THE
EROSION OF THE HISTORY OF THE MORGANS OF TREDEGAR HOUSE, NEWPORT
From William Cross, FSA Scot
Author of seven books on
the Morgans of Tredegar Park
[This is the introduction
to the book “Sketches of Evan, Viscount Tredegar, ‘Lord of the Lies’ ”published
4 December 2017 ]
For more information and
a copy of the book contact William Cross by e-mail
In common with many other
Newport citizens I have an
affection for Tredegar House and an interest in the history of the Morgan family.
As a researcher, historian, lecturer and author/ co-author
of seven books[1]
featuring the Morgans of Tredegar House, my work on that family is in
the public domain. Its shelf life and substance is ongoing until others
revisit, replace or overtake it
with further texts and analysis that
trace and use new
material and track sources. My ten and more years of Morgan family research can be judged by readers
as to whether it adds value or not and achieves the
intention, that is, to provide a better understanding and
appreciation of the
people within the Morgan dynasty.
The existence of these
seven books is to enhance knowledge about the Morgans using authorities from checkable sources. No one
else has produced a book
dedicated to the Morgans in the last 20 years with the exception of the
handbooks by David Freeman and Emily Price, former Curators of Tredegar House.
The story of Tredegar House and the Morgan-Gould family[2]
is also about Newport history at the
same time as being
importantly set in the wider context of
the hundreds of years of Welsh,
Scottish and English history and events that have shaped our country’s past.
The National Trust became
leaseholder of Tredegar House and adjoining
parkland in 2012.
The National Trust at
local and other levels is
charged as the custodian until 2062
with maintaining the Tregegar House property, its grounds and parkland,
preserving and extending the House collections and accurately relating
the history of the Morgans
to the public especially to visitors going
to Tredegar House.
The fulfillment of these
tasks, success or failure
should be transparent
so that Newportonians are able
to appraise the state of their asset and investment.
There is a constant
cycle as the seasons change
within the House and in the
grounds each aspect requiring a varying
focus of attention and output.
Past years under the auspices of Newport
Newportonians have a right
to consider whether the National
Trust is
money’s worth. Newportonians should be
clear about the Trust’s
activities, of whether they
add value and /or
deserve praise or criticism by
their actions, policies, decisions and the extent of reaching out
and demonstrating a
suitable, worthy, relationship with
Newport citizens, who ultimately
own Tredegar House, not the National Trust.
The price paid by Newportonians to the National Trust thus
far is considerable. Under the
terms of the 2012 lease and transfer over £9.5 million pounds has already been paid to the Trust by Newport City 1 April 2062 . [3] This
is not common knowledge.
It is
fitting for the National Trust
to promote Tredegar House by facilitating its appearance on several popular television shows, a model began
by Newport Council in the past [4] and
of staging several inspiring
exhibitions including “The Treasures of Tredegar” that showed off
the priceless ‘Tredegar Salt’[5] and
featuring the amazing 18th century miniature cabinet, commissioned
by William Morgan[6]
that I was pleased to draw Emily Price’s attention to, when Bonhams of London first contacted me about it’s sale.
Equally praiseworthy is
the staging of the
recent “Roof Tours”, “Cellar Tours”
and the
ongoing support for
children’s activities, pirate day and
school tours. Folk, dance,
musical shows and Christmas events are always popular provisions too.
2017 has seen Newport
Some conservation seems
ill-judged – expense having been spent on restoring an animal skin that has no
Morgan history attached to it! [8] At
the same time the National Trust
has overlooked many items
relating to the Morgans that went up for sale in the public domain and are now
lost to Newport
One of these items is a
unique piece of Morgan silver, a hunting
flask, a gift from Godfrey Morgan[9], to
his older brother Charles Rodney Morgan [10] in
1849 ( then heir to Tredegar House). This gift was made on the occasion of
Charles’ ‘coming of age’. Nor did the
House show any interest in the re-discovery of a 1936 Rolls Royce first owned by Evan Morgan that
received extensive media and local attention. [11]
The ‘Friends of Tredegar
House’ (FOTH) have been steadfast since
2012 in maintaining
coverage in their regular Newsletters and web site about significant past and recent Morgan personalities and Tredegar House
history, including past Tredegar Estate
staff. FOTH do loyal
work as volunteers in the House
and grounds, they also maintain such important projects as the Servants Index, and in 2014 held a
Balaclava dinner, celebrating Godfrey Morgan ( 2nd Lord
Tredegar) and his great battle honour of
the Crimean war in 1854, but whose death
centenary in 2013 was not
commemorated in any event by the
National Trust at Tredegar House.
