SECOND GENERATION

Ezekiel Price and Rhoda Elizabeth Watkinsand Their Siblings

Children of William Preece and Mary Ann Pugh:Henry Thomas Preece or Strangwood

Ann Preece or Price (Mason)Ezekiel Preece or Price

William Evan Preece or Price

Children of Robert James Watkins and Anne Palmer: Rhoda Elizabeth Watkins (Price)

Anne WatkinsCatherine Ann “Cathy” Watkins (Manning)

Anne WatkinsThomas William Watkins

Children of Robert James Watkins and MarySmallman:

Sarah Ann Watkins (McDaniel)Mary Matilda Watkins (Healey)

Martha Jane Watkins (McDaniel)Joseph William Watkins

Robert James “Jim” Watkins IIIJohn Reuben Watkins

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CHILDREN OFWILLIAM PREECE

ANDMARY ANN PUGH

Henry Thomas Preece or StrangwoodAnn Preece or Price (Mason)

Ezekiel Preece or PriceWilliam Evan Preece or Price

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SECOND GENERATION: SIBLING

HENRY THOMAS “HARRY” PREECE STRANGWOOD (Son of William Preece and Mary Ann Pugh)

Henry Thomas “Harry” Preece isbelieved to have been born 5 April1825 in Astley, near Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire, England. Hewas the oldest son of William Preeceand Mary Pugh Preece, He waschristened in Astley Parish Church on 8May 1825. In early years, he generallywent by the names of Henry or Harry.

Henry grew up as the oldest sibling tohis brothers Ezekiel and William and tohis sister Ann. The name, “Thomas,”which he at times used in later years,was probably taken from hisgrandfather, Thomas Preece. Hisfather, William, was a farm laborerwhose family had lived for severalgenerations in the area close toRichards Castle, Herefordshire. Hismother’s heritage was Welsh.

Henry grew up in the green and rural Welsh marchlands where Herefordshire andShropshire share borders with Wales. As a youngster, he learned much about thedistrict as his father moved from farm to farm as a hired laborer. Although Henry hadlittle love for schooling or the harsh schoolmasters at the local schools, he developeda love for the land and especially for animals and wildlife. In later years, Henrywould leave farming to become a professional gamekeeper and forester.

Some time in the 1840s, probably while residing at Shirley Place in Aymestrey,Herefordshire, Henry’s family came in contact with missionaries from the Church ofJesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Henry’s parents and sister Ann quickly becomeconverts to the Church; however, teenage Henry resisted. It is possible that at thatage, Henry was working away from the home and did not develop the same closeacquaintance with the missionaries. Henry’s mother had been in ill health, and Henry

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The Norman Church in Astley, Worcestershire, whereHenry’s parents had him christened in 1825. The tower is 15th century. (Sketch by William A. Green:www.ewgreen.org.uk)

undoubtedly was fulfilling hisresponsibility to help bring in anincome for the family. Throughthe next several years, Henrywould work as a local farm laborer.

By March of 1853, Henry hadbeen living at Deer Bridge inAymestrey for at least two years.He had temporarily traded in hisfarming clothes for a publican’sapron and had taken employmentat a local pub. This was arespectable occupation, as theEnglish pubs were always a centerof social life, dispensing food aswell as alcoholic refreshment, andproviding comfortable rooms fortravelers.

Henry’s father, William Preece, had been making an effort to farm 20 acres at nearbyBach Brook Farm, but had been progressively crippled by illness and disease. Byearly March of 1853, William was dying of cancer. On 7 March 1853, Henry was inattendance at his father’s deathbed at Bach Brook when William breathed his last.According to the family, William’s dying words were a final admonition to his oldestson: “Henry, join the Church of Latter-day Saints!”

Henry afterward may have given thought to his father’s final request, but there is noevidence that he ever obeyed.

Possibly on the basis of a small inheritance from his father, Henry married HarrietSelina Taylor Kedward on 29 September 1853 in the parish church at Aymestrey.Henry’s bride, like Henry, had been living on Agness Street in Aymestrey. It islikely that the wedding was well attended, since Henry’s work at the pub would havemade him well recognized among the community. The marriage witnesses includedHenry’s brother Ezekiel Preece and his sister Ann who had been housekeeping forHenry. Ann likely moved back with her widowed mother at that time. As witnesses,both Ann and Ezekiel signed their names on the marriage certificate with an “X.”The local curate, G. Beauchamp, performed the marriage. Henry was 28; his bride,Harriet, was 24.

