Volume Eight - Pre-Victorian to the present day - more aspects - Chains at Penarth Dock - Macey, Mules and Wallace Family History . . .

Ten years later, in 1881, Daniel had got on in life. He was still at 42 John Street, with Rebecca and 6 children, but he was now a ship’s broker. Living with them was a new servant, Rhoda Hawker. Daniel’s wife was now working as a coal merchant’s clerk.

Also in 1871, Edward Mules and his young wife, Mary Louise Mules had moved to John Street. Edward was recorded as a coal tipper in the docks. By 1880, Edward and Mary were running the ‘Clive Arms’, a Public House, in the front room. The Clive Arms is still there. In 1884, they were referred to as running the ‘Clare Hotel’, Penarth as well.

2c) William Alfred Mules

My mother’s maternal grandparents were William Alfred Mules and Louisa Jane Mead. William was born in 9 John Street, Penarth in 1871.

He once said that in his younger years while at sea he ‘walked on the back of a whale’. In 1894, aged 23, William had left home and was living in Hills Terrace, Cardiff (where the St David’s Centre is now). He was working as a coal tipper in Cardiff Dock. In the summer of 1894, he met Edith Marion Humphrey. They got married, moved back to William’s home town and set up home in 8 Maughan Terrace, across the road from his father.

Marion died in childbirth in 1895. The following year, William met Louisa Jane Mead. They married at Cardiff Registry Office in 1896. William’s nickname was ‘Buzz’ or ‘Buzzer’. This was because he once owned a Busby hat. This nickname was to continue in the family for over 100 years, with his son, Walter Raymond taking it over in 1944, and his grandson, Raymond Macey taking it over in 1973.

Around 1909, William and Louisa decided to move around the corner to 54 Maughan Street (now Queens Road). When first built around 1890, it had been used as a ‘boarding house’, run by Mrs Nairn, who took in sailors looking for digs. William was now described as a ‘weigher’. This refers to the job of weighing the trucks of coal when full and when empty.