Born Amelia Evans in 1848 in St David's, she married Henry Newton, a man ten years her senior, in July 1881, in Cardiff, at the age of 34. Henry was born in Fitzhead in Somerset and, as his father George died when he was still young, he began life as a labourer on the family farm. At some stage he moved to Cardiff and became a publican. A son, George Henry was born in 1886 but he died the following year when just six months old, and there were to be no more children. At that point, the Newtons lived in Tyndall Street, in Cardiff, though they later moved to 6 Harriett Street. It seems a larger house that its neighbours in the street but the 1891 census shows that they shared the house with another couple. So what is Amelia's claim to fame? Well her leg was buried in Cathays Cemetery on 26 April 1915 (T1461 - unmarked grave). We don't know how Amelia lost her leg, but she was in her late sixties by then so perhaps it was through illness rather than accident. Her husband Henry died the following year so life probably became something of a struggle for her, coping alone and without a limb. It seems she had no family and few friends to care for her as, when she died in July 1923, she bequeathed her personal effects of £122 7s 8d to Edwin Godfrey Jones, the postman. Amelia is buried here with her husband Henry and both her tiny son George and a niece, Annie A Jones, are also commemorated on the headstone. This is the Anglican part of the Cemetery, but her leg is in the Nonconformist area!
Research: Gordon Hindess