The Early Loveluck Family of Glamorgan

Compiled by Janet Hearle, Dr. John Thomas (Stroud, Gloucestershire), Mrs. Elizabeth Rushen (Australia) and many members of the family.

Contents

John Loveluck (1739/40-1803)

Ann (née John) Loveluck (1739-1765)

Edward I (1774-1832) of Havod Hallog

Ann (1769-1834?)

Mary (1770 -? )

Martha (1771-?)

Margaret (1777-?)

William (1783-1857) The "Port Reeve"

Edward II (1801-1863) of Waterton Farm

John (1803/4-1889)

Ann (née Loveluck) Thomas, born 1837.

Richard Thomas, 1838-1916

John Loveluck

Born: 1739 or 1740

Died: 20th March, 1803 at Kenfig, aged 63 (Bishops Transcripts, Margam Abbey).

The first member of the family to come to Wales. Family legend says he and David Emanuel Marendez, a friend of Thomas Talbot, saved the life of Thomas Talbot when fighting barbary pirates; for this they were rewarded [Both John L and D.E. Marendez received rent free (nominal rents given) farms for their lifetime.] and brought to Margam. Thomas' father was John Ivory Talbot, who married Mary Mansell, an heiress, and took over the Margam estates. J.L. may have been pressed into the Navy (?) Margam abbey records his marriage to Ann John. He could write, but Ann signed with an X - date 23rd November, 1765, and he spelled his name with a 'u'.

A family called Lovelock lived in Wilts as early a 1649 in Marlborough - Chiseldon area when William Lovelock of Chisledon was not disposed to contribute to a rate for the poor of the parish.

In 1736 Edward Lovelock, yeoman, of Ham and Henley, and William Lovelock of Buttermere were listed as eligible for Jury service. The spelling of the name changed probably because of the Welsh pronunciation of 'o' as 'u' in names like Monmouth, St. Donat's, etc. John is reputed to have come from Lacock because of the Talbot connection. In a census return of 1871 John's grandson Edward of Bridgend had as a children's nurse a woman born in Lacock. As he had a son and a grandson Edward, can it be assumed that his father might be Edward?

The earliest record of him is in 1767. In 1782 he was the occupier of two premises in Kenfig Borough.

Margam Estate accounts for 1788-9 record that John L. held land in Kenfig and a cot and garden in Margam. Was it a 'thank you' from the Talbots? He must have moved to Kenfig between 1777 and 1788. In 1802 he was tenant and owner of premises in Kenfig Borough. Was this Ann's?

A member of the Loveluck family (Mrs. Laura Loveluck [is this Laura Darling, or Laura Richards?]) deposited a lot of MSS, in the National Library of Wales, including: "The gamekeeper's deputation of John Loveluck of Pyle and Kenfig, warrener, in 1788 and 1792 in the manor of Kenfig; also the same John Loveluck's deputation in the manors of Sker, Margam, Havodyporth, Pyle, Kenfig and North Cornelly in 1794"; but this time he is described as a yeoman.

In 1786 in the Tithing of Badbury a proprietor called Loveluck is shown to own pasture land which he lets for a rent of 9/-. In 1793 John was Portreeve of Kenfig.

Land Tax Assessments - Newcastle Hundred (LTA/NEW) [Information from Dr. John Thomas] state:

"1782. John Loveluck occupier of two premises in Kenfig Borough.
"1802. John Loveluck tenant and owner of premises in Kenfig Borough.

Margam Estate Rentals (O/O Ma)

"John Loveluck gamekeeper to the Margam Estate in the 1760's and 1770's, 1767 earliest account. He died (suddenly?) without a Will and Letters of Administration were given to his widow Ann. He had the following children:
i. Ann, eldest daughter, probably baptised at her mother's home.
ii. Mary, baptised 5th May, 1770 (Margam Register)
iii. Martha, baptised 1771 (Margam Register)
iv. Edward, baptised 1774 (Margam Register)
v. Margaret, baptised 1781 (Margam Register)
vi. William, baptised 1781, died in infancy (Margam Register)
vii. William, baptised 1783 (Margam Register)

The following notes were obtained from Robert Sterry, who stated that he in turn obtained them from a cousin, Gwen Eastment, who is a Lovelock. However, it seems that the information originally came from Janet Hearle.

Lovelucks in Wales (Courtesy of Janet Hearle, 28 Park Street, Bridgend, Glamorgan, Wales CF314AX)

The Loveluck spelling in Wales emanated from the Welsh accent plus the fact that the clerks of the parish records based their spelling on what they heard.

