We continue our serialisation of the memories of Merthyr in the 1830’s by an un-named correspondent to the Merthyr Express, courtesy of Michael Donovan.
We now, however, resume from the junction of Brecon Road and follow the one with the Tramroad on or alongside. Beyond on the right-hand for some distance were cottages; they had small gardens in front, but not one had a back door. The level of the field would probably range from three to ten feet higher than the ground floor of the dwelling.
After these cottages was the Cambrian Inn, and then Bryant’s Brewery, which had malthouses also, but had all ceased to to work ere I can recall it. This Mr Bryant was then old, and, I think, migrated to Cefn near Bridgend, and identified himself in the coal getting. Quarry Row is the opening if we continue to the right, but we next pass the grocery shop of Mr Charles. There were some more cottages, also a shop or two, and the Jackson’s Bridge public house on the bank of the Taff was the last of that side.
On the left, from where the Tramroad became a portion of the road, some few cottages under the tip, then the Bethesda Chapel lying back, and some cottages again by the side of the Tramroad, and, unless I err, some down near the bottom of the tip. It was in some of these houses or cottages very important persons resided, they were the acting parish constables who lived there.
There were three that can be recalled – two of the name Williams. There were ‘Billy the Balca’ and his brother Tom, of course of the same place; the surname of the other has gone, but he was known as ‘John Keep her Down’, from his method of dealing with corpses in the dreadful time of the cholera visitation. No doubt they had rather a rough time sometimes. Drunken brawls were not unusual, but there was then no ‘Bruce’s Act’ demanding their attention as to the hour of closing.
The good residence below was occupied by Mr David James, who carried on the business of a tanner. His yard was close by, having an entrance at the end of the garden. Mr William Davis, the eldest son of Mr David Davis, of the (then) London House, Hirwaun, was apprenticed to learn the tannery trade here, but after a while that was abandoned and the sale of coal occupied his attention. Another apprentice to Mr James named O’Connell, was a nephew of great Daniel, the Irish agitator.
Below the opening was the Black Bull, having its own brewery connected with it in the rear. Cottages followed a short way, a grocer’s shop, kept by Mr Samuel Thomas, afterwards of Scyborwen (sic), and then only a few cottages brought us to the Jackson’s Bridge again.
To be continued at a later date……