Longtown, Herefordshire

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

Transcribed by Rosemary Lockie, © Copyright 2001

LONGTOWN is a village and township in the parish of Clodock, situated at the foot of the Hatteral hills, or Black mountains, on the borders of Monmouthshire. The little rivers Monnow, Eskley, and Olchon run through the township and unite a little below the village. It is distant 16 miles S.W. of Hereford, 10 N. of Abergavenny, 11 S.S.E. of Hay, and 4 N. of Pandy station on the Newport, Abergavenny, and Hereford railway; is in Ewyas Lacy, hundred, Dore union and petty sessional division, Abergavenny county court district, and is a polling place for county elections. It forms a part of the parish of Clodock for ecclesiastical purposes only, but has its own parish officers, and supports its own poor. The population in 1861 was 892; in 1871, 858; inhabited houses, 191; families or separate occupiers, 201; area of township; 6,274a. 3r. 10p.; annual rateable value £4,656.The Marquess of Abergavenny is lord of the manor of Ewyas Lacy. The principal landowners in Longtown are Mynors Baskerville, Esq., of Clyro court, near Hay, Mrs. Feilden of Dulas court, Rev. Charles Lionel Eagles, Rev. G. Thomas, Mr. John Watkins; and several smaller proprietors. The soil is sandy; subsoil, red sandstone; chief produce, wheat, barley, oats, and pasture.

Here are some considerable remains of a castle; the walls are about 40 feet high, and 12 feet in thickness. To the eastward is an eminence called "Mynydd Ferdyn" (meaning sloping mountain). Fairs are held on April 29th for sheep and cattle, and a statute fair on September 21st. Longtown is in the diocese and archdeaconry of Hereford. and rural deanery of Weobley; living, a vicarage with Llanveyno annexed; joint value, £160, derived from 212 acres of glebe; patron, the Vicar of Clodock (Rev. Charles Proberts, of Bacton); vicar, Rev. Edmund Davis, M.A., of Lexington College, United States, who was instituted in 1849. The chapel of ease, dedicated to St. Michael, was in 1869 beautifully restored at a cost of upwards of £1,100, chiefly obtained by subscriptions. It has nave, chancel, bell-turret with two bells, and about 200 sittings, all of which are free. The register begins with the year 1705. The Longtown district school board was formed June 1st, 1875. The district comprises five parishes. The school at Longtown was built in 1869 at a cost of about £400, and is situate on the Castle green. Salem Baptist chapel was erected in 1843.

