23rd November 1888 – Non-payment of Poor Rates

Louisa Waites was summoned by the overseers of the parish of Goytrey, for non-payment of 15s poor rates

Defendant pleaded poverty, and on that ground was excused from payment.

4th August 1899 – Maintenance of Father

Edwin Edgar was charged with not maintaining his father, Mr Davies, relieving office said that the defendant’s father was chargeable to the Pontypool Union.

Defendant was a father and held about 20 acres of land at Goytrey. Defendant said he had offered to pay 1s per week, but he found that he could not pay.

An order of 1s per week was made,

25th June 1925 – Most Trivial and Trumpery Claim 

Edwin Edgar of Ynyspica, Goytrey, sued Philip Williams for £8 3s 4d damages to certain property and land known as Brook Cottage, Goytrey, and for the cost of a tenancy agreement.

Mr H G Lemmon, solicitor, Abergavenny, appeared for the plaintiff.

Plaintiff said he was the owner of Brook Cottage which he had let to the defendant under an agreement, [produced] in which the defendant agreed to pay the cost 14s 6d but had not done so.

Defendant was in occupation a year, until 20^th March 1915, but he was permitted to leave without notice, but witness did not receive the keys until the 30^th.

In consequence he lost a weeks rent [7s 8d] which he now claimed.

Other items in the particulars included 5s damage to a door frame; 5s for cracking rendering by driving two nails to which to fix a hay rack in the stables; 7s for manure taken away; 2s for a slide which was missing from an oven; £1 for stakes and hedging material destroyed; 1s for a latch and key; and 5s damage done to a meadow by unringed pigs rooting.

Cross-examined, plaintiff said the key of the house was sent by registered letter addressed to Monkswood instead of Goytrey, which caused the delay.

Defendant, in cross-examination elicited that the delay in the delivery of the key was caused by the registered letter being addressed to Monkswood instead of Goytrey.

He admitted that he had signed to pay for the agreement and that there was a slight injury to the door post; alleged that if the oven slide is missing, it was not there when he took the house. And the hedging material was used on the place to enable him to do his gardening, otherwise he would have to do away with his chickens.

His honour said this was the most trivial and trumpery claim he had had to deal with for some time and ultimately gave judgement for the claimant for 25s.

The Even Scales

Edwin Edgar also sued Joseph B. Greening of Helmaen Cottage, Llanbadoc, for £5 damages to meadow at Llanbadoc, caused by trespassing fowls for 3 years.

Defendant counter-claimed £8 15s for 3 laying hens [killed] value £4 each, injury to 11 other fowls, 2s each by plaintiff’s dog, and damages to vegetable garden and apple trees by cattle trespassing.

Mr Lemmon was for the plaintiff and Mr E Waddington, solicitor, Usk for the defendant.

Plaintiff said he was the tenant of three meadows at Llanbadoc, which adjoined defendant’s garden from 2^nd February 1913 when he began to complain. The fowls ate off about 20 perches just as if there had been 4,000 rabbits there. He complained to Mrs Greening who told him she had an agreement with the owner of the meadows to run the fowls there, but he never saw the agreement.

He went down to the meadows twice a day from May to October and every time he went, the fowls were there.

He saw Mr Greening put 150 out there on the second Sunday in May 1913, through a hole in the fence. Witness did not say a word to the defendant, but went to Mr Williams, his [plaintiff’s] landlord.

In 1914 the fowls were continuously on the ground. He had complained to the defendant one or twice and also to his wife. Defendant said he could not help the fowls going out. In 1915 he believed the trespass was worse than in 1914.

The meadows were 27 acres and the rent was £80 per year. The fowls put the grass into such a condition that the cattle would not eat it. Repeated complaints were made about the trespass, but no effort was made to stop until he sent in his present claim.

With regard to the counter-claim witness said he had never seen his dog after the fowls. As to the damage done to the garden by 20 cattle trespassing, it was impossible for them to trespass as the fence was a very good one, with barbed wire round the garden about four foot off the ground.

Cross-examined – defendant deliberately turned the fowls out onto the meadow on the Sunday, he counted them. There were over 150. He had complained to Mr Greening scores of times. He had never heard any complaints about his sheep dogs. He had not said he would put his dog in to kill every chicken on his meadow, his dogs had not killed or injured a fowl. The dogs had always been with him and lay down by the shed when he went to milk.

The dog he had in 1913 died in his trap, poisoned, going home. It was given to killing chickens. There had always been a good fence between his meadow and the garden, and he denied that the cattle were in the garden on two occasions. He had received no complaints with regard to such trespass.

Re-examined; he had one of the dogs now; he had seen no slat in the hedge.

Joseph Edwin Edgar, plaintiff’s son gave corroborative evidence, as did Mrs Edgar.

His Honour said evidence in regard to the complaints were very satisfactory.

Defendant stated he had lived at Helmaen Cottage for 17 years, and during the last two or three he had kept 30 chickens at the most, he had never had 100 since he had been there. One or two fowls at a time had been in the grass. In August 1913 he saw plaintiff’s dog kill three laying hens at different times, and he had buried eight others. Early one September morning about 4.30 in the morning, he heard defendant’s cattle in his garden and got up and drove them out. They numbered from 18 to 20. They had done a lot of damage to the garden and apple trees. They stripped one side of a row of scarlet runners, and did 1s 6d worth to apple trees. Last year the cattle were in again. He said nothing to Mr Edgar about it.