John Lovelock (who became Loveluck) bn: 1740 was g.g.g. grandfather of Janet Hearle. Foresters of this Lovelock family lived in Savanoke forest under the control of Sir John Seymour. In Savanoke they were allowed to have a crest of a hunting dog on their upper shirt arm. This story comes from Thomas Talbot of Talbots Lacock Abbey, Wiltshire, an MP in the English Parliament who in the 1700s inherited Margam Abbey and lands in Wales. John Lovelock was employed by Thomas Talbot.

John Lovelock had a brother George, who was a groom, who left with him for Margam. In Wales, George lived at Penrug Farm.

Margam was to become a gentleman's park, with an orangery which became famous all over Britain. Talbot wanted Italian statues from Italy to decorate Margam and he took John Lovelock with him to Italy. Their ship was attacked by pirates off the coast of North Africa and John Lovelock and another young protege called David Marendez saved Talbot's life. In gratitude they were each allowed to have a farm rent free for the extent of their lives.

John later went to live a few miles away at Kenfig where he became a "burgher" of that old town. John's eldest daughter Ann married Marendez.

JML: There is an interesting connection concerning the Talbot family and their home Lacock Abbey, which Janet Hearle does not seem to have noticed. It seems that the pioneering photographer, and physicist, William Henry Fox Talbot (1800-1877) was the great-grandson of John Ivory Talbot, or the grandson of Thomas Talbot. In fact, his historic photograph, generally acknowledged to be the world's first photographic negative, was of the latticed oriel window of the South Gallery of Lacock Abbey, Fox Talbot's home. Furthermore, the photographic connection extended to Glamorgan, since Fox Talbot spent much of his youth with his Welsh cousins at Penrice Castle, Gower, Through his cousin Christopher Talbot, he came into contact with the Rev. Calvert Richard Jones, who became one of his closest associates. The earliest Welsh photograph is a daguerreotype of Margam Castle taken by Calvert Jones, and shows the home of his friend Christopher Price Mansel Talbot, Fox Talbot's cousin.

Sources: Web pages:
Fox Talbot Museum,
Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru : National Library of Wales - The Photographs Collection
Lacock, National Trust Village and Abbey

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Ann (née John) Loveluck

Born: 1739

Died: 12th November, 1816 at "Maudlam" (Source: Bishops Transcripts, Margam Parish)

Wife of John. She seems to have been Welsh and was probably a local girl. She could not write, but probably inherited money as John's fortunes seem to have improved very quickly from gamekeeper and yeoman!

When John died intestate she at once made a Will, She had given sums at different times to her daughters for their husbands, so made two codicils to her Will in order to level up the legacies. From her Will she seems to have had two sons, Edward and William, surviving her, and four daughters, Anne, Mary, Martha and Margaret. One of her sons, William, died in infancy and another son was named for him. She may possibly have had another son, John, who died in 1786 (Margam Registry) but there is no sign of his baptism. He may have died in infancy. Anyway it was before John died, and there is no mention of him in her Will.

From her Will, it states that she got half her husband's estate, and his effects for her sole use and disposal by agreement with joint heirs. She left less than £100. The Will was proved by Llandaff C.C. by her son William.

Margam Estate Rentals states:

1803/4. Kenfig Borough. John Loveluck's widow is the tenant of:

  1. A cot and two crofts, part of the Demeshe No. 8 and 9, a dwelling house and 3 acres.
  2. Part of Henry Ayward's Tenement (Charles Aylward has a burial stone inside Mawdlam Church).
  3. An acre in Winter's Mead.
  4. Brombill, a Close.
  5. The Warren.
  6. Late Jenkin Lydden's

Ann's daughter Ann never appears except in the Will. She clearly states her eldest son is Edward and youngest William, who seems to have been the one who stayed locally as Edward may have moved to Waterton by that time.

Accounts in Margam show that there was a William John, Portreeve of Kenfig in 1788 and that he paid £2.5.7½ for the rents of the Borough and the Parschal Hill holding (Ref. Story of Kenfig, Evans, P.4).

Since in 1728 the population must have been small (Margam MS. 5604 records only 35 houses in higher Kenfig), he must anyway have been a close relative.

May 7th, 1736. "We present William John, petty constable, for not appearing at this court. Fined 13s 4d (Story of Kenfig, P. 44). He was probably the father of the Portreeve, which might explain Ann's better position in life.

