Gowerian Farmers

Family letters are abuzz as George comes to the end of his apprenticeship and Sill wants him to read the marriage advertisements.

                                        Overton Gower

May 4^th 1880

Dear Brother

I received your letter duly but cannot comply with your request as I never attempted anything of the sort, and do not know what form you would require it in, please send me a copy of yours and then I shall see, and may try at some future one, such a plan has been proposed in Horton Sunday School, for some of the big scholars to prepare papers on the lessons, but I do not think it ever will be practised. 

Pitton tea meeting will be held on Thursday next & some two or three of us are thinking to go, if all is well.  I expect to spend the Whit Sunday & Monday in Swansea with Jane to rest a bit after working so hard sowing barley etc.  The crops are looking very promising about here & the dry fine weather, with yesterdays rain has done not a little to cheer the drooping hearts of the Gowerian Farmers.  Uncle George has had a misfortune, in losing one of his horses (Boxer) on Saturday night, they have one young one 3 years old, besides old Pedlar he is very feeble & I think Uncle is going to Swansea fair on Saturday to buy another.

Our Lyster & Bright are in foal this year, & Boxer is very quiet in saddle, harness being free from vice.  We are well in advance with out work.

I shall like to know whether you & Uncle have made any arrangements, and from what date you receive wages and the amount.

Father and Mother are gone up to Castle this afternoon, as the school board meets at Oxwich this evening & Father is an Hon: Member,

Hoping you & all are quite well again, with kindest love

                              I remain

                                        Your loving Brother

                                                  Silvanus Bevan

P.S. Don’t forget to look over the marriage advertisements in the Camb after the sixth time of asking

N.G. The letters you send to me that you don’t wish Father to see please address to _ _ Jun without which of coarse I cannot open them.

Sill's mouthtache causes concern

Overton Gower

Aug. 27^th 79

Dear Brother

I am sorry there is not much news, these dull times, or else I should write oftener.  The weather has been very wet and stormy, yesterday, and today, and I do not think we shall have any corn to cut before about the week after next.  There is a good rising of straw about here but I am afraid it will be badly filled.  We have been burning a little lime at Crow tor kiln and Thomas Ace has been almost smothered carrying it away this stormy weather but we finished it today.

I was to Swansea on Monday with Capt. Stevens, brake and one of Mr Beynon’s and one of our horses meeting the new Minister and his family he has three children and two other grown up persons besides his wife come down, so I expect they are pretty tight in the house at Horton.  I have not heard him preach yet. W.P. Ellis is his name.

Saunders and Mr Shepard was up here to tea on Monday evening.  Rowland has been down for about ten days he went away with me on Monday.

I have had one of those Sniders Rifles, there is a great number of them in the country 6/6 each from Sheffield so when you come down don’t forget amunition John Tucker was complaining that Rowland was using all his amunition so bring plenty of your own.

Mother is going to write in a day or two but when you send the parcel please to send one of your little 10/6 clocks and if you was to make me a present of a good razor I should be very thankful as my mouthtache wants a little trimming rather badly.  Father, Hannah, Harriet, Ellen, Robert, Edmund, George and John Overton was to Swansea last Friday week and along with Frank had their portraits in a group.  I enclose one card.  Hannah is going to write to Florey and send her one in a few days.

Jane is not very well she has been ill for about a fortnight not able to come down stairs having dreadful pain in her head but she is much better now.

Hoping this will find you quite well and all my Cousins & Uncle & Aunt.

          I remain

                   Your affection: Brother

                             Silvanus Bevan

Unfortunately George’s copy of the photograph has not survived.

The Rev Biscombe is to preach on the evening

Overton

June 1^st/79

Dear Brother

I am glad to tell you we are all quite well although the weather is so cold.

Today the tea meeting takes place at Oxwich green.  The Rev. Mr. Biscombe from Lanelly is to preach on the evening.

Sill and Harriet are gone but it has been raining very hard ever since they started so I think they will enjoy a good shower bath if nothing else.

I think Frank will be disappointed at the rain.  They were going to walk out to Sketty and have their tea on Sketty Green but I am afraid they will have to get indoors in somewhere.

We washed the sheep on Saturday and we should be glad with your services to help shear them if you could spare a week or so but I suppose you are so full of business that you couldnt be spared.

You were going a little too fast when you sent to ask us had we finished sowing Swedes.  We have not Begun.

Jane has been into Swansea and had her tooth pulled out she had been suffering very much in it.

Aunt Jane started for Cardiff Saturday to see Rowland.  I cannot think of any more important news to tell you so I must conclude

                   with love from all

                             I remain

                   Your affectionate sister

                             E. Bevan

In April 1672 Richard Bevan’s house in Rhossili was officially licensed as an Independent Meeting House and four years later the congregation numbered 45 in this small parish of approximately 135 residents, thus becoming the largest group of dissenters in Gower. (Richard was one of the sons of Jenkin Bevan and his wife Elizabeth After, brother to William who is recorded as being a member of the Society of Friends in the mid 17th century.)

