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Welsh Family History Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Welsh Family History, Educational Research Center, Pencoed, Bridgend (Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr).

Welcome to Welsh Family History - we're experienced genealogists based in South Wales, dedicated to uncovering and sharing the fascinating family stories and local history we've discovered through our research.

Part 2 – Thomas Belk (1777–1840) The story of Florence Bushell begins with her 3× great-grandfather, Thomas Belk. Thomas...
20/10/2026

Part 2 – Thomas Belk (1777–1840)

The story of Florence Bushell begins with her 3× great-grandfather, Thomas Belk.

Thomas was born near Sheffield in 1777 to John Belk and Sarah Downs and lost both of his parents while still young. In 1799 he married Ann Wing, and together they raised six children, including their son Thomas, who continues our family story.

During this time the Belk family lived on the outskirts of Sheffield before moving to nearby villages including Wentworth and later Tankersley - a place that would remain closely connected to the family for generations. Thomas rose to be an engineer in the iron works before his death on 26 March 1840. He was buried in Wentworth.

Tankersley itself is a historic village and civil parish in South Yorkshire, located just south of Barnsley. Its history stretches from its origins as a Saxon clearing to its later development as an important industrial area connected to coal and ironstone mining.

Tomorrow, we meet Thomas’s son - another Thomas Belk, whose life was closely tied to the metal industries of Yorkshire.

Part 1 – Introducing Florence Bushell Our research this week focuses on Florence “Flossie” Bushell, wife of Ernest Franc...
19/10/2026

Part 1 – Introducing Florence Bushell

Our research this week focuses on Florence “Flossie” Bushell, wife of Ernest Francis and the paternal grandmother of our clients the Francis sisters of Langstone, Newport.

The sisters knew very little about their grandmothers heritage except that she had grown up in the Newport area. As we began researching her family history, the story quickly turned into a fascinating journey - very different from the Monmouthshire farming families we usually investigate.

Flossie’s ancestry took us beyond South Wales. On her father’s side, the Bushell family came from the village of Nettleton in Wiltshire. But on her mother’s side, the story led us north to Yorkshire, where the Belk family had deep roots in the small historic villages between Sheffield and Barnsley.

This week we’ll be exploring the story of the Belk family - a family closely connected to the iron industry. The surname Belk is strongly associated with Yorkshire and is thought to come from the Old English word “balca”, meaning a bank or ridge, suggesting a name for someone who lived near such a feature.

Tomorrow, we will continue with Thomas Belk, Flossie’s 3× great-grandfather.

If the AncestryDNA updates have rewritten your roots overnight - or your paper trail suddenly seems to disagree with the...
16/10/2026

If the AncestryDNA updates have rewritten your roots overnight - or your paper trail suddenly seems to disagree with the science - this blog is for you.

Scottish becomes Ulster. Welsh shrinks while Cornish appears. You’re not imagining it, and you’re not alone.

In our new blog, we explain what these updates really mean, why the numbers shift, and why your own research still matters just as much as ever.

👉 Read it here: https://welshfamilyhistory.com/why-your-ancestry-dna-results-keep-changing/

Researching the history of Tylorstown Colliery was a deeply personal project for our researcher, Jon. His great-grandfat...
15/10/2026

Researching the history of Tylorstown Colliery was a deeply personal project for our researcher, Jon. His great-grandfather, Charles Richards, worked there as a hewer for almost thirty years before leaving the mines in 1929. A generation earlier, his 2x
great-grandfather, David Harries, was killed in the 1896 disaster, aged 49.

Read Jon’s blog to discover the story of the colliery to which they devoted their working lives.
https://welshfamilyhistory.com/the-history-of-tylorstown-colliery/

Lodge Farm, CaerleonOur research into the former Lodge Farm began as part of a project for clients whose family had live...
14/10/2026

Lodge Farm, Caerleon
Our research into the former Lodge Farm began as part of a project for clients whose family had lived there. What emerged was far more than the story of one household. By following the history of the property, we uncovered more than three centuries of changing families, farming traditions, land ownership and community life.
Read the blog... https://welshfamilyhistory.com/lodge-farm-caerleon-family-history/

A young Welsh girl's diary and the archives of Trinity College Dublin.We were interested to discover that the personal j...
13/10/2026

A young Welsh girl's diary and the archives of Trinity College Dublin.

We were interested to discover that the personal journal of Alicia Phillips (1804-1884) of Haverfordwest forms an important part of The Bushe Papers, held in the Manuscripts & Archives Department at Trinity College Dublin.

