Chapter Six - Stars on Wind Street

Entrance to Swansea Harbour, 1805, Artist unknown

Hours after sunset, the coach arrived at the popular Mackworth Arms Inn. Charlotte and Henry stepped out onto the walkway, their bags lifted off, the brine of sea air touching their faces. Never was a breeze more welcoming than the one that stretched across the bay at that very moment. After two days cooped inside the bobbling carriage with little ventilation and in proper travelling clothes that rendered no comfort to the season's early heatwave, they finally were free. Their steps were soon lost in a nonending flow of summer travellers. 

Amid shouts and bellows, tipping of hats, groups of sailors arrived, and house guests returned. Governesses herded sleepy-eyed children into doorways while errand boys caught in the jostle of the night rushed by haphazardly, pushing carts freshly emptied. All of Swansea was wide awake and bustling. In front of Charlotte, as far as she could see, was a warm glow of gas lights sprinkled like stars down Wind Street. They shimmered with an aliveness that seemed to permeate right through her. She had never seen such a thing before. Suddenly, her words were caught in mid-air, and her eyes glimmered at the sight of it all.

Charlotte and Henry had time on their hands. There was a fifteen-day residency requirement to apply for a common marriage license. Marriage by license would avoid publication of banns (the announcing of intent to marry for three consecutive Sundays at the parish church.) It would be well worth the few pounds it cost to keep the marriage private. If Henry himself applied for the license and swore to the information given, there would be no reason to question the relationship or Charlotte's age. After all, he was an officer; perhaps the Ince name was even familiar to the officiants or the Reverend William Hewson himself.

Henry had been to Swansea before. His paternal uncle, Charles Ince, had lived in Swansea several years earlier. He likely visited him with his parents and brother Joseph. Charles Ince, with his wife Anna Maria and son Charles Vogel Ince (a year younger than Henry), moved from London to Wales sometime after 1804, their address listed as Laleston, Glamorganshire. In Wales, Anna Maria set up a school for young ladies teaching drawing, geography, writing, and arithmetic, as well as dancing and music. In 1811, the school was moved to Llantrissent, and by 1813, relocated to Tonna, outside Neath, where they lived in a "neat, commodious mansion" and demesne named Ty'n yr Heol (translates Roadhouse), and Anna Maria retained her school. Charles, previously referred to as a master cabinet maker and who had taken over his father's furniture-making business while in London, now decided to try his hand at farming. He seemingly did well with clover, wheat, oats, and growing turnips, but eventually, in 1820, the crops and farming equipment were auctioned off, the house let, and they headed off to Swansea to a "well-arranged dwelling house" at 11 Nelson Terrace. Defined as "beautifully situated", it "commanded a view of Swansea Bay", where once again Anna Maria opened Mrs Ince's Establishment for Young Ladies in their home. Sadly, their time in Swansea was cut short. Anna Maria passed away just two years later, at the age of fifty-six. Her obituary describes her as "a woman of rare endowments, her mind naturally vigorous and enterprising, acquired, in a long course of judicious reading and observation, an intimate knowledge of polite literature". Charles Ince moved to Claines, near Worcester, where he died in 1830. Their son Charles V. had moved before her death to Kingston, Jamaica. Without a doubt, Henry was present for his aunt's funeral, standing in the same churchyard he and Charlotte had passed through, making their way to St Mary's Church.

The home of Charles Ince and family (photo taken a good fifty years after they lived there),
and advertisements they posted in the Cambrian newspaper around the time of their move to Swansea.

        

Charlotte's stay in Swansea may have been the first time she had such days of leisure. It certainly would be a rarity in years to come. Her eyes could not help but wander in all directions: the broad pavement, the bright sky, and the walled shadow of Swansea Castle. An enticing array of shops lined the streets, and new buildings huddled alongside the old. There was much to explore, and she could not hide the bliss in her gait nor the incongruous lollops from one window to the next. Nor would she. I have a feeling Charlotte had a vast amount to say and bound her thoughts between layers of paper and ribbon, envious of embossed leather journals that captured her attention as much as silken hats with the tallest plumes. Women's dresses with billowing skirts and puffy, enormous sleeves made a fashion statement all their own, ruffling like bells in the wind. Charlotte stood confident, her dress not quite as exaggerated as the latest trends, but she felt pride arm in arm with Henry. A feeling she may not have known the same way before, for Henry showed enough courage to face the social risk of marrying her.

