John Morris was born about 1804 in the parish of Gwnnws. It is in this parish that Esgair Mwn is situated. On 16th June 1826, again in this parish, he married Elizabeth Evans also from Gwnnws. She was born about 1806.
In 1826 their first son Richard was born and the following year another son David followed in 1830 by John. The next year they had a daughter Mary who unfortunatly died in the summer of 1833. Next year they had another daughter who they again called Mary. In 1836 a son Evan was born and three years later a daughter called Winifred. It was not until 1845 that Margaret, our great grandmother, was born. The last child, William, was born in 1848.
1841 Census
Pantyfynon, Gwnws Upper, Cardiganshire
| John | MORRIS | 35 | miner |
| Elizabeth | MORRIS | 35 | |
| David | MORRIS | 13 | |
| John | MORRIS | 11 | |
| Mary | MORRIS | 7 | |
| Winifred | MORRIS | 2 | |
| Winifred | MORRIS | 80 | pauper |
Lluest, Gwnws Upper, Cardiganshire
| David | MORRIS | 40 | Ag. Lab. |
| Anne | MORRIS | 35 | |
| Anne | MORRIS | 13 | |
| Evan | MORRIS | 10 | |
| David | MORRIS | 8 | |
| Jane | MORRIS | 6 | |
| Elizabeth | MORRIS | 3 | |
| Margaret | PRIZE | 9 | Pauper |
Pantyffynon and Lluest are two farms near Fair Rhos in Gwnnws. They are situated opposite each other and lie a little south west of Esgair Mwn. It is possible that John and David Morris were brothers though there is no conclusive proof.
 | Lluest in 2000 |
1851 Census
Gwarffynon, Gwnnws Upper, Cardiganshire
| John | MORRIS | Head | M | 49 | Freeholder and miner |
| Elizabeth | MORRIS | Wife | M | 45 | |
| Richard | MORRIS | Son | U | 24 | Tailor |
| David | MORRIS | Son | U | 23 | Miner |
| John | MORRIS | Son | U | 21 | Miner |
| Mary | MORRIS | Dau | U | 16 | |
| Winifred | MORRIS | Dau | U | 12 | |
| Evan | MORRIS | Son | | 7 | |
| Margaret | MORRIS | Dau | | 5 | |
| William | MORRIS | Son | | 3 | |
Gwarffynon is situated just to the north of Esgair Mwn. This property together with Pantyffynon was owned by John Morris. By the 1861 census the family were back at Pantyffynon.
 | Gwarffynon in 2000 |
This remote house and small garden is on high windswept scrubland and rough grazing in upper Gwnnws north-east of Pontrhydfendigaid and Ffair Rhos. In 1851 the MORRIS family were living in it and were mainly lead miners. There were no roads leading to it and the house would have had no services. There was a spring nearby. The small garden probably supplied some of their needs and a cow, some hens and possibly a pig gave them more supplies.
John died at Pantyffynon with tuberculosis in September 1869. His wife Elizabeth was still here in 1871 but by 1881 was living at Cambrian Street with her son Richard. She died at Fair Rhos in July 1887.
Her daughter Margaret who was a lead miner in 1861, had left Pantyffynon by 1877 when she had her first child at Llanwrthwl, Brecon. The following year she married Lewis James and by 1881 had moved to Porth, Glamorgan and later to Pontypridd where she lived for the rest of her life.
More about Margaret, her Brothers and her Sisters
Her eldest brother Richard, born in 1826, was a male servant at 14 with a JONES family at Caemadog which is less than a mile north west of Strata Florida. He became a tailor living at Cambrian Street, Gwnnws and was still single in 1871 but by 1881 was a widower. If correct it was an unfourtunately short marriage.
The next brothers, David born in 1827 and John in 1830, both became miners. David married an Elizabeth and lived in Cwmcednu, Gwnnws which he also farmed. There is no record of them having any children though they employed a young boy, Jacob JONES, as a farm servant. David died in 1877 and John in 1859 at the age of just 29 years.
Her eldest brother Richard, born in 1826, was a male servant at 14 with a JONES family at Caemadog which is less than a mile north west of Strata Florida. He became a tailor living at Cambrian Street, Gwnnws and was still single in 1871 but by 1881 was a widower. If correct it was an unfourtunately short marriage.
The next brothers, David born in 1827 and John in 1830, both became miners. David married an Elizabeth and lived in Cwmcednu, Gwnnws which he also farmed. There is no record of them having any children though they employed a young boy, Jacob JONES, as a farm servant. David died in 1877 and John in 1859 at the age of just 29 years.
Margaret's sister Mary, whom she never saw, was born in 1834 but died one year later. Another girl was born to her parents in 1834 and they also called her Mary. Her brother Evan was born in 1836 and like David and John became a lead miner. Her sister Winifred was born in 1839 and as well as her brothers also became a lead miner. Margaret's younger brother William born 1848 was also to take up the same occupation. He married an Elizabeth and had at least one child.
By the age of fifteen, Margaret too had become a lead miner and probably, like the other children, had been a lead dresser before that. Lead dressing is the cleaning up of the ore, removing stones and chipping away rock. It is a crude form of refining. Considering that lead is toxic, it is surprising that several family members lived to an old age.
In 1871 Margaret, now a stocking knitter, was still at Gwnnws. In July 1877, whilst working as a domestic servant, had a son she called David at Nantyear, Llanwrthwl, Breconshire. This is to the west on the other side of the "Great Mountain". By December she was living at Rhwnant, Llanwrthwl when she married Lewis at Rhayader Register Office.
In January 1880 they had a daughter Pheobe born, as was David, at Nantycar in Llanwrthwl.
The following year they moved south to 10 Foundry Place, Porth, Glamorgan. Porth is in the Rhondda which had developed as an important mining area. Lewis was now employed as a coal miner. Their son David was also to become a coal miner before joining the police force. He married Catherine Jones, always known as Kate, and they had one daughter Ceinwen born in 1903. In 1886 Lewis and Margaret had a second daughter Elizabeth, though she was always known as Betty.
By 1891 they moved a few miles to Pontypridd, famous for its single arch bridge over the river Taff, coal mining and the home of James James and Evan James who wrote the Welsh National Anthem. Lewis, Margaret and their children lived at 80 Rickard Street.
 | Old Bridge, Pontypridd |
By 1905, when his daughter Pheobe married John MORRIS, Lewis was working as a commercial traveller.
Four years later Margaret died in the summer of 1909 from cardiac valvular disease at the age of 63.
Lewis survived her by another twenty two years. He died whilst staying in Bridgend and working as a hawker. He probably had his home with his daughter Pheobe in Pontypridd at this time.