POSTAL REGULATIONS.- Nicholas Cheese, Sub-Postmaster. Letters arrive by messenger from Abergavenny (via Llanfihangel) about 10.30 a.m.; despatched thereto at 2 p.m. Letters can be registered here, Ewyas Harold is the nearest money order and telegraph office. Post town, Abergavenny.
Parish Church (St. Cleodicus).- Rev. Chas. Proberts, Vicar; Rev. Chas. Lionel Eagles, B.A., Curate in sole charge; Wm. Pritchard, Parish Clerk.
St. Michael's Church, Longtown (Chapel of Ease to Clodock).- Rev. Edmund Davis, M.A., Vicar; Mr. Philip Hoddell, Churchwarden.
Longtown District School Board (members elected June 1st, 1875).- Herbert Howorth Wood, Esq., J.P., D.L. (Chairman), Rev. Charles Lionel Eagles, B.A., J.P., Messrs. John Gilbert Harris, Philip Hoddell, John Griffiths, John Price, and John Gwillim. The district comprises Longtown, Llanveyno, Crasswall, Michaelchurch Eskley, St. Margaret's, Newton, and Bacton. Clerk to the Board, T. Llanwarne, Esq., Hereford.
Board School (boys and girls).- Mr. Thomas Driffield, Master; Mrs. Driffield, Mistress.
Baptist Chapel (Salem).- Rev. John Howells, Minister.
Police Station.- John Phillips, Sergeant.
Registrar of Births, Deaths, and Marriages for Longtown District of Dore Union.- Mr. Phillip Gwillim, Cwm-Dulas. Relieving Officer.- Mr. Henry Miles, Clodock mills.
Carriers to Abergavenny.- John Williams, from his house, Perthe Perton, every Tuesday; Mrs. George from Trelandon every Tuesday about 7 a.m., returning the same day about 7 p.m.
PRIVATE RESIDENTS.
Davis Rev. Edmund, M.A. (vicar of Longtown and Llanveyno)
Eagles Rev. Charles Lionel, B.A., J.P. (incumbent of Crasswall, and curate in sole charge of Clodock), The Vicarage
Griffiths Mrs., Denmark cottage
Harris Mr. John Gilbert, The Villa
Howells Rev. John (Baptist), 3 Castle ter.
Johnson Mr. William, Glan-nant
Nichols Mr. Thomas, New house
Parry Mr. James, Castle terrace
Price Mr. Benjamin, The Cottage
Price Charles Warren, Esq., M.R.C.S., E., L.S.A., Yew Tree cottage
Price Mrs. Elizabeth, Church house
Tuffin Mrs., Chapel cottage
COMMERCIAL.
Cheese Nicholas, grocer, draper, tailor, and sub-postmaster, Post office
Davies Aaron, saddler and harness maker
Davies Mrs. Ann, farmer, Cwm-coched
Davies George, blacksmith
Davies Thos., farmer, Middle Pont-hendre
Driffield Thomas, schoolmaster
Edwards Mrs. Jane, farmer, Hunt house
Ellis Daniel, farmer, Middle and Lower Bryn farms
Evans John, Crown Inn
Farr Aaron, New Inn, and farmer
Farr John, farmer, Brooks
Ganes James, farmer, Little Cwm-coched
George Mrs., farmer & carrier, Trelandon
GRETTON JAMES, tea dealer, family grocer, and provision factor, New shop
Gwillim John, farmer and landowner, Wain and Sunny bank farms
Gwillim Philip, road surveyor, and registrar of births, deaths, and marriages for Longtown district of Dore union, Cwm Dulas
Gwillim William, New Inn, and farmer
Harris Henry Thomas, farmer, Old court
HARRIS JOHN GILBERT, land and estate agent and surveyor; agent for the Liverpool and London and Globe fire and life insurance office, The Villa
Hoddell John, farmer, Grydall farm
Hoddell Philip, farmer and landowner, Trekennell
Hyde William, Black Lion Inn
Johnson Mrs. E., beer retailer (Rising Sun)
Johnson Samuel, farmer, Lower house
Jones Wm., carpenter and wheelwright
Lewis George, farmer and landowner, Pen-y-rheol
Lewis John, farmer and landowner, Lower Pontynys
Lewis John, Greyhound Inn
Lewis William, Cornewall Arms Inn, and butcher
Lloyd Thomas, miller, Ponties mill
Miles Henry, relieving officer for Clodock district of Dore union, Clodock mills
MILES RICHARD, frmr. and miller, Pontynye mills; and coal, lime, and manure merchant, stores at Pandy and Tram Inn railway stations (Thomas Hall, Salesman at Pandy, and Richard Hill, Salesman at Tram Inn)
Parry Mrs., farmer, Trewern
Pembridge Jacob, farmer, Hunt house
Phillips John, sergeant of police
Powell James, boot and shoe maker
Powles William, farmer
Price Charles Warren, M.R.C.S., E., L.S.A., surgeon; medical officer to Longtown district of Dore union, and district benefit society, Yew Tree cottage
Price Edward, farmer, Llanwonog
Price Frederic, farmer, Groves farm
Price John, wheelwright
Price Joseph, mason and letter cutter
Price Thomas, farmer, The Moody
Price William Gilbert, farmer, Lower Pont-bendre
Pritchard John, farmer, Pen-y-dre
Pritchard John, farmer, Hunt house and Great Cwm-cocked
PRITCHARD WILLIAM, contractor, builder, and stone mason, Rose cot.
Pritchard William, parish clerk
Probert William, blacksmith, Pen-y-wain
Prosser Benjamin, shoemaker, Castle ter.
Prosser John, farmer; Hunt house
Prosser Mrs., farmer, Trelandon
PROTHERO WILLIAM, watch and clock maker, ironmonger, and boot and shoe warehouse; agent for the Integrity life insurance company, Chapel cottage
Rickards James, blacksmith
Rickards Mrs., shopkeeper, Castle terrace
Saunders Philip, farmer, Tregoed and Court-llaca farms
Smith John, horse breaker
Stephens Mrs. Mary, laundress & lodgings
Stone Henry, medical assistant
Thomas David, farmer, Coldbrook
Watkins George, farmer, Hunt house
Watkins John, farmer and landowner, Upper Wernddu
Watkins John, farmer and landowner, Mynydd Ferdyn
Watkins Thos., farmer, Lower Wernddu
Williams John, farmer, and carrier to Abergavenny, Perthe Perton
Williams John, carpenter, wheelwright & sawing machine proprietor, Trelandon
Williams Mrs. Mary, grocer and provision dealer
Williams Thomas, farmer, Ty-mawr

OCR/Transcription by Rosemary Lockie in November 2001.

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