It is taken from the collection of his photographic slides dated 1961-1976 that we are transferring to modern media.
Martletwy is a small village in south Pembrokeshire near the Cleddau Estuary. Many of my relatives are buried in the graveyard there and I as a child, attended Sunday School at the nearby Baptist Chapel.
Dad would've been 25 when he took this photo in 1962.
HI Mark,
ReplyDeleteGreat flower arrangement at the old church ,whats happening with it at present?
My fathers side are all Cole family from Martletwy
my gg grandfather was James Cole mine manager at the time of the Garden Pit Disaster,my great grandfather was the Rev John Cole baptist minister at Camrose /Pontypool /Leominster and back home again .
I live in Barri another world to Pembrokeshire ,never mind its still Cymru ,just,
Looking forward to some more piccys
Regards ,
Mick
Hi Mick,
ReplyDeleteIt's great to hear from you - thank you for your comments.
It's quite possible that there's a family link somewhere down the line between us as my paternal grandfather Benjamin (Martletwy family) married my paternal grandmother Maud (Landshipping family) who was also a Cole before marriage but the two families were apparently not related. So it would've merged two Cole families together. Benjamin's family were with the Bapist Chapel (where I went to Sunday School) whilst Maud's family were with the Church.
I'm hoping to catch-up with a distant cousin Max Cole in Carew who I gather has a family tree of Benjamin's side of the family and am keen to follow that up with a catch-up with cousins on Maud's side who now live in the Loveston/Begelly area.
The Church closed a couple of years ago. I think they've been trying to find a buyer for it but with no success.
I actually proposed to my now financee on New Year's Day this year down at Lanshipping Quay by the stone plaque in memory of the 1844 disaster. There were many Cole's killed in Garden Pit and I don't actually know for sure whether I am related to any of them but I expect that the likelihood is that I am - yet another reason for me to do some family research in the months ahead.
Did your gg grandfather James survive?
More photos will be published in due course.
With best wishes,
Mark
Hi Mark,
ReplyDeleteBit slow i am bach,just realised you replied to my message,just like the pembroke promise get there eventually .How are you better than the weather currently i hope .
Getting back to family 2 of the Cole family on the stone are mine at Landshipping i often wonder how that squared with my g grandfather James who sent them to a watery grave as he was the mine manager ,and umh after the enquiry becomes a gentleman farmer living at Farmyard ,my cousin June Matthias from Westfields Cottage Martletwy gave me all the gory details ,it often sounds like dog eat dog in those days .
Hows it going with your family research ? Are you related to Glynn Cole from Cresswell Quay i have some contact with him at times ,oh another of my distant cousins is Cllr Rob Lewis wife ,Sorry didnot mean to get political this time of the night.
Are you putting any flowers on the stone Feb 14th ,if so love to meet you ,weather permitting,
Take Care
Mick
Hi Mick,
DeleteGreat to hear from you again.
I'm not sure with Glynn Cole (I'd need to check with Mam) but I am related to Cllr Rob Lewis I'm pretty sure on my maternal (Maud Cole's) side of the family.
But you did make me smile when you mentioned June Mathias of Westfields Cottage - she's my aunt! Her brother was my father Lance!(Hungerford Farm, Loveston) If she is your cousin, then we must be related surely?! Lyn up at the farm is my first cousin with Sian, George and Ellie. Then there's David and Jonny of course (and not forgetting Joyce).
Just down from the road from Westfields near Weston back towards Martletwy at Jericho are more Cole's - John and Trevor were Dad's first cousins and David and Janice / Simon and Sarah are my second cousins.
Having moved away from the area back in '99 though when I was 17 to the north of the county (where my Mam still lives) and then further north still to Aberystwyth University, I've lost some touch with the family down south though am still in good contact with June and her family. Even though I'm now back in Cardigan, it still isn't quite Pembrokeshire!
When did you move to Barry? Did you live in the Martletwy area at any time yourself?
The research hasn't really got going yet such has been the pressure of work commitments but your contact has spurred me on again to look into it.
Meeting up would be great but I'm chairing a meeting of Ceredigion County Council up in Aberaeron on the afternoon of the 14th Feb. Are you up just for the day or staying overnight? I could certainly arrange to come down and meet you at a mutually convenient time around that if possible?
Thanks again for keeping in touch.
With best wishes,
Mark
HI Mark,
ReplyDeleteInteresting reading yes i think we are related ,Junes uncle William was the brother of Rev John Cole my g /Grandfather whose ministry was at Camrose, then the Baptist training college as it was then at Pontypool,this makes June my 2nd cousin .Roberta and Denny at the farm opposite Burnetts Hill Chapel have done some research for me ,they introduced me to June some years back ,but i have not been in contact for a while .
Then life gets interesting my grandfather was born in Y Gelli/Hay on Wye he eloped with a married woman from Cardiff -Frances she came from a high profile Family things got nasty she was pregnant with my dad who was at born in Trevethin ,then registered as birth at Newton Abbot/Devon ,basically they did a runner ,got tracked down and moved to Portsmouth,they never got married ,and his father the Rev John was not to impressed as you can imagine well
thats the family skelly out of the closet
I was born in Portsmouth brought up in St Kew Cornwall -Mums side and then Pontypool,then in my rebellious youth at Manorbier /another Matthias Farm ,June knows which one ,that calmed me down,i tell you.
Last time i was down June showed me Granny Cole,s cottage ,farmyard,millards pk she was sprightly and on the ball that day,and Poppy the dog too.
Ended up in Barry 3 years ago father in law died ,wife is from here so caring for mother in law who is disabled ,i work as a stone mason around the Vale of Glamorgan .
So keep in touch ,Mick
Hi Mick,
ReplyDeleteThis is fascinating. I've just spoken to Mam and yes, it seems from what you're saying that we are related on grandmother Maude Cole's side of the family.
But you say that your great-grandfather John and his brother William were Uncles to Auntie June (and my father) but my Mam says that she's only aware of Maude having 2 brothers called Mansell and Huw.
Do you mean that John and William were great-Uncles to June? If so, that makes sense as that would make you 2nd cousins as you say. If that were the case, if you have children, that would make them 3rd cousins to me.
Do you know whether John and Williams had any other siblings and what they were called? Because if I'm correct above, there must've been to have been a mother or father to Maude.
Can I also ask your age? The reason I ask is that mentioned above your great-grandfather James who was Pit Manager at the time of the 1844 disaster. Was he related to William and John do you know and you mentioned that two names on the plaque at the quay were related to you - do you know how they were related to you?
I ask because I have always wondered whether any of the Cole's on that plaque were related to me (I wrote about it here - http://johnmarkcole.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/on-becoming-engaged.html) and by the sounds of it, it would look as if there is a link if you were linked to them and I am linked to you and all on the Landshipping side of Dad's family.
Do you usually travel down on Feb 14th to lay flowers at the stone? It would be good to meet up if so.
By the way, I know Roberta and Denny very well from my many years at Sunday School! Indeed, Roberta came up with June to my Mayor-Making ceremony in Cardigan back in 2009!
Have you got an e-mail Mick? It may be better to carry on our dialogue there as it's not so public as here!
With best wishes,
Mark