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Note: Philip Llewellyn was born on Christmas day 1796 at Abbey Dore, Hereford England to parents Richard and Mary and was christened at the Abbey Dore church 11 days later on the 5th January 1797. The Curate spelt his name as Phillip with two L's however Philip was to use only one L all his life.
Philip was the middle child having an older brother and sister and two younger sisters.
On the 28th August 1808 the parish of Abbey Dore arranged and paid 1 pound 1 & 6 for Philip to be bound over as an apprentice tailor to Mr Humphrey Meredith of Madley. The Parish paid 1 pound 17 & 6 "to find him cloths for all of his apprenticeship. This was most unusual as in these times the overseers of the poor would usually bound over a lad to "the art of husbandry", which really equated to slave labour, until the age of 21 years. For Philip to be bound over to learn a craft shows he must have shown some real potential. Perhaps not realised at the time, this would prove to be the luckiest break of Philip's life and for his descendants as well.
Sadly his mother Mary died the next year in July 1809 when Philip was only 12 & 1/2 years old.
His master Humphrey Meredith had married Elizabeth Williams at Madley in August 1803. His wife may have been the Elizabeth born at Madley 1776 with a sister Ann born 1777 to Walter and Sarah Williams. Worth noting is a christening of a Humphrey Meredith on the IGI christened at Glasbury, Wales 17 April 1775 as Philip Llewellyn later got married at Glasbury, Wales. Perhaps later research may show a Meredith connection at Glasbury.
Philip married his wife Elizabeth Pugh on the 22nd May 1823 in Glasbury, Radnor, Wales.
Philip was 26 years old when he married and he signed his own name Philip Llewelling. As his mother, father & older brother could not sign their names it is evident that Philip was the first in the family to learn to read and write. It would seem he had been given a good education during his apprenticeship with Mr Humphrey Meredith at Madley. Over subsequent years Philip amended the spelling to Llewellin and by around 1851 all the family had settled on Llewellyn.
Philip was recorded as "of Dilwyn in the County of Hereford" on the marriage certificate.
It is still a mystery how he came to be marrying in Glasbury, Wales, but we learn he was already a resident of Dilwyn and he must have moved there after his Madley apprenticeship prior to May 1823.
After the marriage they moved to Dilwyn some 13 kms North East of Philip's Abbey Dore birthplace.
An earlier Lewelling family was recorded at Dilwyn, an Edward & Elizabeth who christened two sons Francis 1734 & John 1735. Edward Llawelling paid a 1 shilling Tithe for land in Dilwyn on July 2nd 1734. Also a single mother Eleanor Llewelyn christened a son James Llewelyn in 1814.
So while there is a possibility of some earlier family connection it was probably more of an economic decision that brought Philip to Dilywn. The Dilwyn population had increased over 15% from 1811 to its peak in 1851 of 1112 residents so there would have been demand for a qualified Tailor.
Philip and Elizabeth raised all of their six children, born between 1824 and 1837, at Dilwyn.
Philip was named as the executor on the will of his oldest brother Richard (machine maker of Kington) dated 17th November 1834 so the two of them were no doubt well in contact with each other.
The 1835 Dilwyn electoral register shows Philip had Freehold house and garden at Dilwyn Common.
The Tithe apportionment for Dilwyn 3 July 1837 records Philip Llewellyn, as a freehold owner / occupier of over 4 acres of house, garden and pieces of land named as "broad mead" and "lower elm field " with a Tithe rent charge of 15/8d.
The landowner names were collected by Geoff Gwatkin from the original apportionments (surveys) and given to the SMR. Geoff has now produced a series of 19th century parish maps with the field names and list of landowners.
