by Alison Davies
As with most 18th and 19th century churchyards when carefully reading each surviving gravestone in Vaynor old churchyard, it sadly becomes clear that this peaceful, melancholy, sanctuary is made up of so many children’s graves, with often eight to ten children from one family buried in a single grave.
Then occasionally you come across a grave showing a life that spanned eight to ten decades, and Vaynor old church yard has its fair share of those lives that were ‘long lived’ too, with there being eight possibly nine centenarians buried here.
On the wall of the new church is a delicate, pretty and well carved headstone originally from the old churchyard, later fixed into the wall of the New Church.
It records Catherine and David Morgan of Rhymney. Catherine was buried on the 23rd of February 1794 aged 106. The stone tells that she was born in the third year of the reign of King James and lived under seven reigns!
Also buried in the old church yard is another centenarian Mary Baxter.
Mary was born in Pontsticill about 1803/04-ish and was the eldest of several daughters to John, an ironstone miner and his wife Jane Walters. When Mary was 11 the family moved to 8 Company Row, Pengarnddu Dowlais.
Mary spoke only in her native Welsh and Pengarnddu was a predominantly Welsh speaking community. She did not go to school and did not read or write, Instead from an early age of possibly 10 she worked on the top of Carno Pit. At the age of 24 Mary married collier John Baxter, they had 14 children, seven girls and seven boys.
Jenkin a traditional family name passed down through the Walters family was given to her son. Jenkin died in 1838 aged 15 months and was buried near the old church in Vaynor churchyard. As was common place during those days children were often called the name of their deceased sibling and often repeatedly, two further sons were given the name Jenkin, but sadly as was all too common neither survived and died 1842 age 15 months the other in 1846 age 1 month.
John, another family name was also the name of a further 3 sons two of whom also died in infancy, all the children were buried in the family grave in Vaynor.
Apart from a very short time staying at Pant Cad Ifor the couple lived at 8 Company Row for the rest of their lives. For Mary that was almost 90 years.
The couple were early members of the Mormon Church and their only surviving daughter eventually emigrated to America. Mary and John also hoped to one day follow but their dream was never realised.
John died in 1882 aged 72 and was buried at Vaynor. Mary continued to live at 8 company Row with her grandchildren .
In June 1905 The Weekly Mail interviewed Mary about her life and the photograph below was taken for the article. Mary was noted to have enjoyed having her photograph taken and recalled having her picture drawn as a young girl.
She also talked of remembering the battle of Waterloo and the Merthyr Riots although she was not ‘an eyewitness’. She also recalled a time when the Dowlais Inn was the only public house in the area and when ‘ Only a few people comprised of the population’.
In the autumn of 1905 Mary was taken up to Vaynor Churchyard to point out where she wanted her final resting spot . She was carried over the churchyard in a basket-carriage to where she pointed out the grave of her husband and several of their children.
Mary died on New Year’s Eve 1905 aged 101.
To see more of Alison’s fantastic research about Pontsarn and Vaynor, please follow this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/747174317220437