Thomas Jenkins, Clerk & Poet 1774-1843

His Family & Connections

My interest in Thomas Jenkins, came about via Kay Jenkins, from Queensland, Australia, who asked me to photograph the Headstones of Hugh Williams a Carmarthen Solicitor, Hugh Williams Brothers, William Williams, a Brazilian Naval officer and Thomas Jenkins, who, according to information passed down were buried alongside each other overlooking the sea at St Ishmaels Church.

Hugh Williams, his Second wife and, two sons, and his brother are buried in the same grave at the rear of the Church and high up on a bank, Thomas Jenkins was (according to his sons diary) buried North of Hugh Williams Tomb, although I have searched the graveyard, there does not appear that any burial took place north of the graves in the row which Hugh Williams was buried.

Hugh Williams Grave Inscription St Ishmael Church

(this inscription on East side of the tomb)

Sacred to the memory of

Hugh Peter Marcus who died on the 30th day of July 1862 aged 6 Weeks

Hugh Peter Dafydd who died on the 2nd day of June 1863 aged 4 Weeks

Children of Hugh Williams Deceased

Also of William Williams Brother of Hugh Williams

A lieutenant in the Brazilian Navy -

Who died on the 11th day of Feb 1832 aged 36 years

(This Inscription on the south side of the tomb)

Also of Elizabeth

wife of the said Hugh Williams

who died 25th Feb 1909

aged 75 years

(This inscription on the west side of the tomb)

Hugh Williams

Late of Cobden Villa Ferryside

Who died on the 19th day of October 1874

Also in loving memory

of William Arthur Clanmor Williams .

DSO. Lieutenant 2nd Batt. South Wales Borderers

Youngest son of the above Hugh Williams

Who fell in action at Bothaville Org. South Africa

Born Sep 18 1875

Died Nov 6 1900.

Having absorbed the information I had about Thomas Jenkins’ Death, and subsequent burial, I decided to spend some time unearthing this rather strange mystery, and I must admit that it really had got me motivated, and the genealogy bug working, which I am sure many of you reading this are quite aware, of what the bug can do!

Lets look at the information I had to hand; Firstly we know he died on 31 August 1843, His death certificate states

“Thirty First August, 1843 at Pensarn in the Parish of Llangunnor, aged 69 years, Solicitors Clerk; cause of death Apoplexy – 13 days first attack; informant, etc ‘The mark of Mary James present at the death Lammas Street Carmarthen’, registered second of September, 1843, by Thomas Lewis Registrar”

And his son Thomas Jenkins who kept a diary for so many years, stated that on September 3^rd 1843;

“Sunday. Left Carmarthen with poor father’s remains, together with Mr. Hugh Williams and Bearers, in two boats. Arrived at St Ishmaels at 5½ p.m., father having expressed a wish to be buried there. We laid him down on the north side of Mr. H. Williams brothers grave, on whom he wrote the “Sailors Grave”

Now assuming he was buried at St Ishmaels graveyard, there should be an entry of burial, but alas, no burial, strange, I have it from the horses mouth as to say, that if a burial is carried out in a particular church the entry and information would be in that particular church register for that particular date, no such burial in St Ishmael registers.

The other obvious explanation is that he was not buried in St Ishmaels after all but in another parish churchyard, the logical move was to look in Llangunnor Burial register, basically because, Pensarn is in Llangunnor Parish.

YES! But very strange, ‘Thomas Jenkins was buried in Llangunnor Church on 31^st August 1843, aged 69 of Pensarn’.

He was actually buried on the same day that he died, rather unusual, usually takes several days to get the burial organized, and Thomas his son states in his diary that he took his fathers remains by boat to St Ishmael, on the 3^rd September?

Now! As Kay Jenkins suggested to me, and I must say it seems the most logical explanation I can come up with, The burial of Hugh Williams brother Lieutenant William Williams funeral has been described; “To carry out his dying wish to be buried near the sea, his funeral travelled in two boats down the river Towy to Ferryside where he was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Ishmaels Parish Church overlooking the Carmarthen Bay”(Februray 1832).

It is known that Thomas Jenkins (poet) had attended this funeral. His son Thomas Jenkins (the Diarist) would have been 18 at the time. Perhaps he also attended, and used his memories of this funeral to describe the burial his father had wished to receive, but it appears, he did not get!