Field number 830 House and Garden - Western End of Dilwyn Common
Field number 831 Garden - Western End of Dilwyn Common
Field number 828 Waste - Western End of Dilwyn Common
Field number 1090c Broad Mead source - East in Sollers Dilwyn
Field number 1203 In Lower Elm field - East in Sollers Dilwyn (previous owner Thomas Taylor)
Philip was in the right place at the right time to obtain the "Broad Mead" and Lower Elm Field" in Sollars Dilwyn as Geoff Gwatkin advises that Sollers Dilwyn was the only Township in Herefordshire still not fully enclosed in 1837.
Phillip's oldest brother Richard died in Kington on the 3rd May 1841 and no doubt Phillip would have travelled there for the burial on the 7th May where Richard was buried in the Kington churchyard.
The 1841 Dilwyn census conducted on the 6th June showed Philip and Elizabeth living with all six children. Philip was now a well-established Tailor with a young 20-year-old apprentice William Dally. Philips house was the fifth recorded at the Common so he was very close the Village.
In the Spring of 1842 Philip moved all the family to the nearby village of Eardisley and rented a house known as 'The Holme". A Tithe list of 1842: Piece 686 shows " The Holme, House, building and garden, 0.3190 acres rented by Philip Llewellyn Owned by John Powles". The publication " Eardisley it's houses and their residents" by Malcolm Mason describes the The Holme as " This is probably the most significant timber framed medieval hall house in Eardisley. Made from timber felled in the winter of 1442, it is likely to have been built during 1443."
So Phillip Llewellyn lived and raised his family in a house dating to around 1443 which is nearly 50 years before Columbus discovered the New World! It was also in an absolute prime business location in the Village , right on the Turnpike , next to the New inn and across from the Tram inn.
His oldest son Richard would have been going on 16 years old and no doubt taught the trade of Tailoring by his father.
The 1851 Eardisley census listed the turnpike as number 45, the New Inn as number 46 and Philip Llewellyn at number 47 which has been identified as " The Holme". The New Inn ( rebuilt after 1901 fire) and the Holme are still in existence today. Philip was now 54 and recorded as " general shopkeeper " so it seems he had passed the tailoring business to his son Richard and taken on the life of a Grocer. The Eardisley 1841 population was only 768 people living in 175 houses so it is easy to imagine Philip's shop being in such a prime position being one of the focal points of the village.
First-born Eliza was still living at home with Philip and Elizabeth and worked in the grocer shop as a shop waiter. Last-born Arthur Llewellyn was also at home and was a 14-year-old drapers apprentice. Philip junior was at All Saints , Hereford as an apprentice Grocer. George 14 and Thomas 17 were now both assistant grocers living and working in Bedmondsey, London and by chance on census night 1851 their oldest brother Richard was a visiting them. Richards family was residing quite near Philip at 11 Church road Eardisley with his wife Martha and the three children at home on census night.
Sometime prior to 1853 the oldest son Richard, his wife and four Eardisley born children moved back to his birthplace at Dilwyn. Arthur 1853, Gilbert 1855, George 1856 were all born at Dilwyn.
In January 1857 Phillip and Elizabeth moved back to Dilwyn and lived at Stockingfield while Philip junior took over the lease of "The Holme" at Eardisley as a shopkeeper and draper.
The 1858 Casseys trade edition recorded Richard as a Dilwyn principle resident " Llewellyn Richard, relieving officer and registrar of births and deaths.". Their son Marcus was born in Dilwyn1859.
It is yet to be determined if they lived at Philip's old Dilwyn Common house. Richard and his family were in Leominster by 1861. Philip's second last child Thomas and his wife Martha Maria Hughes (daughter of Maria Hughes Grocer and principle Dilwyn resident 1858) had two of their eight children at Dilwyn, George 1860 and Amy in 1863. In the 1861 census their daughter , 1 1/2 year old Isabella was listed as a visitor with Maria Hughes at Dilwyn. The store was right next door to the Crown Inn.. Thomas, Martha and young George were at Ledbury where thaosm was a Police constable. (Isabella would later gave birth to Ernest Alfred Llewellyn at Dilwyn in 1878)
The 1861 Dilwyn census also recorded Philip and Elizabeth as Grocers living at 114 Stocking Field.
