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 This section contains Poetry by Marie
Horridge
Number of pages:
12
Contents:
The Remarkable Mrs Sarah Thomas
Five Score and Nine
Whitford Lighthouse
One Mile from the Castle
Too Easily We Forget – (A tribute to Dai Harvey)
Amelia Earhart - a Tribute
Men of Little Hatchets
Moonlit Paradise
Extract
The
Remarkable Mrs Sarah Thomas
1788-1897
According to St
Cyffig's (Whitland) Church records, Sarah, the daughter of a farm
labourer, was born on 5th February, 1788, on Ffynnoncyll Farm, near
Whitland, Carmarthenshire close to the border with Pembrokeshire.
Sarah married in Whitland, became
Mrs Sarah Thomas and had two daughters.
After her daughters were born
Sarah and her husband moved to Llanelli. Unfortunately for Sarah her
husband was tragically killed around 1857 in an accident involving a
shunting engine. After her husband died Sarah went to live with her
surviving daughter Mrs Grylls mother to sixteen children. Sarah, her
daughter and some of her grandchildren lived in a cottage on the corner of
a cul-de-sac off Pencoed Road. There were also two semi-detached cottages
and a house in the cul-de-sac, which was just below Heol Elisabeth. One of
her great-granddaughters is said to have enjoyed the task of putting her
great-grandmother to bed every night, and had the added responsibility of
placing a ‘warm brick’ in her bed to warm her feet.
Sarah, a widow, and unable to
work, was supported financially by the parish and donations from friends.
In 1894 when Sarah was 106, Mr J G Thomas of Burry Port arranged for the
Royal Family to be informed and the Princess of Wales sent her a cheque
for £5 6s 0d as a birthday gift, which was intended to represent one
shilling for every year of her life. Following decimalisation in 1971 one
shilling equates to 5 pence and 106 would equal £5.30.
Sarah Thomas had eight
grandchildren, and twelve great-grandchildren and was passionately fond of
the ‘fragrant weed’. Messrs Franklyn and Davey obviously thought that
Sarah was an excellent advertisement for their product and every week they
gave her about three ounces of shagg tobacco. The remarkable Mrs Sarah
Thomas died on Friday, 29 January 1897 and was buried in Llanelly cemetery
on Monday 1 February 1897.
Five Score and Nine
A
Tribute to Sarah Thomas The Burry Port Centenarian 1788-1897
She had seen one hundred years
And then another nine
Yes, our Sarah Thomas
Had survived the longest time.
She was known to be quite partial
To Franklyn’s fragrant weed
Which Franklyn sent to Sarah
For an extra special fee.
All they asked of Sarah
Was a portrait of her face
From then, on Franklyn’s packets
Her photograph would grace.
She would prove that their tobacco
Really was divine
For it might have helped dear Sarah
To reach FIVE SCORE AND NINE
by Marie Horridge
A descendent of Sarah Thomas
Llanelly Mercury Thursday 4 February 1897
Mrs Sarah Thomas (1788-1897)
Centenarian who died in her 109th
year
Sarah Thomas appeared in
advertisements for Franklyn’s tobacco and was given 3 oz of Shagg tobacco
each week for her services.
Order
Further Information
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