Thomas Jenkins was born in Llandeilo, in 1774 and christened on 10^th November 1774, the son of Revd. William Jenkins Vicar/Curate of Mydrim, Brechfa, Llungunnor, and Llandeilo. (we will come back to Thomas Jenkins after a brief account of his father and grandfather)

Reverand William Jenkins 1723-1799

Born in December 1723, I have not found out much about Revd. Jenkins early years, only that he was christened a few days after his birth in Llanddeusant, according to the affidavit of David Jenkins, his father also of Llanddeusant.

The next time I find Revd. Jenkins is at the young age of 25, he is curate of Llangunnor, and we also find that he married Elizabeth Williams of Llanarthney on 15^th December 1749 at Llangunnor.

The registers of Llangunnor show that he had two daughters by Elizabeth;

Mary christened on 27 March 1753 at Llungunnor & Anne christened on 8^th April 1755 at Llungunnor, it appears that these are the only two children by his first marriage to Elizabeth, for she was buried at Llungunnor on 21^st June 1760. any other children I have discovered are christened after his second marriage in 1764.

Revd William’s second marriage was at Llungunnor on 31^st March 1764, to Lettice Williams of Llangunnor, Reading between the lines, I feel this marriage took place because he was to move to Llandeilo soon, infact he moved to Llandeilo in the same year 1764, this is where he stayed for 35 years until his death in 1799.

Children from this marriage were;

George chr 6^th October 1765

William chr 18^th June 1767

John chr 7^th February 1769

Mary chr 10^th February 1771

Thomas chr 10^th November 1774

James chr 16^th October 1776

Letitia chr 9^th February 1779

Jane chr not known

Maria 23^rd August 1784

David Jenkins C1690-C1760

Father of Above and Grandfather of Thomas Jenkins (Poet)

From information taken from the ‘The Diary of Thomas Jenkins 1826-1870’ It appears that David Jenkins was born about 1690, and probably died around 1760, and other information does suggest that he was alive at the burial of his wife Elinor, at Llanddeusant 14^th February 1757, much more than this we cannot ascertain, rather than speculate, we will attempt to delve no further, until such time as further information comes to light.

Thomas Jenkins, Clerk & Poet Born Llandeilo 1774

Thomas Married Mary Lott about 1803 and probably in Cardiganshire, they had two children Thomas and Julia it appears that Julia died unmarried at the young age of 26 and died on 17^th November, 1834. Mary his wife died C1828, according to Thomas’s diary. And as yet I have not been able to trace a marriage, but I do think it was probably in Cardiganshire, Although the family lived at Tycroes from some time in Llanedi Parish, this is where his children were born (Julia, Llangyfelach, Glam, and Thomas, Tycroes). There is no reference to a marriage in Carmarthenshire or Glamorganshire.

He wrote a lengthy poem ‘ On the death of the late Mrs. Jenkins’ he refers to the 25 years of happy married life they shared, and his belief that he would never recover from her loss.

It appears that T.J. was married twice but no actual proof exists that he married Mary Ann , who it appears came from Thanet, Kent, her parents married in 1798, Mary Ann married a John Thomas at Mansergh, Westmorland, and the couple had two children, Fredrick Fox Thomas, born C1823 and Mary Anne Thomas born C1825, there were no more children to this marriage, and there is no proof of how the marriage end.

In the 1841 Census Mary Ann Thomas(nee Kilner), dressmaker, living in a house in Pensarn, Carmarthen, with Thomas Jenkins, Land Agent, and his children, Laura, aged 4, and Ellen, aged 1, Mary Ann was mother of the two children.

There son, James, was born 2^nd February, 1843. Six months later Thomas Jenkins died.

There was very little opportunity for the couple to have married and indeed there is no record of any marriage to be found.

When Mary Ann had her children baptized at St David's Church. ( it is stated in Thomas Jenkins sons Diary that he had been present at the laying of the ‘Foundation Stone’ for St David's Church, so one may assume that he worshiped at this church). 20^th February 1845, she named their father as ‘Thomas Jenkins, Agent, of Magazine Row, Carmarthen’, not informing that he was deceased, and also calling herself ‘Mary Ann Jenkins’.

The 1851 Census, (8years after TJ’s death), shows Mary Ann Jenkins and her son, James, aged 8, living at Steam Mill, she is described as a widow, a milliner, and states she was born in Rochester, Kent, although in the 1841 Census she stated she was born in Llangunnor.

