AN INDUSTRIAL WORK-FORCE — KIDWELLY TIN WORKERS
1881
by
MURIEL BOWEN EVANS
Carmarthenshire Antiquary vol. 20-22, p51-58 (copyright held)

The manufacture of tinplate in Britain began early in the eighteenth century. Put very simply, this involved rolling iron plates and coating them with tin. In reality it was a complex series of processes, some of them requiring great skill and strength. By 1881 the tinplate industry was third as a provider of employment in Carmarthenshire (agriculture and domestic service being first and second).1 Its origins in the county date from the establishment of a Rolling Mill at Bank Broadford in the valley of the Gwendraeth fach about a mile to the north of Kidwelly town by Charles Gwynn of Kidwelly, in 1737.

Because 1987 will be the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the introduction of the tinplate industry into the county, it is appropriate to look now at some aspects of its history. This analysis is intended as a small contribution to the study of the tinplate industry in Kidwelly. It aims to identify the industrial work-force of 1881 and to discuss some of its features.

Why the workers of 1881? The date 1881 has been chosen because it is the year nearest the peak population figure for Kidwelly parish for which information by household is available.2 The Enumerators' Household Returns, part of the Census documentation, containing information relating to age, marital condition, family relationship, occupation and place of birth, are an invaluable source for the study of a community. This year 1881, has been chosen also because it is a particularly interesting time in the industrial history of Kidwelly. In the decade 1861-71, because of a revival in the tinplate industry, there had been a dramatic increase of population from 1652 to 2072 persons.3 There was a further increase to 2510 by 1881, a year when the tinworks appears for the first time as the major single source of employment in Kidwelly. Agriculture which had hitherto been the primary economic sector was revealed as second in 1881.

Despite the building of 70 new houses since 1871, the average number of occupants per house was higher than at any other time in the nineteenth century. This 5.05 average number of occupants in 1881 as compared with 4.85 in 1871 could be regarded as a sign that Kidwelly was becoming an industrial town. Certainly some of the boarders, some of the lodgers, and the heads of some of the families in shared accommodation made their living at the tinworks.4 This ability to stretch accommodation in order to receive in-coming people is of course necessary at a period of economic advance. The extension of letting and sharing was also one of the channels by which the perquisites of economic growth found their way into the community.

When speaking of increased activity, it must be remembered that Kidwelly was a small town and that therefore the developments at the works seemed all the more dramatic. Until and indeed in 1861 there were fewer than 400 houses in the parish. In 1871 there were 427 occupied houses and in 1881, 497. One fifth of all the males in the parish on Census night 1881 were said to be concerned with or employed at the tinworks-that is 252 men and boys. There were also 35 women and girls. The total of 287 included Thomas Chivers, 38, `Iron, Steel, Tin and Shipowner' and ranged through all the skilled process workers, to others who may have been involved in maintenance, ancilliary or building work and to un-differentiated labourers. There were also 3 tinmen in the town probably not 'at the tinworks', and 3 travelling tinmen living with their families in tents. Table 1 shows the employment of the various male workers at the tinworks given by the Enumerators and the numbers involved.

TABLE 1: Occupations of male workers, Kidwelly
Tinworks, 1881
Annealer
2
   Apprentice
1
Assorter
2
   Baller
3
Bar Roll Catcher
4
   Boxer
2
Behinder
11
   Carpenter
1
Brunner
3
   Cold Rolls
6
Clerk
2
   Doubler
6
Contracter
1
   Engine Fitter
1
Engine Driver
4
   Forgeman
2
Fireman
1
   Furnaceman
11
Forge Foreman
1
   Melter
1
Iron Worker
4
   Pickler
7
Night Overseer
1
   Puddler's Helper
3
Puddler
27
   Riser
2
Refiner/Finer
5
   Assistant Roller
2
Rollerman/Roller
20
   At the Tin Rolls
3
Roll Turner
2
   Shearer
2
Scaler's Helper
1
   Shingler's Helper
1
Shingler
4
   S[?orter] of Tin Boxes
1
Smith
1
   Tinman at Tinworks
7
Superintendent Tin house
1
   Watchman
1
Washman
10
   At Tinworks/
Weigher
1
  

