Number 491 on the 1841 Tithe Map .
Mary, the supposed daughter of William Jenkins of Haymeadow and Mary Williams was baptised at St Peter’s church on 20thOctober 1765.
There is no further mention of Haymeadow that I can find until 1807 when lease 122 is granted to Joshua Griffiths, blacksmith, for the part of a messuage or dwelling house. The lease is for the lives of Joshua, then 68, Joseph his son, 40, and William Griffiths, 4.
Labourer William Williams is to occupy the remaining part of the house. His lease is for the lives of his wife Cecelia who is 60 and Mary their daughter aged 24.
By 1821 Joshua Griffiths lease had been assigned to Thomas Prosser, on the 29th January 1823 it was further assigned to John Prosser. There is a mention of Thomas Prosser holding his lease (now dead) on the 1831 land valuation. The present holder of the lease Col. Henry Bird of Goytrey House, holds a cottage and 2 acres, 3 roods numbered 189 on the tithe map.
On the 29thDecember 1838 Mary Williams, the daughter of William and Mary of Haymeadow was ordered to the Pontypool workhouse. In 1839 Mary Williams, pauper applied to leave the workhouse for a few days, her request was denied. The same year she was brought before the Board of Pontypool workhouse for keeping her food.
By the census of 1841 Mary Williams had returned to Haymeadow and was living with her nephew William, a 35 year old farmer, Mary is now 75, living with them is a little 8 year old labourer called John Blunt. Mary died in 1843 and was buried in St Peter’s churchyard.
The census of 1851 says 70 year old labourer William Jenkins has taken occupation along with his wife Ann, who is 52, children John 31, Thomas 29, William 21, James 15, all were born in Goytrey, they all had the same occupation, woodcutters. Their 20 year old daughter Elizabeth is their housekeeper.
In 1852 William Jenkins of Haymeadow is mentioned in the Rev. Thomas Evans tithe accounts.
Lewis Edmund wrote in his diary throughout 1855/6 that he was at Haymeadow making gates, roofing the beast and pig house and plastering and slating the house.
Part of the 1861 census for the village is missing, but from the following parish records in 1863 it says that William Williams, (occupying part of the house) leasehold property to be sold as he has now become chargeable to the Pontypool Union.
The census of 1871 gives William Jenkins’s occupation, he is a 46 year old gardener (probably for Col. Byrde) married to Ann 45, their children are Mary Ann 18, Walter 15, William 14, John 12, Elizabeth 10 and eight year old twins Rachel and Philip.
On 11th August 1874 William and Ann’s son John died and was buried at Saron Chapel, he was only14 years of age.
The Jenkins family remained at Haymeadow, the census of 1881 says William is still a gardener, Ann is now 54, Williams is a 24 year old railway signalman, Philip is a labourer in the steelworks, Elizabeth and Rachel are both at home.
Another family death occurred in in December 1886, that of William Jenkins jnr, aged 29, he too was buried at Saron with his brother.
William, by the date of the 1891 census is still a gardener, Ann is now 64, Rachel 26, all the family were born in Goytrey.
William Jenkins died aged 68 in February 1892, he was also buried at Saron Chapel. By 1901 Ann Jenkins was living at number 1 Upper Village with her daughter Elizabeth who had married Edward John Evans in 1892. (Saron register shows the entry of February 19th 1902 for Ann Williams, widow of William aged 76.)
On the census of 1901 James and Caroline Green of Hereford had taken up residence at Haymeadow, James is a 38 year old blacksmith, Caroline his wife is 37 and their daughter Ellen is 12.
A document in 1910 says the old cottages are now restored, the owner is the Earl of Abergavenny, the gross value is £10 10s and the rateable value is £9 10s.
The sale of Haymeadow by the Earl of Abergavenny in 1920 states it is a smallholding of 2a 3r 5p, it is let at £14, the tithe is 7s. It was purchased by Mr Purnell of Pontnewynydd the price was not mentioned.
From the electoral register in 1920 Hay Meadow was in occupation of Thomas, Ruth and Ernest James Jones, where they remained until 1925.
By 1935 the Vimpany family had taken residence, they moved about one mile from Cefn Mynog to Hay Meadow. They were still there in 1948.
Flossie May Vimpany died at Hay Meadow in 1943 aged 32.