KILVERT's Diaries in the 1870's

[Keith Sherwood]

Hi Everyone,
I was wondering, as I am contemplating a visit to the Hay-on-Wye area some time in the near future, whether there are copies published of KILVERT's Diaries that this vicar of nearby Clyro wrote in the 1870's before his premature death in 1879.  Apparently they contain excellent descriptions of the area...
Very best wishes,
Keith

[jakky]

Hi Kieth,

You should be able to get a modern copy in any good bookshop. Better still have a look in the secondhand and charity shops, that is where mine came from,

Good luck


Jakky

[Arranroots]

Of course if you can wait til you get there, Hay is the second hand book capital!

You will love it there Keith!  Recommend canoeing down the Wye from Glasbury (not as strenuous as it sounds).  The restaurant in the old granary opposite the town clock is VG.

Have a look at Powys online if you haven't already: a great resource.

And if you come across hubby's gt gt grands James and Mary Ann WILLIAMS in Clyro, give me a shout!

kind regards, Arranroots 

[Keith Sherwood]

Hi Jakky and Arranroots,
Isn't it funny how one sometimes forgets to make the most obvious of connections!  My original idea with the trip to Hay was to spend hours browsing through the bookshops there; then I go and pose a question about a book written about the area 130-odd years ago. 
Right, having established that my grey matter is receding, thanks for the virtual tour of the place, and I presume you mean a bit of a leisurely search in the Clyro graveyard, do you Arranroots, for your husbands ancestors.  If that is so, give me a few more date details, and I'll definitely have a look.  Not exactly sure when I'm going, but probably before the end of the school summer holidays...
Keith
p.s. but I think I'll leave my paddle behind, if that's O.K...

[cardiff Irish]

Hi Keith, I was in Hay last easter and i shall be going back in October. You will have no problem picking up a copy. A rellie of mine was married at St Mary's Hay on wye by a kilvert in 1867 ........... father? I stay just above Clyro and only on my return I found a Gx4 of mine was baptised there in 1798......isn't it typical? Enjoy your visit a great place!! Kevin. Co Cork Ireland

[Keith Sherwood]

Thanks for that, Kevin,
Another excellent recommendation for Hay.  I'm definitely going sometime in August, and look forward to a leisurely browse through those bookshops - might find some interesting genealogy books, too...
Keith

[indiapaleale]

Keith,
Dont forget to stop at Kilvert's Pub and while yer at it drop in and see my sister for a cup of tea! Also stop by the Fish and Chip shop and say hello to Gareth. I'm his Auntie!
Really, Hay is a lovely place and the bookshops are amazing. You will find plenty of stuff re: the Reverend Kilvert...including his diaries.
Cheers,
Indi
p.s. Wished I was going to Hay too!!

[Keith Sherwood]

Right, Indi,
Where's my notebook?  Fish and Chip Shop, talk to nephew Gareth...Kilvert's Pub for a pint or two...and where exactly do I say hello to your sister for a cup of tea...?
And that reminds me, I'm supposed to be looking for James and Mary Ann Williams in Clyro Churchyard, Arranroots, am I not...?
Keith

[Keith Sherwood]

Hi again, Indi,
I've just returned from a lightning visit to Hay, and did pop into the Kilvert Arms for something to eat - the food, especially the puddings, is great!  There seemed to be 2 fish and chip shops, so I didn't enquire about your nephew Gareth, and I had a cup of tea in The Granary, which was near the Clock Tower, and might have been near your sister's house...
However, I had a lovely time blowing far too much money on books I'd struggled to track down without success elsewhere.

And Arranroots, you've probably already got all this, but I did find your husband's gt-gt-grandparents' gravestone in Clyro churchyard (we're talking Wales now, of course, not Herefordshire).  Here is the inscription:
In loving memory of James Williams who died at Llanerch-Y-Coed in the parish of Clifford October 16th 1903 aged 80 years.
Also of Mary Ann his wife who died June 11th 1897 aged 67 years.
"There remaineth a rest to the people of God"

The gravestone is tilting forward at an angle of about 10-15 degrees, and the stone in front of it has fallen completely flat.  Just behind it are the graves of the local gentry, the Baskervilles, with whom Conan Doyle apparently once stayed and perhaps were the inspiration for his famous story.
I also went to the farm at Llanerch-Y-Coed and spoke to the present owner, and will PM you with more details if you would like.
I had a wonderful time with my books and my little bit of family history...
Very best wishes,
Keith
p.s. also took some snaps of the grave and the farmhouse, but not with my digital camera which I'd forgotten to bring with me...