Tinworks labourer/
 
  Tinworks worker
80

Total — 251

If tinplate was the main category of employment in Kidwelly in 1881, with agriculture second, what were the other sectors of the economy? They might be described as lesser industrial concerns, 'dealing', crafts, the building trade and the professions and public service. Among the industries giving employment to small numbers were brickworks (George Bedford) limeworks, iron forges and collieries.There was a silica manufacturer (Daniel Stephens) and a chemical manufacturer (David Harries) who was also mayor of the town. Amongst the dealers were grocers, tea merchants, butchers, drapers, licensed victuallers, innkeepers and lodging-house keepers. Kidwelly still had representatives of the traditional crafts: a cooper, tailors, shoemakers, a spinner and a wool weaver, and blacksmiths, but the doyen of the craftsmen must be Evan Davies, the Llandyfaelog-born watchmaker, then 84 years of age. Amongst the people in the building trade were 13 carpenters, 12 stonemasons, a master builder and a house builder. The professional men included a 'British' schoolmaster (Mr Truscott of Pembroke Dock), a National schoolmaster (Enoch Lewis, originally of Trelech), the vicar (William H. Sinnett), the curate (Thomas Davies), a surgeon (David Jones, M.R.C.S. England, but a native of Penboyr), a number of ministers, including William C. Jenkins of Capel Sul, George Reynolds of the Baptists and David G. Owen of the Calvinistic Methodists. All of these categories must have profited from the acceleration at the tinworks and the spending power of its workforce. The effect on farmers was less favourable because of the attraction of better wages, and greater freedom found by some young people in the tinplate industry. The expansion of the tinworks and its magnet effect would have had some favourable effect on agricultural wages in the areas.5

The tinworks' employees included women and girls. This was unusual in heavy industry in 1881, but in tinplate production there were certain processes which were regarded as work for women. The 35 who were involved at Kidwelly were mainly daughters of workers at the tinworks or elsewhere in the parish. Their age range was as shown in Table 2.


TABLE 2: Age Range of Female Employees at
Tinworks 1881
Age
Number
Age
Number
15-19
21
20-24
3
25-29
5
30-34
2
35-39
0
40-44
1
45-49
2
50-54
1

TOTAL — 35

As may be seen from this table, the female employees were mainly from an age group which would have sought employment in domestic service, on farms, in shops, or apprenticeships in crafts like dressmaking. If there had not been employment for them at the tinworks, the likelihood is that they would have been attracted away from Kidwelly.

From the returns it has been possible to tabulate (Table 3) the ages of the men and boys involved at the tinworks.

TABLE 3: Age Range of Male Employees at
Tinworks 1881
Age
Number
Age
Number
10-14
10
15-19
51
20-24
47
25-29
34
30-34
35
35-39
21
40-44
23
45-49
13
50-54
6
55-59
3
60-64
3
65-69
4
70-74
1

TOTAL — 251

The most striking feature to emerge is the relative youth of the work-force, with 88 per cent under the age of 45. The biggest group of male employees were between 15 and 19 years of age. The youngest employees were aged 13.

As in the case of women, there were tasks which were regarded as boys' work, but it is worthy of note that some of the 15-19 year olds were performing men's work. The occupational subdivisions of the young males are shown in Table 4.

TABLE 4: Age Range by occupation
Ages Occupation
10-14 Behinder (1); Branner (1); Catcher (1); Cold Roller (2); Roller (2); At Tin Rolls (1); Labourer/Worker at Tinworks (2).
15-19 Apprentice (1); Behinder (9); Branner (2); Bar Catcher (2); Cold Roller (4); Assistant Roller (2); At Tin Rolls (2); Furnace-man (1); Pickler (1); Puddler (3); Riser (2); Weigher (1); Labourer/Worker at Tinworks (21).
20-24 Annealer (1); Bar Roll Catcher (1); Behinder (1); Clerk (1); Doubler (2);
Engine Driver (1); Furnaceman (6); Iron Worker (2); Pickler (2); Puddler (2);
Puddler's Helper (1); Roller (4); Tinman (1); Tin Scaler's Helper (1); Washman (8);
Labourer/ Worker at Tinworks (13).

