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People from the past

Moses Seymour was born in County Durham around 1819 and moved to Llanelly before 1841. The census details of 1841 show that Moses, a mining surveyor, was living at Gelli, which was in the Bryn area of Llanelli.

Gelli Farm, Bryn, belonged to William Rees the Elder (1775-1858) who had bought the estate in 1813. When Rees the Elder died the property passed to his son, William Rees the Younger (1809-1894) who was living at Gelly in 1861 and 1871.

On 1 February 1846 Moses Seymour, living at Gelly, married Mary Cook, the daughter of local doctor and surgeon Thomas Bedlington Cook. The young couple settled at Gelli Bryn where they had three children Mary, Thomas and Nahomi.

Moses was described as a Colliery Viewer and Agent and his wife was assisted by two servants who were aged 20 and 17.

By the time the census was taken in 1861, Moses and Mary were living with their children at Greenfields House, Llanelly. They must have spent some time at Llangennech because their youngest son Robert Scott Seymour who was 4 years old in 1861 was recorded as being born in Plas Isaf, Llangennech.

As a Colliery Viewer and Mineral Surveyor, Moses would have travelled around viewing and surveying new and existing mine workings.

Thomas Seymour

The 1881 census throws up an interesting aspect of the family story because by this time Moses and Mary’s oldest son Thomas, now aged 32, was married with a young family of his own and was living with them at Coalbrook House, Pontyberem. It is also worth noting that his younger unmarried brother, Robert Scott Seymour, aged 24 (born at Plas Isaf, Llangennech), was also a Mining Engineer and Colliery Manager and living with the family.

Thomas Seymour and his family continued to live in Pontyberem and a newspaper report of 1907 shows that he had become a respected member of Llanelly Society.

After 15 years as Chairman of the Llanelly Board of Guardians Thomas was presented with a portrait of himself and congratulated on his re-election.