Peter William# Griffiths

  Notes:

1947 Letter Cyril Griffiths - Ann G-P "The Griffiths family, that is to say, my father's parents were landed gentry in North Wales, where they owned what I believe were large estates in and around Llantisilio (see below), a small village in the Bala District. As a family, too, they owned property in London, in the Strand. I think they owned the land on which the Strand Theatre was built. This Strand Theatre was standing when I was ingesting the West End as a student and I remember going there to see a musical comedy" ...... "anyway the land belonged at one time to the Griffiths bunch" ...... "my father's father, of whom I know nothing, had several brothers and they are the old gentleman where portraits in oils used to adorn the dining room at the 'Old Cottage'. The old chap who is holding the flute in the portraits was Pete; and Ted, I believe, was one of the other pictures" ..... <but Pete IS his Grandfather!> ..... "They were a musical lot and Pete, I believe, could play about a dozen instruments very passably well. A certain Alice Long was a maid in the service of my father's father and when my father married mother and went to live at Ryde, where I and Oswald were born, she went with them as cook. And she used to tell remembrance stories of the musical revels in which my fathers uncles the said Pete & Ted & Co, used to indulge in the wine cellars under the Strand Theatre, or thereabouts, when the family was in town. ........ after a few years in the service of my mother & father they set her (Alice Long) up in a lodging house in Ramsgate and we all used to go and stay there during the summers" ....... " I do not know whether Pete & Co ever married, and I do not even know the Christian name of my father's father. He had a considerable family but I only know the names of three viz Madge, Walter and my father Stephen. There were at least three other boys." ....... "of my father's other three brothers I know practically nothing, except that they put paid to the family fortunes. They were a wild reckless crew and their father paid their debts three times(?) I believe and had to sell land each time in order to raise the necessary money. Finally, there was no more land left and the three boys were packed off to Australia, and that was the end of that, except for what might have been an echo, many years later". ...... "the possible echo happened when mother and we three children were living at Bognor. Mother and I were in town one day when we saw an announcement that the 'Griffiths Australian Ensemble' would have give a concert at the Assembly Rooms. I wanted mothers to get in contact with them, but she would not - and that was that".

The village looks like 'Llantisilio' ... which I think must be LlantYsilio as only one letter out, it's closer to Ruabon/Wrexham than it is to Bala though, albeit still only ~20m from Bala.
1795 (subscribers list) mention of Mr. Thomas Griffiths , Pen y Cae Llantysilio

The Cyril letter above would indicate that this persons father is NOT Peter but perhaps one of the other brothers .... or maybe even the Thomas from Llantysilio mentioned above !?!?

On familysearch there is a Peter William Griffiths chr 11 Jun 1797 at St Mary Aldermary, London. This is SAME church he got married in. Father Peter Griffiths (ties in with 2nd son) and mother Margaret (ties in with only dau).
The fact that first son is called John (possible name of Ann's mother) would seem to indicate that perhaps I have got correct parents for both of them - but hardly unusual names !

Noted that one of the female Horlicks was nee Griffiths.

Wedding info from Wendy; Witnesses included Hannah Fry, Thomas Fry and Sarah Fry.

The British imperial calendar and civil service list for the year of our Lord 1819; Navy Office, Somerset House; Office For Seamans Wages; Junior Clerks; P.W.Griffiths.

The British imperial calendar for the year of our Lord 1826; Office for <something> .... Junior Clerks; Peter W.Griffiths.

1830's (children's chr) was living at Clarendon Place, Vassall Road, East Brixton

1841 Census (age ~40) living at No5 something Place, Kennington, Lambeth, Surrey with first wife and 2 others (perhaps lodgers, perhaps servants - both female ages 18 and 20). Occupation; Clerk Navy Office.

The Navy List 1847 (and 48, 49 50 51 52 53); DEPARTMENTS AT SOMERSET HOUSE. Department of the Surveyor of the Navy. IMPREST BRANCH. Clerks of the Third Class ........... P. W. Griffiths

1851 Census (Age 53) living at 1 Frederick Place, Lambeth, Brixton with wife, 5 children and 2 servants. Occupation; Clerk Admiralty, Landed Houses.

The Navy List 1855; Somerset House, Dept of the Accountant General. Storekeepers Cash Account Branch ; Clerks of the Second Class, ..... P. W. Griffiths

The Navy List 1856; INVOICE AND CLAIM BRANCH; Clerks of the Second Class, ..... P. W. Griffiths

Accounts and papers of the House of Commons for the Years 1858 – 1859. Pensions granted between the 1st December 1856 and 30th November 1857. “On Reduction of Office”.
Admiralty; Peter W Griffiths, Clerk. 42 yrs, 11 months servitude. Pension of £287 10s 0d. There is someone else with only 30 years with a pension of £298 and another with 42 years with a pension of £250, so I would suggest he was a mid-ranking clerk. So he started circa 1814 = 17 years old ish.

1861 Census (NB: Indexed on ancestry.co.uk as Griffith). Age 63. Living at 1 Frederick Place, Lambeth, Brixton with his 2nd wife, 3 children and a servant. Occupation given as Land and House Owner.

Wendy found ; Probate for Peter William Griffiths died 14 July 1866 late of 1 Frederick Place, Coldharbour Lane, East Brixton - effects under £600 proved by Mary Ann Griffiths Widow.

Found death record; Q3 1868; Griffiths, Peter William, 71, Lambeth, Surrey. Vol 1d,Pg 299.

Dead by 1871.

Daphne has more on the Griffiths family tree.

Peter married Ann# Fry, daughter of William# Fry and Hannah#, on 16 Mar 1823 in Saint Mary Aldermary, London. (Ann# Fry was born on 8 Jun 1797 in Watling Street, London, christened on 5 Jul 1797 in Saint Mary Aldermary, London and died Q1 1847 in Lambeth, Surrey.)

Peter next married Mary Ann. (Mary Ann was born in 1815 in Pimlico, Middlesex.)