David Richard/Richards of Strygosfawr, Lledrod.

[despair]

Strictly speaking(if that applies) the 1727 will is for a Richard David not David Richard.

This gives the possibilities

1722- David Richard,wife Magdalen Jenkin,but would she have been known as Magdalen Richard(this is important because a Magdalen Richards is referred to in the indentures)

1727 Richard David,wife Magdalen,but wouldn't she be referred to as Magdalen David and not Magdalen Richard(though the children would have the "surname" Richard")

Regards
Roger

[Viking666]

I believe that if we apply strict criteria to these wills our task will become more difficult. In the 1722 Will, he is shown as David Richard, but he refers to his father as Richard Thomas. I see your point but where a will is concerned you can bet that anyone with a name containing Richard is a part of what we know of as the Richard/s family.
 
This document now becomes clearer.

D.D. 1460. Indenture, dated i Aug. 1769, being a lease for a year (so that a grant by release might be made) from David Richards of Strygosfawr in the parish of Lledrod, CO. Cardigan, gent, (son and heir of Thomas Richards of the same place, gent., deceased by Magdalen his wife) to James Lloyd of Mabus, co. Cardigan, esq., of messuages and lands in the said parish of Lledrod, called Strygos otherwise Strygos- fawr, and Twyn y rhose, and late in the tenures of Magdalen Richards, David Richards, Richard David and Thomas Jones. Witnesses : Wm. Lewis; David Jones; Richard PhiHpps. (note the Richard David).
                                                      regards, Peter

[despair]

I've been trying to distinguish the various Thomas Richard(s) records in the period of interest(approx1720-1780)
Gwnnws- a couple of records for a yeoman which I think can be ignored.
Caron-A gent of Bwlch y Ddwyallt in 1719 and 1721,and of Blaen yr Esg(a)ir in 1756
Ystrad Meurig-three records,1746,1755,1756,yeoman,the first associated with Bryn Pervedd .I assume this is the father of Edward Richard of the school.

Lledrod-This is a little more complicated.I think there are three here,two possibly father and son(using surname naming).All are "gents" I think.

1722-associated with Penbryn
1726-not specified
1738-associated with Bryn Issa
1754- associated with Hendre Rees
1757-associated with Bryn Issa
1762-associated with Bryn Issa(referred to in 1777 with Thomas and wife Jane,who are both deceased by 1777)
1764/5 -with Bryn Issa
1769(I)-associated with payment re Hendre Rees and a move to Westminster.Is the marriage in Westminster of a son(moved after his father died?) or a late other marriage,perhaps,if Jane has died(?) with Thomas himself also dying before 1777?
1769(II)-Strygos reference with David son of Thomas and Magdalen
1777-back reference to 1762(note also associated with Letitia Richards)

I think the 1769 references are mutually exclusive,meaning at least two Thomas Richards,though my logic is beginning to fail again with so many similar names.

Regards
Roger

[despair]

It also seems to me that the following are the same "Letitia"(possibly nee Parry 1837 marriage Llanrhystud as stated before)

1754-Wife of David Richards of Ffos y Bleiddiaid,associated with Edward Richard of Ystrad Meurig

1764 Letticia Richards of Rhyd Llwyd,associated with Thomas Richards of Penbrin.In the Ceredigion Archives a Rhyd Llwyd is associated with  another early school at this time.

1777- Letitia Richards,widow of Llangwyryfon,associated with Thomas Richards and Jane.

Regards
Roger

[despair]

I have a "unified family" theory for  all the main characters involved.It is a "work in progress",with the main problem being supportive dates,though the wills do show family relationships.

The "patriarch" of the family is David Richards whose will of 1756 is under Llandewi Brefi.I think he may be the David with wife Goley,referred to in 1694 and 1719(based on properties involved),perhaps given as "of Lledrod" for the majority of his life,even up to 1754.This identification in early life is not critical and has it's weaknesses.In his will his wife is Mary and his eldest son,Morgan has a daughter Mary.Further,The David of 1694 is described as yeoman,while David of the will in 1756 is a gent(?) with extensive properties to bequeath.His executor is his grandson Thomas(see below)

His first son,Morgan pre-deceases him.His will of 1749(clerk of "Llanddewi Ystradeny(modified)",Radnor) gives a Thomas as his second son,at this point under 21,with the guardianship of a Thomas Davies(clerk),brother in law to Morgan,and cross referenced in the 1756 will above.I would estimate Thomas birth as in the early 1730s or so as he has an elder brother Benjamin who is over 21 in 1749.
This Thomas is the future husband of Jane.He would be of the right age to be the father of John and James.(I bekieve John may be born 1756/7.He is given in a newspaper report as 75 at his death(though it may read 73).This age could also mean he is the Thomas who (re?) marries in Westminster.Thomas and Jane are given as both deceased by 1777.

His second son, Thomas,I propose has a son David,and these are the father(with wife Magdalen) and son referred to as "of Strygos Fawr".

His third son David,I propose is David of Ffos y Bleiddiad,with wife Letitia.This marriage I proposed as that of 1737,not incompatible with David being the youngest son of somebody already married by 1694.

Regards
Roger

[Viking666]

Internet Explorer problems, last night. As I typed, the letter was repeated ad-nausea whilst Explore Help loaded over and over until the whole lot froze. Seems OK now ... fingers crossed.

