New information now included at the bottom of this post
When I look at the stories I have written so far I am convinced that some of them will never be finished. There are always new and important details to be added. Time has frayed the details sometimes and it isn’t easy to restore them in their entirety. The tales are not complete and probably never will be. It is part of their attraction I suppose.
The story of Eleanor Williams who was murdered in Felindre gave me a lot of trouble when I was writing it, because at the time there never seemed to be enough detail about her. She was murdered and thrown into a well on Llwyngwenno Farm in Felindre near Swansea in 1832 but apart from that the poor girl’s trail was very cold indeed. In the end, I based my writing upon the startling similarities between her death and that of Margaret Williams in Cadoxton, the very first story I ever researched. Two servant girls, both from Carmarthenshire, both pregnant and both murdered.
I speculated about why the gravestone in Nebo Chapel names the farmer for whom she worked as a servant, Thomas Thomas. His name is chiselled there for all to see, along with the name of poor Eleanor. Well of course it is a very significant detail, and once more it reflects the Cadoxton murder in an uncanny way.
Quite simply the community in this rather small and enclosed little village believed they knew who had killed Eleanor. It was the son of Thomas Thomas, just as the Cadoxton Community believed that the farmer’s son Llewellyn Richard had killed Margaret Williams nine years earlier. Indeed, Felindre modelled its response on their reaction. They were convinced they knew who had done it. They couldn’t prove it but they didn’t really need the law. What they wanted was justice. So they erected their accusatory gravestone, just as they had done in Cadoxton. They might not have had the revenge they wanted, but they never forgot. They painted the gates of the Nebo Chapel red on his wedding day. She said that they painted parts of the road red too. Even at that moment he could not escape from what he had done. Or at least what they thought he had done.
So Eleanor now appears in Swansea Murders. I am quite sure she would never have wished to be featured there.
An update – 2021
The full story of Eleanor Williams is also included in my book Swansea Murders which was published after this item was posted. I am pleased to say that I have more copies of the book printed (May 2021) and they are now available on the How to Buy Page which you can find in the menu or by clicking here
If you are interested in the book then there is a brief presentation about it on YouTube which you can watch if you click below
Hello Geoff,
Have you been able to find out any more information regarding Eleanor Williams since this article was posted?
I recently passed the stone whilst taking part in the ‘Gower Way’ walk, and would love to find out more information about her and her circumstances.
Many thanks,
I walked through the chapel today but could not find the murder stone. Are you able to tell me where in the graveyard it is?
Hi Richard, as you go in through the gate turn right and keep going right towards the stone wall at the back. It’s the big stone leaning up against it. There’s a smaller stone in front of it which I believe is for the baby that she was pregnant with. Hope that helps next time you visit.
Hi Helen, thank you and yes I have identified it and the smaller stone. I visited it again today
I will post this elsewhere, but you might be interested that the Felindre Stone forms a major part of the plot of my new novel. Patagonia Jacks, which will be published later this month (October 2022), There will be more information on this website over the next few weeks.
Thank you for your continued interest in my work.
Best wishes, G