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Hi again 1851 possible!?

William Acton 57 occ Maltster b Llanigon, Brecknockshire
Millina 65 Wife b Bosbury
Plus 4 Servants
Residing at Broad Street, Hay
Census ref HO107/2491/296/4
Still in Broad Street 1841
Census ref HO107/1370/ 10/9 / 11
In 1861 William has remarried a Mary aged 54 b Whipsnade, Bedfordshire residing at Yellow House, Broad Street
Census ref RG09/4225/6/5
Keyboard86

Hello again,
This is definitely him and he was certainly the owner of our house! I have found a good few advertisements for the property in the Hereford journal, and I believe the house was called "Priory Wood House"?! This seems to tie in well with our neighbouring "Priory Wood Cottage".. Really interesting to note also that the house was obviously falling out of favour as the back kitchen became an office room and the four bedrooms became three with the servants bedrooms upstairs just called "attic space"..

Better keep digging! Seems to be quite a lot on William Acton, Maltster or Wm. Acton, Hay on Wye.

Thanks guys.

Is Colonel Powell one of your Powells

http://herefordshirepast.co.uk/news-from-the-past/clifford-news-from-the-past/


Mike

Good stuff, thank you. Colonel Powell is probably the best guess the previous owners had for the inhabitants prior to 1880s. I don't think they were related to the post 1891 census Powells but they were the most prominent Priory Wood family in the late 18th-mid 19th century. I think it was Colonel Powell's mother, Louisa/Louise Powell (Du Buisson) who was presumed by the previous owners to have lived in the house, but I can't find any solid evidence and Colonel Powell lived in Hardwicke House/Court I think which is about a mile away. Maybe Louisa lived here alone though until her death in 1824?

Good info on them here. http://welshjournals.llgc.org.uk/browse/viewpage/llgc-id:1191402/llgc-id:1194563/llgc-id:1194622/getText

Maybe it would be good to find a link between the Powells and the Actons as perhaps the land changed hands between them sometime between 1824 and 1845? Interestingly the Methodist Chapel down the road (literally almost our neighbour) was built (or rebuilt?) in 1827, which may have coincided with the Powells selling the house/land to the Actons?

Sorry for making this even more complicated.. Maybe I should get all the facts down clearly!

I really think the key might be "Edmund Acton" the landowner and possibly property owner in the 1840s although as the name doesn't turn up anywhere I wonder if it might be a pseudonym.

Hi again see what you mean pre 1891 Full census ref 1891 RG12/4580/112/8 with Elizabeth Powell, 1901 William Williams RG13/5178/74/9
Priory Wood, Clifford
Keyboard86

I think the Powells moved from the South East up to our house sometime between 1885 and 1891. Interestingly there were Williams's living next door frequently throughout the 19th century, including I assume  the 1901 William Williams ancestors. Thomas Jones owned Priory Wood Cottage (our neighbour) on the tithe maps and he also occupied the cottage at times throughout the 19th century.

Interestingly there is a Calvinistic chapel down the road that was built in the early 19th century. This was presumably very closely linked to the house if it had religious connections. Perhaps the owner of our house in the early 19th century was some kind of a overseer, a position made redundant by the building of the chapel? It might explain why the house suddenly became unoccupied and unrecorded, losing its original name in the process (forgotten?). It's quite a difficult place to heat so perhaps locals didn't want to live in it after the overseer/rector/etc. had left? Until the relatively affluent Londoners (Powells) moved in?

Thanks very much for the help. If it's any use at all our neighbouring property to the west is Priory Wood Cottage (William Williams), to the East is Oak Cottage (may have had a different name?), the South is Porking Cottage/Barn.