In the tinplate industry as a whole at this period a high proportion of male workers were young men, but the percentage under 45, was not quite as high as at Kidwelly.6 A possible explanation for this difference is that the expansion at Kidwelly was relatively recent.

One of the attractions of industrial work to erstwhile agricultural labourers was the wage, which always compared favourably with the current wage for farm work. But the process of transfer from agriculture to industrial work involved learning new skills. It is interesting to see the impact of the tinworks on young workers, many from agricultural or non-industrial parentage, who were attracted to the works.

From the information in the Census one can select examples of young people moving into the industry: the sons of Robert Bish (coachman) were a behinder and a branner; the four sons of another coachman, Evan William, Shintor fach, were a washman, a riser and rollermen; the sons of William Daniel (tailor and publican) were a labourer and a behinder; the son of another tailor was a cold rollerman; the son of Hugh Combie (mining engineer) was an annealer; one of the sons of David Beynon (Broadford, farmer) was a weigher. And so one could continue. There were sons or daughters employed at the tinworks whose fathers were variously labourers, blacksmiths, a haulier, a house builder, a railway porter all currently working in Kidwelly. On the other hand there were workers who were the children of current Kidwelly tinplate men. For example, following the same tradition were David son of Rees Griffiths (tin puddler), at the cold rolls; Evan and Thomas sons of John Evans, Water Street (rollerman), behinders; William son of John Wixey (rollerman), behinder; John son of Thomas Davies (rollerman), assistant rollerman; George and David sons of William Jenkins (labourer at the tinworks), furnacemen; Richard son of Samuel Northcote (engine driver at the tinworks), furnacemen; Frederick son of Samuel Northcote (engine driver at the tinworks), labourer at the tinworks; Mary daughter of Henry Clark (labourer at the tinworks), tinplate washer; William son of David Mazey (shingler), cold rollerman; Charles son of William Lewis (tinplate boxer), puddler; James and Isaac sons of James Phillips (tinplate rollerman), tinplate rollerman and behinder; Anne daughter of James Loosemore (puddler), opener; Thomas, son of James Loosemore (puddler), puddler; Catherine daughter of Fred Lloyd (tinman), employed at the tinworks; John son of David Hughes (pickler), pickler; Christmas son of David Hughes (pickler), employed at the tinworks; Esther daughter of Henry Fisher (rollerman), duster. This list could be continued, and it demonstrates the evolution of families with a tinworks specialism. In 1881 there were two families at Kidwelly which had 5 members at the tinworks, there were ten with 4 members, thirteen with 3 and thirty-four with 2. If there was a stoppage or closure of the works these families would be particularly vulnerable.

There were far more people employed at the tinworks in 1881 (287) than in 1871 (150), a 91 per cent increase. The information in the Enumerators' Returns has been compared in order to ascertain whether there was continuity. Thirty-one of the workers of 1871 can be recognised in the list of 1881. There probably were others.7 Table 5 lists those who can be identified with certainty.

TABLE 5: Kidwelly Tinplate Workers mentioned
in the censuses of 1871 and 1881
Henry Boulton Edward W. Combie
Francis Davies John Davies
William Davies Evan Harries
David Hughes Henry Hussey
William Jenkins Thomas Jones
James Jones William Jones
Joseph Jones Elvira Jones
Richard Jones John King
John Mansel David Morris
Alfred Oakley William Pudner
Richard Randall Evan Reynolds
Francis Reynolds William Richard
John Richards Joseph Tench
David Thomas William Thomas
Garvin J. Thornburn James Watkins
David Williams  

This continuity was enhanced by the entry of sons of some of the people listed, who came into the industry by 1881. Likewise there were children of some of the workers of 1871 at the works in 1881, although the fathers were there no longer. Quite remarkable were some of the younger children of Isaac Jones who was described in 1881 at the age of 61 as 'labourer failed through old age' and in 1871 as a blackplate weigher. These were David, 22 (furnaceman), Benjamin, 20 (doubler), Walter, 17, Morgan, 15, and Enoch, 14 ('at the tin rolls'). Probably the most important element of continuity at this period was of ownership. In 1871 Jacob Chivers, 54, born in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, was returned as 'Magistrate and Tinplate Manufacturer' and his unmarried son, Thomas, 27, born Maesteg, likewise as 'Tinplate Manufacturer'. At that time, Alfred Bright, 37, born Aberafan, was also associated in the business at Kidwelly. By 1881 the works were in the hands of Thomas Chivers.

