period the highly respected master of the Free-Grammar school at Marlborough ...
Yet this uncle was clearly a Pembrokeshire man born and bred, as confirmed by the record of his matriculation at Oxford (Alum. Oxon.). So were those ancient Anglesey roots really those of William's mother Jonet?
. . . my research has uncovered some additional information about Jonet's family, and her father's occupation may just provide a useful pointer to their hypothetical Anglesey origins.
As the Spenserians site shows, one of Meyler's poems was a kind of idyll set in the Vale of Clwyd ("Cluyd"); and a will in the NLW's probate database demonstrates that his mother was born Jonet Jones, the daughter of the testator -- Hugh Jones of Pool Park in the parish of Llanfwrog near Ruthin (ob. 1778): see http://hdl.handle.net/10107/228974 This man was employed by Lord Bagot as land agent for the Bachymbyd estate (a property inherited by the Bagots in the late 17th c. from the Salesbury family of that place). The key link is the naming in the will of Jonet's husband as "Rhoderick Meyler"; but the terms make it clear that Hugh Jones thought very little of the merits of his son-in-law. He left Jonet a £7 10s p.a. life annuity for her own separate use and free from the control of any husband, and added for good measure that if she:
shall at any time or times hereafter live reside or Cohabit with her said Husband Rhoderick Meyler Then in such Case I Do hereby Annul and make Void [the said annuity; and] from the time of such her living Residing [etc ... she] shall be Debarred and Excluded from the payment thereof and of every part thereof.
Despite this obvious antipathy, he went on to leave legacies to his grandchildren Hugh, William, John, Elizabeth and Margaret Meyler -- and, indeed, made Hugh Meyler his sole executor and residuary legatee. (As will be observed, that list makes it plain that the baptisms at Newborough shown in my first post are by no means the whole story.)
As to the Meyler paternal descent, the PCC will of the Revd. Thomas Meyler of Marlborough (above-mentioned uncle of William Meyler of Bath), proved in 1786, firms up Roderick's already likely connection with Pembrokeshire: very fortunately it includes token bequests to the testator's siblings, and mentions a brother Roderick then living. Elizabeth, widowed mother of the siblings, also mentions her sons Thomas and Roderick in her will (dated the very day the American colonists declared their independence!), proved St David's 1777: http://hdl.handle.net/10107/1010748 -- the full list of her children being William (eldest son), Thomas, Peter, Roderick, Ann, Martha, Grace and Mary, i.e. the very same names, in the same order, as appear in Thomas Meyler's PCC will proved 1786.
The hypothesis of a maternal Anglesey descent for William Meyler might suggest that Hugh Jones could previously have been the agent for some estate in the neighbourhood of Newborough. One or two Google hits (incl. some citing Griffith's PACF) indicate that there was indeed an 18th c. land agent at Baron Hill called Hugh Jones, which briefly raised my hopes. But that man seems to have gone off to live in/near Beaumaris, and his known dates &c seem to make it unlikely that he can have been the person who ended up at Pool Park in Denbighshire. I would obviously be very interested to hear if anyone can spot other plausible candidates.
Evidence from a few dips into the Bachymbyd rentals at the NLW show that in 1762 Hugh Jones had already arrived at Pool Park, but up to (at least) 1754 one John Owens had the agency job. Jonet's marriage was presumably before her eldest known child's baptism in 1755; so the Bachymbyd evidence is not in any way inconsistent with the possibility that the Jones family were living in Anglesey up to the 1750s -- thereby creating the opportunity for a daughter of the house to be wooed by the local exciseman. Without some such theory, it is not at all easy to work out how Pembs. boy met Denbighs. girl, and the memoir's talk about an ancient Anglesey pedigree would probably have to be dismissed as mere fantasy. But I am really indulging in little more than guesswork. Can someone do better?
Rol
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Hi, Just a thought. There were Meylir's at Haverfordwest 1600. Joan daughter of Robert Meylir married Robert Holland, Rector of Prendergast. Robert Holland being of family of Hollands of Conway. Could be a connection of sorts to your Roderick? Or perhaps another bit of useless info.
