Declaration of Capt., Charles Elias Bird

1857

I, Charles Elias Bird of Goitre House in the parish of Goitre in the County of Monmouth Esq., a Captain in the Army unattached do solemnly and sincerely declare:

 

1. That I am 69 years of age

 

2. That I knew Mary Andrews late of Pentre Bach in the sd psh & county widow – the devisee mentioned in the will of Wm. Andrews late of Pentre Bach afores^d. yeoman dec.d dated on or about the 12^th day of April 1788 & that I have personally been at her house and conversed with her and she was then occupying the Pentre Bach, Graig Thee and Alt Withy otherwise Alt Hellig and the Tire y Graig ddy otherwise Tyr Skibbor y Llan situate in the s^d. psh & cty and appeared to be and was always deemed and considered and believed to be the absolute owner thereof –

 

3. That I remember when I was a child being taken to the house of the s Mary Andrews at Pentre Bach afores^d. by my father who had taken stones from her quarry at Pentre Bach afores^d. to build his house, now called Goitre House at Goitre afores^d. and that I saw my father pay her for the same stones and that this was in or about 1792.

 

4. That I remember the death of the s Mary Andrew in or about the year 1793 and that she was buried at Goitre church in the s^d. parish and county.

 

5. That the s Mary Andrews continued to live on the Pentre Bach Estate afore^sd. Up to the time of her decease.

 

6. That I well knew Wm. Andrews the person mentioned in the will of the said Mary Andrews dated on or about the 29^th day of May 1789.

 

7. That my father was a captain in the 8^th Regiment of the line and returned with the said William Andrews from North America to England in the year 1780, the said Wm Andrews having been a soldier in the same Regiment with him and having served with him many years prior in the American War of Independence.

 

8. That at the time of the return of the s Wm. Andrews he was a single man and had not been

 

9. That in the year 1805 I joined my Regiment and did not return to reside at the Goitre af till the year 1820.

 

10. That I knew Thomas David otherwise Davies of the parish of Llanover in the said county of Mon., yeoman and Ann his wife devisees for life, ment in the s^d. will of the s^d. Mary Andrews dec.d

 

11. That the said Ann David predeceased the said Thomas David many years and was buried as I have been informed and verily believe at Goitre Church afores

 

12. That the s Ann David was a near relative of the s^d. Mary Andrews the Testrix.

 

13. That the said Thomas David otherwise Davies after the decease of Ann David intermarried with Mary Phillips, spinster –

 

14. That the said Thomas David had issue by his s first wife, the s^d. Ann David five sons, namely Wm David, otherwise Davies, Thos David, otherwise Davies, Walter David, otherwise Davies and David David, otherwise Davies.

 

15. That the s Wm. David died in the year 1806 and was buried at Goitre Church aforesaid, and is the same person mentioned in the certificate now produced and shewn to me marked with the letter ‘A’, wherein he is called William Davies, bachelor –

 

16. That the said Wm David, otherwise Davies was never married and made no will.

 

17. That the said Thomas David, otherwise Davies was his elder brother –

 

18. That the lands and heredits described in a certain Indre made the [blank] day of [blank] 1857 between Wm Fleetwood of the 1^st part, Richard Greenway of the 2^nd part, the said Thos David otherwise Davies of the 3^rd part, Henry Chas Bird of the 4^th part are the same heredits whereof the said Wm Andrews the testor and Mary Andrews the testrix severally died seized and which were devised by their several wills as by the said wills resply [reference being thereto had] will appear.

 

And I make this solemn declaration re:

 

Solemnly declared by the said Charles Elias Bird at Nantyderry in the county of Monmouth this second day of June one thousand eight hundred and eighty seven, before us:

 

Richard Greenway

 

? to administer oaths in Chancery in England