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The Parish register records he was 69 years of age at his burial on the 9th January 1825 death so he would have died around the 6th January 1825. The odds of him having just turned 69 in the very first week of 1825 are small so we can predict his birthyear as 1755. If Richard was almost 70 years of age at his death, he could have been born anytime from 1st week January 1755 right through to the first week of January 1756.
Richard Llewellyn was not a wealthy landowner and like many of his time required some assistance from the Parish from time to time, ironically this is the very reason we know so much about him.
The church officials of Abbey Dore kept detailed Parish records that included a set of accounts that recorded church assistance to the poor. These early records have many entries that tell a story of the life and times of Richard and his family.
There are only four other (as yet) unconnected Llewellyn's mentioned throughout all the of Parish records, being a William Llewellyn buried at Abbey Dore on the 1st November 1795, a Mary and her illegitimate child John born 1797 (father john Watkins) and a Lucy Llewellyn given assistance in 1817 & 1818.
With no earlier Llewellyn families recorded at Abbey Dore it seems that Richard moved to Abbey Dore for work at some point prior to his marriage. It it is hard to reconcile him moving with an adult sister so the above Mary may have been the widow of William Llewellyn. In any case they are likely to have been related to Richard.
Richard Llewellyn at 32 years of age married Mary Gilbert on the 13th May 1788 in the church of St.Mary, Abbey Dore , one month after the banns of marriage had been announced as was the practice in those days. St Mary`s had been resurrected from the derelict Abbey Church of the dissolved Cistercian Dore Abbey and reconsecrated in 1634 was by any standards a magnificent place to be married.
Richard & Mary`s marriage was witnessed by a T.Elliott and an Ann Gilbert (possibly a sister or mother ) and performed by the curate John Parry. Both Richard and Mary made their marks with a simple cross on the register.
Richard must have been in regular work at the time, as the meticulous records show no need of any Parish assistance until the end of 1797. Accepting or requesting some Parish assistance may not have meant serious poverty, it could have simply been a case of if others are getting it then why not us.
Richard and Mary christened five children at St Marys Abbey Dore from 1791 to 1804.
The Abbey Dore Parish register notes that by an act of parliament a population count was taken in 1811. It recorded 97 families (64 farming, 20 in trade and 13 out of trade) there were a total of only 486 people (235 males and 251 females) living in 85 houses with 4 unoccupied. As part of a small rural farming community the Llewellyn family would have been well known to all the local villagers.
An entry in the parish accounts 6th Feb 1820 records Richard was given ten shillings and six pence for a "smock frock" by the Parish. This seems a lot of money for a homespun linen or woollen overgarment.
Perhaps this smock was made of leather or heavier duty materials for a tradesman and Richards family were one of the 20 families in trade
With the subsequent commercial success of his children, one could easily be persuaded that Richard was skilled in some trade or perhaps operating and or repairing Threshing machines.
By 1821 his first born son Richard was manufacturing threshing machines in the heart of Kington, an historical market Town some 21 miles North of Abbey Dore. The obvious source of such ability and knowledge to make such machinery is from his father.
Threshing machines were invented in the late 18th century and spread in the first half of the 19th century, so his son Richard was certainly at the forefront of their development and the demand for these labour saving machines that would have been cutting edge technology at the time.
From : https://anthropoceneobjects.net/portfolio/threshing-machine-england-1786/
Many Farmers and landowners quickly recognized the advantages of threshing machines to traditional hand-threshing. In a short report on the merits of the newly invented thresher published in 1797, William Spicer Dix, a brewer and landowner, urged farmers to adopt the threshing machine. Beginning his address, Dix wrote, By this Machine one man, or a woman, can clear as much grain in one day, as can be done with the flail in ten days, without bruising, injuring, or leaving any ears
Dix emphasized the savings in labor and tenfold increase in productivity that farmers could expect by investing in this new technology.
The older method of threshing with the flail, Dix claimed, left much of the product vulnerable to destruction by small animals, unskilled laborers, and natural decay. Accordingly, the threshing machine, Dix promised, would allow farmers to bring much more of their harvest to market: I trust it will be allowed that clearing corn from the ears by friction,
clearing ten times more in a day than any man can thresh with the flail, of preserving the reed unhurt, is not only the most effectual method, but it is also the most advantageous to the farmers, since by this using this machine
they will be able to carry to market nearly every grain grown on their farms.
This machinery became widely adopted during the Napoleonic Wars because of labour shortages. While there is some debate about the progression of its adoption in Great Britain, the general consensus is that by 1830 there were roughly over a thousand threshing machines in use in central southern England.
The birth of Richard and Mary's first child was on the 9th May 1791 and as was the tradition with a male, was named after his father, Richard. He was christened in the Abbey 6 days later on the 15th May.
The second born was a girl Eleanor, born on the 23rd February 1793 and christened two days later on the 25th February.