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Born Harriet Selina Taylor, Harriet acquired her stepfather’s surname of Kedward at the age of two.

The true parentage of Henry’s bride,Harriet, is shrouded in tantalizing mystery.When Harriet married Henry Preece in1853, she named John Kedward as herfather, although he was actually herstepfather. Harriet had been christened 22February 1829 in Old Radnor,Radnorshire, Wales, under the name ofHarriet Selina Taylor. She was the secondchild of a single mother named LouisaBirch. Both of Louisa’s children appear tohave had the same father, a man whosesurname was identified only as “Taylor.”Two years after Harriet’s birth, LouisaBirch married John Kedward ofAymestrey, and Harriet grew up using herstepfather’s Kedward surname.

Although the given name of Harriet’sbiological father was not documented,further events in Harriet’s life and the livesof her children would strongly suggest thatHarriet’s true parentage was very likely connected with a wealthy and prominentfamily in Shropshire—the Tayleur family of Buntingsdale Hall, near Market Drayton,Shropshire. (See the “Sidebar” at the end of this chapter for further information.)

The first of nine children that were to be born to Henry and Harriet was Mary AnnPreece, born at Deerfold Bridge, Aymestrey, 22 January 1854. (It is thought byHenry’s descendants that, in addition to the nine children who were documented,there may have been two other children who died in infancy.)

Henry’s failure to align himself with the LDS Church, despite his father’s admonition,was a continuing disappointment to the rest of his family. Shortly after her ownconversion to the Church in the 1840s, Henry’s mother, Mary Pugh Preece, haddetermined that her family would someday emigrate to America and gather with themain body of the Church. Financial considerations had thwarted her ambitions, butby 1855, the LDS Church had introduced the Perpetual Emigration Fund. The PEP,as it was known, provided financial assistance to LDS converts who wanted toemigrate to Utah, with the understanding that they would afterward repay the fund inincrements and make it possible for others to take similar advantage. British converts

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by the hundreds were now emigrating to Utah. In April of 1855, Mary Pugh Preeceand her three youngest children, Ann, age 26, Ezekiel, age 22, and William, age 18,said goodbye to Henry and left England and Wales forever. With a large companyof other LDS Saints traveling to Utah with the assistance of the Perpetual EmigrationFund, the three members of the Preece family boarded the packet ship S. Curlingwhich sailed from Liverpool to New York City, then traveled onward to what theybelieved would be Zion. Henry thus became the only living member of his immediatefamily to remain in Britain.

Henry loved the outdoors and worked at a variety of outdoor occupations throughouthis life. The birth certificates of his children verify that Henry’s main occupation wasfarming at least through 1856. By 1859, Henry had found his true calling; he hadbecome a gamekeeper and would be employed as such for much of his life. As agamekeeper, Henry had charge of the wildlife of a large country estate, watching forpoachers and breeding and protecting a wide variety of game animals and birds.According to a granddaughter, Henry at one time personally kept an eagle until it flewaway. Throughout his life, Henry would be variously employed as a woodman, aforester, and then a gamekeeper again. When he died, he was referred to as awoodman.

Henry remained in Aymestrey until at least 1860. For unclear reasons, sometimebefore the birth of his daughter Sarah in 1863, Thomas Henry Preece had changed hissurname to Strangwood, or a variation of that name. [The spelling of Henry’s newsurname varied according to different records—in addition to the Preece orStrangwood forms, Henry or his children saw their surname spelled as Strangward,Strongwood, and even Strangewood; Strangwood appears to be the more commonversion used by the family.] Henry’s reasons for the name change have not beenidentified, but some have suspected it might have been for the purpose of avoidinglegal entanglements. (Conversely, some family descendants have pointed out that itwas common in Wales for a hired laborer to assume the surname of an admiredemployer; in this regard, it should be noted that Strangwood and Strangward wereknown family names in the Aymestrey area.)

