Death on the Canal - 1894, John Garraway

I did the basic research for this blog series a couple of years ago. Then, as usual, flitted along to the next thing that caught my interest. Now I'm trying to flesh the cases out and present to you my justification for not being a fan of walking along the canal on dark and lonely nights...

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The Cardiff Times of May 26th 1894 reprinted a piece from the South Wales Daily News (22/05/1894) reporting on the death of John Garroway:

"PONTYPOOL DROWNING CASE. Mr M. Roberts Jones, coroner, held an inquiry at the police-station, Griffithstown, on Monday afternoon, as to the death of John Garroway, railway brakesman, aged 25, who was found drowned under circumstances already reported. It was conjectured that the body had been dragged along by a passing barge. After deliberating the jury returned a verdict of "Found drowned."

Although this was the first article I found on this case, it was actually the tragic end to a story that had begun earlier in the month. John hailed from Ystrad Mynach, born in 1868 to Gloucestershire natives Richard and Harriet Garraway. On the 1871 census John was the youngest of six children living at home at Ystrad Cottage. By the time of the 1881 census John had another four younger siblings. Following his father's death in 1886 John moved to the Pontypool area to look for work. The 1891 census recorded him as a lodger with Mr and Mrs William Narth in Bridge Street, Panteg.

By 1894 John was working as a brakesman for the Great Western Railway, and was just about to be promoted to guard. On the evening of Saturday May 12th he told the people he was lodging with that he was going out for a walk - and then failed to return. On May 19th numerous local papers reported him as missing - e.g. Western Mail, South Wales Echo - following inquiries made by his brother who was working as a ticket collector at Llanishen station. The South Wales Daily News reported:


On May 21st the Western Mail reported that John's body had been found. "A DROWNING CASE AT PONTYPOOL. A MYSTERY CLEARED UP. The body of John Garraway, aged 28 years, a brakesman on the Great Western Railway at Pontypool Road, who had been missing since the 12th inst., was found in the canal, in the parish of Llanfihangel Pontymoile, on Saturday morning at 8.30 by David Williams, a canal employee. Deceased was standing upright in the water. A watch and chain and 16s. 1d. were found in his possession. Deceased was a single man, of excellent character, and was the main support of a widowed mother, who resides at Ystrad Mynach. He was to have been promoted to the position of guard this week. He was last seen alive on Saturday night, and was then quite sober. The circumstances of the sad affair are shrouded in mystery."


The Western Mail of May 23rd reported that John's funeral had been held at Holy Trinity Church in Ystrad Mynach on Tuesday 22nd May. John's mother Harriet remained postmistress at Ystrad Mynach for many years - by the time of the 1911 census his sister Harriet was also serving as assisstant postmistress.