June Fair revelry and horse theft
1851 – Desertion of Newborn Baby
In early June 1851, a baby aged just a few hours was found in Cusop by some lads. The child was wrapped in a handkerchief and some underclothes of a woman “about the middle size” and lying in a brake or dingle called Baynam’s Dingle.
The baby was taken straight to the Workhouse, where one of the inmates who was feeding her own child, immediately took it to suckle, whereupon it very quickly revived.
Superintendent Kentish and his assistants tried very hard to find the mother, but without success.
1851 – Transportation for Horse Theft
Thomas Gwillim, a horse dealer, pleaded guilty to having stolen at Cusop a chestnut mare which belonged to Thomas Howells of Hay.
He was sentenced to be transported for seven years.
1858 – A Good Time had at June Fair
Henry Winstone, a labourer living at Cusop, along with “Stumpy” of Hay and John Williams also of Hay, were charged by Sergeant Basham with being drunk at Hay on 14th June 1858. They were each fined 5s with costs.
William Jenkins, a labourer from Cusop, was also charged with drunkeness on 15th June, and he too was fined 5s with costs.
1861 – Death of a Distinguished Painter at Cusop
In January 1861, Mr. Thomas Lindsay of Cusop was “attacked by paralysis”, and he died some two weeks later.
He was a distinguished member of the “New Society of Painters in Watercolours in London”, and he was a frequent and successful exhibitor. His scenes of Welsh landscapes were very well received. He was also an accomplished musician.
A hugely popular man, he was to be very sadly missed.
1874 – Quadruplets for Cusop Woman
The wife of an impoverished toll keeper gave birth to four babies – an incredibly rare event for the time – but only two survived.
It was said that the father was happy but more than a little confused!
1894 – Death after Excessive Drinking
John Altree, a 64 year old farmer had been attending the Hay market along with two other farmers.
All of them had been drinking heavily throughout the day and then climbed on their horses to ride home to Cusop.
A Mr. Williams was coming along the road in his farm cart, and at various points picked the three men up from the ground and put them in his cart – all were extremely drunk, but it later transpired that John Altree had been out of sorts for a few weeks and had in fact not eaten anything that day.
Some way along the road, it was discovered that John had died and he was removed from the cart and put at the side of the road where a Surgeon later made an examination.
A verdict of death by natural causes was returned.
1900 – Vicar Dies During Service at Cusop
The Rev. George Dermer Pagdon, aged just 47, was conducting Sunday service and had just climbed into the pulpit to deliver his sermon when he staggered and fell.
He was taken to the vestry but a doctor pronounced him dead.
George Pagden had been ordained in 1877 and had been Rector at Cusop for six years and had made many good friends there during that time.
The post mortem revealed that he had a “fatty heart” and a distended stomach, but no direct cause of death found.
A verdict of death from natural causes was returned.