This week Heledd Cynwal goes to see Ceri Griffiths. Ceri comes from Rhydargaeau, near Carmarthen, originally. He wants to know more about his family history.
There were three sisters n the family and they lived in a farm in the village. Their parents died when they were very young. The family’s name was ‘Scurlock’. There was a Scurlock family in Carmarthen too – a very wealthy family. Ceri wants to know whether the two families are related.
The name Scurlock comes from Ireland originally. Jonathan Scurlock was a sheriff in Carmarthen in the 1670’s. The most famous Scurlock was Mary Scurlock. She married Richard Steele. Their child married into Lady Diana Spencer’s famiy.
Mary Scurlock’s grave is in Poets’ Corner, Westminster Abbey, but her family’s graves are in Carmarthen. Her husband, Sir Richard Steele’s memorial is in St Peter’s Church in Carmarthen.
The Scurlock family, who are related to Ceri, lived on Pentresite farm in Rhydargaeau. One of the three sisters was Lettice Scurlock, Ceri’s great, great grandmother. Ceri goes to Horeb Chapel in Rhydargaeau. Many of the Scurlock’s graves are here.
David and Mary Scurlock were the parents of the three sisters. Ceri goes to the National Library to talk to Jason Evans and look at the 1871 census. There was another sister – Eliza. David and Mary married in 1865. Mary had the child before she married.
David and Mary died from TB in 1875. Eliza and Rachel went to work on other farms but Hannah and Lettice still lived on the farm. Elizabeth Lewis and Hjenry Evans lived on the farm too. Elizabeth looked after the two girls and Henry looked after the farm.
On the 1901 census, it was only Hannah who was left on the farm. She had married Henry Evans, the farm hand and started a family with him.
The Perthyn team have found a man called John Scurlock who lived on Rhydyrhaw farm. He was the sisters’ great grandfather. Jason Evans from the Perthyn team have found a will from 1803. Jane Scurlock’s will, John Scurlock’s sister in law. She left ten pounds to the ‘meeting house’ in Abergwili.
Ceri goes to see Dr Eryn White. Jane Scurlock had left money to build a chapel in Abergwili. The Carmarthen Scurlock family went to church, not to chapel. It’s possible that the two families are related but half the family went to chapel and the other half went to church.
Ceri talks to Arwel Jones from the Perthyn team. The Perthyn team haven’t found a connection between the two Scurlock families. But the team have found another member of the Scurlock family.
This is David Scurlock Evans, Hannah’s grandson. He knows more about the family’s history. The sisters’ uncle had bought Pentresite farm for them and paid for Elizabeth and Henry to come and look after the children and the farm.