By 1867, Henry had taken employment in an isolated part of Wales, at Llanfor, nearBala, Merionethshire. At the time of the 1871 British Census, Henry and his familywere residing at the Gate House of Aberhirnant Hall. The vast Aberhirnant woodlandestate began just a mile or two west of the northern tip of Lake Bala and coveredhundreds of thousands of acres. The Aberhirnant estate included vast tracts of coniferforest interspersed with large areas of heath and moorland, perfect for breedinggrouse. Under the name of Thomas H. Strangwood, Harry was employed as an under

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Buntingsdale Hall, in Market Drayton, Shropshire, as it looked in the early 1800s. It was hometo several generations of the prominent Tayleur family. Henry Preece Strangwood’s youngestson Josiah (or Joseph) died here in 1875 at the age of nine months.

gamekeeper working with the head gamekeeper, Alfred Storer. At that time, theestate was owned by the Peck-Buckley family. (Aberhirnant today is under themanagement of the British Forestry Commission and is on the edge of present-daySnowdonia National Park.)

The last three of Henry’s children would be born in Llanfor: Selina Strangwood,William Henry Strangwood (Price), and Joseph (or Josiah) Strangwood (orStrongwood).

In early 1874, Henry’s young son, William Strangwood (later Price), aged four anda half, became seriously ill with gastric fever. When William was sent home by thehospital to die (according to William’s own account in later life), a “Squire Taylor”of Buntingsdale Hall in Shropshire kindly sent his personal physician to care for him.The “Squire” at that time was most likely John Tayleur, born 1840, who had justinherited Buntingsdale Hall from his bachelor uncle, William Tayleur, brother toJohn’s deceased father Charles. It is unlikely that the physician was sent all the wayfrom Shropshire to the isolated Strangward home in Wales; more likely, youngWilliam Strangwood was already in residence in or near Buntingsdale Hall. TheTayleur family’s physician was credited for saving young William’s life.

Within a few months after young William’s illness, William’s mother, HarrietStrangwood, gave birth to Henry Strangwood’s last child. The child, a boy, wasdelivered 2 July 1874 in Llanfor and named, according to family records, Joseph

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Strangwood. The baby, however, did not thrive, and in spring of 1875, Harrietapparently returned to Buntingsdale with the infant boy, probably in hope that theTayleur family physician could repeat the miracle and again save one of her children.Expectations were shattered, however, when the infant, aged nine months, died on 14April 1875. A death certificate for the baby was filed from Buntingsdale under thename of Josiah Strongwood

By the time of the 1881 British Census, at least a part of Henry’s family had movedto the Liverpool suburb of Walton on the Hill in Lancashire. Three of Henry’s fouryoungest daughters, Jane, Sarah, and Selina, found jobs as cooks or servants, andeach were to marry local working-class husbands and began to raise families.Henry’s oldest children, Mary Ann, and Ezekiel had married and remained in Wales.Jane Ann was yet to marry, but was also in Wales employed as a cook for the localvicar.

Somehow, Henry, Harriet, and their son William were apparently missed by the 1881census takers, and their location at that time is not verified. It was about that time,however, that young William, age 12, left his mother’s home to live with one of hissisters in Liverpool. William initially hired out his gardening skills, but he soonbecame enamored with the ships sailing in and out of the Liverpool docks. Justweeks after William’s 14th birthday, William arranged with a ship’s captain to workhis passage across the seas as a deck hand. At the time of Will’s departure, HarrietStrangwood gave her son a small Bible as a remembrance. Will was careful toinscribe the date within its pages: 4 October 1883. Will Strangwood thus began a lifeof travel and adventure which would culminate in raising a family in the open spacesof Utah and western America.

Ever afterward, William would always indicate great respect for his mother Harriet.Harriet’s devotion to her family was constant, as was her devotion to her husbandHenry, although, in later years, she would have to cope with recurring outbursts ofalcoholic temper on Henry’s part. Harriet (as “Harriot Taylor”) was enumerated withHenry at Canon Pyon in the 1891 census, though she was listed as his servant.

Much of Henry’s later years has not been documented. Henry died in 1892 at the ageof 65 from a broken leg incurred in a cart accident. The death certificate recorded thefollowing: “Accidentally upset from cart at Westhope Hill Canon Pyon on 20th Julylast and leg broken and died from effects of injury.”