Syljun
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Hi, Syljun -- and many thanks for posting that idea. I think it is very likely that you are right to say that the name Meyler (although it looks superficially a bit Teutonic) must be a variant of the Welsh Meilir. When I looked at Pembrokeshire RO's name indexes it was very apparent that it had a very old-established presence in the county, including quite a number round Haverfordwest. But I am less sure that the fact that one of the Hollands of Conway happened to get himself a church benefice down south temp. QE I (and then married locally) could have a bearing on one of the Pembs. Meylers getting a posting up north with the Excise Service -- especially all those years later. Though perhaps I have partly misunderstood the point you are making.
Any sightings of Roderick elsewhere -- most likely in Pembs. -- could prove useful. And it would be great to be able to have a look at his service record in the Excise records at TNA; trouble is I very rarely get an opportunity to visit Kew (last did just before starting to pursue Roderick). :( I am assuming that his job was what took him to Anglesey, rather than him applying when already living on the island for unrelated reasons -- but that is just more speculation on my part. I am still very puzzled about how he ever came to meet his wife; if we could only track down their date and place of marriage, that might answer quite a few subsidiary questions.
Rol
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Hi
Please could you let me know what an excise man does. In addition, what was Hugh's role at Pool park
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Hi
Found out that Thomas Meyler's father was William Meyler (married to Elizabeth) and he was from St Davids.
Gabi
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Dear all,
This is very interesting. William Meyler is my wife's great (x4) grandfather. I read the Spenserian article with fascination. Right towards the end however it says,"Mr. Meyler was twice married his second wife has survived him, who, with two sons, and two daughters, derive every alleviation of their grief from the universal respect which is paid to his memory."
I wasn't aware of these marriages. I know he married Alice Hyatt. But I don't have any reference to the first wife (?). Reason I ask is that a William Meyler was deported to New South Wales, being convicted in Somerset Assizes. He was from Bristol:
William Meyler, one of 156 convicts transported on the Neptune, 18.03.1820. Convicted at Somerset Assizes for a term of 7 years on 27.03.1819. Arrived in Sydney, NSW 18.11.1820.
MEYLER, William. Per "Neptune", 1820
1823 Jun 21-1825 Jul 30 - Horseman. On lists of men belonging to the Government Stock Establishment at Bathurst (Reel 6031; 4/7029A pp.22-282)
1823 Jul 24 Sent to Wellington Valley with stock; appears as James (Reel 6031; 4/7029A pp.31-2)
1823 Oct 25 Listed in an extract from the Mess Book of persons victualled in the Stock Department, Bathurst, from 28 Jun to 3 Oct 1823 (Reel 6017; 4/5783 p.460)
1823 Dec 29 On list furnished by John Maxwell of men victualled in the Stock Establishment, Bathurst, between 28 Jun and 3 Oct 1823 (Reel 6017; 4/5783 p.496.
I know he got his certificate of freedom but don't know if he is related to Wlliam Meyler the poet.
Be keen to know if anyone knows more or if this is just coincidence.
Regards
Gordon
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Well I read of the updated information with interest. While we wait a response I contacted Bath Abbey to ascertain how many Meylers are interred there. Her response was:
Meylers are buried in Bath Abbey cemetery:
Thomas Salway ( also spelt Solway in the records ) Meyler, died 1824 in Section5, Volume D in their records and Row 13 - a printer bookseller. His daughter ,Mary 1818 - 1877 lies there as well.
William Thomas Meyler 1813 - 1845 and his wife Frances, proprietor of the Bath Herald as well as a printer/ bookseller
Charles George Meyler 1814 - 1871
Edward Milton Meyler 1823 - 1849
This conflicts with the pieces of information that I picked up and would appreciate any elaboration on the above. I thought William Meyler was married to an Alice Hyatt though there is evidence that he was married before.