The Enumerator started at the Village , went along the Common to Solars Dilwyn, Perry Ditch, Pitch, and Pitch farm. The next recorded was "Pigmore Field". There is a "Pigmore common" on modern maps North West of Pitch farm but they look like they are in Eardisland Parish. The Enumerators decription says " Perryditch , Pigmore Field, Stocking field". So " Pigmore Field" was not considered as "Stocking field".
At 110 " Pigmore Field" was John Davies a farmer of 9 acres.
All at STOCKINGFIELD 1861 - recorded from Perryditch heading South towards the Village
At 111 was Peter Powles an agricultural labourer.
At 112 was Alfred Davies a tailor.
At 113 was Richard Hughes a shoemaker
At 114 was Philip and Elizabeth Llewellyn Grocers
At 115 was Sarah Price a Widow
At 116 was Thomas Fox a Farmer
At 117 was Ruth Baynam Charwomona 60 yo
At 118 was William Taylor Labourer 56
At 119 was Thomas Davies Wheelwright 43
William Taylor was recorded as the second house in the tiny hamlet of Stockingfield (Village end heading North to Perry Ditch) in every census from 1851 thru to 1881. We know that Philip was four houses along from him (heading North towards Perryditch) in 1861. An old 1890 Ordinance map viewed in conjunction with current satellite aireal view shows most 1890 cottages still survive today. Current evidence points strongly to a cottage currently called " Stocking field cottage" or the next cottage along.
Phillip passed away on the 1st May 1869 at Stockingfield, Dilwyn. His daughter in law, Martha, wife of his son Richard was present at his death and the informant on his death certificate.
His Will was proven on the 12th June 1869. "The Will of Philip Llewellyn late of Dilwyn in the County of Hereford Shopkeeper deceased who died 1 May 1869 at Dilwyn aforesaid was proved at Hereford by the oaths of Elizabeth Llewellyn aforesaid Widow the Relict and Philip Llewellyn of Eardisley in the County aforesaid Shopkeeper the Son the Executors. Affects under ยน100.
Philip left all his real estate to his wife Elizabeth for life afterwhich all his " freehold dwelling house, garden, offices and premises with the appurtenances situated in West Street, Leominster to my son Thomas for ever ". And also " the residue and remains of my said real estate to my son Phillip". It would seem the residue of the estate left to son Phillip was substantial as he also stated that son Phillip had to pay 300 pounds to his brothers Arthur and 150 pounds to both George and Richard. He also left his " Ten pound share in the Leominster and Kington railway to my grand daughter Edith, daughter of Arthur." As his daughter Eliza was not listed it is assumed she had passed away prior to 1869.
The return of owners of land 1873 showed Phillip Llewellyn of Eardisley (referring to his first born son Phillip) had acquired 13 acres of freehold land.
Alec Whitfield who transcribed the Dilwyn graves for the Herefordshire Monumental index wrote in November 2004: " I was the transcriber and I did all the surviving graves. There is a notebook from the 1980s when many of the gravestones were removed. It is in the Herefordshire Record Office.
The clearing was carried out before we came to Dilwyn with the intention of enabling the churchyard to be kept in good order at a reasonable cost. The stones commemorating the members of families still living in the village were kept. I have had a look at the burials noted when the churchyard was cleared in 1966. There was no Llewellyn listed."
As local sources say Philip's grave is not at Eardisley and considering the above it is very likely Philip's grave unfortunately may not have survived.
This is a remarkable economic turnaround in such a short time for the family, as in these times to be born the son of a poor agricultural labourer was a hard mould to break and speaks volumes for the obvious tenacity, drive and perseverance of Philip Llewellyn.
If one Ancestor in the Llewellyn family line can lay claim to perhaps the greatest success story, at least in economic terms, it would have to be Philip Llewellyn born on Christmas day 1796 at Abbey Dore, Hereford, England.
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