John Pitt was my Great-Great Grandfather and is something of a mystery to me!

Facts I know about him:

• He married Sarah Davies on 25th June 1853 at St. Woolos, Newport and they settled at Panta House in Glascoed.
• They had several children, Sarah Ellen Pitt, Henry James Pitt, William John Pitt, Alice Ann Pitt and Thomas Jesse Pitt.
• He was a Master Stone Mason, who probably owned “Pitt’s Quarry” (referred to in Turnpike Trust account of c. 1862) near Glascoed.
• He was from England (1861 census states Gloucestershire (place unknown)) although this could be an error.
• His father was named as John Pitt (Mason) on his marriage certificate.
• He is reputed to have taught children to read in Glascoed (according to family oral history).
• He died of small pox (varisla) on 9th August 1865, at Panta House. It’s a shame he didn’t read or take notice of the warning in the 1858 Usk Observer.

Apart from this, I am reduced to educated guesses.

Why did he come to Glascoed? I have wondered whether he came to Glascoed in connection with the Railways. The Coleford, Monmouth, Usk & Pontypool Railway, which was authorised under an Act of August 20, 1853, started from a junction with the Newport, Abergavenny & Hereford Railway, at Little Mill, near Glascoed, to Coleford. There would have been plenty of work for stone masons on the railway at this time, so basing himself at Panta House in Glascoed would have been ideal - he was just a short walk away from Little Mill. Prior to this, there was work available on the new “Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company” line linking Pontnewynydd with Newport. Work on this line lasted several years - it was This opened in 1852 although the line was extended in 1853 and could explain how he and Sarah came to be in Newport in 1853. Alternatively, he may have been an itinerant mason, following the work to the burgeoning industrial areas around Pontypool, like many others, or could have come having been invited by his extended family.

Age: Noted as “full age” on marriage certificate, 38 on 1861 and 48 on death certificate. It is possible that the transcription of the death certificate was a bad transcription of 43 - this would make him as having been born between April and August 1822. However! this could be wrong!

Where was he on 1851 census? I have checked two seperate national transcriptions of the 1851 census.

SUSPECT ONE: There were two John Pitts in the Glascoed area - The only one who could be our man was John Pitt was at Court Farm, Llanvihangel Pontymoile, working as a labourer, aged 32, from Chilworth (probably Chelworth) in Wiltshire. This is close to the right age for John if his age on the death certificate is correct. It is a neighbouring farm to Coed-y-Cadno, where John’s future wife Sarah Davies was working as a servant in 1851.

SUSPECT TWO: There was a John Pitt, labourer, living in Chepstow - aged 26 born in Gloucestershire. This could have been him.

RULED OUT: The only John Pitt, stone masons of broadly the right age in the UK, that I found on census indexes were both dead by 1861. One was from Northumberland (and from death registers of that locality, appeared to have died in the mid 1850s - I haven’t actually obtained the certificate to finally rule him out, but this seems likely). His father was John Pitt, stone mason. Northumberland seems too far away to be reasonably considered, also. The other was from Bath Place, Stroud, and was the son of a John Pitt, Mason. I have seen his will, and noted that he died in 1851 or 52 (can’t remember off hand!) so that eliminates another John!

The other John Pitt, on the 1851 census in the local area was a carpenter, aged 23 living in Panteg with a William Sheldon, also a carpenter. This John was from Ledbury, Herefordshire, which is close to the Gloucestershire border. STOP PRESS - I have now definitely ruled him out from our search! This John Pitt married the Sheldon’s daughter, Mary Sheldon in Abergavenny in 1855. By 1861, she was back (as Mary Pitt) living with her parents as a widow. I believe that her husband John died in 1860.

CONCLUSIONS: It’s obviously possible that our John was either missed off the census completely - maybe working on the railways out of town - or may have been transcribed wrongly - there are some terrible transcription indexes out there! I believe that the John who is most likely, is Suspect One - partly due to the fact that he is the right sort of age (fairly consistent with his death certificate age), also that he was living so near to Sarah Davies - the woman he would marry twenty seven months later. I believe that he may have taken on some labouring work, just because it was available seasonally - maybe there was a dip in demand for work for masons at that time. His additional masonry skills could also have come in handy around the farm. I have not yet been able to locate this John’s birth or baptism records in Chelworth. Once I am able to do this, I’ll be able to say with more certainty whether I have the right man or not (depending on name and occupation of his father). I’m determined to find out more before I pop my clogs!

Newspaper Reports

John tried to take Martha Meredith to court in 1862, for trespass. Not sure what the outcome was, since no reports found in later newspapers, but it was interesting to see him mentioned. Martha would probably have been aged about 15 at this time - I wonder why she was trespassing? Usk Observer 12th April 1862.

Two other reports mention a John Pitt ... not really sure whether this was our John, or alternatively, the other local John Pitt, a railway worker from Llantrissent. Usk Observer articles from June 28th 1862 and August 23rd 1862.