 Congratulations on making some cohesive sense out of all the information that we've collected over the last few days. I always maintained that the Richard/s would all be related, one to the other and further, that Thomas and Jane would end up as John and James' parents. Proving it was another story. "Occam's Razor" was never better used.
 I've searched everywhere for the first name, "Goley", without any success. I would hazard a guess that she was Mary Goley before marriage, Goley being quite a common surname right up to the present day.
 I am also wondering where Edward Schoolmaster fits into the family. His father was named Thomas Richard, the Innkeeper at Ystrad and would have been of an age with David the Eldest. They may have been brothers and, like James following John to Llanerchymedd, this connection could have been the catalyst for David the eldest moving from his family area to Ystrad. Later, Edward Schoolmaster is shown to be a close friend of James Lloyd of Ffosybleiddiaid and leaves Swyddffynnon Mill to him in his will. (Not forgetting that all of the properties in Merllyd had once belonged to the Lloyd family). Edward is also involved with a Jane Morgan.
1746, Sept. 28-9
1   Jane Morgan of p. Spytty Ystradmeirick, co. Card., widow
2   Thomas Richard of the village of Ystradmeirick in the said p., yeoman
LEASE AND RELEASE (being a mortgage for £60) of the m. and lands called Bryn Pervedd, lordship of Spytty, p. Spytty Ystradmeirick, within gr. Mevenidd.
 There is no indication of her age but she may have been a young widow. Can we see her as being the Jane of John and James mother? Did Morgan Richard also have a daughter named Jane?

 I also had a 'gut feeling' that John and James had been orphaned whilst young and the death of his parents, and his brother moving away to Anglesey, may have been the reason why James also moved to Llanerchymedd. When John and James arrived in Llanerchymedd, the village was in a state of "boom" with production of rope and snuff being the main industries. On the death of his parents, Bryn Issaf would have been inherited by John, and we see from John's will that this indeed happened.
 I think that we may take your "Unified Family" theory, (leaving it basically as it is), and simply try to add or subtract snippets that we find. All-in-all, I'm more than happy with the result ...  well done both of us!
                           Regards from Peter

[despair]

I wish I had your overall confidence in the theory.It does seem reasonable that there is a "unified family",but where John and James fit in is a supposition-there is no evidence to support it currently.
It does seem appropriate that John would come from a branch with other "clerks".(Thomas Davies the guardian/brother in law is a "clerk" as well.I suspect he may be the father(or brother?) of the William Davies who appears in the indentures).
It would also be useful to find a family connection with Edward Richard(I don't suppose that Thomas,the second son of the patriarch is not as I suggested,but the Thomas, father of Edward Richard?If the patriarch is born say 1670,Thomas could be born 1690 and married 1710.What relationship this would mean with John,grandson of Thomas' brother Morgan(if such he be) is beyond me.I don't think it is likely,but the lack of dates for events makes things difficult.

The only snippet I can add at the moment is that David Richards of Ffos y Bleiddiad was a nephew of a Parry(either Rees or David) of Llidiadau,probably reinforcing the 1737 marriage to Letitia Parry

I'll see if I can identify Jane Morgan.

Now where did I put that razor?

Regards
Roger

[Viking666]

I.516
1683, April 7
BOND in the penalty of £20 from Maurice Richard and David Richard of p. Lledrod, co. Card., yeomen, to Edward Vaughan of Trowscoed, esq., for the observance by the obligors of the covenants contained in a pair of indentures of even date herewith, made between the same parties.

 I've just been looking at the above entry and wondered whether the David Richard mentioned in this is the Patriarch,  (before his marriage). This puts his activities in the area to the circa dates that you proposed in you last post. Abraham, (the brother of Edward Schoolmaster), was born in 1711 and this would suppose a birthdate for his father, Thomas Innkeeper, of around 1685. (Having his real date of birth, coupled with David's marriage date would give us an indication of whether Thomas was his son, or not, even though he is never mentioned in David's will).
Note that David Richard is described as a yeoman of Lledrod.
  The next mention of the Patriarch David is in the following document of 1694 and it shows the same David as a Yeoman of Lledrod.

1694, Nov. 8
INDENTURE, being a lease for a year (so that a grant by release might be made) from David Richard of p. Lledrod, co. Card., yeoman, to Charles Pryse of Llwyn-y-kedni in the same p., gent., of the moiety or half of three parts of an ancient tmt called Tythyn-bryn-merllyd in gr. Mevenith, co. Card.
 
  In the next entry, made the day after, we see that Goley is included. This indicates, all things considered, that they married between 1683 and 1694. The middle of this date-range would give the circa birth-date of Thomas Richard Innkeeper.

II.156
1694, Nov. 9
INDENTURE, being a mortgage for £40 from David Richard of p. Lledrod, co. Card., yeoman, and Goley his wife, to Charles Pryse of Llwyn-y-kedni in the same p., gent., of the moiety or half of three parts of an ancient tmt called Tythyn-bryn-merllyd in gr. Mevenith, co. Card., being formerly parcel of the possessions of the dissolved abbey of Strata Florida.

 Definitively adding this guesswork to what we already have doesn't add up to much. Neither of Thomas's sons married and with the death of Edward Schoolmaster, that branch came to an end. The fact that Edward always seems to have a hand in the Richard family's wills may be because he was one of only a handful of people in the area that could read and write. (In 1850, out of a school attendance roll of 58, only 3 could read a bit of Welsh, none could read English and only a handful were able to write their names).
 There is this intriguing entry for John, the son of James Richards.
 Link.
RICHARDS , JOHN ( Iocyn Ddu ; 1795 -1864 ) ; b. at Llannerch-y-medd , son of James Richards , shopkeeper , and nephew of John Richards , cleric . it is said that they were kinsfolk of Edward Richard of Ystradmeurig .
  If Thomas Innkeeper was the son of the Patriarch then this would be true.
    I've searched Jane Morgan without result. No will for Thomas Innkeeper either ... damn!

                                            regards from Peter.

[despair]

I'm at about the same point,running out of ideas too.Perhaps the patriarch and Thomas Richard,father of Edward,were brothers.

Regards
Roger