Review of " Myths About The Morgans" by William Cross, FSA Scot

MYTHS ABOUT THE MORGANS OF TREDEGAR HOUSE

BUSTING THE HISTORY FRAUDSTERS

A REVIEW BY MICHAEL KEYTON

Zombie Barnacles

We live in an era of fake news, though it may be more accurately termed ‘Pick-and-Mix’ news. Facts are omitted, others given undue prominence, but all interpreted and glossed to appeal to our separate and vociferous tribes.

In this beautifully produced book, William Cross does a scholarly hatchet job on the National Trust, the present guardians of Tredegar House. He is concerned with facts and demolishing the myths that have encrusted themselves around the now defunct Morgan dynasty like barnacles—Zombie barnacles—for they have an unholy life of their own. It’s part and parcel of human nature, I suppose, for it is also fake news that truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction often trumps truth. 

We love a good story, and sometimes truth just gets in the way. In this respect, Will Cross has done an heroic job. Time will see if the zombie barnacles are truly dead.

For the curious, these are just some of the myths explored and demolished.

The Morgans were descended from Welsh princes

Tredegar House has 365 windows, one for every day of the year. (It has seventy-three)

Henry Morgan the pirate was an ancestor of the Morgans of Tredegar House.

In 1758, Charles Gould married Jane Morgan for love.  Few married for love in that day and age. We have a contemporary account of the union:

“I have,” answered he (Mr Thomas Morgan of Ruperra) “two girls. One is handsome; the other, not so well endowed by nature. In order to repair that deficiency, I mean to give her fifteen hundred pounds as a marriage portion. To her sister I shall only give one thousands. Which of them would you wish to have?”

Gould replied: “Allow me to enquire, which is the eldest?”

“The plain girl,” Morgan replied.

“Then if you please, sir, I’ll have her.”

Both sides were satisfied, especially when Charles changed his name from Gould to Morgan in order to preserve the family line.

A tale that is not a myth but an interesting story nevertheless concerns the two sons of Charles and Jane—John Morgan and Charles Morgan. Both fought in the American revolutionary wars, John killed in action at sea, and Charles captured by the Americans at York Town. Before the surrender, an American soldier, Captain Huddy was captured and executed without trial. Hardly surprising. As Captain in the Monmouth militia he murdered those who remained loyal to the Crown. Even so, it was a bad call by a Captain Lippincott.  It is, though, worth bearing in mind that Huddy had murdered several of Lippincott's relatives.

In consequence George Washington ordered thirteen British officers to draw lots for who would be executed in retaliation for Captain Huddy’s death. They were each handed a folded paper—twelve blank and one with one just one word, Unfortunate.Charles Morgan was fortunate. Captain Asgill of the Coldstream Guards less so, opening up his death sentence. All ended well however when he was reprieved after an intervention by the Queen of France. A different age.

But back to the myths:

Sir Briggs was buried standing up. To explain, Sir Briggs was a Morgan horse that survived the Crimean war and the Charge of the Light Brigade. Named after a servant of that name ‘Briggs’ the horse was unofficially knighted and was buried standing up. There is no evidence at all for those last two claims. 

A golden gondola on Tredegar Park lake

Evan Morgan’s parrot bit Herman Goering’s nose.

After Evan’s death, a  black box of secrets was buried in the grounds of Tredegar House

The myths are first class and you want them to be true, but all are beautifully debunked in this readable and lavishly produced book.

Myths About the Morgans of Tredegar House, Newport, South Wales: Busting the History Fraudsters Paperback – 30 Apr 2018  

ISBN 9781905914425

NEW BOOK ON TREDEGAR HOUSE, NEWPORT

NEW BOOK ON TREDEGAR HOUSE

“MYTHS ABOUT THE MORGANS OF TREDEGAR HOUSE

BUSTING THE HISTORY FRAUDSTERS”

FROM  NEWPORT HISTORIAN :  WILLIAM CROSS

·        A  controversial new book about The Morgans of Tredegar House was  published in  2018.

·        The book is compiled by  Newport writer  and historian William Cross, FSA Scot, author of seven other books featuring members of the Morgan family.

