Transport
Transport in Welshpool

Map of Welshpool showing road (brown), rail (grey), and
canal (blue).
Colour added for emphasis
Powys County Archives

Staff, Welshpool Station
Powysland Museum and Montgomery Canal Centre
As with many other towns in 1891, Welshpool benefited from the coming of the
railway, and many of its townspeople were employed in connection with it. The
London and North Western and Great Western Joint Railways and the Cambrian Railways
served the town.
Powys County Archives
However, the canal was still an active part of the transport infrastructure
through the Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company. In Sutton's Directory
of 1890 it advertised:
Consequently the canal still employed workers from Welshpool. These included
people who worked on the barges themselves, such as John Jones:
1891 Census |
7 Canal Cottage, Welshpool |
Name |
Position in
household |
Marital
status |
Age |
Occupation |
Place of Birth |
English/Welsh
speaker |
John Jones |
Head |
M |
30 |
Boatman |
Berriew Montgomeryshire |
English |
Mary A Jones |
Wife |
M |
24 |
|
Chirbury Salop |
English |
John J Jones |
Son |
|
4 |
|
Guilsfield Montgomeryshire |
English |
Bertram C Jones |
Son |
|
2 |
|
Forden Montgomeryshire |
English |
Barge near Mardy Bridge, Welshpool
Powysland Museum and Montgomery Canal Museum
It also included people like Francis R Hawkins, who was a labourer on the canal,
loading and unloading barges:
1891 Census |
4 Canal Wharf, Welshpool |
Name |
Position in
household |
Marital
status |
Age |
Occupation |
Place of Birth |
English/Welsh
speaker |
Francis R Hawkins |
Head |
M |
29 |
Canal Porter |
Stafford Wolverhampton |
English |
Emily Hawkins |
Wife |
M |
29 |
|
Cheshire Congelton |
English |
Amy Hawkins |
Dau |
|
7 |
Scholar |
Cheshire Chester |
English |
Muriel Hawkins |
Dau |
|
4 |
Scholar |
Montgomery Welshpool |
English |
Percy Hawkins |
Son |
|
2 |
|
Montgomery Welshpool |
English |
There was also the lock keeper who lived with his large family at Canal Lock
Houses:
1891 Census |
1 Canal Lock Houses, Welshpool |
Name |
Position in
household |
Marital
status |
Age |
Occupation |
Place of Birth |
English/Welsh
speaker |
Pryce Bebb |
Head |
M |
43 |
Lock Tender |
Castle Caereinion |
English |
Sarah Bebb |
Wife |
M |
39 |
|
Castle Caereinion |
English |
Cornelius Bebb |
Son |
S |
21 |
Labourer |
Welshpool |
English |
Richard Bebb |
Son |
S |
19 |
Labourer |
Welshpool |
English |
Alice Anne Bebb |
Dau |
|
10 |
Scholar |
Welshpool |
English |
Albert Bebb |
Son |
|
8 |
Scholar |
Welshpool |
English |
William Henry Bebb |
Son |
|
6 |
Scholar |
Welshpool |
English |
Ellen Bebb |
Dau |
|
4 |
Scholar |
Welshpool |
English |
Emily Bebb |
Dau |
|
2 |
|
Welshpool |
English |
George Bebb |
Dau |
|
1 month |
|
Welshpool |
English |
Pryce Bebb died around 1897 as a result of an operation performed on a kitchen
table to remove a kidney stone. However, his son Cornelius (known as 'Neil')
went on to become a lock keeper himself, as did another son, also called Pryce.
You can find out more about the history of the Montgomery Canal on the Powys
Digital History website.
There was another, rather interesting group of people
who travelled to Welshpool by road and were in the town for the 1891 census.
|