Major General Edward Edwards : Aberdare,s Link with the Alamo !

[PHIL YNYSBOETH]

I seen a piece in the local rag about St Johns Church Aberdare
and Maj Gen Edward so i did a quick google search and this is what ive found

St John's the Baptist church was built in the late 12th century and is of Norman design. The Rev John Wesley, the great Methodist preacher preached twice in the church in 1749.

In the church graveyard is the of the Wayne family who owned the Gadlys Iron works and coal pit. An ancestor of the Wayne family was General “Mad Anthony”, so called for his daring acts of courage; he fought on the side of George Washington in the American War of Independence in 1776.
There are gated inside the church which were made in Abernant Foundry in the 19th Century. The inlays of the gates are shaped in the number three, which stand for the Holy Trinity the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. There is a plaque inside the church to Major General Edward Edwards of the Honourable East India Company, who fought and died in the battle of the Alamo.

We are not sure what side he was on the East India Company supplied General De Santa Anna with materials.

On the inside church wall to the left of the church door is a tablet to David William Watkins. Over the years folklore has grown up regarding this unusual burial. It is said that he was buried in the wall of the church so he could look down on his servant who is buried in the floor beneath him. The reason was that his servant was much taller than himself.

[bymatt666 (byron)]

good history there phil.....apparently david william watkins was buried "standing up" in the wall so's he could look down on his extremely tall servant,"shoni mawr", who is buried in the floor below him.....byron