The ‘Friends’ are
proactive too with regular new Morgan disclosures on a lively web site[12],
including playing host in 2017 to a kinsman[13] of Charles Rodney Morgan’s French Catholic
‘wife’. [14] The ‘Friends of Tredegar House’ also deserve
thanks for promoting the only books on the Morgans. They also gave attention to
the remarkable stories about the discovery of Morgan silver flask from 1849 and
revealed the extraordinary story and fate of Evan Morgan’s 1936 Rolls Royce.[15]
Evan Morgan’s
homosexuality has never been an easy subject to deal with on account of past
laws. 2017 was an important year for
LGBT[16]
history, with the 50th anniversary of the passing of the Sexual
Offences Act 1967 that saw some homosexuality legalized just short of twenty
years after Evan’s death. In a year when the National Trust lost members
nationally as a result of its draconian
application of diversity [17] /
LGBT issues, one visitor to Tredegar House House in September 2017 recorded on social media “Volunteers at
Tredegar House really don't know how to talk to visitors it seems about Evan
Morgan's sexuality. Every allusion I have heard today has been accompanied by a
kind of embarrassed giggle... surely we can get past the 'oooh matron'
approach!” The writer thought it “a training issue”. The National Trust
responded with “ Thank you for your
feedback, we will pass this on to the local
team.”
‘Cardiff
Looking back on 2017 it
is a pity that several milestones that
were reached concerning the Morgans and related families were not marked at
Tredegar House.
Overlooking landmarks
of the Morgan family erodes
Morgan history. As with the roof
renewal and conservation projects Morgan milestones should be identified, and
kept in focus by reflecting them in House activities or explaining their
absence against higher priorities.
Among the unsung landmarks
of 2017 was the 150th
anniversary of the birth in 1867 of Courtenay Morgan and Lady Katharine
Carnegie the 3rd Lord and Lady Trademark, and the 80th
anniversary of the death of Lois Strut,
Evan Morgan’s first wife, in 1937.
Another oversight highlighted in the public domain locally in
Newport in 2017, has been
the non-appearance by the National Trust at Trademark House of any commemoration for the
Morgan family’s contribution and
their sacrifices in the Great War or
mention of the brave men and
women who as Trademark Estate workers went to war, or maintained the House and
lands at that time.
Courtenay Morgan made a
huge effort in the Great War providing his steam yacht ‘Liberty Wales
The five
deceased great grandsons of
the first Lord and Lady Tredegar gave their lives. At a time when the rest of Britain
Jim Dyer, a local Newport South Wales Argus’ in 2017 [23]
pointing out the facts about the five dead Morgan relations and suggesting a
tribute with a memorial plaque. This
proposal was not acknowledged by anyone in the National Trust at Tredegar
House. On 11 November 2017 when the whole country observed two
minutes silence for the dead from the Great War Tredegar House was dark and
closed.
Administrative bungling
in 2016-7 resulted in the disappearance from the gift
shop at Tredegar House of the popular books written about the Morgans in recent
years. [24]
This gap invariably limits visitor experience for those going to the House who
want to learn more about the Morgan family.
In 2018 I will
substantially increase the public coverage
about the existence of the various Morgan books in press releases, web
sites, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Abe Books, eBay and Alibris. I intend to continue to produce further
works to maintain
the most accurate history
and veracity of
information about the
Morgan dynasty and challenge
instances of sloppy, poor or just bad history relating to the family.
William Cross, FSA Scot, Newport 4 December 2017
[ with slight
amendments made for internet publication in 2018]
[1] Cross,
William. A Beautiful Nuisance : The Life and Death of the Hon.
Gwyneth Ericka Morgan by Monty Dart and William Cross. Book Midden Publishing
ISBN 9781905914104 2012.