Christmas day 1796 was an extra special and joyous occasion in the humble Llewellyn household with the birth of the third child, a son Phillip. He was christened in the New Year on the 5th January 1797. Next born was Ann who was christened on the 30th October 1799 followed by Elizabeth who was Christened on the 4th December 1804.
Abbey Dore is indeed a most beautiful part of the world and it is easy to imagine the five children enjoying some wonderful happy times playing in the lush meadows and along the banks of the river Dore.
Richard was first recorded receiving charity money being 1 shilling on 21st December 1797 being St. Thomas day the Winter Solstice and again on Good Friday 1798. He in fact received the same charity payments right through until 1817.
He received his first Parish relief on 20th October 1800, some 12 years after he was married when he would have been 44 years old. The records show that he was not seriously poor as the small weekly sums he received were obviously only supplementing his income. He only occasionally received extra monies and a load of wood or some wheat or flour.
On the 13th April 1802 he was paid 5 shillings due to "his wife ill" and on the 16th April another 5 shillings as his "wife very ill".
On the 28th August 1808 the Parish of Abbey Dore arranged and paid 1 pound 1 & 6 for Richards second born son Phillip to be bound over as an apprentice tailor to Mr Humphrey Meredith of Madley.
They paid 1 pound 17 & 6 "to find him cloths for all of his apprenticeship. For Phillip to be bound over to learn a craft shows he must have shown some real potential to the Church wardens and the family would have been very proud of such an outcome.
On the 3rd & 27th March 1809 Richard again received Parish assistance due to his wife being " very ill". On the the 6th July 1809, Mary Llewellyn was buried in Abbey Dore church grounds.
Eleven years later on the 12th February 1820 a payment was recorded as "haul of Llewellyn's goods to Kingstone " 10 shillings and sixpence. After this date there are " accounts relating to the Almshouses at Kingstone " upto the 25th march 1825. It is quite clear that Richard had been given accommodation in the Almshouse in his old age, with the accounts still being met by the parish. An Almshouse was very different to a workhouse being quite respectful and comfortable. With the Bull Ring pub just across the road from the Kingstone Almshouse (still standing today) one would like to think of Richard happily toddling over for a pint or two and a chin wag in his final few years.
At the end of the volume is copied an Indenture that concerns the Almshouses at Kingstone. Indenture dated 6 November 1712 between William Hoskins of Kingstone Grange on the one part & Sir Hungerford Hoskins Bt of Hereward & Joseph Clark of the Hill, Walford on the other. William Hoskins built the Almshouses as dwelling for 4 poor men, each has a dwelling and a garden.
The four inhabitants were also to be paid ¹3 a year out of the rental. When a dwelling became vacant, the new occupant was elected by the overseers of the parish concerned, and there are references to relief given by way of food, fuel, and nursing. The original inscription stone has weathered considerably over recent years, and a new stone of slate has now taken its place which is a faithful copy, both in style of writing and wording. " This hospital was built, endowed and given by William hoskyns esq., in trust to sir Hungerford hoskyns and Joseph Clarke, esq., a.d. 1712 for ye maintenance of 4 poore men, two of doore and two of Kingston forthwith with ye rent of the byefields and the stenders."
The William hoskyns almshouses stand alongside the main road of kingstone, opposite the bull ring inn which was there at the time they were built in 1712, rubbing shoulders with rose cottage which existed some 200 years before. The upkeep of the "hospital" as it was then called, was to be paid for out of 17 acres of land which bordered the river wye in the manor of Wilton, near homme green, at Ross on wye. The Hereford times of 28 October 1999 had the following article regarding kingstone almshouses: - " The William Hoskyns charity is still seeking a tenant for one of the almshouses in the village. Applications are invited from single older men or women who are capable of independent living and have no mobility problems. Applicants must either have lived in the parishes of kingstone or Abbey dore for at least two years, or have relatives who have lived there for two years". So it is interesting to know that the almshouses, where Richard Llewellyn lived in his old age, are still functioning as such.
Richard Llewellyn was buried in the Abbey Dore church ground on Sunday the 9th January 1825.
Spelling of Llewellyn - I have used the spelling Llewellyn throughout the reports on my Llewellyn family. The early spelling of the surname was at the whim of the Parish Curate or record taker. It has been recorded in many different formats such as Lewelling, Lewellin, Llewellin.
Philip b 1796 who had received an education, spelt it Llewelling when signing his marriage certificate in 1823 even though the Curate had written it up as Llewellyn. Certainly by 1834 in the Will of Richard b 1791 the family had settled on the spelling as Llewellyn.
Richards Birthplace Conclusions -
As there were so few Llewellyn's recorded at Abbey Dore (4 outside the immediate family) we can be reasonably sure that Richard moved to Abbey Dore from elsewhere.
With such a strong Welsh name as Llewellyn, the fact he marries not far from the Welsh border, and he cannot be confirmed in a Parish Register of any nearby Herefordshire village, there is always a chance he came from Wales although there is no matching record on the IGI.