His Honour “why not”

Defendant I did not want to make a bother”

Re-examined; his garden was about a quarter of an acre in extent, and the fowls were in a little orchard which was about half that size. It was a great and wilful lie for plaintiff to say that he ever counted 150 fowls there. It was plaintiff’s dog that killed the chickens. He went down the field to get five out.

Mr Lemmon “you had no right to do that

His Honour “that is rather a strict enforcement of the law”

Mr Lemmon “ it is hardly a neighbourly action”

His Honour “we must try and preserve our good sense if they do not”

Mrs Greening gave corroborative evidence; Edgar insulted her every time he saw her. She never made any complaint to the Edgar’s as her husband had told her never to have anything to do with them.

His Honour said he had no sympathy and very little patience with a claim of that kind, for two years, according to the plaintiff, this trouble had been going on, and instead of doing what he ought to have done – make a formal complaint to the man responsible – he seemed to have complained by word of mouth, and not in the most desirable manner, to the wife.

However, there did appear to have been some amount of trespass on the part of the defendant’s chickens, and it was as much the duty of Mr Greening to keep his chickens in, as it was of Mr Edgar to keep his cattle in.

Justice for the plaintiff 20s. Defendant was in very much the same position with regard to the cattle trespassing. It was not only very unwise for the purpose of his own case on the part of the defendant not to make a formal complaint to the plaintiff, but it was very unfair to the plaintiff. He might have told the plaintiff – not in a quarrelsome way – of the trespass, and have asked him to repair the fence so that it might not occur again.

His Honour thought some damage was done and gave defendant judgement for 20s on the counter-claim.

30th June 1899 – No Dog License

Mary Edgar was charged with having a dog without a license at Goytrey on the 19^th June.

Defendant pleaded guilty but said that she now had a license.

P.c. Davies said that he found a dog on defendant’s premises and she told him she had been refused exemption, as she not had sufficient cattle or land.

Fined 5s.

27^th October 1877 – Notice of Removal

E. Evans & Son

Coachbuilders & Wheelwrights

Beg to inform the Nobility, Gentry and Public in general that they have moved from Llanover near Abergavenny to more commodious premises at Penperllenny, Goytrey, near Pontypool where they hope, with strict attention to all orders entrusted to them together with good workmanship and best materials, to merit a share of the public patronage

E.E. & son also return their thanks for all past favours, and remain your obedient servants

E. Evans & Son

Coachbuilders, Wheelwrights &c

Penperllenny, Goytrey, near Pontypool

8th February 1873 – Paying for Negligence 

John Jenkins of Goytre was charged with neglecting to report to the police that he had certain sheep affected with the scab. He pleaded that he was not aware of the infection.

Myrus Yaxley, veterinary inspector, deposed

 27^th October 1899 – Poor Rate

Mary Ann Williams, Goytrey was summoned for non-payment of 3s 3d poor rate due to the overseers of Goytrey.

She said she had never paid taxes, only the rent and that she never had notice to pay the rates. Mr E.W. Gwatkin said defendant was duly rated.

The property, a cottage at Glan-y-nant had changed hands and the present owner had refused to pay the rates.

She was given a month to pay, and willingly consented

10th February 1888 – Rachel Anthony Deceased 

Notice is hereby given that all creditors and persons having any Claims or Demands against the Estate of Rachel Anthony, late of Bwrgwm in the parish of Goytre, county of Monmouth, and of 16 High Street Blaenavon, same county spinster, deceased.

Who died on or about the 26^th December 1886 and whose will was proved by David Lewis of Ivor House, Blaenavon, aforesaid, one of the executors there-in named on the 22^nd March 1887 in the District Registry of the Probate of her Majesty in the Court of Justices, Landaff.

Etc Etc

Henry Jeffery Jones

Lion Street

Abergavenny

Solicitor for the executor

1^st day of February 1888

29th January 1876 – Scab in Sheep 

John Williams of Goytre, was charged of keeping sheep infected with scab, in a field insufficiently fenced.

Supt. M’Intosh said he had warned defendant that there was danger of the sheep straying about the country and spreading the disease, on account of his fences being in a bad state;

The sheep belonged to Charles Jones but defendant, on whose land they were was responsible.

Defendant denied all knowledge of the sheep being infected.

Fined 20s

10th February 1877 – Stealing a Hay Knife 

David Evans was charged with stealing a hay-knife, the property of John Griffiths at the parish of Goytre.

Prisoner pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutor deposed that he was a farmer and owner of threshing machines; he resided in the parish of Goytre; on Tuesday 30^th ult., he lost a hay-knife out of the rick in front of his house; knew nothing of defendant; had never seen him before; witness had need of the knife about 5 o’clock on the previous evening, and then put it back into the rick; the knife now produced was his property.

Pc Basham deposed that on Wednesday morning about 5 o’clock, he was in duty in front of the Town Hall; he saw someone coming along the road towards the town; and immediately bolt across the road behind the Church wall and hide behind one of the buttresses; went after him and found the prisoner crouching down and the hay knife and other articles were at his feet; asked him how he had come by the hay knife and he made several statements, one of which was that he found it in a field near the railway station.

Prisoner said he had picked the articles up near one of the lodges at Pontymoile:

Sentenced to one months hard labour.