Cross,
William. Aspects of Evan : The Last Viscount Tredegar by Monty
Dart and William Cross. Book Midden Publishing ISBN 9781905914159 2012
Cross,
William. Not Behind Lace Curtains: The Hidden World Of Evan, Viscount
Tredegar. Book Midden Publishing ISBN9781905914210: 2013
Cross,
William. Evan Frederic Morgan, Viscount Tredegar : The Final Affairs,
Financial and Carnal . Book Midden Publishing ISBN
9781905914241: 2014.
Cross,
William. Lois Sturt, Wild Child. A Glance at Hon. Lois Ina Sturt,
Viscountess Tredegar Book Midden Publishing ISBN 978190514319:
2014.
Cross,
William. and Morgan, Hon. Evan Frederic. Evan, Lord Tredegar, Selected
Letters, Prose and Quotations. The Mystic Muse of Evan Frederic
Morgan. Book Midden Publishing ISBN 9781905914333 :
2015.
Cross,
William. Evan, Lord Tredegar, Final Affairs The Aftermath: The Welsh Poet & Pleasure Seeker. Book Midden Publishing ISBN 9781905914326 :
2016.
[2] By 1792 the
Morgan male blood line had failed. A female descendant of Thomas Morgan
(1702-1769) named Jane Morgan was married to Sir Charles Gould,
(1726-1806), George III’s Judge Advocate
General was knighted in 1779. Gould changed his name to Morgan in 1792
and received a baronetcy. This
change continued the Morgan male line until 1962.
[3]
Newport
“The
payments under the terms of the lease between Newport City
1.
£7,600,000 – on the date of transfer (19 March 2012 )
2.
£308, 850 – on 1
April 2013
3.
£407,200 – on 1
April 2014
4.
£1,256,650 – on 1 April
2017
5.
£2,004,750 – on 1
April 2022
6.
£431,900 – on 1
April 2037
7.
£40,000 – on 1
April 2062
These
payments go towards a Repairs and Capital Investment Fund for the maintenance
and improvement of the premises. There is a commitment for National Trust
to use £4 million of this fund to complete the agreed backlog of repairs.
In
addition to the capital monies for this repairs fund, the Transfer Agreement
also provide for a revenue subsidy of £150,000 per annum for the first 25 years
of the Lease, towards the management costs incurred by National Trust.
However, this would cease to be payable if/when annual visitor numbers increase
above 120,000.”
[4] Under Council
administration Tredegar House appeared on several TV and radio shows, ‘The
Hairy Bikers’, BBC Wales’ ‘Past Master’ and Dr Who and Torchwood were also filmed there.
[5] ‘The Tredegar Salt’ is an
Elizabeth I bell-shaped salt, parcel gilt from 1598, once in the Morgan silver
collection and bears the Morgan coat of arms. It was sold off by the Morgans,
but was purchased by Newport
[6] The cabinet is believed to have been created in
1720 during the reign of George I and specially commissioned for Sir William
Morgan, owner of Tredegar House. Made of walnut and inlaid with boxwood and
ebonised lines, it is particularly rare because of its size - effectively a
scaled down adult's bureau - and may have been made for Sir William's son. Bonhams of London
[7] See also South Wales Argus 23
November 2017 . This article refers to
the completion of the work on the roof by Christmas 2017. It also indicates that the work has been
achieved with support of £15,000 from
public donations including a clever
promotion in 2017 of a “Sign a Slate”
campaign and sales from the on site bookshop. There was also a grant of
£150,000 from the Wolfson Foundation. It is extraordinary that no mention was
made of the millions of pounds paid by Newport City Council to the National
Trust since 2012 or accountability for “a commitment for
[the] National Trust to use £4 million of
money paid by Newport Council ( namely out of over £9million pounds paid since April 2012),
to complete the agreed backlog of repairs.”
[8] See letter in the South Wales Argus 10 July
2017 .
[9] Godfrey
Charles Morgan (1831-1913) 2nd son of 1st Lord and Lady
Tredegar. Nicknamed ‘Godfrey the
Good”. Soldier and MP. Unmarried. Became
2nd Lord Tredegar in 1875.
