Guestbook

Christine Lloyd
Neath Port Talbot College
Dwr-y-Felin Road
Neath
SA10 7RF

20th June 2011

Dear Editor,

State Pension Age campaign

I’d like to ask ‘Gem readers’ help with our campaign to highlight the unfairness of proposals contained in the UK Government’s Pensions Bill.

We support the move to bring women’s state pension age in line with men’s at 65, but we are objecting to the speed of the increase for women to 66 by 2020, six years earlier than it originally planned. As a result, around 330,000 in Britain women will, at very short notice, have to wait an extra 18 months or longer before claiming their State Pension.

I and many other women across the UK feel this is unfair and will hurt hard-working women, many of whom have worked for 40 years or more. Many of us have worked in relatively low-paid jobs or part-time because of caring responsibilities and these changes will mean real hardship especially to those with poor health.

We are asking MPs to ensure the Pensions Bill is amended to ensure that any increase to the state pension age beyond 65 does not start until at least 2020.

Readers can take action by sending a state pension age campaign postcard to their MP, asking them to stick to the coalition government’s original timetable. To request copies of the campaign postcard, or to find out more about the campaign please visit www.ageuk.org.uk/spa.

Yours sincerely,
Christine Lloyd

I want to thank Cllr.Janice Dudley for her efforts regarding the Roman Way main road fiasco. I know that this is ongoing but I hope common sense will prevail.

I have access to records in the public domain and I find it interesting to help people to look for lost or forgotten relatives.
This is what I found relating to the letters below. I hope this will be of help. It would be nice to have some follow-up comments.

1) Casley

John Casley married Catherine Downey in Neath in 1901. They had four children alive by 1911 (one had died according to the census). Their children’s names were: Margret (registered March qtr 1902), Edward b. 1905
(n.b. his age does look ‘9’ on the 1911 census, but this could be a
mistake, because the only birth found was that of an Edward registered in 1905), John b. 1908 and Doris Casley b.1910. They were all born in Briton Ferry (presumably the one who died did so between 1901 and 1905 due to
slight gap between Edward and Margaret). There were two possibilities found on Free BMD – a May Casley, died aged 1 in June Qtr,1904 in Neath and a Jenkin Casley died aged 3 in December qtr, 1906, also registered in
Neath.

Doris married a John C. John in 1929 (Sept Qtr, Neath).

They had 2 children, Phyllis born. March qtr 1930 and George C. John-June qtr 1935.

The eldest, Margaret, married an Edward H. Barnett (March qtr, 1922, Neath). From this marriage, there were: Cyril, born March qtr1924; Brian, born Sept qtr 1928 and Albert Barnett born Sept qtr 1930.
Not a lot can be found about the other two children (Edward and John). A search for their marriages failed to yield any further information. However, there is a death of an Edward Casley in Neath, December qtr 1927, aged 23 years. This would be the right age of our Edward Casley and would explain the failure to find his marriage.


2)Evans

On the census of 1911, found an Alexander Evans and a Susan Elizabeth Evans living at 3, Gold St, Neath. They had been married 6 years, and they have a child Alexander Evans, aged only 1 year old. Therefore, there seems to be a slight discrepancy with the birth year given (1904).
Indeed, the only record I could find on Free BMD is that of an Alexander Gordon Evans, egistered Mar qtr 1910 (which would fit in with the census), but may not be the correct entry.

3)Thomas/Elizabeth Jenkins

The children of both parents:
Thomas Leyshon, died 1954 in Neath, aged 65 years Rees Henry, died 1979 Neath David John, died 1974 Neath.

Hi just wondering if anyone recalled memories or old family stories regarding the descendants of Thomas & Margare Casley.
Any snipit of information would be much appreciated.
Please email us on cam.brian@bigpond.com

We live in Australia and are searching for the descendants of Thomas b.1836 d.1893 & Margaret b.1837 d.1904 Casley. They came to the Neath area in 1881 from St Just in Cornwall. Originally lived in Gold Street and The Samuel Buildings Neath.

They had 6 children, one of them being Selina my husband's g.grandmother, she married a James Williams lived in Lower Brick Road Margam, later moving to Aberdare. All their descendants have been trace.

It is the descendants of her siblings which are of interest to us. They were:-

*Fanny Ann.b.1863 could have been know as Mary Ann if so married a William Clement or Sydney James Walters in Neath 1906

*Thomas b.1866 married Elizabeth Jenkins in Neath in 1889 their children were
Thomas L b.1890 Elizabeth M b.1891 Rees b.1893 David b.1896 and James b.1900

*Henry b.1872 married Catherine Thomas in Neath 1894 their children were Thomas b.1895 & Catherine Alice b.1897

*Susan Elizabeth b.1877 married Alexander Evans in Neath 1904 only child searched Alexander b.1904

*John b.1880 married Catherine Downey in Neath 1901 there were 4 children, names not know.

If anyone has any connection with the above names, or may recall any details that can help our search for thier descendants, would love to hear from you.