James Henry Clark was born on 23/1/1818, the second son of James and Mary Clark. At the age of 15, together with his elder brother George Alfred Clark, aged 24, he set out on foot for Usk on New Year’s Day 1834 to start as the first printers in Usk. They settled in a cottage close to the Castle ruins.
On 5th April 1835, George, who had been taken ill and had returned to Chepstow, died, but by this time the Clark business had been established in Usk, and was continued by James Henry. Later the business was transferred to more commodious premises at Buxton House, Old Market Street, Usk, near the former Town Hall.
The house is at present occupied by Mr Geoffrey Mein, a retired solicitor, antiquarian, and joint Honorary Secretary of the Usk Civic Society.
In 1851 Clark lived and had his printing office at Woodbank House in Bridge Street on the main road of Usk. It had been built in 1848 as the Monouthshire and Glamorgan Bank which failed in 1851, ruining many of its smaller shareholders. He lived there until his death. The building later became a branch of the National Westminster Bank.
In 1850 Cardiff was growing rapidly and J.H.Clark opened a branch of his business there in Saint Mary Street. In 1853 he wrote and published ‘Cardiff and its Neighbourhood’ being the first guide book to be published. After four years however he sold the business because of the inconvenience and expense of travel.
In 1855 Stamp Duty on newspapers and tax on advertisements were abolished. Following this, The Usk Observer was first issued on 7th July1855. In 1867 the paper’s name was changed to ’County Observer’. The paper was discontinued in 1907. John Henry Salter, the compositor and reporter joined the editorial staff of the Pontypool Free Press of Monmouthshire.
Clark’s life covered 95 years (1818-1913). He was one of the most remarkable men and certainly the most versatile, who ever lived in Usk. He was printer, stationer, publisher, newspaper founder, proprietor and editor, local historian, author, botanist, leader in local government, nine times Portreeve of the ancient Borough, first chairman of Usk Board of Health (formed in 1857), for 13 years chairman of Usk Local Government Board, for many years churchwarden, pioneer of Usk Farmers’Club and its secretary for fifty years, a pioneer of the GWR line from Little Mill to Usk (of which Mrs Clark cut the first sod at Rhadyr Farm on 11th April 1854).
He was also a pioneer of he Usk Gas Company and one of the original twelve directors (he survived all the other eleven). He was an initiator of the Usk Cattle Market movement (which took nearly forty years to come to fruition). He was the first Grand Master at the age of 19 of the Usk Lodge of Oddfellows, Organiser of a Volunteer Rifle Corps for Usk and Raglan, and Officer Commanding a Volunteer Cadet Corps at Usk, and was a Lieutenant in the Special Constabulary at the time of the Chartist Riots of 1839. On the 9th February 1857 he was appointed Postmaster of Usk.
On the 15th August 1836, his Aunt Amelia had married at Usk William Stephens, whose daughter, Jane, married a Mr.Hall and lived in Australia.
Marriage
On the 15th March 1838, J.H.Clark married Sophia Howell of Chepstow at St Woolos’ Church, Newport. They then drove to Cardiff, dined at the Angel Hotel, caught the mail coach to Swansea for a few day’s honeymoon at the Mackworth Hotel.
The Children of J. H. Clark
James Henry Clark and Sophia had seven children:
- William Henry was born at Usk on the 11th June 1839, but died single in London on the 4th June 1894.
- Emily Sophia was born on 13th February 1841 and married on the 5th June 1866 John Biggs a brewer of Cardiff.
- Julia Mary was born on 8th December 1842, but remained single until her death on the 27th February 1926. She had a disability but was acquainted with Lord Raglan, who presented her with an inscribed walking stick.
- Georgina Howell was born on 6th July 1845, married William Merrett who died in 1907 without children. He was the son of the Governor of Usk Prison. His widow presented a stained glass window in Usk Church in his memory.
- Edward Ledgingham, was born on the 17th June 1848, but died single at Usk in 1889.
- John Arthur was born on 3rd January 1850. He later moved to Cardiff, became a brewer, married, and had seven children.