Thanks
Gordon
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Have a look around on FreeREG;
William MEYLOR Married Elizabeth SALWAY, 11 March 1781 Bath Abbey
ALICE Meylor (Mrs), Buried 20 Oct 1827, Bath Abbey, age 74, abode Bath St (birth c 1753)
Baptisms to a WILLIAM/ALICE Meyler, same Church;
WILLIAM NORMAN, 3 Jan 1788
MARY, 24 May 1792
MARGARET, 1 July 1793
JOHN GEORGE, 16 Sept 1794
She would be very old when she had these Children if born c 1753
(Although my Mother was late 40's when I was born)
A William MEYLOR Married Elizabeth SALWAY, 11 March 1781 Bath Abbey
Baptisms;
Bath Abbey, Bath
THOMAS SALWAY Meylor 24 Jan 1782, Parents WILLIAM/ELIZABETH
ELIZABETH Meyler 25 Nov 1784, Parents WILLM/ELIZTH
Baptisms of TSM and Wife Marys Children are on there also 1814/1823, Fathers Occp Bookseller
There is a Burial of Mrs BETSEY Meyler, 19 Jan 1786 Bath Abbey, also HUGH Meyler 25 Jan 1809, no age given on entries.
Trish :)
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Thanks Trish, this is very interesting. So based on what your research has uncovered, William Meyler had 2 children by his first wife - Thomas and Elisabeth. Though it appears that on the death of Thomas, the book business appears to be run by the daughter from the 2nd marriage - Mary.
Anyway of finding out how many children Thomas had? On his headstone at Bath Abbey, it says he was a father.
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Children Baptised Bath Abbey;
Parents THOMAS SELWAY Meyler and MARY;
CHARLES GEARY Meyler, 05 April 1814
THOMAS, 28 Nov 1815
MARY, 12 May 1818
ELIZA, 17 Feb 1820
EDWARD MILTON, 12 Aug 1822
MARGARET, 07 Nov 1823, prob Buried 12 March 1825 age 1 year
Fathers Occp Bookseller or similar on entries.
Mary must have been pregnant when Thomas S died;
Thomas Selway Meyler Buried 12 Aug 1823 age 41
Are you sure it was Daughter Willams Daughter Mary the took over Bookselling Business after Thomas died?
It may have been Thomas's Wife Mary..
The reason I say this is there is a Burial of a MARY Meyler, 26 Jan 1793, a Child.
Did Thomas S M leave a Will?
1851 Census Mary Meyler born c (Newspaper Prop and Printer etc) is a Widow. She is born 1782 Melbourne, Derbyshire.
With her Children;
Charles G 1814
Mary 1818
Eliza 1820
Address 15 New King St
1841 we have;
Mary Meyler 55, Printer/Bookseller, NOT born in County
Charles Meyler 25, Printer/Bookseller
Mary Meyler, 20
Eliza Meyler, 20
Edward Meyler, 15, Clerk
Jane White, 40, Servant
1861 Charles George (Master Printer and Sister Mary are together both Unm
Jane White, Servant is with them.
Trish :)
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ELIZA Meyler Married Thomas MAYO, Widower, 30 April 1859 she has as her Father;
Thomas Salway MEYLER
Occupation Newspaper Proprietor
She does not say he is deceased
Mary and Charles G Meyler are Witnesses
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FindMyPast has a baptismal record (image of original & transcription) for a -
Roderick son of William and Eliz Meyler, bap. 26 Feb 1726 at St David's, Pembrokeshire
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William's first wife, Elizabeth Salway -
Bath Chronicle, Thur 19 Jan 1786
"Monday died, sincerely lamented by all who knew her, Mrs Meyler, wife of Mr Meyler, bookseller in the Grove"
(William was at No 18, The Grove).
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Thanks very much Trish. I think part of the issue is that sons and daughters were regularly named after their parents, to add to the confusion. Your research has certainly filled some gaps in mine.
I will check to see if there is a will at the national archives.
I didn't have the name of TSM's wife, which is Mary. So I agree that his wife took over the business following the death of her husband.
I see Mary Meyler was involved in a libel case in 1828 that was fairly prominent at the time.
William Meyler remarried following the death of his first wife and had possibly 4 children - William Morgan (this is the family line of my wife) Mary, Margaret and John George. Although according to the obituary of William Meyler in 1826, it mentioned there that there were only 2 surviving sons and two daughters.
Do you think WM went on to have more chikdren after the four mentioned above?
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Re T. S Meyler's successor the bath Chronicle, 23 Aug 1823 ran an advert
PRINTING OFFICE AND PUBLIC LIBRARY -Abbey Church Yard
"Mary Meyler (Executrix of the late T S Meyler) grateful for the numerous Favours conferred upon her late Husband, begs leave to inform her friends and the Public, that she intends, with the Aid of competent Assistants, to carry on the Business ....."