On 10^th April, 1851, Mary Ann Jenkins, Widow married a William Thomas aged 56, Widower and Coal Merchant, at St David's Church, Carmarthen.

On 27^th September 1852, William Thomas, wife Mary Ann and her son James, embarked on the White Star Clipper, ‘Ben Nevis’ from Liverpool to Australia.

Thomas Jenkins Diary Extracts.

1834 February 25th.

Rees Rees, came from Cardigan to see us.

Possibly the man who had taught T.J his trade which he must have learned at Brynmaen. While there he built a boat. A violin (which was in good condition when last seen in 1947) had a note pasted inside it ‘ "This violin was made by Thomas Jenkins junior, son of Mr. Thomas Jenkins, Brynymaen, Llanddewi-Brefi, Cardiganshire, who never having seen any work of the kind done, and without any kind of instructions, made this, his second attempt, he having made one a few months ago, on which he can now play several tunes, also untaught, in the 19th year of his age. This face was put on at Brynymaen March 19th, 1833."

1834 November 17th

My poor sister died from Dropsy at 11.a.m. Aged 25

In the words of her father ‘ Free from superstitious fears, calm and resigned, yet wishing to live’.

1836 October 31st

Monday. Quarter to 1p.m. Mary was born

Thomas Jenkins’s daughter by Anne Evans. Part of the entry for this day has been scratched out and is indecipherable.

1842 April 16th

Grandfather died at 6a.m. in the 100th year of his age.

His mothers father, Thomas Lott, ‘Gent of Carmarthen’

1842 April 22nd

Attended grandfather’s funeral to Abergwili, together with father and uncle in a chaise. Grandfather’s remains were taken from the hearse to the grave, the church being taken down to rebuild.

1843 July 10th

Father came here in a phaeton with Mr H Williams, and returned in the evening. This very innocent-looking entry conceals much. Here is Thomas Jenkins (senior), already noted as a champion of the oppressed, making an unusual visit to Llandeilo and in the company of Hugh Williams of Carmarthen, now thought by many to have been the mainspring of the Rebecca movement. The riots are growing in strength and within five weeks the ‘Walk’ gatehouse at Llandeilo will be destroyed (as a result of this reconnaissance?). Thomas Jenkins’s occupation at this time is noted as ‘Solicitors Clerk’ and Hugh Williams was a Solicitor.

(Although the dragoons were stationed at Llandeilo Rebecca appeared there on Monday night 7th August, and destroyed the ‘Walk’ gate on the outskirts of the town, The next night she appeared at Pen-y-garn, halfway between Llandeilo and Carmarthen, and not only destroyed the gate but set fire to the toll-house).

1843 August 30th

Ann walked to Carmarthen, having received a letter from my Stepmother, that father was expected to die. He had an apoplectic fit last Tuesday week at Llanstephan.

This is the first mention of his step-mother, and indeed, the only intimation that his father had remarried. The stepmother is never mentioned again. Nor are the two girls born to his father, Laura Ann in 1837, Ellenor 1840 or the son born, in 184 or 1844.

1843 August 31st

He breathed his last at Pensarn 3 o’clock a.m. in his 69th year. Walked to Carmarthen this evening.

1843 September 3rd

Sunday. Left Carmarthen with poor father’s remains, together with Mr Hugh Williams and Bearers, in two boats. Arrived at St Ishmael at 5 1/2 p.m. father having expressed his wish to be buried there. We laid him down on the north side of Mr H Williams Brothers grave, on whom he wrote the ‘Sailors Grave’

The introduction to the poem ‘The Sailors Grave’ by Thomas Jenkins, senior, reads, ‘Lieutenant William Williams of the Brazilian Naval Service died at Carmarthen February

11th 1832 in the 37th year of his age, and was interred at St Ishmaels on Carmarthen Bay, being the most convenient spot for carrying into effect his dying request to be buried as near as possible to that element to which he had, from early life, devoted his existence. He was the second son of Hugh Williams Esq. of Machynlleth, North Wales, and an elder brother to Hugh Williams Esq., of Carmarthen.

In due course Hugh Williams was also buried in the same tomb (1874).

1843 September 4th

Got back to Carmarthen at 1a.m. Slept at the ‘King George’ and to Llandeilo in a return Chaise. Paid 1/6d. The coffin, covered with black, cost me 6pounds with funeral expenses.