THE RHYDDERCH STORY

My great great grandmother, the lady who married my namesake, great great grandfather, Thomas Davis, back in 1855, was named Elizabeth Jane Rhydderch. The name has an interesting history:

The White Book of Rhydderch Along with the Red Book of Hergest, this is one of Welsh literature's most notable manuscripts. Written in the mid 14th century, around 1350, the book is the earliest Welsh prose anthology, though it also contains examples of early Welsh poetry. Although it was originally a single volume, the collection is now bound as two separate volumes, known as Peniarth MS 4 and Peniarth MS 5. It was presented to the National Library of Wales as one of its founding collections, after being purchased by Sir John Williams in 1904. Peniarth MS 4 contains the earliest copies of the Welsh tales collectively known as the Mabinogion: the Four Branches of the Mabinogi; Culhwch and Olwen; The Dream of Macsen Wledig; Lludd and Llefelys; Peredur; Owain (also known as The Lady of the Fountain); and Geraint and Enid.

MS 5, originally the first part of the full manuscript, is made up of religious texts, translated into Welsh from the original Latin. The script takes its name from Rhydderch ab Ieuan Llwyd (c. 1325-1400), who was from Parcrhydderch in the Ceredigion parish of Llangeitho. It is believed that the book was copied for him in the mid-14th century. Rhydderch was part of a dynasty with a lengthy tradition of literary patronage, and is believed to have been an authority on Welsh law. Five scribes are thought to have worked on the manuscripts at the Strata Florida Abbey, a former Cistercian abbey situated just outside Pontrhydfendigaid, near Tregaron.

Much like the Red Book of Hergest, the manuscript is thought to take its name from its original owner and the colour of its first binding.

Special note: the designation, "ab" as in Rhydderch ab Ieuan Llwyd means simply, "son of." The prefix "ap" would have meant the same thing.

The surname Rhydderch in the Welsh context is not a very common surname. It can be found spelt as Rhytherch, Rutherch, Rudderch, Rodrick, Rhoderick, abbreviated to Ruddz, and, as you've seen above, Ryddch. Most Welsh Rhydderchs seem to have their roots in the south and west Wales areas. Most seem to be from a small area of Carmarthenshire and West Glamorganshire. Though there are Rhydderchs to be found in other counties such as Cardiganshire, Pembrokeshire, Breconshire and Monmouthshire, by and large the first two counties seem to have provided the World with most of the Rhydderchs of Welsh origin.

My great great great grandfather, Thomas Rhydderch claims on his census form from the mid 1800s to have been born in the village of Llanelli (or Llanelly) in the county of Breconshire around the beginning of the 19th century. Researching on the internet, I discovered that the population of Llanelli in 1795 was only 500 people. Considering most families had from five to ten members in those years, there would have been relatively few families in Llanelli, perhaps between 50 and 100, when the Rhydderchs started having children there. When I researched how many Llanelli males had the name Rhydderch (or something similar) and also recorded a birthdate sometime around the date of my great, great, great grandfather's in 1810, I found several:

Rosser Roderick, born 1795
William Rytharsh, born 1801
Watkin Rudderch, born 1806.

I suspect that all of these men are Rhydderchs, a name that census-takers tended to butcher unmercifly, and are brothers of my ancestor, Thomas Rhydderch. Thomas was born in 1810. In 1841, he, too, was using the name "Rudderch," just as we find Watkin doing in that time period.

In 1841, the Thomas Rhydderch family is in the census as "Rudderch." They're living at the Victoria Iron works south of Ebbw Vale, Monmouthshire County. They had lived in Ebbw Vale at least since my ancestor, Elizabeth Jane Rhydderch, was born there in 1836.

In 1851, the Thomas Rhydderch family is in the census as "Ryddch." They're living in the village of Govilon near Blaenavon, Monmouthshire County.

In 1861 I have not found them anywhere yet. But if the family had already moved to the village of LLantarnam in the Newport District by 1861, some of those census records have been lost.

In 1871, the Thomas Rhydderch family is in the census as "Rhydorch." Thomas Rhydderch, then age 61, is listed with his children, Thomas age 20, and Jane age 27, and they are living in the village of Llantarnam, Registration District, Newport, sub-registration district, St. Woollos, Monmouthshire County. I have not been able to find Jane after that, but I believe Thomas Junior shows up on the 1880 census in Colombus, Ohio, USA, using the name "Thomas Roderick." No other Thomas Rhydderch\Roderick, born in 1851, shows up in Wales or the USA so I expect it's him.

I found a death notice for 1872 for Thomas Rhydderch of Glamorgan County which is probably my ancestor. I have also found a death notice for 1854 for Thomas' wife, Mary Rhydderch. She died fairly early since she's not found with Thomas on the 1871 census.

Though the census-takers somehow misspelled the family's name every year, the death notices had the names spelled correctly.

There's a mystery concerning the Rhydderch Children. For the 1841 census, a daughter, Joanna, is listed as having been born about 1838. For the 1851 census, daughter, Joanna is missing and a son, James is listed instead. James is also shown to have been born in 1838. If it were just the spelling of the names, I'd guess the census worker just made a mistake. But the respective census documents clearly note that Joanna is a "female" and James is a "male." I discovered a Joanna "Roderick" -- which was the English version of the name Rhydderch -- born in the Abergavenny District of Monmouthshire in 1838, which may prove our Joanna's existence. And she could have died before the 1851 census, even though I don't find a death notice for her. But where was James for the 1841 census? At three years old it seems odd that he wouldn't be home. Of course, he could have been with grandparents.

I don't really think that Joanna died. I found a Joanna Rhydderch listed as having been married in the Oct-Nov-Dec quarter of 1857 in Abergavenny District of Monmouthshire. That would have made her 19 years old if this Joanna had been born in 1838, which is around the age most Welsh women of the mid 1800s seem to get married.