[10] Charles
Rodney Morgan ( 1828-1854) eldest son of 1st Lord and Lady
Tredegar. Soldier and MP. Died in Marseilles Newport South Wales : Busting the History Fraudsters”
in 2018.
[11] See Wales 6 February 2017 . An article by
Huw Silk.
and Friends of
Tredegar House http://www.friends-of-tredegar-house.co.uk/the-morgan-family/evan-morgans-rolls-royce-found-in-usa/
[12] See Friends website http://www.friends-of-tredegar-house.co.uk/
[13] This is Count Guillaume Hezez-Darlan De Bauyn who visited Tredegar house in April 2017 as a
guest of the Friends of Tredegar House.
[14] Charles
Rodney Morgan is linked on French
genealogy web pages to Emilie Renaud, ( 1827-1899) who
may have had a son Charles Morgan, born 1851. NO RECORD has
been traced of a marriage between
Charles Rodney Morgan and anyone in the English Register of Marriages in
the relevant period before 1851. That would give legitimacy to the
Charles Morgan born 1851 and a
granddaughter named Bertha Morgan (
1891-). French documents may exist to show the blood link. At the time of
Godfrey’s succession in 1875 there were rumours of a challenge to him but these
claims vanished. https://gw.geneanet.org/pierfit?lang=fr&n=darlan&p=alain
[15] See Friends of Tredegar
House website.
[16] Lesbian Gay Bisexual &
Transexual community.
[17] See the article by Max
Hastings in the Daily Mail of 14
September 2017 .
[18] The artist Donald Friend
says Evan had an obsession for seducing the native boys of Bali and North Africa . Evan’s wealth, position and high placed
establishment protection combined to make
it easy for him to pick up 'rough
trade' on streets and cafes and
lure his victims into drugs, sexual shenanigans,
black mass rituals and flagellation. Surveillance reports from
MI5 on Evan Morgan confirm
Friend’s testimony.
[19] Lieutenant Charles Morgan Hoare (1893-1914)
15th ( The Kings ) Hussars ( killed in action 24 August 1914 ) and Lieutenant Frederic Charles
Mundy, ( 1895- 1917) MC,
RNVR ( killed in action 26 October
1917 )
[20] Captain George Walter Thomas Lindsay
(1891-1917 ) CB Royal Engineers ( killed
in a flying accident 26 June 1917 )
Lieutenant Archibald Thurston Thomas Lindsay ( 1897- 1918) Royal Engineers ( killed in action 26
March 1918 )
Major
Claud Frederick Thomas Lindsay
(1892-1918) Royal Field Artillery
1918 ( killed in action 31 March 1918 )
[21] Henry Edzell Morgan Lindsay ( 1857-1935). Son of Henry Gore Lindsay and Hon. Ellen
Sarah Morgan ( daughter of 1st Lord and Lady Tredegar). Many will recall the
experiences of the family of Colonel Morgan Lindsay – a grandson of the
1st Lord and Lady Tredegar from one of the most prominent sporting
country gentlemen families in South Wales and Ireland
[22] Tredegar Hunt was
maintained over many centuries and paid for by the Morgans. Taxation and other
costs led to the Hunt being transferred to others to continue. A Tredegar
Farmers Hunt still takes place in Bassaleg.
[23] See Letters in South Wales Argus 28 August 2017 .
[24] During 2016-7
the books on the Morgans by William Cross and Monty Dart
were removed from sale from the Tredegar House gift shop by the National
Trust. During the course of a
complaint about this a small reorder was
placed. It was not considered
appropriate to action this during a complaint and the order lapsed. Matters led to an apology from a
senior member of the National Trust staff at Swindon .
Contact the Author for copies of the Morgan books or check Amazon or ebay.
A proof copy of " Sketches of Evan, Viscount Tredegar 'Lord of the Lies' " is now available from the Author William Cross at £5.00 ( p &p UK only inc) , whilst stocks last.
e-mail
williecross@aol.com
Contact the Author for copies of the Morgan books or check Amazon or ebay.
A proof copy of " Sketches of Evan, Viscount Tredegar 'Lord of the Lies' " is now available from the Author William Cross at £5.00 ( p &p UK only inc) , whilst stocks last.
williecross@aol.com
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