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Both wills, William (1821) and Thomas (1823) are viewable on line at Find My Past
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Thanks Hanes, well that is pretty categorical that his wife took over the business.
Interesting how William Meyler's 2nd wife and children had little or nothing to do with the bookselling business. William Morgan Meyler ended up in the medical profession in Gloucester.
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Coming late to this discussion, but the Roderick MEYLER of Tremynydd [Tremunny] of St Davids PEM, baptised 1726, may not be the Anglesey exciseman.
There is a Will 1788 of Thomas Harries of PEM in which a Roderick Meyler is mentioned as a yeoman tenant.
It seems more likely that this is the '1726' chap, and the exciseman is somebody else entirely.
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Question please -
Thomas Salway MEYLER who was a bookseller and died in BATH, left a will in which he left an annuity to his father's wife Alice ['mother in law' and wife of late father].
Wm Meyler the bookseller of Bath was married twice I understand - but neither wife was an Alice.....
On the other hand, I have a Wm Meyler in Fishguard PEM who married an Alice [I think he was a widower] and died a few years before Thos Salway Meyler.........
Can somebody cast a light on this please?
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Hi mrs.family.
Mother in Law means Step Mother as you likely know.
Thomas S Meyler was buried 12 Aug 1823 age 41 so his Step Mother Alice was still alive.
Earlier reply Dec 2014;
ALICE Meylor (Mrs), Buried 20 Oct 1827, Bath Abbey, age 74, abode Bath St (birth c 1753)
Trish :)
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Gosh he remarried fast;
Betsey MEYLER was only buried 19 Jan 1786
I suppose with young children it was the thing to do.
Marriage;
30 Jul 1786, Holy Trinity, Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire
William MEYLER
Parish St. Peter & Paul, Abode Bath, Somerset***
Spouse Alice HYATT
By Licence
(FreeREG)
Trish :)
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Thanks Trish - sorted
x Elaine
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Your welcome Elaine :)
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The Times, January 20, 1786, p.3 "A few days since, died at Bath, Mrs Meyler, wife of Mr Meyler bookseller, in the Grove
The Times, January 22, 1790, p.4 "Bath January 19. Arrived here....Mr and Mrs R Meyler...."
There is also a report in The Times, August 25, 1829, p.3, relating to a court case at Hereford Aug 22 Doe. Dem Meyler vs Bright, in which it describes a dispute over land claimed by one party following their common ancestors' death. The land in question was at Carvega, Whitchurch, Pembrokeshire. The gravestone was removed from the church in Whitchurch, as evidence and stated "Thomas Meyler son of Richard and Elizabeth Meyler, late of Caravega in this parish who died Jan ye 10th 1748, aged 69; also Anne, who died 5th August 1757, aged 61."
Caravega is in Whitchurch, is just down the road from St David's near Solva.
I'm trying to get my head around the relationships between the descendants, since the court seems to be saying that the two descendants were supposed to have been 2nd and 3rd sons, but in act got the order wrong, so it case was all about reclaiming land that should have passed to the correct son, from which these two were descended (I think). One name mentioned as a common ancestor was a Francis Meyler, apothecary, Haverfordwest. I'm trying to get my head around i, since it all seems a bit complicated, but it might be relevant to the Pembrokeshire family.
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There is a similar article re the court case in https://newspapers.library.wales/view/4461230/4461233/15/meyler,%20anglesey
The Times article mentions some sort of maybe occupation that is hard to make out ..."the common ancestor from whom the plaintiff claimed to be descended, as well as the defendant, was stated to have been a corvoiser, residing at Haverfordwest,..."
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In the Wales Probate Abstracts, there is Thomas Harries Tressissillt Granston Will of 11 March 1788 which names Roderick Meyler as being a Tenant and Yeoman.
Also in Will Abstracts is Elizabeth Meyler Probate (Will) granted 18 Oct 1877, It lists her children as
Thomas
Peter
Roderick
Ann
Martha
Grace
Mary
William Meeyler eldest son
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You're on the case, Sam!