A Llanelli Chronology
The information in this section is an edited version taken from Llanelli - Birth of a Town a CdRom by William and Benita Rees
1600 to 1699
1603 Elizabeth I died and with her ended the Welsh dynasty of the Tudors. She was followed by James I of the Scottish dynasty of the Stuarts. James I of England (James VI of Scotland) reigned from 1603 to 1625.
1608 Walter Vaughan had married Ann Lewis of Llanelli before 1608 and they lived at Talyclun near Hendy.
Richard Lloyd succeeded John Lloyd as vicar of Llanelli.
Sir John Perrott had died and his widow Lady Dorothy Perrott held the parish tithes.
1609 Gerrard Bromley surveyed the Duchy of Lancaster Lordships in Wales and mentioned a fair held by farmers within the Borough of Llanelli on 19th September. Harry Bowen was the tenant farmer of Machynys Farm.
There were 59 freeholders as residents in Llanelli.
Henry, Earl of Northumberland had obtained the Parish tithes (the impropriator) by his marriage to Lady Dorothy Perrott (widow of Sir John Perrott).
Richard Lloyd was still the vicar.
Thomas Lloyd of Llangennech, Gentleman, ‘hath and doth work coalworks at a place called “Allt” Llangennech’.
David Vaughan, Gentleman ‘hath wrought coals at or near a place called Llawynhendy’ (sic). Of Thomas Lloyd’s and David Vaughan’s activities ‘what the quantity and yearly value thereof is they are known not’.
1611 The Bishop of St David’s expressed concern that Robert Acton, Yeoman, of Llanelli, considered to be a ‘Recusant’, and his family had moved from England to settle in his diocese.
1612 A poet and dramatist described Machynys as ‘Her best loved Isle of Bachannis’, Bach meaning ‘little’ and ynys meaning ‘island’. At one time Machynys was surrounded by water at high tide.
1616 Walter Vaughan and his wife Ann, only child and heiress of Thomas Lewis, moved to her former home at Llanelli.
John Williams of Llanelli and Ciliau who was 8th in descent from Walter (eldest son of Morris de Castro Novo, Morris Castle descended from Elystan Glodrudd of New Castle and Trebeddrod) married Anne, a daughter of William Walter of Roche Castle, Pembrokeshire. When her father died in 1616 he left her a bequest. Anne Walter was related to Lucy Walter who became the mistress of King Charles II. Lucy and Charles had a son James, who married Anne Scott, Countess Buccleuch. When Charles died his son James became Duke of Monmouth.
1618 Between 1618 and 1624 Walter Vaughan of Llanelli, Esquire mortgaged lands between Cwmfelin and Cwm Pencoed in the Manor of Berwick from David and Edward Williams, Gentlemen.
1621 John Stepney, son of Alban Stepney, was created Baronet.
1624 Three Gentlemen from Llanelli, one of whom was Robert Acton, who had moved from England in 1611, were included in the Exchequer Recusant Rolls of that year.
1625 James I was succeeded by Charles I who reigned from 1625-1649.
1626 Walter Vaughan was one of only four Carmarthenshire Sheriffs from Llanelli. He appears to have been the main developer of Llanelli’s coal industry.
1627 A mansion house at Machynys was probably built around this time and remained a landmark for sailors for many years.
1628 An Act that is considered to be one of the great charters for public liberty was passed ensuring that any Royal demand for money, had to be sanctioned by Parliament. Oliver Cromwell, before taking a decision about the amount of money to vote to the King’s Exchequer, pushed the Petition of Right through the House of Commons. The Act also forbade the imprisonment of any citizen without due cause being given.
1629 Following the Act of the Petition of Right, Charles I dismissed Parliament which meant that from 1629-1640 he ruled the country without once summoning Parliament.
1631 A vessel called Hope from Harborough, which was driven into the Burry Estuary during a storm, was badly damaged along with its cargo of salt. Walter Vaughan acquired the vessel and the cargo – assigning them to a Plymouth merchant for £500.
1633 Machynys was purchased by Walter Vaughan of Llanelly House and a document refers to ‘Maughinis’ being transferred from the Earl of Carbery and Richard Vaughan to Walter Vaughan.
1635 Walter Vaughan, successful landowner, industrialist and entrepreneur, who had continued to enlarge his estates for more than 20 years died on 7 April. Vaughan bequeathed his coal interests in Llannon Parish to his daughter Marie and her husband Henry Middleton. His remaining estate, including Llanelly House and the messuage of Maughinis, passed to his eldest son, Francis. Thereafter to their heirs according to ‘seniority by birth’, in tail to the 20th male or alternatively the 20th female; reserving specific items, to the use of his widow for her lifetime, with reversion to his second son, John who also received outright some other properties and to the Earl of Carbery who was to provide maintenance for the testator’s daughters.
1637 Francis Vaughan died and his estate passed to his younger brother John Vaughan.
1640 Records show that Machynys was called ‘Machennys Iland’.
1641 Henry Vaughan of Carmarthenshire made payments, among other things (inter alia), ‘to Sir Rees Lloyd, vicar of Llanelli, for his stipend [minister’s pay], for one year last past, £6 13s 4d; to the curate of Llannon and Llangennech £6 13s 4d; to the curate of Penbre £10; and to the preachers, £10 each’.
1642 This year saw the start of the English Civil War between the Cavaliers and the Roundheads – the Royalists against the Parliamentarians.
1649 Charles I’s execution was followed by the Commonwealth of 1649-1660. The political uncertainties seem to have adversely affected Llanelli’s industrial expansion.
Gradually a Non-conformist movement had begun to grow during the 17th century and many pioneers of the movement had been forced to worship in secret to avoid prosecution.
