Daniel Roberts

Daniel Roberts, born approximately 1799 in Llanbaddock, lived at Lower Wernhir Farm for at least ten years, until c. 1850/51. I believe that his family had probably farmed there for some time before this.

He married Sarah Evans of Monkswood parish on 26th May 1834 at St. Mary’s church, Usk.

By 1851 he had moved to Hendrew Farm (Henrhiw/ Hendre), Llanbaddock, farming 200 acres and employing 6 men. This was only a couple of farms away from Lower Wernhir, but took him out of Glascoed.

Tragedy struck the family in 1857, with the death of their son, William.

At the time of the 1861 census, Daniel was a farmer of some 300 acres, employing 3 men and 5 boys. He also owned the farm at Greenmeadow in addition to Hendrew Farm. A notice published in 1862 warned against trespassers setting foot on his lands at Llanbaddock and Glascoed.

He was farming at Hendrew Farm at the time of the Glascoed Riots. This did not endear him to the residents of Glascoed. For a period, he was Public Enemy Number One in the hamlet as a result of his attempted enclosure of Common Land!!! I assume that he was the “large farmer” featured in the Free Press story from Feb 1860 “Hoaxing a farmer”. I have now found further evidence of antagonism between Daniel and his neighbours over the enclosure of Land in the following articles from the Usk Observer, 1860 . . . Gates Damaged and also the Editor’s take on the Damages (although he was not averse to taking Daniel’s notice the week before (for money, I assume!), Strange tale re consulting a “Wise Man”, presumably about Daniel, and further trouble.

I found a story in the Pontypool Free Press, featuring the hospitality of Mrs Roberts.

It is quite likely that he was Baptist by denomination, since his brother William was a Baptist preacher, although as you will see from William’s link, not a particularly successful one.

He was a regular advertiser or correspondent to the Usk Observer. In 1860 he placed a notice regarding a missing white boar pig - I can’t help wondering what was behind his threat to bring the law onto “any person detaining the same”. Was this the convention of the time in newspaper reports; does it betray a twitchiness over the recent trouble with his neighbours - is it one of a number of incidents that Daniel has been the victim of? I may just be reading too much into things, though! He also placed that notice regarding the damage done to his gates (in the run up to the Glascoed riots - maybe linked?). A notice was placed in 1862 offering a reward for the return of a gun that he had left in one of his fields. Another notice, from 1862 warned against trespassers on his lands at Llanbaddock and Glascoed.

Daniel was, certainly by the 1860s, a regular visitor to the courts. A case where he alleged that coal had been stolen from him by an employee was brought to court in 1859: See Article One and Article Two. He was taken to court regarding the underpayment of an employee in 1860. He did get in trouble for trespassing on other people’s lands also - both his farm servants (trespassing on Adolphus Parker’s land) and his sheep (where they destroyed the vegetable garden of Mr Coleman, the Miller at Prioress Mill). This was a second dispute with the Miller, within a year. In 1861 he had successfully complained about Mr Coleman widening the river on the lands of Hendrew, without permission. He alleged that this led to severe flooding of his lands. He pursued a court case against a haulier and his wife, Daniel and Ann Morgan, again related to sheep, a couple of months before his death in 1863.

Daniel died on 27th July 1863, aged 64 years. His place of residence at time of death was Hendre farm. He had certainly left an impact on the neighbourhood.

For further details of Daniel and Sarah’s family, please refer to Sarah’s page.

Newspaper Death notices:

(1) Usk Gleaner

(2) Usk Observer

CENSUS RECORDS

1841 - at Lower Wernhir

1851 - at Hendrew farm, Llanbaddock

1861 - at Hendrew farm, Llanbaddock