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Edward I (1774-1832) of Havod Hallog

The eldest surviving son of John and Ann, he was baptised on Boxing Day, 1774 in Margam.

He married Ann (nee Jones) at Maudlam Church, Kenfig on 10th April 1799. She was possibly the daughter or some near relative of Richard Jones, Portreeve of Kenfig, who died in September, 1800 (Story of Kenfig, P.66).

He died on 21st August, 1832 and was buried at Margam together with his wife, who died in 1808 aged 33 [in fact, Ann died 25 Sep 1828, aged 53]. In the same grave are buried Mary, nee Loveluck, Edward's daughter, wife of David Richards, Innkeeper, later of Wern, and Margaret and David Richards - they were Ann's husband's relatives. [David Richards, born 1816, was an Innkeeper of Llangwnwyd, later of Wern farm. His father was William Richards, a mason. Mary Loveluck was born 1817, married to David Richards in 1846 at Maudlam.] [Editor's note: This does not agree with the data in the family tree itself - Mary's husband is recorded as Evan John, not David Richards.]

There is some confusion as to who his children were, as their baptisms are not recorded in Margam. He also seems to have had a daughter Ann, who married William Gubbins, of Laleston, in Margam in 1823, and three sons, Edward II, John and William (Trissant). [Verified by Elsie Davey.]

In 1802 he was probably the tenant of Longland Farm, Margam (landowner Lord Jenner).

In Margam Estate Rentals (1803/4, East Margam) he is described as "Edward Loveluck, tenant of 'Havod Hallog'" (55846842 National Grid - HAVOD-HEULOG). Annual rent £40. Also at West Margam for: "6 Acres Hwch Lai. Annual Rent £6".

He seems to have been quite prosperous by the time of his father's death, though he would still have been just under 30.

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Ann (1769-1834?)

In her mother's Will; by order of placing of the sisters she must have been the eldest girl.

She married, and received a £20 legacy, so obviously had not "borrowed on" as her sisters had.

Born 1739 [Editor's note: this must be a mistake - should read 1769?] baptised Margam Abbey. Married David Emanuel Marendez - according to the Marendez family from Mathod near Lausanne Switzerland, a younger son of a "noble" family, Portugese by descent but living in Switzerland. Date of marriage 1798 by licence Margam Abbey.

Died aged 37, buried Margam.

4 sons, 1 daughter.

Famous descendants:

  1. David Thomas, celebrated Poet and Literary Critic, 1st World War period
  2. D. Marcus Marendez, inventor of a light aircraft, a special racing car and a special type of safe brake.

[Editor's Note: The dates above for marriage, death do not agree with those in the family tree.]

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Mary

The second daughter according to her mother's Will. She was baptised in Margam on 5th May 1770. In the Will of 1803 she is stated as being married, and was left £10 "for her own separate and sole use", as she had been given money by her mother before she died. Her husband could not have been too popular as he was not mentioned in the codicil. In the second codicil she got an extra 7 guineas in addition to the original, if her sister Margaret paid back the money.

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Martha

Baptised in Margam in 1771. Married Richard Robert (who was Portreeve of Kenfig in 1812) at Maudlam Church, Kenfig on 2nd April, 1791). She was left £20 in her Mother's Will. Obviously they were in better circumstances.

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Margaret

Baptised on 18th May 1777 at Margam

She married Samuel Thomas at Maudlam Church, Kenfig on 4th May, 1800.

She was also given money, for in her mother's codicil she is left £5.3.0 which would go to her husband if she predeceased him. In the second codicil to her mother's Will it was stated that "in consideration of the constant assistance" given to Samuel Thomas, his wife and family, the 7 guineas advanced to him for a wagon, if still unpaid, should be deducted out of the £20 bequeathed to him or her.

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William (1783-1857). The "Port Reeve".

Farmer, Port Reeve, Kenfig.

Stated in his mother's Will to be the youngest son. He married Isod, nee Thomas, daughter of Elizabeth and William Thomas and granddaughter of Isod Began on 17th November, 1810 at Maudlam (Story of Kenfig - Evans, P.43) Maudlam Register also records him as having a "base child" to a local girl named Richard.

The Begans were an old recusant Glamorgan family, persecuted into penury. The earliest Began was Griffin, living c.1234, who married Agnes Esturmi. The Esturmi family came from Normandy with William the Conqueror and gave their name to Stormy Down; they were ancestors of the Dukes of Somerset - Roger Seymour married Maud Esturmi of Chadham, Wilts, in 1394 (Story of Kenfig, P.43).
[Editor's Note: The "Esturmi family [which] came from Normandy with William the Conqueror" may be Richard L'Estourmi or Raoul de l'Estourmi . See 1066 List of Knights.]

