| Abandoned wives | ||
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Again and again in the records of
the Rhayader Union there are instances
of wives appealing for assistance after they have been abandoned by their
husbands. |
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reads:- "Elizabeth Francis of Nantmel Parish having applied for 2/- [10p] as a loan as a consequence of her husband having deserted her. Ordered that the money be advanced to her..." Mrs Francis needed every penny she could get for her young family. If her husband had left she had no income and, with young children to look after, would not have been able to work. |
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Not all of these wives were alone because their husbands had abandoned them. Lack of jobs locally led many fathers to seek work in the factories and mines of South Wales. If they could not find a job quickly their money could easily run out and they would be stranded, leaving their families in distress.
Mary Williams of St Harmon needed help when her husband went off to try
to find work in Merthyr Tudfil. She was loaned eight
shillings [40p] by the Rhayader Union ! Back to Rhayader Care of the poor menu
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