Stonework 1845-1850

[Robbie_Palmer]

Hello,

I have an ancestor, William King, who was born and lived in the Thetford area of Lincolnshire, except it seems for during the period 1843 - 1850. His daughter Jane was born in 1848 in Llanfairfechan and her baptism certificate has them living in Penmaenmawr. He had a child born either side of this time period born back over near Thetford, so I know the family could only have been in Penmaenmawr for the short period.

Does anyone have any information about any building work carried out during this time that he may have been involved in? Maybe some record with him on?

William was married to Ann and was born in 1814. He had two children born before this period, John William, born 1838, and Mary Ann, born 1843.

I hope someone can be of some help

Robbie

[Ed Hughes]

Just a thought but the main project along the North Wales coast between 1845 and 1850 was the construction of the railway with its tracks, stations and bridges, all requiring the skills of stonemasons.

[Emma]

Penmaenmawr town center was being built around this time along with the railway station, here a link of prominent shop and building being built and dates

http://www.penmaenmawr.com/historyPantyAfon.html

http://www.penmaenmawr.com/historyrailway.html


here a snippet from the quarry section of penmaenmawr website

Early in the 1850s S.D. Darbishire, a wealthy Manchester solicitor came to reside at Pendyffryn, and soon after his coming he engaged a qualified metal prospector to make a search of his then extensive lands. Some of the trials mentioned here could well have been made on his advice. A level tunneled into the rock just outside the boundary wall behind Pendyffryn could be such a one. The name of the small cottage, Brickfield, the only dwelling on the sea-side of the railway, tells that brickmaking had once been carried on there. It was probably initiated by S.D.D. who wished to make use of the red brick clay on his land exposed by the construction of the railway in 1847/8.

Hope this may help
Emma

[Ed Hughes]

The New York Cottages were amongst the first to be built in stone during the 1840s and not surprisingly are still standing today - built to last, no doubt by men like your ancestor.
See pictures at http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northwest/sites/penmaenmawr/pages/outandabout.shtml?5

[Gwyn]

If you are just going on the ages and places of birth of their children from the censuses then I suppose they could have been living in North Wales for just a few months. They could have moved to Penmaenmawr/Llanfairfechan just before Jane was born and moved back just afterwards.

But if they were in North Wales for a long period then I agree with Ed the best bet would be the railway. Pen's population boom and the necessary building work to sustain it came after 1850 - the population went from about 900 in 1851 to about 3500 in 1901. I think the station was built later but there would have been a lot of other railway-related stonework pre-1850 - there are tunnels either side of the town and also sea defences that I'm guessing were constructed as part of the of the railway development and lots more besides I'm sure.

[Jeremy]

David and Charles published a wonderful series of books about UK railway construction in the boom periods of the 1800s and a two volume book about the London/Holyhead Railway.This might provide data. I had Volume 1 once but this did not go as far as Pen.Look for Vol 2 and this could give answers about the stonework around Pen.It would be worth checking accounts of the railway disaster when a westbound train came out of the the Penmaenbach tunnel to find the track had been washed away and the resulting  accident resulted in fatalities.Maybe stonework was mentioned here.Jeremy

[Gwyn]

Not forgetting the stone railway viaduct on the Llanfairfechan side of Penmaenmawr mountain.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22825946@N02/2541167189/