Craswall, Herefordshire

Extract from Littlebury's Directory and Gazetteer of Herefordshire, 1876-7
with Private and Commercial Residents

Transcribed by Rosemary Lockie, © Copyright 2001

CRASSWALL, CRASWELL, or CROSSWOLD, is a chapelry, township, and small village in the parish of Clodock, situated near the source of the river Monnow, at the foot of the Black mountains, which here form the boundary between Herefordshire and Brecknockshire. It is distant 7 miles S.E. of Hay, 16 N. of Abergavenny, 20 W. of Hereford, and about 8 N.W. of Pontrilas station on the Newport, Abergavenny, and Hereford branch of the Great Western railway (West Midland section); is in Ewyas Lacy hundred, Dore union and petty sessional division, Hay county court district, and Michaelchurch Eskley polling district. The population of the township in 1861 was 356; in 1871, 345; inhabited houses, 76; families or separate occupiers, 76; area, 3,848a. 1r. 3p.; annual rateable value, £2,051 10s. The Marquess of Abergavenny, who is lord of the manor of Ewyas Lacy, Penry Williams, Esq., and Miss Rawson are the principal landed proprietors.

The soil is sandy; subsoil, sandstone; chief produce, wheat, oats, barley, and roots. Crasswall forms a part of the parish of Clodock for ecclesiastical purposes only; for civil purposes it has its own officers, and maintains its own poor. It is in Hereford diocese and archdeaconry and Weobley rural deanery; living, a perpetual curacy; value, £65, including 25 acres of glebe; patron, the vicar of Clodock (Rev. Charles Proberts, of Bacton); incumbent, Rev. Charles Lionel Eagles, M.A., of Wadham College, Oxford, who was insti- tuted in 1852, and resides at Longtown vicarage. The register begins with the year 1703. The church is an ancient stone edifice, with nave, porch, and small belfry with one bell. It is in great need of restoration.

The township is included in the Longtown district school board. New school buildings, to accommodate 75 children, are about to be erected from the designs of Messrs. Haddon Brothers, of Hereford and Malvern. The Primitive Methodists have two chapels here. Among the Black mountains, near the rise of one of the branches of the Monnow, and between 1 and 2 miles from the borders of Brecknockshire, formerly stood a small priory dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and subordinate to the order of Grandmount, in Normandy. It contained a prior and ten monks, who were established here about the end of the reign of King John. At the suppression, its revenues amounted to 40s. yearly, which were granted by Edward IV. to Christ's College, Cambridge.

POSTAL REGULATIONS.- Letters are received: through Hay, R.S.O. Peterchurch and Hay are the nearest money order offices. Hay is the, nearest telegraph office. Letters should be addressed - Crasswall, Hay, R.S.O. (Herefordshire.)
Crasswall Church (Chapel of Ease to: Clodock).- Rev. Charles Lionel Eagles, M.A., Incumbent; Mr. Benjamin Williams, Churchwarden; William Hughes, Parish Clerk.
Primitive Methodist Chapel.- Mr. Bowen, Minister.
Primitive Methodist Chapel.- Ministers various
PRIVATE RESIDENTS.
(None listed)
COMMERCIAL.
Beavan Joseph, farmer, White Oak farm
Beavan Thomas,. farmer, Crasswall court and Abbey farms
Beavan Thomas, farmer, Old house and Chapel house farms
Davies Mrs. Elizabeth, farmer and landowner, The Barn
Davies Robert, farmer, Green lane
Gains Mrs., farmer, Court farm
Gilbert Caleb, farmer, Holly well
Gilbert John, farmer, Lower Black, hill
Gilbert Philip, farmer, White Haywood
Gore Theophilus, farmer, Wren's nest
Greenhow Thomas, farmer, Cwm
Howells James, farmer, Goods land
Howells Jonathan, farmer, Old mill
Hughes William, farmer and parish clerk, Rhymord
Jenkins Aaron, farmer, Tan house
Jenkins George, farmer, Pethy-pû
Jenkins Moses, blacksmith
Jenkins Thomas, miller, Cwm mills
Johnson James, farmer, Black hill
Jones Samuel, farmer, Upper house
Jones Samuel, farmer, Road
Jones William, farmer
Lewis John, farmer, The Porth
Lewis William, farmer, The Birches
Morgan Mrs. Mary, farmer, Perkin's land
Morris George, farmer, Pentwyn
Nott John, farmer, Park and Llanoly farms; res., Glasbury, Hay
Palmer John, farmer, The Rock
Phillips David, farmer, Shawls
Phillips William, farmer, Black hill
Powell John, boot and shoe ma., Crossway
Price Isaac, farmer, Tryland
Pritchard James, farmer, The Oaks
Prosser James, farmer R, ocky fold
Prosser .Tames, farmer, Kill Horse farm
Prosser Thomas, carpenter
Rowley John, farmer, College farm
Smith James, farmer, Cwm steps
Stephens Mrs., farmer, Llandraw
Strachan David, farmer, Duke's farm
Watkins David, beer retailer (Three Horse Shoes)
Watkins George, farmer, Little Black hill
Watkins John, farmer, Three Yew-trees
Watkins Mrs., farmer
Watkins William, farmer, The Coed
Williams Benjamin, farmer, The Town
Williams Joseph, farmer, Wern-wen
Williams Lewis, frmr., Abraham's reeds
Williams Rich., farmer, Great Black hill

OCR/Transcription by Rosemary Lockie in November 2001.

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