Continuity of personnel there undoubtedly was, between 1871 and 1881; but one must be wary of the dangers of over-simplification. Because some of the 1871 and 1881 workers had children during that decade and the birth places were recorded in the returns of 1881, it is possible to reconstruct some of the family history. At least 3 employees of 1871 and 1881 had possibly worked and lived somewhere else in the meantime. For example Alfred Oakley a tinman at the tinworks, from Gloucestershire, with a Kidwelly-born wife, had children born in Llanelli in the seventies and another child of under one year in 1881 born in Kidwelly. Another tinman at the tinworks was James Jones—Llanelli-born with a Kidwelly wife. Their first child was (according to the 1871 returns) born in Swansea; they had children in Kidwelly in the seventies, then about 1879 a child in Cwmafan. An even more interesting case is that of William Jenkins a finer born in Cwmafan, and his Aberafan-born wife. They had children born before 1871 in Llanelli and Cwmafan, and were in Kidwelly in 1871. After that they went to Lydbrook in Gloucester, where a child (who was 8 in 1881) was born. Then they returned to Kidwelly where children (aged 5 and 2 in 1881) were born. The reasons for the movement away from Kidwelly and back in the case of these families are not recorded but it is relevant to notice that there was a period of depression in the industry in Kidwelly during the seventies and this caused some workers to move to other areas.8

When comparing the enumerators' returns of 1871 and 1881 one becomes aware of names which disappear from Kidwelly. Where, for example, were the older sons of Isaac Jones 'weigher of black plate' who were tinworkers in 1871? Or what of the family of James Watkins, hammerman and his wife Mary, both Monmouthshire-born? Their eldest sons, Edward and James were also hammermen in Kidwelly in 1871 (and a younger brother was a duster). In 1881 James Watkins aged 61 was returned as 'Forgeman at Tin mill' and he had teenage daughters employed at Kidwelly tinworks, but his sons were no longer there. These few examples serve to remind one of two important facts: firstly that an overall population increase decade by decade, may conceal inter-censal economic problems; secondly that in many of the tinplate families there was a tradition of mobility.

This mobility was in part a defence mechanism of the tinplate family, or of the unmarried, in the case of employment problems. It was also a response to the magnet-pull of new enterprises, which might provide opportunities of advancement to skilled worker. There was so much movement between the tinplate areas of South Wales and Gloucestershire that there was knowledge of the works and a net-work of acquaintance from area to area. By the period under discussion there was news of the industry in the newspapers published in South Wales.9 To return to William Jenkins, finer, mentioned above: the enumeration of his household in 1871 gives a glimpse of mobility in an earlier period. With the family on census night, was David Edwards his father-in-law a native of Kidwelly, a finer, and, since he was aged 73, born in the closing years of the eighteenth century. He had obviously arrived in Aberafan some time before 1839 when his daughter was probably born. This tiny reference is a point of contact with the labour force at Kidwelly in an earlier age.10

Returning to the mobility of labour around 1881, Table 6 summarises the areas from which the people at the tinworks came.

TABLE 6: Places of Birth of Employees at Kidwelly
Tinplate Works, 1881
MALES
FEMALES
   
% of all males
  
% of all females
number
males
number
females
Carms.
155
62
29
83
Glam.
58
23
1
3
Monmuthshire
18
7
2
6
Other Welsh counties
7
3
1
3
English counties
13
5
2
6
TOTAL
251
35

The places of origin of the in-coming people at the tinworks in 1881 reflect the significant centres of the industry at this period. Quite often, the people completing the census forms did not put the parish of birth, as required by the Registrar General, but rather the names of works, or settlements around works. Many of these names are highly emotive of the iron, steel and tinplate centres of productlon: Blaenafon, Llansamlet, Loughor, Pontypool, Pontardawe, Cwmafan, Ystalyfera, Clydach, Cwmbwrla, Dafen . . . and so on. No indication has been found whether the opportunities at Kidwelly were advertised in any way by the Chivers father and son. Availability of lodgings and news of house-building was an additional magnet. It seems likely that the 40 houses built by the Chivers family in Gwendraeth Town were amongst the 70 new houses constructed between 1871 and 1881.