The first Baptist Chapel was established at Ilston in Gower when 261 Baptists (153 men and 108 women) were enrolled. They came from Briton Ferry, Neath, Swansea, Margam, Llangennech, Bishopston, Gower and Llanelli.
1650 Fortunes of the neighbouring town of Kidwelly were in decline with the population falling from about 1,200 in 1550 to 600 in 1650.
It was a long and arduous journey to Ilston so weekly Baptist services were held locally at the home of Jennett Jones, Berwig (Berwick), Bynea near Llanelli.
1653 John Vaughan had gained his brother’s interests and estates but did not come into full possession of the remainder of his father’s surviving coal interests until his mother died around the year 1653.
1653 This period heralded the beginning of the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell, which lasted from 1653 to 1658, followed by that of his son Richard Cromwell from 1658 to 1659. The Civil War continued to adversely affect Llanelli’s coal industry.
1655 From time to time, after the devastating plague of 1348-1349, other outbreaks occurred and many local people died. Tradition relates that townspeople belonging to the Catholic faith were not allowed to bury their dead in the local Parish Church, and were forced to inter their loved ones in a communal grave at Tydu near Trebeddrod. The literal translation of Tydu means Black House, Tre is home, homestead or town, and beddrod a tomb or sepulchre. Local tradition suggests this is how the area acquired the name Black House and Town Grave.
John Mansel – the first of that name to live at Stradey – died. Mansel had married Mary Phillips, daughter of Sir Henry and Lady Sage Vaughan of Derwydd, members of the Vaughan family of Golden Grove. At that time Stradey was part of the Derwydd Estate which included Trebeddrod.
1660 The Restoration of Charles II saw a period of rapid growth in the coal industry. Llanelli began to profit from the change in political and economic fortunes and John Vaughan took an active part in the town’s industrial expansion.
The Non-conformists movement suffered a setback with the restoration of the House of Stuart. Followers were again forced to hold their services in secret.
1663 The Revd Thomas Rice was the vicar of Llanelli and remained so until 1690.
1668 Many vessels continued to be wrecked in the treacherous waters of the Burry Estuary. In October the Peter, carrying a cargo of sugar and tobacco was sunk.
1669 John Vaughan died and his estate was divided between his wife Margaret and only son Walter.
1670 Llanelly House was described as particularly commodious, containing 12 hearths.
Llanelli was sufficiently important to have its own measure and both coal and grain were known as a ‘Llanelly Measure’ or ‘Llanelly Wey’.
Banking started in London around this time when goldsmiths and silversmiths began providing their customers with a banking service.
1672 Charles II annoyed Parliament when he made a Declaration of Indulgence allowing Christian worshippers, who were not members of the Church of England, to hold services in private houses, provided they were officially licensed for that purpose.
Around this time Sir Henry Vaughan of Derwydd granted his grandson Edward Mansel (the only son of Henry and Frances), the Stradey Estate ‘Forever’. The Estate, which included Trebeddrod, stayed in the Mansel family until Mary Martha Ann Margaret Mansel died childless in 1808, and left her Estates to her solicitor, Thomas Lewis of Llandeilo.
1675 Various attempts had been made to improve the road system and an Act of Parliament was passed allowing parishes to erect tollgates to meet the cost of repairing the roads.
1676 Llanelli was mentioned in Ogilby’s Britannia as ‘Lanelthy 214 miles from London, its markets on Thursdays are well furnished with cattle, corn and provisions’.
1683 There was another devastating Plague, similar to that of 1349, which caused many deaths. Local farmers could not bring their produce to town and were forced to leave their produce at Capel Newydd, where the townsfolk placed their money in a water trough to prevent the farmers becoming infected. The townspeople were prevented from going further than the field at Capel Newydd by ‘lookouts’, who had been appointed to prevent them. The ‘lookouts’ would conceal themselves in the field which, from that time, became known as ‘Cae Watch’.
1683 Walter Vaughan, JP, DL, High Sheriff, the last surviving male of his line, died unmarried on 12 October at the young age of 34. His will stipulated that his inheritance, consisting of 101 messuages, 6 water corn mills, and several cottages, should pass to his mother and four sisters, Jemimah, Anne, Mary and Margaret, or their heirs.
1684 Shipping creeks of North and South Burry merged under the name of Llanelly. The vessels using the shipping places were mainly coal carriers ranging from 10 to 60 tons.
1685 James II acceded to the throne and records show that Llanelli’s export trade was flourishing.
1687/88 Jemimah Vaughan, sister of Walter Vaughan (d. 1683) passed away on 7 March 1687/88 in her 40s, and her share of the estate later passed to her three daughters
1688 James II was forced to flee to France, and William of Orange landed at Torbay in Devon.
1689 William III and Mary II were proclaimed joint Sovereigns, which resulted in Anglo-Dutch hostilities with France. France had been Llanelli’s main foreign market so the hostilities resulted in a sharp decline in the export trade.
The new Government passed the Toleration Act, which allowed complete freedom of worship to all Christians. This allowed Nonconformity to slowly replace Anglicanism and eventually resulted in the Chapel taking the place of the Church.
1690 The Revd Roger Prosser was vicar of Llanelli.
1691 Walter Vaughan’s younger sister Margaret Vaughan married Sir Thomas Stepney, 5th Baronet, of Prendergast, Pembrokeshire. Sir Thomas was descended from Alban Stepney who had come to West Wales around 1561 as Receiver General of the Diocese of St David’s.
1693 Sir Thomas Stepney and Margaret, his wife lived at Llanelli where their only son John was born.
1697 The Revd Lewis Nicholas was vicar of Llanelli.
© W & B Rees & ARTdesigns 2004/2006
Page updated Monday August 06, 2007