A ‘new’ Welsh second cousin getting in touch through this website was a welcome prompt to go back to the pile of photos scanned during last year’s visit to Knighton and cousin Islwyn {1}. Some have got directly attached to individuals on the family tree on Ancestry, via Family Tree Maker. Others continue to need cracking of puzzles such as the date of the picture and the people featured. This piece is a start on a puzzle or two.
The article ‘Wedding fashions through family photos‘ was published here over 2 years ago, showing the happy occasion from 1905 to 1940. So finding an opportunity to add to that collection is also overdue. This time we go backwards, from 1964 to the ’30s.
No doubt about who are the centre of attention there, but it is going to take a while to be sure of more than a few of the other faces. Ivor’s brother Willie John rear left. Three more possibles from the next photo. And who else? (Ivor is probably more commonly known by his middle name of Dennis, or Den.)
Attempt at names, March/Sept 2015:
Children at front: see Paul’s comment below.
Middle/front row, from left: Gwyneth Watkins nee Hickman, Dwynwen Watkins, #4 on Watkins women photo below?, a Holley, Sal (Louisa’s sister), Louisa Holley nee Cox, Ivor Dennis Holley, Ann Monks, Eurfron Watkins, wife of Willie John Holley (Ann White?), Ceinwen Rees nee Watkins, Miriam Walters nee Watkins?, Phoebe Bowden nee Watkins, bridesmaid Beverley (?) Thomas – see comment 14/3/15, Margaret Purcell (was Watkins, nee McDougall).
Back row, from left: Willie John Holley, Royston (?) Thomas – see comment 14/3/15, ?, Trevelyan and Iris Thomas – see comment 11/9/15, (gap), (tall young man) Tony Bowden, woman with wide brim hat, Bill Bowden.
Further updates Feb. 2021 thanks to Debbie Flitcroft.
Lewis Street could be in Pontyclun (covered by Bridgend registration district up to 1970).
While three of the women in the next photo are also in the one above, wearing the same dresses, one or two of their hats differ so its seems a stretch for it to be the same occasion. But surely around the same time. Islwyn identified some of this crew (from left) as 1. Gwyneth Watkins nee Hickman, 3. Brenda Watkins (nee Lloyd)? 5. Eurfron Holley nee Watkins, 6. Ceinwen Rees nee Watkins, 7. Dwynwen Watkins. Could number 4 be Arwyn? Number 2 probably Miriam Walters nee Watkins.
Now four definite names matched to faces for what must be an early fifties wedding group, from left: Morwenna (Wenna) Webb, ??, possibly Margaret Webb (nee Parry), Kay Webb, Mary Hannah Parry (nee Watkins), Bill Parry.
Kay and Wenna are Margaret’s children, and their likely age makes this 1951 at the earliest. So not Margaret’s marriage to Joseph Webb, although he could be the mystery man (no other snaps of him found so far). Whose great day, then?
Update, June 2016: see the second half of ‘Pitching for a job‘ for the answer.
And dating from fashions, a studio photo from perhaps the early ’30s:
Islwyn suggests that this could be the Holley family, but would it be as late as 1936, when Eurfron married Willie Ashford? See first comment below (also comments 14/3/15 to 11/9/15) – the answer appears to be yes. Further suggestions from your editor: the two other men could be David and Frank Watkins – if so could the woman on the right be Margretta Roberts (nee Watkins) perhaps?
Even more questions and fewer answers than usual for Cutlock and Co. Your suggestions most welcome.
Notes
1. Earlier article on Cutlock and Co with photo from the same scanning batch: The electrical connection.
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