Henry Child

Henry Child senior 1742-1824

Henry Child junior 1771-1831

Henry Child senior was born in 1742 at Freystrop near Haverfordwest, the son of Joseph Child. Child senior is said to have come to Llanelli, when he was still quite young to work for the Stepney family of Llanelly House. He worked primarily as a Land Agent, and his first transaction, which was with Sir Thomas Stepney, 7th Baronet, concerned the lease of the Talbot’s Head Inn bounded by Park Einon and two fields known as Park-y-Crydd.

Henry Child was very involved with the Methodist movement, and it is said that the small Methodist flock at Llanelli survived an uncertain start, due to his support. He is known to have held services for the members of the Stepney household at Llanelly House, where John Wesley was entertained on a number of occasions by Sir Thomas Stepney.

Sir Thomas Stepney died in 1772 and Henry then became Agent to Sir John Stepney, 8th Baronet, who spent most of his time away from Llanelli.

One of Henry’s daughters, Maria, was said to have been blessed by John Wesley as a child. In 1798 she married James Buckley (1770-1839), whom she met during his first visit to Llanelli.

Maria Buckley, became a devoted wife, supporting her husband through his many hardships and coping with the deaths of four of their children.

Henry Child was a shrewd entrepreneur and became one of the town’s leading businessmen, taking advantage of every opportunity that came his way. He was at one time keeper of the Falcon Inn in Thomas Street and founded a successful brewery, which later became known as Buckley’s Brewery.

He was a successful brewer and took a lease on a brewery which had been established around 1700. The old brewery was at the bottom of Thomas Street and Henry took the lease for 60 years from 1795.

Henry Child has been described as miller, maltster, shipbuilder, farmer, coal mining proprietor, innkeeper and finally gentleman. Even though he was a Wesleyan he also held the Parish Church tithes from 1790 to 1811 for £340 a year until they were acquired by Rees Goring Thomas.

In 1799 Henry Child suffered the loss of his wife Mary, which was followed shortly after by the deaths of his daughters, apart from Maria.

The Llanelli Land Tax register of 1807 shows that Child was a substantial property owner with Felinfoel Mill, Tanygraig, Tremorfafach, Pantygwenith and many other interests.

He was elected as one of the Trustees to the Burgesses, following the Acts of Enclosure of 1807 and 1810.

Records show that he was heavily involved in the shipping trade having owned a brig called The Mary which was the first vessel to be built and launched at Llanelli Flats during 1807.

By 1811 he was known to have leased a wharf at Llanelly Dock.

When Henry Child died in 1824 his daughter Maria managed his affairs until she died in 1831. His son Henry Child (junior) (1771-1831), who lived at Furnace House after the departure of Alexander Raby (senior), followed in his father’s footsteps as a maltster and continued to manage the brewery at Thomas Street.

In May 1830, Henry Child (junior), and John Roberts of Bryncaerau, were involved in a serious accident on their return journey from Carmarthen in a one-horse phaeton. As they descended a hill within a mile of Llanelli the harness broke and the carriage came into contact with the horse’s legs. As the horse bolted John Roberts seems to have managed to get off the phaeton, but Henry Child, who had kept his seat, was thrown over a wall into a garden, when the carriage crashed into a turnpike gate. He was described as being in a very precarious state and in great danger.

Henry Child junior died in 1831.