FelRh063GDphoto 4.6.2002Draft1
Felenrhyd photographs
In assessing a photograph we have to analyse it’s content, try and tie it to a place and time and make some inspired guesses. Photography was new to the Victorians and photographers would tout for business by going around schools, chapels, farms etc,. The quality of the photography was excellent. The photographer here is P. G. Thomas, Eryri Studio, Penrhyndeudraeth – about a mile from Felenrhyd fawr. So he had not far to carry his large and heavy equipment. These originals photographs are the oldest - probably the only photographs - which we have of the Felenrhyd family. They were kindly lent by Enid Sharpe of Westbury-sub-Mendips, Wells ( formerly of Orford). Enid is a descendant of Griffith Davies (2), her grandfather; from whom she inherited the photographs.
Photo A (ca. 1890)
There is a wall and some bushes/hedges/trees as a background. It could have been taken where photo B was taken, i.e. in the field across the road to Felenrhyd ( near to the toilet across the road). If the date of the photo was ca. 1890 it could be Gelli Grin – we are uncertain. The scene is that of Grandparents, parents, aunts and grandchildren. They seem to be a well to do family considering the times, towards the end of 19th century.
The grandparents,(7 & 3 ) are Sarah (nee Jones Bryncyfergid – 1822 – 1899) and her husband Griffith Davies (1) ( 1816 – 1891). Trying to date the photograph, we can put it before November 1891 the year GD died. If we look and compare with the 1881 census we have living at Felenrhyd:- GD(1) (at Dinas) 63, his wife, Sarah 59, their unmarried daughters Lowry 22 (Nain, School St), Mary 25 & GD(2) 28- all unmarried. Also a grandson Griffith Jones aged 4 and born at Ffestiniog. At Glanpwll in 1881 was Griffith Jones’s Siblings: Sarah 14, Thomas 8, and Jane 7 and their father Thomas Jones , an engineer and widowed .The year 1881 is too early for this photo scene
. If we now look at the census of 1891 we have a much better match with the photo.
At Gelli Grin GD(1) 74, Sarah 69, Elin Jones dau,widow,40, Mary Davies, g.dau. 7. At Felenrhyd we have GD (2) 38,Catherine, his wife,36, GD (3) son 2, Sarah dau.5, Kate dau. 4, Laura dau. 1. Griffith Jones nephew 14
Normally, children are a good way of dating a photograph if you can identify who the children are and guess their ages and sequence the siblings, ( e.g. boy, girl, boy, boy etc). We assume that the boy (1), on the left of the photo, is about 12yrs old; boy (9) about 10yrs and the girl(5), in the middle, about 6yrs. They are not all the three orphaned children as we have the anomaly of b,b,&g. We deduce therefore, that they are not siblings and that there two separate parent(s). The man on the left, no.2 in the photo, could either be a) Griffith Davies 2? b) J. E. Roberts, Bryn Goleu. ( not William Evans Bwlch Bryn ) or more likely to be Thomas Jones, the engineer and the father of the orphaned children. ( he died in Feb.1891). The engineer could have bought (or made) his son Griffith Jones (1) a model railway (10). Lady no.(4) could not be his wife, Sarah, as she had died in 1884. The three ladies in white blouses i.e. 4,6,& 8, are either daughters or their one and only daughter in law, Catherine (GD2’s wife). They are neither Mary (died 1883) nor Sarah (died 1n1884). It is likely that ladies (4) & (6) are Elin Bwlch Bryn and either Margaret, Bryn Goleu or Catherine. The little girl in middle centre (5) is likely to be Mary (aged 7 in 1891) or maybe Sarah, aged 5 in 1891. ( Kate, GD3, and Laura were 4,2,&1 respectively in 1891 and too young to fit into the scene.
Enid does not name any of the persons in photo A
Photo B (ca. 1899)
This photograph, which is the complete 2nd generation of the Davies family at Felen rhyd was taken about 1899 and it looks as the position is just outside the front porch of Felenrhyd Fawr. Enid names them as 1) Kate 12yrs, 2) Griffith David 10yrs, 3) Sarah 14yrs, 4) Laura 9yrs, 5) Catherine 44yrs, 6) Griffith Davies (2) 46 yrs, and 7) Mary 15yrs
Photo C
( ca.1905)
This photograph, taken some 15
years after Photo A, by the same photographer, shows the second generation at
Felenrhyd circa 1905. Enid does not date the photo but names them as follows:-
(1)?, (2) ?, (3) Griffith David , (4) Sarah, (6) Taid- (Griffith Davies 2),
(7) ?, (8) Mary, (9) ?, (10) Laura, (11) Nain (Catherine nee Roberts-
Davies). She indicates that Auntie Kate is missing, probably taken when she
was at Bangor University.
In 1905 the family consisted of parents, four daughters & a son i.e. Mary aged 21, Sarah 19, Kate 18, Griffith David 16 and Laura 15. Only three daughters ( 4,8,&10) and Griffith David (3) are identified by Enid whilst ladies 2,7,& 9 are not. Ladies 7,9,& 11, all sitting, are likely of the same age and generation. This would make 7 & 9 aunts. The man on the left (1) is likely to be William Evans and lady (7) could well be his wife Elin, Bwlch Bryn and lady (2) could be their daughter, Sarah or Dorothy. This leaves Lady (9) an unidentified aunt. She could be Margaret Bryn Goleu or Lowry i.e. one of GD(2) sisters. Of course she also be Catherine’s sister from Cwm Prysor.
We do not know!