John Wesley, the founding father of Methodism, visited Gower at least four times between 1762-1773 staying at a cottage in Oxwich. By 1780 the Methodist movement had spread widely in the southern counties of Wales and produced a flurry of chapel building in the Gower area. Oxwich Chapel was built in 1808 and Horton in 1813, followed by Pitton in 1833, Llangennith in 1862 and Reynoldstone in 1869 - the chapel at Porteynon was fitted out by Captain Bevan in 1852. The chapel at Horton where several of Silvanus and Ann’s children were baptised was built on land provided by William Tucker. The Old Manse was built in 1868 when Horton became the place of residence for Gower’s Wesleyan Minister, although according to the Bevan description of the cramped accommodation afforded the incoming Minister in 1879, the manse would appear to be little more than a small cottage.

The 1851 religious census in South Wales recorded a total of 1,863 places of worship – of these 615 were Church of England, 7 Roman Catholic and 2 Jew – all the rest were non-conformist chapels with 80% of the Welsh people describing themselves as ‘adherents’ of Non Conformist bodies.

Silvanus appears on the Gower Circuit Quarterly plan of May-July 1868 as being ‘On Trial’, the stage before full accreditation as a local Preacher is given. By the time of the Quarterly plan of August-October 1869 S. Bevan of Overton is on the Preachers List. In 1870 Silvanus is described as leader at Porteynon. In 1878 he is listed as being one of the Circuit Stewards, a senior lay position, along with Capt. William Bevan and John Tucker as Assistant.

The cottage in Oxwich where John Wesley stayed

I think and Pray for you every day

 A poignant letter from Ann in which she expresses how much she misses her two sons working away from home.

Overton

1879

Dear George,

It is a long time since I wrote to you but do not think your all forgotten.  I think and Pray for you every day.  Sunday eveing when the Children were reading & singing I could not help thinking were you & Frank would be & how glad I should be if you were nearer home & could come & see us some times.

Frank has only been home once since he has gone to Swansea.  He has got plenty to do and is going to stick to the Drapery if all is well.  I think to go to Swansea on Saturday.

I am glad to say we are all quite well, your Father walked to Chaple Sunday eveing & yesterday I and Ellen & Robert & Eddy walked up to Castle & Sill Brought us home in the Trap in the eveing.    

The Children were very pleased with their paints.  We have had some nice rain today, it will help on the crops as Grass is very tough for the Sheep & the Potatoes & Vegetables are very backwards this spring.  The weather has been so cold.

How is your Uncle, he was very poorly when he wrote.  I hope he is quite well again.  George Stevens is going to Sail tomorrow in the Pembroke Castle for the Cape.  James Bevan of Horton is Captain.

I have no news worth telling you and Father & Sill are waiting for their Suppe.  Be a good boy & write soon as we expect to hear once a week and may God Bless & keep you form every evils.  

                             For your ever affectionate

                                    Mother.

Frank likes his work

Frank seems to like his work and George Stevens intends to try harder.

Overton

April 14^th

My dear Brother

We have been looking out for a letter from you for a long time we were just beginning to think some thing was wrong.  Frank was down on Friday he seems to like his work very well he said he felt very tired by night we had a very good tea at Horton there was a bout one Hundred less there this year than last perhaps that was why those that was there had such a good tea.  We had a letter from M—le on Saturday he seems to enjoy himself.  George Stevens is home he is going to school in Swansea to try and pass this time.  Father was down to Porteynon Chapel last night for their first time he walked down and up and is no worse for it today we are all pretty well have you heard of poor Elizabeth Thomas’s death of G---she died ---sudden in a fever the same as we had.  I think that is all the news good night

                   I am your

                   Aff. Sister Jane Bevan

Disasterous disease

Among the carefully preserved letters is the following newspaper clipping saved from The Cambrian.  Now the full horror of events in the small villages of Port Eynon, Horton and Overton is revealed.

PORT-EYNON – It has been deemed necessary, under medical advice, to postpone the re-opening of Port-Eynon Elementary School, in consequence of the prevalence of typhoid fever, which has assumed a most serious aspect in the neighbourhood.  This deadly fever has visited the villages of Horton, Port-Eynon, and Overton.  Only one case, as yet, has appeared in the first mentioned village, which has proved fatal to Mr. Coe, clerk to Mr. Justice Lush.  One case only has appeared in Port-Eynon, but in the village of Overton the fever has laid its prostrating hand upon no less than 18 persons.  In the house of Mr. S. Bevan, seven persons are lying severely afflicted with this disastrous disease.  In Capt. J. Stevens’s house there are four suffering from the same malady. Last week there were five persons lying on beds of affliction in the same mentioned house; but on Wednesday night, the 19^th inst, death rid Mrs Stevens of all her sufferings.  On Friday, the 21^st inst, her mortal remains were escorted to the place of internment.  She was a woman highly beloved and respected by all who knew her.  Her death has caused a great breach in the family; she has left a husband and seven children to lament her loss. – Cor.