The immigration from England at this period was small-scale and usually not directly to Kidwelly. Since the numbers were small it is possible to look at some individuals. There were three Devonians. William Pudner, a finer, had been married first to someone from Tenby, but after her death took a wife from Kidwelly. Samuel Northcote, an engine driver at the works, and James Loosemore a puddler both had Devon-born wives. Samuel Northcote had come to Kidwelly via Maesteg where his son Richard had been born. His children of 17 and under were born in Kidwelly. The birthplaces of the Loosemore children demonstrate the family movement: 19 and 17 year olds at Darlington, a 13 year old at Llandaff, an 11 year old at Bridgend and 9 and 7 year olds at Llandaff. A tinman from Gloucester had arrived in Kidwelly via Llanelli, and an iron-worker at the tinworks from Gloucester via Blaenafon. Another iron-worker, born in Staffordshire, had married a Monmouthshire woman and they had children born in Abercarn, Pontyool and Abertillery. Alfred Bright a native of Worcestershire was an engine fitter and Joseph Tench, from Shropshire, a pickler. Mary Anne Boulton, the Monmouthshire-born widow of Jonathan Boulton (Manager of the Tinplate House in 1871) had a son and a boarder at the works.

The Glamorgan in-migrants included children of parents from elsewhere who had been attracted to the industrial centres. There were families like that of John Wixey, a rollerman born at Bassaleg in Monmouthshire. His wife came from Llanelly in Breconshire and their son William (a behinder in 1881) was born at Pontardawe in Glamorganshire. Younger children were born in Llanelli and Kidwelly. James Minton, forge foreman had been born at Brynmawr, Breconshire and his wife was a Londoner. But their children were born at Llansamlet and Loughor. Looking at the Welsh-born in-migrants, it is noticeable how little the counties of Cardigan and Pembroke were represented. Samuel Evans an engine driver at the tinworks, and born at Lampeter, was the only person from this area amongst the workers.

Two in three of the work-force were Carmarthenshire-born. Study of this group revealed that the majority came from Kidwelly itself, Llanelli and the town of Carmarthen. The results are summarised in Table 7.

TABLE 7: Place of Birth of Kidwelly Tinplate Workers
of Carmarthenshire origin, 1881
Place of Birth
Males
Females
Kidwelly
91
22
Llanelli
17
4
Carmarthen
9
1
Elsewhere in Carmarthenshire
38
2
TOTAL
155
29

Amongst the Kidwelly-born workers are clearly sons of people from the parish. Others can be identified as children of dwellers who had trickled in from the surrounding countryside. There were people like David Williams of Cyffredin, a furnaceman at the tinworks, aged 21, who was the son of a blacksmith John Williams (born at Llanarthne) and Dinah his wife (born at Abergwili). Although natives of the parish, some of the men had worked elsewhere. For example William Lewis a tinplate boxer, whose wife was Merthyr Tydfil-born, had lived both in Kidwelly and Merthyr Tydfil. Skilled workers from Carmarthen (probably from the tinworks there) included 4 puddlers, one finer, one assorter, one baller and an engine driver. It is clear that some had worked in Glamorganshire. There is a scatter of in-migrants from the rural parishes of Carmarthenshire and, interestingly, they were not all just labourers in the tinplate industry. There was an annealer from Llanboidy (William Davies, Causeway Street) a fireman from East Cilrhedyn (Howell Jones, Pendre) a rollerman from Llandissilio (James Williams, Abbey Street) and another rollerman from Llanybri (Thomas Davies, Abbey Street).