The Hereford Times, 27 August 1892, published a detailed article concerning theinquest held in Hereford following Henry’s death:

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“INQUEST AT HEREFORD —An inquest was held at the HerefordInfirmary on Wednesday before Mr. J. Lambe, city coroner, on the bodyof Thomas Strangward, woodman, 65 years of age, Westhope Hill,Canon Pyon. It appeared that on Wednesday, July 20th, deceased, whowas in good health, left home in a spring cart for Hereford. Abouteleven o’clock at night deceased was found lying on the road near hishouse with his leg broken. The cart had been overturned and the ponywas lying down in the shafts. Deceased was taken home, and about fiveo’clock in the morning a messenger was sent to Dr. Hall, at Bodenham,who attended to the deceased, and continued to do so for three weeks.As deceased did not improve, Dr. Hall advised that he should be sent tothe Hereford Infirmary, and that advice was acted upon, deceased beingadmitted on August 10th. The night on which the accident occurred wasvery dark and it was afterward seen that the wheel of the deceased’scart had gone a little up the bank on the side of the road, which is verynarrow, causing the vehicle to fall over. Medical evidence was given byDr. Hall, who said that there was a fracture of both bones above theankle on the right leg, the bone since protruding through the skin, whichwas much bruised. He put the fractured leg in splints, and stronglyadviced that the deceased should be removed to the infirmary at once,his reason being that the fracture was a difficult one, that there was awant of means of nursing, and that he could not attend as frequently asnecessary. Deceased refused to go into the infirmary. He saw thedeceased several times to August 4th, and up to that time the wound hadgone on well. On August 9th he found that pus had formed around thebroken ends of the bones, owing to the deceased having moved about inbed. Mr. H. G. Nicholsen, house surgeon, described the condition of thedeceased when admitted to the infirmary. He reset the fracture, and thedeceased rallied a little. He then had a relapse, and gradually sankfrom exhaustion, and died on Monday afternoon. A verdict inaccordance with the medical evidence was returned, the jury expressingthe opinion that Dr. Hall had done all that it was possible for him todo.”

Concerning Henry’s wife Harriet, a granddaughter later wrote about her memories ofGrandmother Harriet. In a letter to Harriet’s son, William Henry Strangwood Price,who had emigrated to Utah, Elsie Williams wrote:

“Your mother, who was my Grandmother, was a charming old lady.She lived with us for a time when I was a school girl, and she used to

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tell me all about when she lived in the country. She was very good atpatching, and she always sewed up our pockets as soon as we had a newcoat so we couldn’t put our hands in them. I was very sad when she leftus to live with Aunt Selina...[her daughter Sarah] lived to be 86 yearsand was a grand Old Lady. She had a fall and broke her wrist and onlylived three months after.”

Harriet died 4 October 1911, while residing with her daughter, Selina(Brown) Jones at 47 Claughton Road, Birkenhead, England. Her sonWilliam always afterward remembered that Harriet was invariably “alovely, kind, affectionate mother and friend.”

Children of Henry Thomas Preece Strangwoodand Harriet Taylor Kedward

[According to family records, nine (possibly eleven) children were born.]

(1) Mary Ann PREECE, born 22 January 1854 at Aymestrey, Herefordshire.

She married Thomas H. OWEN on 8 April 1872 at Llanfor, Merionethshire,

Wales. She had eleven children and a very large posterity. She died on 29

January 1932 at Dolgelly, Merioneth, Wales.

(2) (3) Henry PREECE and Ezekiel PREECE were twins, born 3 September

1856, at Aymestrey, Herefordshire, England. (The 1881 British Census says

Minsterley, Shropshire; the 1901 Census says Ludlow, Herefordshire.) Henry,

barely three month old, died 13 December 1856 in Aymestrey. Ezekiel

survived to adulthood and married Sinah DAVIS on 6 August 1880 in

Llangower, Merionethshire, Wales. He went by the surname of Strangwood

during all his adult years. Ezekiel followed in his father’s footsteps and

became a gamekeeper; In 1881, he was employed at St. Asaph, Flintshire,

Wales. He had two children. By 1901, he was a gamekeeper in Cefn,

Flintshire. Ezekiel’s Flintshire home was only about 30 miles distant from his

sisters in Birkenhead and Liverpool. His wife Sinah died in 1908. Ezekiel

married a second wife in late 1910, name unknown. Ezekiel Preece

Strangwood died 24 October 1924 and is buried at Cefin, Flintshire, Wales.

(4) Ethel Jane PREECE, according to some family records, was born 10

February 1859. at Buntingsdale Hall in Market Drayton, Shropshire, England.

[The Buntingsdale locale seems doubtful, however, since at least three later

census inquiries place her birth in Herefordshire: in 1881 and 1891, it was the

town of Hereford; in 1901, it was Kingsland, a mile or two from Aymestrey.]

