Ebenezer Phillips & Fred Phillips
The brothers of our great-grandmother
Our great-grandmother, Catherine AM Phillips, had four siblings; two brothers and two sisters. Their parents, Catherine and Ebenezer Phillips, were both from large farming families and they raised their five children at Bryngwyn Farm on Nash Road in Newport. The farm comprised of a comfortable farmhouse with 28 acres of pastureland and a valuable orchard.
In this story we are looking at Catherine’s two younger brothers, both born at Bryngwyn Farm, Ebenezer 1879,and Charles (Fred) born 1882. Childhood may have held some challenges for the boys. Their father had several brushes with the law for alcohol related issues. He was also fined for not ensuring the children went to school under the newly passed Elementary Education Act 1880. The children lost their mother at a young age when Catherine Phillips Snr. died in 1896.
Ebenezer Phillips
Ebenezer Lewis Phillips was born in 1879 and baptised in Nash on 13th July 1879. On the 1891 census Ebenezer was 12, living at Bryngwyn Farm and attending the local school. He left education soon afterwards to help his father on the farm. Ebenezer is absent from the 1901 census, but electoral records suggest that Lewis remained at the farm after the death of his father in 1902. He appears on the electoral records as a lodger until 1908, paying rent to younger brother Fred.
Ebenezer married Maud Rachel Jane Morgan from St Brides in Wentloog. The wedding took place on 3rd March 1908 at the parish church in St Brides, they were both 27 years old. Maud was the daughter of William Morgan, a grocer and Ann Phillips, who is from our Phillips Family of St Brides line. The couple settled at Great Bulmore Farm and cider house in Kemeys Inferior. Situated on Bulmore Road just two miles from Caerleon, they were close neighbours of the Skinners at Abernant Farm.
Their only son was born in 1909 and named Phillip Frederick Lewis Phillips. The 1911 Census shows a busy farm with two permanent farm workers living in outbuildings on the farm. Charles Hallet from Somerset was working as a Carter and John Walters from Nash was listed as a Farmer. On the 1921 Census, Ebenezer, Maud and 14-year-old Phillip are living at the farm with two farm workers, Charles Hallett is now a Wagoner and has been joined by his brother John a Cowman.
Ebenezer made a success of the farm, buying the property and spending his life there as the Master Farmer. In the 1930s some of the land was sold to house the popular Bulmore Lido. On the 1939 Register Ebenezer and Maud are still at Great Bulmore and living with their son Phillip and, daughter-in-law, Irene Phillips (n.Jenkins). Ebeneezer died on 10th February 1961 leaving his estate to his widow.
Their son Phillip had married Irene Jenkins on the 10th June 1933. The wedding was at St Illtyd’s in Mamhilad, Irene’s local church. Irene was the youngest daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Jenkins, successful dairy farmers. The family lived at Mamhilad House, near Pontypool. After the wedding Irene moved to Bulmore Farm to live with her new husband and in-laws. Irene and Phillip lived happily at the farm until her death in 1977.
Phillip Phillips spent the rest of his life at Great Bulmore Farm. As children we have fond memories of visiting our ‘Uncle Phil’ at the farm and also spending many happy afternoons at Bulmore Lido. When Phillip died in 1983 our eldest sister Cathy attended his funeral with our mother and grandmother. It was held at the Church of St Illtyd in Mamhilad, where Phillip was buried with his late wife Irene.
Fred Phillips
Charles Frederick Phillips was born 30th December 1882. Although he appears on official documents as Charles, he was always known as Fred. He grew up as Bryngwyn Farm with his family and went to school in Nash. He was only 14 when his mother Catherine died and was still living at home with elder brother Ebenezer when his father remarried in 1900. It would appear that Fred, who abstained from alcohol, spent some time living away from the farm during the period of his father’s second marriage.
Following the death of his father in 1902 Fred succeeded his father at Bryngwyn Farm. He originally continued as a tenant farmer but was later able to purchase the property. Electoral records show a ‘J’ next to Fred’s name, this indicates he qualified for jury service due to the value of the property he owned.
Fred married Rose Ethel Price on 23rd April 1901. At the time of the wedding Fred gave his address as the Temperance Hotel (alcohlol free) on the High Street in Newport. The wedding was held at St John the Baptist in Cardiff, one of the oldest medieval churches in Cardiff. They set up home at Bryngwyn Farm. Rose had been born in 1875 and was living at Jubilee Cottage in Undy, her late father had also been a farmer.
Fred and Rose had one daughter, Beatrice May Phillips, born in 1902. On the 1911 census the family are sharing the farm with Lewis A Williams, a farmer who was helping his nephew Charles establish the farm. Lewis was the brother of Ebenezer’s late wife Catherine and had been remembered in Ebenezer’s will.
In 1932 Fred was honoured to give away his niece Catherine Phillips when she married in Rogerstone. The father of the bride, J.R. Phillips, was in poor health and Fred stood in. Charles and Rose were still at Bryngwyn Farm in 1939 along with three farm workers: William Price looking after the sheep and two farmhands, brothers Charles and Herbert Whitaker.
Fred died at Bryngwyn Farm on 3rd January 1955 at the age of 73. His probate was left to his son-in-law Charles Frederick Waters. Fred was buried at Nash Baptist Chapel. After his death Rose lived at Great House Farm in Nash, she died on 25th May 1960 and left her estate to her daughter. Beatrice had married Charles Waters of Nash in 1926. The Phillips and Waters were both prominent farming families and had numerus connections over several generations.