William was a fairly prosperous farmer of Kenfig, and was Portreeve in 1811, 1819, and 1841. The Portreeve presided over the monthly Courts for the transaction of business, appointed overseers of the poor, and granted licences to innkeepers. In the Borough Accounts on 20th September, 1839 he was paid for "Powder used in rejoicing of the birth of an Heir to Margam Estate" - i.e. Theodore Talbot.

As Edward went away from Kenfig to farm, William who stayed with his father, was appointed executor of his mother's Will, and received the residue of her estate and "effects on condition he pays his brother and sisters or their husbands the respective tokens bequeathed to them as specified". So it would appear that most of the estate was in the form of farm goods and chattels.

Isod bore him nine children, of which one died in infancy in 1804. He made a Will on 20th February, 1857 in which he is described as a farmer. He left £5 each to his children Anne, William, John, Edward, Elizabeth and Mary, to be paid within twelve months of his decease. He left his "Copyhold houses, gardens, lands and appurtenances in the Parish of Pile and Kenfig" and his watch to James. The rest to be divided between Thomas and James, and he wished that the farm he occupied and rented, be rented on behalf of them both and that one was not to have it without the consent of the other. If Thomas got it he was to pay James £100 compensation "for loss of profits and capital invested in the farm". He wishes Thomas and James to maintain their mother "in comfortable circumstances or if she prefer living apart and by herself to allow her the sum of 10 shillings weekly for her support ... also a Bed and bedding and plenty of furniture for a single room which are to be divided between my sons Thomas and James after her decease". Thomas and James were joint executors. William died on 4th May 1857, and his estate was valued at £300 by Llandaff Consistory. Isod died in 1867, aged 81. He and Isod are buried in a box tomb near the porch of Mawdlam Church, as befitted an important person of the Parish.

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Edward Loveluck II of Waterton Farm

He was born in 1801 and died on 27th March, 1863 and was buried in Coychurch, though no family grave has been found to date.

The problem of the two Edwards, father and son, has long perplexed us but has not been resolved, even with the help of Elsie Davey and much comparison of records.

Edward II married Mary Hopkin (1797-1833) at Margam in 1822. She is buried on the oldest part of the Churchyard near the original of John's family tomb near the path leading to the centre of the North wall of the Church. It states on the stone that she was the wife of "Edward of Waterton". Buried with her is her brother Thomas Hopkins of "Pentydla" (spelling on stone).

He and Mary had three sons - Edward (baptised in Coychurch 1825, died 1850 and buried in Coychurch), John (Llang) and Thomas (Australia); and two daughters - Mary, baptised in 1823 and Ann, baptised on 18th January, 1827, both in Coychurch.

[JML: The family tree data includes another daughter, Elizabeth]

Ann was adopted by Thomas Hopkins, her mother's brother, of Ty Maen farm and later "Pentydla". He was a widower. Jehu L. [Editor's note: son of Thomas (Australia)] wrote in a letter to Gladys Polkinghorne in 1948 that he had an unmarried Aunt Ann and Uncle John.

Edward's second wife was Jennet. They lived on at Waterton and had four daughters who were all baptised at Coychurch, three being buried there too:

[Editor's note: the family tree data also records another daughter, Jennet, born 1842.]

Edward and Jennet were buried in Coychurch but there is no sign of their or their daughters' graves.

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John Loveluck (1803/4-1889)

He was baptised in Margam, probably the second son of Edward I and named after his grandfather.

He died, and was buried with his wife in Llangynog Churchyard.

From Margam records he seems to have been a tenant of Havod Talog of which his father had the tenancy before him.

From the 1871 census, when he and his family were living at Fald farm, Llangynog, comes the information that he married Mary, who was born at Merthyr Mawr in 1815. She died in 1892.

His children were:

[Editor's note: the family tree data also includes two other children: Thomas, born 1854, died 1855. and Martha.]

In the 1871 census only David and Margaret were living with the family at Fald, which was described as being of 119 acres.

As his family increased John moved from Havod Halog as it was poor land partly mined for coal. They must first have moved near Cardiff and later managed to buy a small farm near Carmarthen with the help of a mortgage from Richard Thomas, who by this time was making good in the tinplate business.

John received Letters of Administration from Edward I (1774-1832)'s estate at Llandaff C.C. - it states a son John.

