Joshua Williams - Wrecked - Skewen, Neath, Wales. - Graves Mentioning a Cause of Death on Waymarking.com

Eleven men drowned on the night of 29th January 1884, when their ship the S.S.Rhiwabon, a cargo ship sailing in ballast, ran aground on some wave washed rocks known as the smalls.

"The inscription tells the sad tale of the tragic death of thirty-year-old Joshua Williams, Chief Engineer of the S.S.Rhiwabon cargo ship, which ran aground and was wrecked off Smalls Lighthouse on 29 January 1884. Only seven of the crew survived. The Smalls is a group of wave-washed rocks approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of the Marloes Peninsula in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The lighthouse was erected in 1861 to replace a previous lighthouse dating from 1776 on the same site. It is the most remote lighthouse operated by Trinity House. Joshus Williams was the grandson of Francis Taylor of Neath Abbey. Francis Taylor, originally from Cornwall, worked at the Neath Abbey Iron Works. His family later headed the Taylor & Sons iron foundry in Briton Ferry.
There are several gravestones of members of this Taylor family in St John's churchyard." Text Source: (visit link)


Site Description: "The church of St John is located on St John's Terrace, on the north side of New Road, within a churchyard used as a cemetery. The church was built in 1849-50 to designs of architect R.C.Saunders, in Early Decorated Gothic style, of sandstone rubble with Bath stone ashlar dressings and slate roofs banded in two colours, with shouldered coped gables and cross finials. It comprises steep-gabled nave and lean-to aisles, aisles partly overlapping lower chancel, south porch, west bellcote and north vestry. Inside, walls are plastered, small high clerestory windows over four-bay arcades of steep chamfered arches on alternate octagonal and round ashlar columns, and a spindly exposed timber roof. Fittings include ornate marble font, pulpit and reredos, apparently of c.1870-80, in lavish coloured marbles, a First World War memorial chancel screen in oak, Perpendicular Gothic style in three bays, and a brass eagle lectern, later nineteenth century, on a cast-iron conical base." Text Source: (visit link)

Type of Death Listed: Accident Website (if available): [Web Link] Cause of death inscription on headstone: Not listed

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Date Logged Log   04/23/2017 veritas vita visited it