·        The Fake News and Horrible History about the Morgans :

     The book has been written because of  :

•      Concern  over   fake  news,  myths,  and  bad history and coverage in articles and newspapers  about  the Morgans  in  the  public  domain.

·      Highlights of the Book:

Among the myths about the Morgans of Tredegar House is that they are descended from the Welsh Princes. Some also claim they have a family link to the notorious Captain Henry Morgan, the blood thirsty pirate of the Caribbean. Whilst at least one Lord Tredegar is dubbed ‘Cardinal Morgan’, the Pope’s right hand man in Wales’. Such myths are often romantic notions substituted for fact.  Others are inventions. So what is the truth?

Essential reading for those interested in Newport’s most famous family and their history  and offers  sourced material relating to the Morgans of Tredegar House.

William Cross adds: “In recent years standards of integrity have fallen.  For instance Tredegar House’s website and job advertisements  have carried unworthy aspersions upon one Lady Tredegar’s hobby of making bird’s nests, and pitched  inaccurate  claims  of Godfrey Morgan’s famous war horse “Sir Briggs” being knighted and buried standing upright. Even in recent weeks Tredegar House has been described as the ancestral home of the pirate Captain Henry Morgan of  rum fame.”

There are plenty of wonderful, established and true stories about the Morgans and their collaterals without adorning the tales told to the visitors to Tredegar House  with myths, inaccuracies and fake stories.

Cross adds “ The book is 160 pages long, over 70,000 words with over 400 End Notes and contains  over  100 images, with several unique   pictures of  members of the Morgan family that have never been seen before”.

* Further Enquiries about the book etc please contact

William Cross

58 Sutton Newport, Newport, NP 19 7JF

Telephone: 01633 779731

FOR EDITORS

“Myths About The Morgans of Tredegar House, Newport. Busting the History Fraudsters” by William Cross. Book Midden Publishing  ( 2018) ISBN 13 9781905914425 : Published 30 April 2018: Released 17 June 2018.

Lady Katharine Carnegie, Viscountess Tredegar appears on the front cover,  as painted by the Welsh artist Augustus John, with permission to use from David Carnegie, His Grace, the Duke of Fife, who owns the portrait.

Copies of the book  can be obtained direct from the Author at £12.00 including UK post and packing. Higher priced  on Amazon/ e-bay,  Nielsen listing/ currently £15.00-£25.00.

Contact the Author for any current discount.

A PDF copy of the Introduction “FAKE NEWS” and a Contents Summary may be requested from the Author ( gratis).

Enquiries please e-mail  williecross@aol.com

18 July 2018

Morgans of Tredegar House

Morgans of Tredegar House

Books  on  The  Morgans  of  Tredegar  House

The titles can be supplied directly by the Author 

William Cross, FSA Scot or orderable on Amazon. E-bay and Alibris

Contact William Cross by e-mail

williecross@aol.com

Tredegar House, Tredegar Park, Books About Tredegar House

Myths About The Morgans of Tredegar House: Busting The History Fraudsters by William Cross. Book midden Publishing ISBN 9781905914425 (2018)

Sketches of Evan, Viscount Tredegar, ‘Lord of the Lies’ by William Cross. Book Midden Publishing  ISBN 9781905914463 (2017)

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). 

Aspects of Evan : The Last Viscount Tredegar by Monty Dart and William Cross. Book Midden Publishing  ISBN 9781905914159 (2012). 

Not Behind Lace Curtains: The Hidden World Of Evan, Viscount Tredegar. Book Midden Publishing ISBN9781905914210: (2013).

Evan Frederic Morgan, Viscount Tredegar : The Final Affairs, Financial and Carnal . Book Midden Publishing ISBN 9781905914241:  (2014).

Lois Sturt, Wild Child. A Glance at Hon. Lois Ina Sturt, Viscountess Tredegar Book Midden Publishing ISBN 978190514319: (2014). 

Evan, Lord Tredegar, Selected Letters, Prose and Quotations. The Mystic Muse of Evan Frederic Morgan.  Book Midden Publishing ISBN 9781905914333 : (2015).  

