Gus Phillips
Famer & Owner of Cwm Farm
John Augustus Phillips was our great-uncle, and the first child born to John and Catherine Phillips of Cwm Farm. Gus, as he was always known, was the only sibling of our grandmother Catherine Skinner (n. Phillips). Growing up we had little knowledge of Gus and have no memories of visiting Cwm Farm, so this project has been an excellent opportunity to find out more about Gus and his family.
Gus Phillips of Cwm Farm was born 12th December 1903, his father John had already established himself as a successful farmer and an important local figure. Gus attended school in Rogerstone and received a good education, he left school at the earliest opportunity to work alongside his father at Cwm Farm, and that is where his real education began.
Cwn Farm was a valuable and picturesque property owned by Lord Tredegar. It comprised of a four-bedroom farmhouse, prime pastureland, and various outbuildings. It was situated in a rural part of Rogerstone, two miles from Newport, with the Ynys-y-Fro Reservoir behind it. The Philips had a lease on the farm that was originally set to expire in 1923 but were able to renew and stayed at the farm for many years, eventually buying it.
Gus was always destined to be a farmer; both of his parents were from successful farming families and landowners. His father John was from Greenmoor Farm in St Brides where he had grown up in an extended family of farmers. His mother Catherine had family roots in Nash and had grown up at Bryngwyn Farm. As a young man Gus would have witnessed the various farming events hosted at Cwm Farm and seen his father serving on numerous farming committees and associations.
We found Gus living at home on both the 1911 and 1921 census. returns In 1911 he was still at school and shared Cwm Farm with his parents, sister Catherine, and Elizabeth Ainge, a young domestic servant. Elizabeth was a local girl who had left her parents at 13 to enter service at Cwm Farm.
Gus was 17 when the 1921 census was completed, he had now left school and was employed by his father on the farm. Gus’ responsibilities gradually increased as the decade progressed and he prepared to succeed his father at Cwm Farm.
On August 4th 1928 Gus lost his mother Catherine, she had been ill for some time and passed away from cancer at Byngwyn Nursing Home. Her estate was administered by Gus and his father John. In 1930 John retired after three decades of work on the farm. His health had been getting steadily worse for some time, and he was no longer able to actively manage the farm. The retirement was covered in a lengthy Western Mail article. Gus then became the second Phillips to tenant Cwm Farm.
1932 was a significant year at Cwn Farm with both Gus and his sister marrying. In June Catherine Phillips married Doanld Skinner at St Mary’s Church in Rogerstone. Gus acted as a Groomsman and the reception was held at Cwm Farm. Following the wedding Catherine left home to live at Abernant Farm with her new husband, but her and Gus stayed in contact throughout their lives. In October 1932, Gus married Olive Amelia Smith.
Olive had been born on 28th October 1908, she was the eldest daughter of Mr and Mrs Tom Smith of Hardwick Farm. The farm was situated on Five Lanes near Caerwent where Tom ran a successful mixed farm on around 80 acres of land. Olive was born into a farming family, her father was the son of a farmer from St Brides and her mother had been born to a successful butcher.
The wedding was held at Olive’s local church, The Church of St. Dubritius (Dyfrig) in Llanvaches. Gus’ best man was Edwin Harris from Bassaleg, Edwin was the son of a local minister and the two families had been close for many years. Following the wedding Olive joined Gus and his father John at Cwm Farm.
On the 1939 Register Gus was listed as Master Farmer at Cwm Farm. Gus and Olive were now the parents of a daughter named Enid Meriol Amelia Phillips. Known as Meriol she had been born 2nd December 1935., a second daughter Carolyn followed in 1944. John Phillips was listed as being incapacitated and cared for by his family. Also recorded on the 1939 register was a household staff comprising of Margarite R Flook (private secretary), Sylvina M Sumsion (typist) and Winifred D Whittle (domestic maid).
After 43 years At Cwm Farm, John Phillips died on the 21st January 1943. John had achieved many notable achievements in his life; he was the former Chairman of the Monmouthshire Agricultural Society, Chairman of the Newport Board of Guardians and had even conducted an orchestra at The Crystal Palace in London. John’s estate passed to Gus, he was buried with Catherine at St. John’s Church in Rogerstone.
Gus and Olive ran the farm as tenants until 1958 when they were finally able to purchase the freehold after the Tredegar Estate was dissolved. For the next 30 years Gus and Olive farmed their 41 acres as well as land on nearby moors, where they held grazing rights. In 1989, whilst well into their 80s, Gus and Olive passed 39 acres of their land to their daughter Meriol and son in law Alan Rosser. Meriol and Alan then ran Cwm Farm alongside their own farm in New Inn, near Pontypool.
Gus and Olive continued to live in the farmhouse, tend their remaining 2 acres and help out on the farm until their deaths in 2001. Following the passing of her parents, Meriol inherited the farmhouse, remaining land, and barn.
This legacy led to a significant inheritance tax case with the HMRC when Meriol appealed against their valuation of the property for tax purposes. The central issue for determination was whether the value transferred by the disposition of the house and barn attracted agricultural relief within the meaning of Inheritance Tax Act 1984.
The court had to decide on several key issues: Were the house and/or barn agricultural land? Could the house be considered a farmhouse? What was the occupation and ownership status of the property? The outcome was the house did not qualify for agricultural relief, but the barn did. The definition of what is a farmhouse, arrived at in this case, is now used as the legal standard.
Gus had suffered significant ill health towards the end of his life and died in April 2001, he had lived at Cwm Farm for his entire life. Olive followed just two months later on the 6th June. Gus and Amelia were both cremated and their ashes buried in the same urn at St. Illtud’s Church in Mamhilad. His sister Catherine had passed away five years earlier, but her family were represented at Gus’ funeral.
As of 2024 Cwm Farm is still standing and remains in the Phillips family. Rogerstone is much changed, and a large housing development now borders the property. Through our research we were able to meet Gus’ granddaughters, Rachael and Kate, who were able to fill in many of the blanks for us.