Volume Nine - Pre-Victorian to the present day - even more aspects - Radyr Stone  . . .

From the ages and places of birth of the children it seems that the family moved to Radyr no earlier than 1859, i.e. around the time that the quarry was opened up. So initially William was working for Smith and Knight and later for PHDRC. However, in 1866, after completion of Penarth Dock, Mr Dobson let the quarry and the use of the equipment belonging to the contractor to William, though the use of Smith and Knight's equipment seems to have been in contention as PHDRC was in a legal battle with Smith and Knight.

Advertisements for Radyr Quarries appeared within local newspapers in the period 1868 - 1878.

In the 1871 census William is described as a quarry master, whilst in the 1881 census, when his address was 'Radyr Quarry House', Llandaff, he was described as a stone merchant. His son John, aged twenty-two, who was living with his parents, though he was already married with one child of his own, was also stated to be a stone merchant. Radyr Quarry House was more usually known as Riversdale House, which still exists and is partly constructed of Radyr stone.

In 1877 Riversdale House was flooded, apparently not for the first time and in 1879 a very severe flood forced the family to evacuate the house and remove their horses from the stables. In the 1891 census, described as a retired contractor, William was living with his wife Sarah at the home of his son John, his wife Eliza and their six children in Plassey Street, Cogan, John now being the manager of Penarth Brickworks. William Smith died on 16 January 1893 aged sixty-five at John's house and was buried on 21 January 1894 in the churchyard of St. John's, Radyr. At the head of his grave is a lofty Celtic cross standing on a truncated pyramidal base, surrounded by kerbstones, all of Radyr stone.

Work to extend Penarth Dock commenced in September 1881 and was completed in 1884, the dock wall being built in Radyr stone.