Evan, Lord Tredegar, Final Affairs The Aftermath: The Welsh Poet & Pleasure Seeker. Book Midden Publishing ISBN 9781905914326 : (2016). 

Myths About The Morgans of Tredegar House, Newport : Press Release

PRESS RELEASE

NEW BOOK ON TREDEGAR HOUSE

“MYTHS ABOUT THE MORGANS OF TREDEGAR HOUSE

BUSTING THE HISTORY FRAUDSTERS”

FROM  NEWPORT HISTORIAN :  WILLIAM CROSS

·        A new book about The Morgans of Tredegar House will be published on 17 June 2018.

·        The book comes from Newport writer William Cross, author of seven other books featuring members of the Morgan family.

·        Promotional and review copies are now available from the Author. See contact details, below.

·        The book has been written because of the Author’s  concern  over   fake  news,  myths,  and  bad   history  about  the Morgans  in  the  public  domain.

·        The launch date coincides with the centenary of the consecration of the Morgan Chapel at St Basil’s Church, Bassaleg, on 17 June 1918. 

Highlights of the Book:

Among the myths about the Morgans of Tredegar House is that they are descended from the Welsh Princes. Some also claim they have a family link to the notorious Captain Henry Morgan, the blood thirsty pirate of the Caribbean. Whilst at least one Lord Tredegar is dubbed ‘Cardinal Morgan’, the Pope’s right hand man in Wales’. Such myths are often romantic notions substituted for fact.  Others are inventions. So what is the truth?

Essential reading for those interested in Newport’s most famous family and their history  and offers  sourced material relating to the Morgans of Tredegar House.

William Cross adds: “In recent years standards of integrity have fallen.  For instance Tredegar House’s website and job advertisements  have carried unworthy aspersions upon one Lady Tredegar’s hobby of making bird’s nests, and pitched  inaccurate  claims  of Godfrey Morgan’s famous war horse “Sir Briggs” being knighted and buried standing upright. Even in recent weeks Tredegar House has been described as the ancestral home of the pirate Captain Henry Morgan of  rum fame.”

There are plenty of wonderful, established and true stories about the Morgans and their collaterals without adorning the tales told to the visitors with myths, inaccuracies and fake stories.

Cross adds “ The book is 160 pages long, over 70,000 words with over 400 End Notes and contains  over  100 images, with several unique   pictures of  members of the Morgan family that have never been seen before”.

* Further Enquiries about the book etc please contact

William Cross

58 Sutton Newport, Newport, NP 19 7JF

Telephone: 01633 779731

FOR EDITORS

“Myths About The Morgans of Tredegar House, Newport. Busting the History Fraudsters” by William Cross. Book Midden Publishing  ( 2018) ISBN 13 9781905914425 : Release date:  17 June 2018.

Lady Katharine Carnegie, Viscountess Tredegar appears on the front cover,  as painted by the Welsh artist Augustus John, with permission to use from David Carnegie, His Grace, the Duke of Fife, who owns the portrait.

Copies of the book at a discounted rate  can be obtained direct from the Author ( until 16 June) at £10.00 including UK post and packing. Higher priced thereafter and also  on Amazon/ e-bay, currently £15.00.

Once the current stock is sold the book will revert to print on demand.

A PDF copy of the Introduction “FAKE NEWS” and a Contents Summary may be requested from the Author ( gratis).

 

On 17 June 1918 the Bishop of Llandaff consecrated a memorial chapel at St Basil’s Church,  Bassaleg,  to the memory of  Godfrey Morgan, Viscount Tredegar and his brother Colonel Hon. Freddie Morgan, commissioned by  Courtenay Morgan, 3^rd Lord Tredegar. During 1917 the bodies of the past members of the Morgan family were removed from the Vault inside St Basil’s  and interred in earth in the Churchyard.

Enquiries please e-mail  williecross@aol.com

6 June 2018

ENDS

Fake News at Tredegar House, Newport, South Wales

Myths About The Morgans of  Tredegar  House

FAKE NEWS

Introduction to new book with Footnotes

"Myths About The Morgans of Tredegar House, Newport, South Wales: Busting the History Fraudsters"

By William Cross, FSA Scot

Fake news is the scourge of today’s Society.