This brings me to ask, were Charlotte and Henry in love? Was their courtship a secret? Were there love notes or hidden reminders, and did Henry carry a lock of her hair? Was there time for any of these things? Was he there to comfort her after the loss of her newborn son two months ago? Moreover, did he have a crush on her before she even gave Henry Pyefinch the time of day? Undoubtedly, Henry stepped out of his way to be with Charlotte.

In a time when women were destined only for marriage and motherhood, there was little opportunity for a career or participation in anything, for that matter, without consent. Creative expression, especially among the working class, was forfeited, for as the saying states, women's work is never done. They were stifled. They were unaware and little educated in reading or writing. History was passed down by hearsay and blighted by opinions. Females of all ages were shielded by the assertion that they were the weaker sex. There was fear of the unknown and especially of fear itself. Most women did not have the luxury of multiple marriage options and were frequently pressured by family or guardians to wed the first suitor that looked their way. In some cases, when they were needed at home as a caregiver or left to suffer the consequences of a censured relationship, they were forbidden to marry at all. One could hold out in hopes of finding romantic love, yet one would still be left with the twisted task of showing indifference if such an opportunity did come. Modesty meant women were not to feel or show desire. While pining for their admirer in silence, the waiting game began until the man declared his love and asked for her hand in marriage.

I am not sure Charlotte was this kind of woman.   

Although the handsome Mackworth Arms was "the" place for food, drink, and rest and where most coaches arrived and departed, there were many fine lodging houses and inns in Swansea. Wherever Charlotte and Henry arranged to stay, there would be much to do in the area to fill their day. Pastimes and entertainment were easily found, including reading rooms, billiards, and an elegant theatre. During the time of their stay, Mr W. Steers Spence, a profilist, who "without pencil or machine", according to the Cambrian newspaper, made striking likenesses instantaneously with just a pair of scissors, all for the starting price of one shilling.

The Mackworth Arms, The Swansea Guide published 1823 (available through Google books and came in very handy for this chapter), 1820 and 1826 clippings from The Cambrian.

      

Along the coastline, pink and white flowers of sea bindweed trailed the way with waves of clattering herring gulls piloting overhead. Exceptional views lingered, and carriage rides were plentiful. Sailing ships from everywhere filled the harbour for Swansea had grown considerably, and in Wales, it was only second in population to Merthyr Tydfil. Although its shipbuilding industry had declined over the years, its zinc and copper manufacturing was strong and commerce booming. Still, it remained a well-loved seaside resort. There was the solitude of sand and sea as well as fanciful public pleasure grounds. A new seasonal service, advertised in Swansea's newspaper, made excursions by "car" twice daily from the driver's home on Wind Street to the nearby scenic headlands, the Mumbles, where the world's first horse-drawn passenger train service opened twenty years earlier.

Looking out on Mumbles lighthouse, 1805

Bathing "machines" dotted the shoreline. They were little wheeled house-like structures of wood or canvas that allowed privacy for changing in and out of bathing clothes hauled out into the shallow seawater by horsepower or sometimes even by human power. Their history goes back to the mid-1700s. It was not unusual for men to sea bathe and swim naked, but it was not that way for women. Although sea bathing was primarily segregated, from the perspective of modesty, bathing machines were most often used by women or, on occasion, by the elite or infirm. A strong person of the same gender, called a "dipper", would assist the bather in and out of the water. When they were ready to return, the bather went inside to change into street clothes while the dipper signalled the driver, who had hitched the horse to the other end of the bathing machine, to pull them back to shore.

A bathing machine, the bather, being led into the water by the "dippers."

My mind wanders to those I do not know in the story – unknown names and bonds of friendship, family members and even brief acquaintances who played a part in their lives. I attempt to creep back into that authorless place that so often surpasses genealogical research, drawing upon what I do know and reminding myself not to disregard the things I do not. For now, Charlotte and Henry are arm and arm in a crowd of people, passing the time, commenting, and locking glances. The sun drops over the Gower, turning clouds orange and lavender, sealing the day. Soon, the middle of July will come. They will walk to St Mary's Church together and begin the next chapter.