This is the sort of information about the workforce at Kidwelly which can be derived from the Enumerators' Returns of 1881. Other sources such as marriage registers show the linking-up of old Kidwelly families, some of which had played a part in the earlier manufacture of tinplate, with in-migrants from rural Carmarthenshire who became tinplate workers, with the children of the men of Glamorgan and Monmouth and with the descendants of those from further afield. This is just a contribution to the story of Kidwelly's tinworkers; what they believed in and hoped for, their wages and standard of living, their view of their industry, claims and loyalties, union activities, religion and recreation are still to be told.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I am greatly indebted to the Editor, Mr W. H. Morris, for allowing me to use material which he has abstracted from the Parish Registers, the Registers of Capel Sul Independent Chapel, the Vestry Minutes and the Log Book of Kidwelly British School. I am very grateful also for his help during the transcribing of the Census Household Returns from microfilm, and I have profited greatly from his comprehensive knowledge of Kidwelly and its history. I would like also to acknowledge the unfailing courtesy of the staff of Carmarthen Library, and in particular Mrs Jenny Gammon.

REFERENCES AND NOTES

1.  Report and Tables of the Census of England and Wales, 1881.


APPENDIX
Employees at the Kidwelly Tinplate Works in the
Censuses of 1871 and 1881

(Age and residence, when given, are for 1881)

HENRY BOULTON, 25, born Staffordshire (occupation unclear but 'at tinworks'); son of Jonathan and Mary Ann Boulton; in 1871 Jonathan Boulton (born Gloucestershire) was manager of the tinplate house.
EDWARD W. COMBIE, 29, born Durham, clerk; son of Hugh Combie widower (born Northumberland) 'mining engineer and limeworks'.
FRANCIS DAVIES, 63, born Kidwelly, labourer; he and his son were boarders in 1871 and 1881.
JOHN DAVIES, 30, born Kidwelly, boxer; son of John Davies, Waungadog (born Cynwyl Elfed); in 1861 John Davies was a 'woodman', in 1871 an 'agricultural labourer' and in 1881 a 'general labourer'.
WILLIAM DAVIES, 25, born Kidwellv, tin workman; son of Thomas Davies, Capel Teilo (born L1annewydd), agricultural labourer.
EVAN HARRIS, 24, Lady Street, born Kidwelly, behinder; son of David Harris (born Kidwelly) formerly collier; in 1881 Evan married Elizabeth Thomas of Bridge Street.
DAVID HUGHES, 45, Upper Mill, born Cwmtwrch, pickler; after working in Morriston and Tredegar, arrived in Kidwelly about 1867.
HENRY HUSSEY, 36, Born according to 1871 census in Gloucestershire, but according to 1881 in Kidwelly, tinman; married Rebecca Evans of Kidwelly in 1871 and at least 2 of the children of the marriage were baptised in Capel Sul.
WILLIAM JENKINS, 48, Abbey Street, born Cwmafan, finer (1871), labourer (1881).
JAMES JONES, 36, Alstread Street, born Llanelli, tinman.
WILLIAM JONES, 42, Rumsey Cottage, born Carmarthen town, refiner; wife Mary Kidwelly-born.
ELVIRA JONES, 50, Lady Street, born Kidwelly; daughter of Richard Jones (born Narberth) 'coal trimmer labourer'.
JOSEPH JONES, 26, Lady Street, born Kidwelly, branner (1871), furnaceman (1881); son of Richard Jones, below.
RICHARD JONES, 44, Shintor fach, born Pontypridd, melter; Llanelli born wife; had been in Briton Ferry and Neath before 1871.
THOMAS JONES, 57, North Hill, born Pontypool, rollerman; pre 1871 had children born in Monmouthshire, Gloucestershire and Monmouthshire.
JOHN KING, 54, born Kidwelly, rollerman; wife and family all Kidwelly born.
JOHN MANSEL, 28, born Kidwelly, tinplate worker; wife and family Kidwelly born.
DAVID MORRIS, 23, Causway Street, born according to 1871 census in Kidwelly, but according to 1881 in Llanelli, tinman; son of Harriet Morris widow, charwoman.
ALFRED OAKLEY, 35, Lady Street, born Gloucestershire, tinman; married Catherine Hughes of Kidwelly in 1865.
WILLIAM PUDNER, 46, Water Street, born Devon, finer.
RICHARD RANDALL, 35, Gwendraeth Cottage, born Kidwelly, tinplate manufacturer (1871), superintendent tin house (1881); Llanelli born wife.
EVAN REYNOLDS, 32, born Kidwellv, tinplate worker; son of David Reynolds, mason.
FRANCIS REYNOLDS, 30, born Kidwelly, rollerman; son of David Reynolds, mason.
WILLIAM RICHARD, 36, West Hill, born Kidwelly, pickler; wife Ruth born Llanfihangel-ar-arth.
JOHN RICHARDS, 46, Bridgend, born Monmouthshire, shearer; wife born Northumberland.
JOSEPH TENCH, 66, Alma Terrace, born Shropshire, pickler; had been resident at Aberafan and Abercarn before going to Kidwelly. Possibly connected with the Chivers family: 'Charlotte Tench niece', born Aberafan, was in the Chivers household on census night 1871.
DAVID THOMAS, 37, Brickyard House, born according to 1871 census in Kidwelly and according to 1881 in Penibrey, tinplate worker; son of William Thomas, labourer; married Jane Griffiths in 1865.
WILLIAM THOMAS, 23, Water Street, born according to 1871 Census in Llanelli and according to 1881 in Kidwelly, washman; son of David Thomas, labourer (1871) and tinworks labourer (1871).
GARVIN L. THORBURN, 28, Lady Street, born Llanelli, tinplate maker (1871), doubler (1881); son of Thomas Thorburn (born Scotland) clerk and Mary (born Cardigan); children of Thomas and Mary Thorburn born in Haverfordwest (George M,), Llanelli (Garvin L.) and Kidwelly (Mary J. and Sarah L.). Thomas Thornburn referred to in 1881 as 'late engine driver'. Garvin married Susan, a Kidwelly woman, and in 1881 had children Malvinia K. (5) and Gwilym L. (3).
DAVID WILLIAMS, 29, Shintor fach, born according to 1871 Census at Llanegwad and according to 1881 at Llanpumpsaint, washman; son of Evan Williams, coachman.
JAMES WATKINS, 61, Tynewydd, born Pontypool, hammerman (1871), forgeman (1881).