- Eliza Blanche was born on 23rd May 1853.
In 1857, James Henry Clark had a portrait taken of his children, together with his wife and himself. The photos can be seen in the following gallery:
Later Life
In 1898 Mr & Mrs J.H. Clark celebrated their Diamond Wedding Anniversary with a reception at the Town Hall attended by 200 guests. The couple were presented with a dining room clock. Three years later Mrs Clark died, aged about 90.
One of the last public engagements of J.H.Clark, on 1st January 1908, was the unveiling of a monument outside the Town Hall for three men who had died in the Boer War. On his 95th birthday, 23rd January 1913, he fell in his bathroom, breaking a pane of glass in the window and cut his back badly. The wounds healed, but inflammation of the brain supervened, and on the 16th February he died. His funeral took place with full military honours attended by a band and a detachment of soldiers, prison warders and friends.
Publications
J.H.Clark’s main publication was the “County Observer, which he founded in 1855. On attaining the age of 74, he sold the property to a limited company in which he took a large number of shares, but he continued as managing director. In the summer of 1907, the weekly publication of the “Observer” was discontinued.
He wrote a number of guide books. The following is an advertisment in the ‘The Usk Observer’, 17th June 1865 which lists the guide books. Click on the image to see a larger version. Source: https://newspapers.library.wales/.
In 1908 he published his autobiography ‘Reminiscences of Monmouthshire‘:
 |
 |
 |
The book is in two parts: an ‘Autobiography’ followed by ‘Reminiscences’. The ‘Reminiscences’ cover a remarkably wide range of interests: in 197 pages, he referred to over 100 different topics, events or people. John Clark has created an index to the Autobiography and to the Reminiscences. In the book, he listed his publications as:-
- “Cardiff and its Neighbourhood,” including the founding of the Castle and its possessors; the magnificent ruins of Caerphilly Castle; and the Cathedral at Llandaff. Published in 1853. The book is available online at Google Books.
- “Usk and its Neighbourhood,” containing a description of the Castle, Priory, Church, Corporation, Charities, Fisheries, &c.
- “Chepstow and its Neighbourhood”.
- “Raglan and its Neighbourhood”, with historical notes on its Castle in Feudal times and its siege, with ground plans.
- “Windcliff, Tintern Abbey, and other objects of interest in the tour from Chepstow to Monmouth.”
- “Caerphilly Castle, Castle Coch, Crumlin Viaduct, &c”.
- “Monmouth and its Neighbourhood,” including an account of the Castles of of Grosmont, Whitecastle, and Skenfrith.
- “Abergavenny and its Neighbourhood”.
- “Handbook to South Wales”. Published in 1861. An historical tour from Gloucester to Milford by rail.
- “Sketches of Monmouthshire” from the invasion of Britain to the siege of Raglan Castle by Oliver Cromwell, including Nathan Rogers’ Memoirs of Monmouthshire. Published in 1868.
- “History of Monmouthshire”, containing notices of each Parish in the County, with pedigrees of the county families.
- “The Castles and Abbeys of Monmouthshire”.
- “The Usk Gleaner”, and Monmouthshire Records, 1878. A local register of events. The issues from 1875 to 1878 are online:
https://journals.library.wales/browse/2985583/. - “Tour from Ross to Monmouth and Chepstow by water and rail”. Illustrated.
- “Tour from Ross to Ilfracombe by rail”.
- “Trip from Bristol to Penzance”.
- “Usk, Past and Present”. Published in 1891.This book is online at https://archive.org/details/uskpastpresentan00clar/mode/2up.
- “The Cottagers’ Kitchen, Fruit and Flower Garden” with illustrations of grafting and budding.
- “The songs of the Seasons and Wild Flowers of the Months”, with coloured illustrations.
- “Handbook to the Flower Garden”.
- “The Flora of Monmouthshire”.
- “The Life and Exploits of the renowned King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table”; a legendary romance.
Portrait of J H Clark
The portrait of J H Clark was presented to Usk Council on the 24th January 2011. It was restored and then hung in the Court Room in the Sessions House. The following photos show the presentation of the portrait:
