Dear Roy, For some unknown reason your message turned up in the Spam Mail on my computer.....I wonder if other Listers did not see your request. My suggestion to you would be to purchase Llawhaden Land Tax records from Pemb. Records Office at Haverfordwest and track the ownership and the various properties that way. These cover from 1786 to 1831 and show proprietor's name and tenant. VAYNOR Llawhaden.......quite a bit written about it in The Francis Jones Historic Pemb. Homes & Their Families (Extended edition). Extracts: "There are two houses of similar name in the parish, Vaynor and Great Vaynor, Originally known as Faynor Fawr and Fach they are marked on Colby's Map of 1831. The records of these two houses have become involved and are difficult to interpret with certainty. In early Wales the word maenor (faenor) included an area, not unlike the manor established by the Normans. The maenor also included a homestead within a stone-walled enclosure. Known thus as The Vaynor in the Barony of Llawhaden, which still includes a number of farms comprising a considerable area, it has over a thousand years of historical tradition". ........."After the death of William Skyrme in 1787 the mansion house and lands of Vaynor were put up for sale. The sale particulars state that the tenant was Mr. Thomas James, who had a lease for life of Thomas James aged 39, his wife aged 35 and his daughter aged 13 years; the freehold was offered of 'All that capital Messuagem or dwelling house and lands with the barns, stables, outhouses, building, gardens, orchards and water corn grist mill, thereunto adjoining and belonging, called and known by the names of Vaynor and Pontshane Mill. In the Remarks it states: The timber on this farm is worth 150 pounds. The Landlord covenants to keep the roof of the mansion house in repair, and to furnish the tenant with 60 barrels of Culm yearly or 36 s. in Lieu. The tenant allowed Timber growing on the premises for the use of the farm. About fifteen Bishop's acres of Church land lies intermixed with this land for which 4 pounds ten shillings is paid to the Bishop of St. David's. A valuable limestone quarry on this lot". ...My personal comments. Tenant called MR. Thomas James...therefore he was considered "somebody". It appears he had a three lives lease of the mansion house and whole estate....the lives being himself, his wife and his daughter. That does not mean to say he did not have other children...probably decided on the healthiest one, as the lease would hold good as long as the longest surivivor lived. Did he marry well, did he have brothers not as well off as he was?? Was an heir favoured and other children not so well provided for? There is a marriage which took place at Wiston between a Thomas James and Frances Meredith in 1780...they may be the couple in question. (I have the Dungleddy Hundred pre-1813 marriages index ...this area includes Wiston and Llawhaden, if you need any lookups). 900 pounds was a large sum of money.......have seen other admins. for a few hundred........I'm not sure of the ins and outs but it seems a couple of interested parties went guarantor to the Church when there was an administration involved. I presume they got their money back when it was all settled satisfactorily, perhaps the church extracted a fee, but I am sure someone knows more than I do on the subject. VAYNOR (GREAT) LLAWHADEN ...A small agreeable residence and seems to comprise two houses, the older at the rear. 1786 Land Tax shows Mr. Leach owner with John Furlong tenant. The house also known as East Vaynor or Faynor Fawr. There was also a Little Vaynor owned by Lady Keith. Great Vaynor....In Tithe Map of 1843 Abraham Leach is owner, Thomas George Gonne occupier. Hope this gives you some clues or avenues to follow. Bettye Kirkwood, Australia.

Dear Bettye, Many thanks for your detailed reply which is most helpful. I had not realised that the land tax records could be purchased but I will follow up your suggestion soon. A few years ago you sent me some information about Sodston, part of which I quote below. "In documents relating to the estate of Martha and Thomas Noot's administrative duties, there is a statement by Benjamin Rayson Thomas, Tea Dealer, who had known George Devonald for 30 years and upwards...part of it reads.." "THAT THE SAID FIELDS OR CLOSES OF LAND CALLED SODSTONE FIELDS WERE ALSO PURCHASED BY THE SAID GEORGE DEVONALD IN HIS LIFETIME OF ONE JOHN JAMES AND, AS I HAVE HEARD AND BELIEVE IN OR ABOUT THE YEAR ONE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN, AND FORMED TWO OF FOUR FIELDS NEAR RUSHACRE, HERETOFORE CALLED THOMAS DAVIES LAND, AND SITUATE ON THE WEST OF THE ROAD LEADING FROM NARBERTH TO REDSTONE.  ..." At the time I did not know what to make of that and left my James line alone to pursue easier branches of my family tree. However, when I returned to this line recently I came across some information about Sodston and also Pantsaeson, which I know you are interested in, in the Robertson Williams Papers which were found in Pantsaeson but for some reason were subsequently transferred from the Pembrokeshire Record Office to the Powys County Archives. Fortunately the Powys Archives have put a very detailed summary of the papers online. BD/RW Robertson Williams papers AccNo.264 http://www.powys.gov.uk/uploads/media/B_D_RW_bi_01.pdf The bit that interests me is the following snippet. BD/RW/24 24 November 1813 1. John James of Pantsayson, now residing in Haverfordwest, esq. 2. John James of Sodston, p. Narberth, co. Pembroke, farmer Lease for 18 years Of ms. etc. Sodston and Gellyfach and 2 cottages and gardens and 4 fields etc. at or near Rush-acre, p. Narberth (of 2.) Rent : oe222 Other terms Dorse : 'Surrendered in 1815' When the threat of the postal strike is lifted I will have to see if I can get a copy of that document. Pantsaeson is mentioned in other parts of the Robertson Williams papers too.  As far as I know the Jameses of Pantsaeson don't have any connection with mine, but perhaps if I can get back further I may discover that there was some connection. It is interesting that both are mentioned in that particular document in the Robertson Williams Papers. If you have not already come across it you might be interested in the book below, the full text of which is available on the web. There is a paragraph in it about a James from Pantsaeson. The church in Madras : being the history of the ecclesiastical and missionary action of the East India Company in the Presidency of Madras in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries (1904) Author: Penny, Frank Volume: 3 Subject: East India Company; Missions -- India Tamil Nadu; Tamil Nadu (India) -- Church history Publisher: London : Smith, Elder CHAPLAINS H.E.I.C.S. AND H.M.I.S. 343 http://www.archive.org/details/churchinmadrasbe03penn Mark Wilks William James was born in 1818, being the son of Colonel John James, of Pantsaison, Pembrokeshire, and afterwards of Ilfracombe, in the county of Devon. He graduated B.A. in 1840, from Oriel College, Oxford, and took the M.A. degree in 1843. He entered the Company's service in 1847; served at Arcot, Poonamallee, and Quilon. Suffering from sunstroke, he returned home in 1855, and retired. He died in 1875. He was one of the nephews of General Sir Mark Wilks, the Commissioner and historian of Mysore, and it was through his influence that he obtained his appointment. He was one of many Oxford men who came under the influence of the Tractarian movement, and was profoundly affected by it. As in the case of others at the same period who were similarly influenced, the result show ed itself in the form of doctrine rather than ritual and ceremony. He married a daughter of Captain T. P. Jones-Parry, E.N., of Wrexham, who died in 1910, aged eighty-nine. As I said, I have no definite evidence of any connection between that particular James line and my own so if anybody else does have any information about the John James of Sodston or the Thomas James of Llawhaden and the other Jameses I mentioned in my original message I would be greatful. Regards, Roy On Sat, Oct 17, 2009 at 1:07 AM, LC & BJ Kirkwood <lki59595@bigpond.net.au> wrote: > Dear Roy, > > For some unknown reason your message turned up in the Spam Mail on my > computer.....I wonder if other Listers did not see your request. > > My suggestion to you would be to purchase Llawhaden Land Tax records from > Pemb. Records Office at Haverfordwest and track the ownership and the > various properties that way.  These cover from 1786 to 1831 and show > proprietor's name and tenant. > > VAYNOR Llawhaden.......quite a bit written about it in The Francis Jones > Historic Pemb. Homes & Their Families (Extended edition). > Extracts: > > > ........."After the death of William Skyrme in 1787 the mansion house and > lands of Vaynor were put up for sale.  The sale particulars state that the > tenant was Mr. Thomas James, who had a lease for life of Thomas James aged > 39, his wife aged 35 and his daughter aged 13 years; the freehold was > offered of  'All that capital Messuagem or dwelling house and lands with the > barns, stables, outhouses, building, gardens, orchards and water corn grist > mill, thereunto adjoining and belonging, called and known by the names of > Vaynor and Pontshane Mill. > >