Genealogy Chat

Hi, Can anyone Please tell me if Pontypool Lie's on the English/Welsh Boarder ?. My dad told me that his father had helped his father in law build a extention on to the back of his pub the (Horse & Jockey inn) pontypool so that they could sell beer on a Sunday. He said the back of the pub was in England and the front in Wale's . This would have been around 1919 but i can't seem to to find a map online to see if this is right Can anyone help ? Thank's Priscilla

hi albert frederick ball ,have you heard of him? he worked at this pub in 1919, its a thatched pub on outskirts of pontypool . where did i find this info ? well i googled hun had same prob with my grandad but found his pub still standing and have pics of it too . If you can find out who runs the inn today they may well have records ,and might be able to give alot of history about5 this inn dave

Have you checked multimap? Or any similar sites? Pontypool is a long way from the English border.... Reg

I would say no, as the A466 appears to be the dividing line between Wales and England. Of course I could be wrong, someone may correct me. Linda

yes reggie but was it in 1919 ? my grandad came from kent in 1875 but if you look today youll find his village in east london!!

In 1900, Pontypool was in Monmouthshire, which is in Wales, still looks a fair way from the English border. Linda

Hi William, I have not heard the name (Albert Fredrick Ball) Sorry! But he may well pop up when i find out more. My granfather's name was Albert Ayres He married Sarah Jone's Who's father William Jone's owned or rented the pub ? . 1919 was the year that Albert & Sarah Married in pontypool. I have only just started to research this branch of the family and tonight i spoke to an elderly friend of my granfather's who confirmed that this was the correct pub. So my search starts here. my dad told me that he thought that his granfather William was buried in a church yard next to the pub . I have had a look on google earth and low and behold there is a churchyard next to it so i am sure its the right pub. If i get time next week i am going to try to visit pontypool and have a look for williams grave so i will visit the pub too see if thay can help. Regard's Priscilla

Hi Linda, You have done better then me I have looking this evening and couldn't get anywere !. I wounder if it was just a tall story or if the boundrie's have moved over the years ? with the churchyard being next to the pub as my dad said. The fact the my granparent's Married in pontypool. and going by what my granfather's elderly friend told me we know it's the correct (Hourse & Jockey inn). Maybe it was a fib or something like that. I might try the local Libaray to see if they can help Thank's Very much for sorting that part out for me Linda Regard's Priscilla

Hi Reg, I have tried Again but Cannot See the boarder line ! Maybe it's me But i can't seem to find it . With the boundrie's changing over the year's i think the Archives or Libaray's maybe my best bet Thank's Reg Regard's Priscilla

Pontypool - Wales or England.
I'm wondering if the dispute over half of the pub being in Wales and half of it being in England has anything to do with the long standing Monmouthshire dispute...some said it was in England, others claimed it was Welsh.

Story goes that at the signing of some peace treaty years ago, Monmouthshire was actualy left out (correct me someone, or post the proper story if you know it please) so it was never recognised properly as either Wales or England. In fact for years, I remember entering Wales from England, over the river Wye at Chepstow, and the sign 'Welcome to Wales and Monmouthsire' was there 6 ft high.

Of course, when, in the 70's, the govt. in their wisdom changed many county names, Monmouthshire got the boot - the Welsh part (if it had belonged to Wales), became Gwent. Gwent was definitley in Wales.

More recently they have changed the county names again, and Monmouthshire apparently has resurfaced (sort of). A part of Gwent which was previously Monmouthshire has been returned to Monmouthshire, I think, yet the post office don't recognise it as such, they insist it is still all Gwent. Up to date maps tell a different story.

Having been brought up on the border of Gloucestershire, Monmouthsire AND Wales, I can tell you that it has provided a very interesting topic of conversation (and debate) over the years.


I would love to know the full story of this dispute and hope someone can help me out, perhaps some of the lovely Welsh people on here will post.

K

Hi Karen, I have just made a few more phonecall's to my dad's family and the story still stand's so there must be something in it . It may well be what you said it's worth looking into! maybe someone out there can shed some light ? Regard's Priscilla

Ozibird's hit it on the nail. It wasn't so much the English Welsh border but the county's. In those day's the Church etc were very strong and basically dictated which counties could sell alcohol on Sunday's. As a youth I lived in a little village called Bynea which was in the County of Carmarthenshire. About a mile away, across the Loughor Bridge, was the County of Glamorgan where joy oh joy the pubs were open on a Sunday but only for a couple of hours. Surprising how much we could drink in those hours, lol. I vividly remember when the pubs and clubs in Carmartheshire were granted licences for the sale of alcohol on Sundays. Our rugby club went into overdrive, nice mun ! So, I think you'll find that the extension was built into the next county and not into England, but there again who knows what those little welshmen would get upto for a pint of falling over water on a Sunday ;-) Merv xx

Thank's, Guy's & Gal's its been very interesting reading your replys it's seem's that it may have been County's and not Country's I didn't think of that one. Do's anyone know were i would find record's relating to Pontypool Thank's again Regard's Priscilla

Gwent records office at Cwmbran 5 miles south of Pontypool holds great records of the area and the staff are very helpful there are also lots of interesting books about local history with fab photos.
good luck hope this helps
bmd

bmd

You are posting on very old threads tonight