The Welsh used the patronymic naming system where the names changed with every generation so at some unknown point the name Llewellyn was adopted as a fixed surname by one of Richards forefathers.
Over many years the author has created databases of all Herefordshire Llewellyn`s (and variant spellings ) covering 1841/51 Census , IGI Christenings and marriages , the Herefordshire marriage index and deaths from the National Burial Index, Herefordshire Burial Index and Monumental inscriptions. From these databases all Llewellyn families that could have had a son born circa 1756 were identified.
Whitchurch, Shropshire - Richards was aged 69 at his death around 7th January 1825 giving a birth year sometime in 1755 so the Richard Llewellin Christened Mid 1757 in Shropshire to a Richard & Elisabeth is was a possible candidate however he appears to marry a Mary Davies 26 Dec 1788 at Wittington Shropshire.
If Richard did not come from Wales or another County, below are the prime Herefordshire families that have now been excluded :
Bridstow - The wealthy, educated and literate Bridstow Llewellyn family of barge owners has now been ruled out with the Will of a family benefactor indicating the death of the Bridstow Richard Llewellyn born circa 1756.
Kilpeck With a generational Llewellyn family and Two Lucy Llewellyn`s recorded at Kilpeck (born 1810 & 1827) and two Gilbert girls (Mary & Anne) also born at Kilpeck, this Village was always a prime candidate.
As a Lucy Llewellyn was recorded in the Abbey Dore assistance to the poor records (1817/ 1818) and with this being such a rare name, a proven connection to one of the Lucy Llewellyn`s of Kilpeck would have been very significant however it still remains speculative.
The Kilpeck Llewellyn family was carefully reconstructed (private tree on Ancestry.com) and while Richard could have just squeezed in, making an eighth child of John Llewellyn b 1720 & Mary, it was very tight and siblings either side were all recorded in the Kilpeck Parish registers which were in good order and condition.
Clehonger - There was also a farming Llewellyn family John & Mary with some land at Clehonger in the right timeframe with a son Richard b 1732. There was also with a Gilbert family with a Mary & Hannah (Anne?) The family appeared to be literate with John signing his mother Janes letter of administration. The legatees in Mary`s 1737 Will were recorded as Eldest son John and Youngest son Edward it can only be deducted that the Richard b 1732 must have died prior to 1737 as he was the youngest son. This is based on an abstract online listing Wills of Herefordshire. The original Will still needs to be sighted.
Walterstone - There is a Llewellyn family that would be a perfect fit and interestingly the Walterstone P.R's did not survive circa 1756 however the B.T's did and are complete and in good condition with no Richard .
Bristol - A Richard Llewellyn & Mary raised a family at St. Michaels Bristol that included a Richard b. circa 1759. With the forenames of the other children (John 1757, Mary 1758, Elizabeth 1761, Ann 1763 ) being so similar to our lot they were a prime candidate. All this combined with a Philip Llewellyn & Elizabeth also having children at St.Michaels at the same time made a Bristol connection a strong possibility. However a copy of Richard seniors Will ( Died 1789, Will dated 1786, proved 1789 ) showed they were a wealthy family of brewers with property at Westbury on Trym . First born John had died in infancy 1757, Mary married George Fisher and daughter Elizabeth had lost the use of her limbs. This seems to be the same Llewellyn family who owned "Holmwood House" Westbury on Trym from 1768 till 1871.
Kington - There was a generational line of Llewellyn's at Kington from the 1600`s and as Richards first born son Richard ran a business, married, raised children and was buried at Kington, it is the most likely candidate as the ancestral home of the Llewellyn`s.
Kington has the only Richard born to a Richard Llewellyn in Hereford on the entire IGI that is in the timeframe of possibly being Richard`s father. He is Richard Llewellin christened 10 July 1724.
Richard born 1724 appears to marry Martha Williams on 1st July 1742 at Kington at only 18 years of age. His father, also named Richard had married at 20 years of age with the required parental consent as set out on his marriage licence.
The Llewellyn forename of Richard is most prominent in the Kington Llewellyn`s and passes down from father to son over three generations.
Other family forenames match up closely with Richard`s children and also the mystery William and Mary recorded at Abbey Dore.
Richard, Elizabeth , Anne, Mary & William.
It is proposed that Richard & Martha moved away from Kington to parts unknown at this point and had a family that included Richard born 1755.
Richard born 1755 moved to Abbey Dore to work on or with threshing machines and both his sons, Richard & Philip moved back towards Kington where they had established family connections that allowed them to both quickly establish their own thriving businesses allowing them to acquire homes and land.
An amazing economic turnaround for two families that could not have been possible without the established family connections at Kington.
Note: Richard Llewellyn was born in the Year 1755 and while we are not sure where, we do know that he worked, married, raised his children at Abbey Dore and on Sunday 9th January 1825 he was laid to rest in the Abbey church grounds at Abbey Dore, Herefo
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