Place:St. Woollos, Monmouthshire, Wales

source: Family History Library Catalog

source: Family History Library Catalog

The name "Woolos" or "Woolloos" is an English corruption of Gwynllyw, the 5th-century Welsh saint. (Source: Wikipedia article on Newport Cathedral)

A Vision of Britain through Time provides two descriptions of St. Woollos. First, from John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles of 1887:

"St Woollos, township, Newport St Woollos par., Monmouthshire, mostly in bor. of Newport, pop. 23,509."

and second, under a different name, from from John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales of 1870-72:

"PILL-GWENLLY, a chapelry in St. Woollos parish Monmouth; on the river Usk, immediately below Newport. It contains the Newport docks, and part of Newport town; and has a post-office under Newport, Monmouth[shire]. Population: about 7,000. The living is a [perpetual] curacy in the diocese of Llandaff. Value: £300. Patron: the Bishop of Llandaff. See Newport."

Pillgwenlly is described in Wikipedia:

Pillgwenlly (Welsh: Pillgwenlli) is an electoral district (ward) and coterminous community parish in the city of Newport, South Wales. The area is governed by the Newport City Council and had a population of 7,318 in the UK census of 2011.

Its name may come from 'Pwll', the Welsh language word for a water inlet, harbour or pool, and 'Gwenlly', a corruption of the name of Saint Gwynllyw, the name meaning "Gwynllyw's harbour". Supposedly it derives from the period when Gwynllyw was a pirate and he based his ships in this area.

The ward is bounded by the River Usk to the east and southeast, the Ebbw River to the southwest, the Great Western Main Line (railway) to the west and Cardiff Road to the north.

It is an inner-city district to the south of the city centre and the built-up area is commonly shortened to "Pill". It contains the Newport Docks and the western ends of the Newport Transporter Bridge, City Bridge and George Street Bridge.

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