James Owen of Penrhos

Domestic Life 1841-1851

At the time of the 1841 census, James, Susannah and family were living in Long Bridge Street, Llanidloes. Their twins Timothy Morgan and Thomas William were born on 29 July 1843 and their last child, Elisha, was born on 24 July 1846.

From 1849 their house would have borne a sign, courtesy of the Town Council, indicating a constable lived there. In 1851 they were living at Club buildings, Lower Green, Llanidloes, not far from their eldest daughter and her husband. I believe Club Buildings was a row of terraced houses sharing a long attic on the top floor where work in the processing of wool took place. There was a valuable spring on the Lower Green and its waters were described as the most pure of any to be found in the neighbourhood.

This is the family's entry in the 1851 census which demonstrates how censuses information can be inaccurate, dependent as it was on oral responses from whomever was home when the enumerator called; Susannah, Isabel, Elias and Elijah were not born in Llanidloes and Jemima's birth certificate states she was born in Sarney (Guilsfield is about 5 km south of Sarney).