Alicia had a privileged upbringing as the granddaughter of Samuel Levi Phillips, founder of the Haverfordwest Bank. In 1824 she married Thomas Bushe and moved to Furry Park, a historic estate in Raheny, Dublin. Thomas (1801–1865) came from a prominent Irish family and became a barrister who played a significant role in 19th-century Dublin's administrative and social life.

But it is the journal she kept as a young lady in Haverfordwest, covering the year 1812, that makes her remarkable. It arrived at Trinity College as part of a prominent man's legal estate. It survives today as an extraordinarily valuable treasure for scholars reconstructing the hidden, daily lives of 19th-century women.

Political archives traditionally document men's public lives. Alicia's journal offers a rare and essential counterweight - a first-hand account from a time when such records are vanishingly scarce.

As the granddaughter of Samuel Levi Phillips, a Frankfurt-born Jewish immigrant who became a powerful Welsh banker, she opens a window onto identity-formation, religion and the provincial elite of the day.

Writing in 1812, she was also capturing home-front life at the height of the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812: the social anxieties, reading habits, domestic routines and local networks of the age.

Some stories don't make the history books. Sometimes they're written in a young girl's hand.

Mill Street, CaerleonMill Street underwent considerable change during the 20th century. The introduction of Caerleon's o...
09/10/2026

Mill Street, Caerleon

Mill Street underwent considerable change during the 20th century. The introduction of Caerleon's one-way system in 1944, followed by later road-widening, transformed this once-quiet street into a busy thoroughfare.

The century also saw the loss of two notable historic buildings. Cambria House - formerly an Industrial School and later an Ambulance Station - was demolished in 1982, while Tan House Farm disappeared during the 1960s. Their names live on today in Cambria Close and Tan House Drive.

Tan House also features prominently in our family research. The Morgan family lived there from the 1850s until the 1980s. Among them was Edward Morgan, a successful draper and tailor who employed several local people and became a well-known figure in the community.

Although the buildings have gone and the street has changed, their stories remain woven into the landscape of modern Caerleon.

Caerleon Endowed SchoolFounded in 1724, Caerleon Endowed School began as a junior school financed through a bequest from...
09/10/2026

Caerleon Endowed School

Founded in 1724, Caerleon Endowed School began as a junior school financed through a bequest from Charles Williams. Its original design included homes for the schoolmaster and schoolmistress in the left and right wings - a lasting reminder of the school's early traditions.

Following the Education Act of 1944, the school joined the state education system in 1948. Three years later, the building was granted Grade II listed status in recognition of its architectural and historic importance.

The school also features in our family research. All seven Skinner children from Abernant Farm attended, making the four-mile journey to and from school on foot each day. Their eldest brother, Wallace, led the way - and, remarkably, the children were never late.

A wonderful glimpse into Caerleon's educational heritage and the determination of one local family.

Broadwalk, CaerleonThis photograph, taken before the First World War, captures a peaceful Broadwalk long before the arri...
08/10/2026

Broadwalk, Caerleon

This photograph, taken before the First World War, captures a peaceful Broadwalk long before the arrival of modern traffic and everyday bustle.

Always considered a desirable place to live, the street was once affectionately known by locals as "Salmon and Bloater Street" - a playful reference to the perceived social standing of those who lived there.

Around the time this photograph was taken, Maggie and Will Parry retired from Penrhos Farm to a house on Broadwalk called Limberlost. Their home was the last house visible on the left-hand side of the picture.

They lived on what was known as the "Salmon" side of the street, although the reason for the name remains a mystery. Perhaps the wider pavements had something to do with it?

Caerleon RacecourseFor more than a century, Caerleon Racecourse welcomed crowds to enjoy National Hunt racing. The cours...
07/10/2026

Caerleon Racecourse

For more than a century, Caerleon Racecourse welcomed crowds to enjoy National Hunt racing. The course operated from the 1840s until 1948, when it hosted the Welsh Grand National for the first and only time on 30 March.

A handful of pony races followed in 1949, but financial difficulties soon brought racing at Caerleon to an end. The venue also staged the International Cross Country Championships on six occasions during its history.

Today, the former racecourse is occupied by Caerleon Golf Course and Caerleon Comprehensive School - but its story lives on in our family research. Herbert Parry, who lived on Broadwalk, was responsible for preparing the course for race meetings for many years. Sadly, he died there in 1947.

From thundering hooves and cheering crowds to classrooms and fairways, the land has played many roles in Caerleon's history.

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