Research Strategy – Pembrokeshire/Carmarthen

Introduction

Work done by Rachel Boyd and her collaborators together with the DNA evidence has established that the Badham population found from the early 19th Century to date descends from two males marrying at Begelly on the same day in 1803 who are certainly close cousins and probably brothers. The DNA evidence does not link with any other known to date, so is suggestive but not at all conclusive, of a local origin, especially as we know that there were Badhams in the area from at least 1575 (Delvings p 94.), plenty of time for a female descent of the name. Also we are concerned with the area south of the Landsker which was so influenced by maritime trading and Anglo Norman overlords and indeed was part of the Marches.

Logical possibilities for the earlier Bad(h)(d)am presence

  1. All earlier Badhams are from one family who are the progenitors of the present clan and either

    1. the name arose in this area from a single adoption from ab adam patronymics (as this is south of the Landsker line the use of an adam based form would be expected rather than 'adda')

    2. or, the name was imported from Gwent or another area of the Marches. We know that William ap adam, an archer was present at Dryslwyn Castle as early as 1288(Delvings p53). Recent (as at May 2013) research shows John ab Adam who is probably the Baron held the post of Steward at Cilgerran Castle in 1292 which links with another early possibility through ap Adam relative, Bevis (Bogo) de Knoville who was Justicar of West Wales 1280 and as a part of this role was for a time overlord for the estates of the Diocese of St David.

  2. The earlier Badhams may have been from more than one family but the other families have died out leaving one DNA group surviving. If so these families could have arisen from more than one case of i. above or any permutation of i. and ii.

Known places for earlier occurrences

Pembrokeshire:

  • Cilgerran Castle

  • Cwmwdig near Llanrhian

  • Henry's Moat

  • Haverfordwest

  • Llys y frane

Carmarthen:

  • Cenarth

  • Newcastle Emlyn

  • Llanboidy

Strategy

  1. Continue efforts to take back the Begelly line using standard sources like parish records. Probate records for related families might be helpful but I think we have covered the surviving Badham and variant probate records for St Davids and Llandaff.

  2. Look for evidence of settlement in other places to give clues for further searches either in relation to the Begelly line or to identify other branches.

In relation to 2 the following sources are possible and we should check what is in existence and where it is held as well as whether there are any available transcripts. Priority would be to Pembrokeshire but Carmarthenshire needs to be covered also, possibly with an east side bias to start with :

  • Tithe apportionments and maps – this would include a search for Badham / apAdam place or field names

  • Hearth Tax returns (possible reference to printed source is F Green, 'Pembrokeshire Hearths in 1670', West Wales Historical Records ix-xi). Otherwise little seems to have been done in print for Wales see http://www.hearthtax.org.uk/. The E 179 TNA database, http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/e179/ searches of this database show that there is extant material from roughly 1540 to 1647 for Haverfordwest and also show that at the time of the Taxatio (1291ish) rents at Haverford belonged to Whitland Abbey.

  • Inclosure awards

  • Land Tax and other taxation records surviving from, say 1820 back

  • Early poll records

Given the maritime links and Marcher background it is possible that relevant material may also show up at the Glamorgan archives.

More focused searches could start with the following:

  • Given Evan Badham's early association with Haverfordwest, the reference to John Voyle in the early land grant of 1575 and the strong association of the Voyle family with the port, Town records seem a priority. Many borough records have been calendared and published by the University of Wales Press under the auspices of the Board of Celtic Studies, History and Law Series No 24 [B G Charles Calendar of the Records of the Borough of Haverfordwest 1536-1660. 1967 ]. This book is indexed but unforgivably, in my opinion, it is not a complete name index and this fact is not made clear at the start of the index. It seems that names in the running text may be indexed but lists of names, which occur frequently, seem not to be. Also it is not clear when the original document may have lists of names e.g. petitioners. This means someone reading all through to see if there are any relevant references or clues to documents worth studying direct. My eye spotted a Thomas Batam whom I found not to be in the index, hence the above comments. NLW has schedules of deeds from the town with a copy (1967) at Haverfordwest RO. Archeaologia Cambrensis Index entries show a number of articles on Haverfordwest Records and other things probably worth following up like a list of the free school pupils from 1648. However it needs someone with local knowledge to offer advice.

  • Quarter Sessions for whatever covers Begelly area, Haverfordwest [as a County Borough from an early date it had its own Quarter Sessions] and eastern Carmarthenshire. I believe these cover the last half of the 18th century.

  • Estate records – Philipps of Picton, Carew, Child and Goggerthan [at NLW] estates suggested by Jon Mein [There is some suggestion of a very early Carew connection with the mother of Baron John ap Adam, Joan de Knoville – in relation to a contest over her will. Placita Corum Rege 1297, Kraus reprint 1968 p260]

  • Court of Great Sessions – the equivalent of English Assize courts in English from 1732(?) Latin before that.(possibly already covered by Jon Mein in relation to Badham?)

Other possibilities

  • Diocesan and Deanery records for St Davids.

The Bishop's registers have been printed 1397 – 1518 by the Cymmrodorion Society 1917 to 1920 but the indexes put patronymic forms in first name order and are not complete so the volumes need reading right through. The Diocese is vast going right across to Brecon Archdeaconry.

  • Protestation returns

  • Name indexes at both County Archives – may have been checked by someone out there?

  • Port Books: Some at least have been printed in E A Lewis, Welsh Port Books (Cymmrodorion Record Series, No 12, 1927). Gloucester port books show there was a regular movement of boats with Badham skippers to Milford Haven and further. Haverfordwest was charging 1 shilling a ton on apples from Gloucestershire in 1605 (B G Charles 1967 U W Press p 10).

  • Settlement papers