John's Will (P.C.C.) was proved at £61.

His son David inherited the farm, and died unmarried at Fald (acreage 105), leaving £2,023 in his Will. He was buried at Bethesda graveyard in Llangynog.

So the Carmarthen line of Lovelucks die out. Margaret (nee Loveluck) Griffiths had six children according to her granddaughter Elizabeth Griffiths to whom we are indebted for much information: but three daughters and one son had the surname Thomas, and two sons had the surname Griffiths, so Margaret probably married twice; but Elizabeth Griffiths only had possession of the Griffiths - Loveluck marriage certificate. She also said her grandparents went to Kimbolton or Wellingborough in Northamptonshire when they were married, and that at one time they kept the Fox hotel, Kimbolton and had a milk round.

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Ann (née Loveluck) Thomas, born 1837.

The eldest daughter of John (Carmarthen), she went to Cardiff to work and was described on her marriage certificate to Richard Thomas in 1859 as being a spinster living at Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff. Richard Thomas, aged 21, also lived in Mount Square, which was one of the smart areas of the newly established dockland of Cardiff, and is described as a "coal shipper". They were married in the local Parish Church of St. Mary the Virgin by the Curate, the witnesses being William George Thomas and Fanny Thomas, obviously close relatives. His father was described as Richard Thomas, a merchant.

The story of the rise to fame and fortune of Richard Thomas, usually described as being from Lydney, is in essence the rise of the Welsh tinplate industry. He died being the head of many different Companies, and his sons all took a prominent part in all his enterprises, gradually taking over responsibility. Richard Thomas himself died in 1916, aged 79, leaving £92,139. His and Ann's eldest son Richard Beaumont Thomas died a year later, leaving £449,285 in his Will. A far cry from Havod Talog days! Eventually the iron and tin plate industry became nationalised. The successor was the Steel Company of Wales of which Thomas Griffiths, husband of Lilian, granddaughter of James "the Maltster" was the Secretary. Dr. John Thomas, great-grandson of James the Maltster, was for many years the Doctor of the British Steel Corporation of Scunthorpe.

Richard and Ann had five sons and three daughters.

She died 4 April 1914, and was buried in the family grave at Lydbrook. There is a magnificent stained glass window (local copy of Web page) in Lydbrook Church to the memory of Richard, Ann and their children who died young.

Note: The copy of the Web page showing the East Window of Lydbrook Church, and that below concerning Richard Thomas, were taken from a Web site about Lydbrook Church (produced by the then vicar, the Rev Michael Foster) which no longer exists.

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Richard Thomas 1838-1916

From the files of Western Mail and S. Wales Daily News, Times 30th Sept. 1916 and 11th January 1917, and The Engineer, 6th October, 1916.

Richard Thomas, 1838-1916, industrialist; son of London metal merchant: b. at Bridgewater and educated at Wesleyan College at Taunton. He entered the tinplate trade at Margam, and was afterwards clerk-of-works during the erection of Melincryddan works 1863, near Neath.

In 1865 he borrowed money to buy the Ynys-pen-llwch iron and tin plate works; in 1871 he rented the Lydbrook tinplate works, and in 1877 the Lydbrook colliery. The depression of 1883 forced him to compound with creditors, whom however he eventually repaid in full. In 1884 he formed with his sons the private company of Richard Thomas and Sons, and in 1888 bought the Melingriffith iron and tinplate works. The firm expanded its activities rapidly, acquiring works at Aberdare 1890, Abercan 1895, Cwmfekin 1896, Llanelly and Burry Port 1898, Cwmwrla 1898, and elsewhere 1902-8.

By his wife Ann (Ann Loveluck) whom he had married in 1859, Thomas had 5 sons and 2 daughters. He took little part in public life but was a generous supporter of hospitals at Llanelly, Swansea, Cardiff, Newport, Ross and Lydney.

He died 28 September, 1916 and was buried in Lydney Parish Churchyard (*). His sons in September 1918 turned the firm into a public company, which continued to flourish and in 1935 acquired the Ebbw Vale steel works. By 1940 it had been merged into the firm of Richard Thomas and Baldwin Ltd.

* This is incorrect - he, Ann and 2 children were buried at Lydbrook Church, Gloucestershire, and there is a memorial window (local copy) to them and their children in the Church. However, there is a tablet in Lydney Church erected to the memory of his eldest son.

The Lydbrook Church Web site also included a Short History of Richard Thomas and his achievements (local copy).

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