Mapsland
Mapsland was built c.1840 by Richard Morris. He and his brother William built and farmed Parsons Lodge just outside of Laugharne
but William subsequently became bankrupt. The name of the house comes from the field it was built on. Richard also got into financial difficulties and
surprisingly left the property to the local vicar, possibly out of pique and some ill-feeling towards his wife.
The vicar wanted nothing to do with it, the will was contested, and the property ended up being sold by the Courts Chancery to John Richards,
a silk merchant from Liverpool who was born in Laugharne. Richards' Aunt Jane lived in Delacorse farm.
John Richards was a wealthy man and ended up buying most of the surrounding land and properties including the Glen (below Mapsland) and much of Church St.
He had a disabled daughter who was in the care of her sister and after the parents' days Mapsland was rented to the Cunninghams, a retired vicar
whose daughter Miss Cunningham took Sunday School classes, and is remembered by those of a certain age. Later it was bought for Levi Davies (1890-1946)
by his father, as a home with a small farm.
Levi was a marine engineer who joined the Merchant Navy in 1914 and would spend long periods away from home on ship.
On one voyage he became marooned in Australia because of a strike in Sidney Harbour. Needing to survive he ended up working on
Sydney Harbour Bridge, and for decades to come every time the bridge appeared on TV the family would say, 'Dad (or grandad) built that bridge!'
When he eventually came home Margaret (his daughter and in later life owner of Gwalia Stores) remembered feeling very upset by this strange man who pushed her out
of the bed she shared with her mother. Margaret and her brothers inscribed their names on the lead in the roof, which was only recently discovered.
The pic is of Levi and Sarah Jane Davies on their wedding day. He was from Rogerswell, Llansadurnen and Sarah was one of four Evans daughters from Hurst House. His service book in 1917 mentioned that his ship 'The Iolo' carrying coal to Northern Italy was lost to a submarine off the coast of southern Ireland. The Captain, Chief Engineer and Gunner were taken prisoner but the rest of the crew were allowed ashore where the locals fed and clothed them before they headed back to Liverpool.
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