Ethel Jane married Nathan ATHERTON, a joiner (carpenter), on 13 April

1882, at St. George, Everton, Walton on the Hill, a suburb of Liverpool in

Lancashire, England. Ethel Jane had nine children, all but one born in

Lancashire. Ethel some time afterward emigrated to Canada, possibly after the

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death of her husband in 1908. Ethel Jane died 28 June 1943, at St. Catharines,

Lincoln County, Ontario, Canada.

(5) Jane Ann PREECE or STRANGWOOD , was born 21 February 1860

at Deerfold Bridge, Aymestrey, Herefordshire. She is probably the “Jane,” age

11, born in Aymestrey, listed with the family in 1871 British Census. Jane

Ann is believed to be the “Jane Strangwood” enumerated as the 22-year-old

cook serving in the household of John E. Thompson, a local vicar residing in

Moughtrey (Mochdre), Montgomeryshire (Powys), Wales, at the time of the

1881 Census. Other information concerning Jane Ann is lacking. [There

remains some speculation whether Jane Ann is the same as Ethel Jane.]

(6) Sarah STRONGWOOD was born 15 July 1863, at Gittinshay,

Ratlinghope, Salop (Shropshire), England. (Her birth record is the first

documented indication that Thomas Henry had changed his name to Thomas

Strangward, as this is the name he recorded in the birth registry.) Under the

surname spelling of Strongwood, Sarah married William GLOVER 6 August

1882 at St. Mary’s Kirkdale, Walton on the Hill, Liverpool, Lancashire. She

had four children. After William’s death, Sarah married Thomas JONES on

24 December and had another son. At the age of 86, Sarah fell and broke a

wrist; she died three months later on 14 December 1949. She was buried in

Birkenhead, Cheshire, England.

(7) Selina STRANGWOOD was born 7 June 1867, at Llanfor, Merioneth,

Wales. In 1881, at the age of 14, Selina was working as a servant in the

household of Richard and Phoebe Jones in Newtown, Montgomeryshire

(Powys), Wales, three miles distant from her sister Jane Ann in Moughtrey

(Mochdre). Selina had a first marriage to William BROWN. On 26 May

1890, Selina married George JONES at Walton on the Hill, Liverpool,

Lancashire, England. She had six children. When Selina’s widowed mother

Harriet began to fail in health, Harriet moved in with Selina’s family and

stayed there from sometime before 1901 until Harriet’s death in 1911. Selina’s

husband George died in 1917. Selina died at age 72 in Birkenhead, England.

(8) William Henry STRANGWOOD or PRICE was born 15 September

1869, at Vicarage Cottage, Llanfor, Merionethshire, Wales. As an adult,

William became curious about his relatives in the United States; after visiting

Utah, he joined the LDS Church and changed his surname name to Price.

William married an English-born girl, Lydia Jane METCALF, 5 August

1899, in Scofield, Utah. He died at the age of 97 in Ferron, Utah. [See the

full chapter on William contained in the “Third Generation” section.]

(9) Josiah STRONGWOOD was born 2 July 1874, at Llanfor, Merioneth,

Wales. He is believed to be the same as Joseph STRANGWOOD, whose

death, according to certificate, occurred 14 April 1875, at Buntingsdale Hall,

Little Drayton, Salop (Shropshire), Wales.

(10) (11) —Possibly two other undocumented births

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Harriet’s true birth heritage is tantalizing.

SIDEBAR: WHAT IS THE REAL ANCESTRY OFHARRIET SELINA TAYLOR KEDWARD PRICE?

When Harriet Selina Taylor Kedward married Henry Thomas “Harry” Preece in 1853,Harriet had long been known as the stepdaughter of John Kedward of Old RadnorParish in Radnorshire, Wales. What was not generally known, however, wasHarriet’s actual patrilineal parentage. Harriet was christened at Old Radnor ParishChurch on 22 February 1829 and registered in the parish record under the name of“Harriet Selina Taylor.” Harriet’s mother,Louisa Birch, was recorded as a “singlemother,” living at Evenjobb Hill near OldRadnor. Seventeen months earlier, Louisahad given birth to Harriet’s older brother,christened James Taylor, apparently born tothe same unmarried father.