By 1881 some of the above had increased their connection with the tinplate works, the following family members having joined the labour force:
EMANUEL H. COMBIE, 23 born Glamorganshire, annealer; brother of Edward W. Combie.
THOMAS DAVIES, 23, born Kidwelly, labourer at tinworks; son of Francis Davies.
WILLIAM DAVIES, 19, born Llanelli, tin workman; nephew of Thomas Davies, Capel Teilo.
RICHARD DAVIES, 16, born Llanelli, tin workman; nephew of Thomas Davies, Capel Teilo.
CHRISTMAS HUGHES, 16, born Monmouthshire, employed at tinworks; son of David Hughes, Upper Mill.
DAVID HUGHES, 21, born Morriston, pickler; it is likely that he was the son of David Hughes, Upper Mill.
DAVID JENKINS, 21, born Llanelli, furnaceman; son of William Jenkins, Abbey Street.
GEORGE JENKINS, 16, born Llanelli, furnaceman; son of William Jenkins, Abbey Street.
LLEWELYN JONES, 23, born Kidwelly, washman; son of Richard Jones, coal trimmer.
JOHN MORRIS, 20, born Kidwelly, tin worker at tinworks; son of Harriet Morris.
ALICE THOMAS, 18, born Kidwelly, dipper; sister of William Thomas, Water Street.
MARY JONES, 32, born Kidwelly, dipper; half-sister of William Thomas, Water Street.
[. . .] WILLIAMS, 16, born Abergwili, riser; son of Evans Williams, coachman.
[. . .] Williams, 14 born Kidwelly, roller; son of Evan Williams, coachman.
[. . .] WILLIAMS, 13, born Kidwelly, roller; son of Evan Williams, coachman.
[. . .] WATKINS, 17, born Monmouthshire, employed at tinworks; daughter of James Watkins, forgeman.
[. . .] WATKINS, 15, born Monmouthshire, employed at tinworks; daughter of James Watkins, forgeman.

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