WDYTYA Series 13: Greg Davies

[Guy Etchells]

I found the Greg Davies episode really refreshing, he met each new revelation head on without allowing preconceived ideas to colour his thoughts.
I enjoyed the program and was glad that he did not resort to the over played sentimentality we often see on WDYTYA.
I did find the jumping back and forth between the generations slightly confusing but that could have been due to the conditions here when I watched the program rather than the program itself.

Cheers
Guy

[Millmoor]

I was very taken by him saying at the end of the program that he was going to go back and find out more. I felt he clearly meant it. He also acknowledged on a number of occasions the hard work that others had done on his behalf.

It maintained the standard of what for me has been a very strong series. I liked the fact that it raised questions to do with illegitimacy and children of a first marriage, both of which I have encountered many times in my own research.

William

[nestagj]

ps.  Wouldn't it be good if we could all find the fathers of our illegitimate ancestors so easily?

Not so easy - apparently it was the result of a huge amount of research at the local archives where they found the bastardy bond in the petty court records; which then lead them to the newspaper records.....luckily (!) William was a bit of a lad so had a presence in the papers.

She was also born in Carnarvon in a place called Dolbenman (correct spelling is Dolbenmaen).  The census also shows married 3 years, 4 children born, 2 alive, 2 died.  I assume the two who were born and died were after the youngest who was only 2 in 1911.  Interestingly he too was born in Carnarvon, so William and his family must have moved after his birth in 1909

Its Caernarvonshire - the parish of Dolbenmaen is the next one to Porthmadog where William Owen was brought up so all very local.   Interesting that the two children living were Elizabeth (Bessie) and Robert Jones Owen who I believe were the names of his maternal grandparents who brought him up.

There seem to be quite a lot of marriages "missing from records" in Wales, if my OH's lot are anything to go by. Someone suggested to me that many were "married" in chapels, not recognised as legal??

I can only think that many of the Welsh records are not on the main GRO website

If you married in chapel you had to have a registrar present hence it was legal; all the GRO records for wales are online.    We have very few parish records online  but more and more welsh couples married at the Chapel or at the Registrar's during that time hence not so easy to find...considering our most common names.....they were also a little bit lax about getting married before the first baby was born.

As the William and Martha's marriage - I think that they were married but perhaps not that quickly.  Here is the GRO entry for their son Robert Jones.

OWEN, ROBERT  JONES     MMN WILLIAMS     
GRO Reference: 1908  S Quarter in FESTINIOG  Volume 11B  Page 368   

I must confess to some local knowledge here - Porthmadog where they were living has moved back and to between Merionethshire and Caernarfonshire over the years as regards Registration district and so I didn't search for a Dolbenmaen birth I looked for a Ffestiniog registration - this could well be the issue with the marriage as well.

One of the comments William's daughter made was that her mother didn't know about the other daughters but he was brought from South Wales and jailed up here whilst he was married to Martha so yes I think she did know.

I think it is very sad that a family who had farmed the same land for so long had to leave because the landlord sold the land !

Very enjoyable programme - not just for the fact that I live in the area but also it was a fascinating story.... don't think I'm related to Owen Gwynedd but you never know my roots are deep in this area !

[Millmoor]

There is some extra footage on the WDYTYA magazine website where Greg's mother shows him a photograph of her mother's  grandfather but at that point they have no idea of a name.

William

[Ruskie]

I found the Greg Davies episode really refreshing, he met each new revelation head on without allowing preconceived ideas to colour his thoughts.
I enjoyed the program and was glad that he did not resort to the over played sentimentality we often see on WDYTYA.
I did find the jumping back and forth between the generations slightly confusing but that could have been due to the conditions here when I watched the program rather than the program itself.

Cheers
Guy

I agree. I can't remember the last time a WDYTYA featured any Welsh ancestry, so this was a refreshing change, and the scenery is stunning.

It was amusing when he asked in the pub who were descendants of Owain Gwynedd and almost everyone was -  puts it into perspective which is good. (unlike Danny Dyer's episode).

[StevieSteve]

I think he should have strode into the pub announcing he was the King of Wales. Then various people at each table stand up and say No, I'm the King of Wales. Then after, say, a six yr old girl has just said it, Danny Dyer walks in and says that he's the King of Wales.

Unseen footage on the WDYTYA site shows them having a scrap in the car park sorting it out.

[Alberbury]

'I'm Spartacus!'   

[coombs]

The only Welsh surname I have in my tree is Roberts, and they came from Surrey/Kent, one of the furthest areas of the UK away from Wales but my parents lived in Wales for 4 years so I can relate to Greg Davies WDYTYA in a way.

[Ayashi]

"I'm the King of Wales and so's my wife!" 

My lot were South Wales so my claim to Princehood is probably somewhat watered down...