Both christenings were exceptional in that thechildren were given a surname other than themother’s. “Base born children,” as they werecalled in those days, were nearly alwaysgiven the surnames of their singlemothers—only on the rarest occasions in OldRadnor parish records were such childrengiven the father’s surname (as was apparentlythe case of both Harriet and James). Thus thequestion arises: Who was the mysterious “Mr.Taylor” who favored Louisa Birch with atleast two children born outside of marriage? There are clues which do not directlyidentify the father, but which strongly suggest Harriet and her brother James may beconnected through birth with one of the most prominent and richest families inShropshire—the Tayleur family of Buntingsdale Hall, Market Drayton, Shropshire,and also of Liverpool and Devonshire. Some of the clues which seem to go beyondcoincidence:

(1) The birth surname of “Taylor” (instead of “Birch”) was given to bothHarriet and her older brother James at their christenings in Old Radnor at a time whenchildren born to a single mother almost always received their mother’s surname. (Ithas to be noted, however, that no obvious connection between the prominent Tayleurfamily and the locale around Old Radnor and Aymestrey has been found.)

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Buntingsdale Hall, Market Drayton, Shropshire, as it appears in more modern times.

(2) Some Price family records indicate Harriet and Harry Preece (Strangwood)had a child—Ethel Jane Preece—who was supposedly born to Harriet at BuntingsdaleHall on 10 February 1859. In reality, Ethel Jane’s birth probably did not take placeat Buntingsdale, since, in later years, Ethel Jane would consistently tell census takersthat she was born in Herefordshire—either at Kingsland (near Aymestrey), or atHereford. Even so, the fact that a tradition developed that at least one of Harriet’schildren was born at Buntingsdale Hall is provocative.

(3) At about the same time that Henry Preece changed his surname to“Strangwood” (with other spelling variations), Henry and his family moved toLlanfor, near Bala, in Merionethshire (Gwynedd), Wales. While Henry worked as anunder gamekeeper, his overseer in 1871 was Alfred Storer, born in Drayton Basset,Staffordshire. The Storer family lived in a dwelling called Bryn Ffynon.Interestingly, another house called Bryn y Ffynon was located about 20 miles away,at Llanfair-Dyffryn-Clwyd, near Ruthin, in Denbighshire. This house was maintainedby Charles Tayleur, his wife Jane Hill, and family. Charles was a railway andshipping magnate, one of the leading industrialists in England, and his brother Johnwas the squire of Buntingsdale Hall until John’s death about 1850.

(4) Harriet Taylor Strangwood’s son, William Henry Strangwood (he laterchanged his surname to Price), would late in life write a short personal history. Onesignificant entry tells of when William became seriously ill in early 1874, at the ageof four and a half. Will remembered that the “squire” of Buntingsdale Hall [at thattime John Tayleur, nephew of the recently deceased bachelor William Tayleur] sent

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his personal physician to care for William. The physician was credited for savingWilliam’s life. At that time, Harriet and Harry and their family appear to still beliving in Llanfor, Marioneth, Wales. It was not stated if the physician was sent toWales from Shropshire, or if William was visiting at or near Buntingsdale; however,the physician’s visit in either case is highly significant.

(5) Of equal significance, on 14 March 1875, Harriet and Harry Strangwoodlost an infant son. The son was born 2 July 1874 in Llanfor, Wales, under theregistered name of Joseph Strongwood; however, when the infant died on 14 April1875, his death certificate, issued in Shropshire, gave his name as Josiah and placeof death as Buntingsdale Hall. It appears that Harriet Strangwood had brought herbaby to the same Tayleur family physician who had healed her son William; this time,however, the doctor was unable to save the child.

(6) By 1881, three of the four younger daughters of Harriet and Harry Preece(Strangward) were living in Liverpool, Lancashire, where the Tayleur family hadhomes amid massive business and industrial holdings. The Strangwood daughters,however, were living in Walton on the Hill, primarily a working-class suburb ofLiverpool, and did not appear to have documented contact with the Tayleurs otherthan general proximity.

The links between the family of Harriet Selina Taylor Kedward Preece (Strangward)and the reputable and wealthy Tayleur family of Shropshire and Lancashire, thoughtenuous in some cases, still appear to be much more than happenstance.Unfortunately, available information concerning individual members of thenineteenth century Tayleur family is sketchy. It would appear, however, that if thereis a tie linking Harriet’s birth heritage to the Tayleurs, three specific lines of theTayleur family should be examined—namely, the family lines of three brothers whowere sons of William Tayleur (1741-1813) of Rodington Hall in Shrewsbury:William of Rodington and his wife (the former Mrs. Martha Bowen) had inheritedwealth and position. About 1785, William purchased Buntingsdale Hall as anadditional estate. At death, William’s wealthy generosity reportedly allowed him tobestow extremely large inheritances to each of his sons and grandchildren.

The sons of William Tayleur of Rodington and Mrs. Martha Bowen Tayleur were:

(1) John Tayleur, born about 1771; married Penelope Pearson 7 March 1796,Tettinghall, Staffordshire; died about 1850, probably at Buntingsdale Hall,Market Drayton, Shropshire. About 1813, John became the squire ofBuntingsdale; he was known to his neighbors as an eccentric who controlled

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Charles Tayleur (1774-1854)

his children and fiercely repressed their independence even through theiradulthood. John had two sons: (a) William Tayleur, christened 14 September 1803, Upper Arley,

Worcestershire, England; died 5 November 1873, Buntingsdale, MarketDrayton, Shropshire. William, despite a genial nature, never married;he inherited Buntingsdale Hall late in life upon the death of his father.

(b) Charles Tayleur, born 7 April 1805, of Buntingsdale, Market Drayton,Shropshire; married unknown spouse; died prior to 1873. Charles wasthe only one of John Tayleur’s severely repressed two sons and fourdaughters who was known to marry. Charles was the father of:

John Tayleur, christened 4 June 1840, Market Drayton,Shropshire; John married Katherine Tresby abt 1866; at leastseven children. John inherited Buntingsdale Hall from his UncleWilliam Tayleur the year previously. (John was likely the“squire” who sent his personal physician to attend young WilliamHenry Strangwood (Price) in early 1874. John Tayleur wouldlikely have been in residence when William’s infantbrother,“Josiah Strongwood,” died at Buntingsdale in April of1875.

(2) William Tayleur, born at Rodington Hall, christened 8 July 1873, St. Mary’s,Shrewsbury, Shropshire; married Sarah-Frances Windsor 8 July 1807; diedprobably at Tiegnmouth, Devonshire. William and his family seem to havebeen generally connected with family properties in Devonshire. Childrenunknown.

(3) Charles Tayleur, born Rodington Hall, christened 28 December 1774, St.Mary’s, Shrewsbury, Shropshire. (Some biographies give a birth year of 1785which is unlikely); married about 1799, Jane Hill; died14 June 1854, Morley, Devonshire. Charles was one ofthe chief industrial magnates of his age, building severalof England’s earliest and greatest locomotives and ironships. Besides owning the Vulcan ironworks foundry inLiverpool, he had extensive properties in several parts ofEngland and Wales. Several of Charles’ children spenttime at the family’s lodge, called Brynyffnon, in Llanfair,Wales, approximately 20 miles from Llanfor, whereHarriet and Henry Strangwood lived. Perhapscoincidently, Henry Thomas Strangwood’s gamekeeper

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supervisor in Llanfor lived in a house named Bryn Ffnon. Charles’ childrenincluded:

(1) William Houlbrook Tayleur, born abt 1804, of Liverpool; married (1)Emma Elizabeth Heathcote 7 May 1835 (divorced); married (2)?Mary Alice _____; died 1879, St. Thomas, Devonshire.

(2) John Tayleur, born 1807, Liverpool, Lancashire; married Eliza _____abt 1850; died aft 1881, possibly at Stokely, Devonshire.

(3) Charles Tayleur, born abt 1809; married 10 October 1832, HenittaFrances Campbell, at St. Andrew, Newcastle-upon-Tyne,Northumberland.

(4) Henry Theophilus Tayleur, born 6 March 1812, Liverpool, Lancashire;married Mary _____; died before 1873; his family lived at Brynyffnon,Llanfair, Denbighshire, Wales.

(5) Mary Tayleur, born about 1815; married 22 June 1836, RichardPhibbs, at St. Michael, Toxeth, Park, Liverpool, Lancashire.

(6) Jane or Sarah Jane Tayleur, born 6 December 1816, Liverpool,Lancashire, England.

(7) Edward Tayleur, born 1820, Walton, Liverpool, Lancashire, England;married Marianne Frances Kenyon; he was a civil engineer who workedfor his father and lived at his father’s Vulcan ironworks in Newton,Lancashire.

Further research of the Tayleur and Strangwood families may prove or disprove someof the speculations concerning the birth heritage of Harriet Selina Taylor KedwardPreece.

Resource: “Our Price Heritage,” written by Mary Lue Jewkes GordonFamily records of Ruby Price Klenk