As  a   researcher  into  the  Morgans  of   Tredegar  House, Newport, South Wales,  and  the  Author of  seven  books  on  members of  that family,  I am concerned over   fake  news,  myths,  and  bad  history  about  them  in  the  public  domain.

For instance,  in  2017 several  articles in a local  Welsh  newspaper were riddled with  inaccuracies about  Lady Katharine Carnegie, Viscountess Tredegar (1867-1949) and  John  Morgan,  last Lord Tredegar (1908-1962).  [1] The newspaper trail in time past also carries fake news.  [2]

During   2016,   a   film  was  shown  to  visitors  at  Tredegar House  about a  ‘black box’  of  secrets  belonging to Evan Morgan, the last Viscount Tredegar.  The  claim  in the  film was  that  private documents  about  or  written by Evan,  who  died in 1949, had come to light since his death. The assertion continued that since these items could not be traced elsewhere they must have come from the mysterious ‘black box’ it is said that Evan left behind.

The film featured a group of students engaged in a foolish treasure hunt, apparently using geophysical scanners in the grounds of Tredegar House to try to locate the ‘black box’ buried there. The film ends with nothing being found.  The equipment was as phoney as the film; the consequence was the creation of fake news. [3]

It  is  for  those   charged  as  custodians  in  preserving  the accuracy and  integrity of  the  Morgan  family’s legacy (currently, The National Trust)  on  behalf  of Newport      (as the City owns Tredegar House),  to  identify and expunge such trite as the above, treated as true  history, besides, which,  those who guard  Morgan history should  not  be seen facilitating  the  erosion and falsifying of  that history.  [4]

It is  equally  paramount to  prevent  other  erroneous  tales  being imparted to  the  general  public  visiting  Tredegar   House  and through  wild  stories appearing in  articles,  newspapers  or  books that  could  be prevented with monitoring and  influence  over those responsible. [5]

In  the  exploits  of   the  Morgans  no  single  person  or  body  holds  all  the  information  in  every   detail  about  their rich, chequered  lives,  their loves, hates, achievements, successes and failures  in their  history. [6]

There is always room for  more academic study  and other research, for liaison, frank discussion, argument, differing opinion etc, and lessons from revisiting the family’s vast array of records and re-appraising the historical interpretations about the Morgans, but a story that is contrived or distorted is fake news. Allowing the outpouring of fake news is reprehensible.

In  this  short  book  the   aim  is  to  point  out   some   of   the myths  and  stories  secreted over the years into books, web sites  and articles  or  from  those personally heard on  public tours  at Tredegar  House.  I  offer, in good faith,  information  (and sources) to   support the Morgan  family’s  history  in order  to   bust  the mockery  and  deceptions  created by  myths and  fake news.  

I  would  be  pleased to receive any comments/  information/ documents/stories  etc  from readers  about any of the items in the book on the  Morgans  or  their  collaterals that may be suitable for inclusion  in  a  follow-up edition.  I would also be happy to correct my errors.

William Cross, Newport, South Wales:  30 April 2018

---

[1] South Wales Argus:   16th September 2017: “The bizarre world of one of Newport’s most infamous residents who practised black magic and kept a kangaroo” maligns the memory of Lady Katharine Carnegie, Viscountess Tredegar.  South Wales Argus: 4th November 2017: “The last Lord of Tredegar, who avoided paying millions, sold Tredegar House and lived as a tax exile in Monte Carlo” misrepresents John Morgan, the last Lord Tredegar.  The Author had letters published by the Editor of the South Wales Argus condemning these articles. Contact the Author for more details, if required including the text of letters/e-mails.

[2]  See Newspaper ‘Wales on Line’ of 5 April 2013. This carried an article on Evan Morgan, Viscount Tredegar (1893-1949) headed “The spying Welsh Lord, his occult secrets, and the dancing kangaroo.  A new book about the notorious Lord Tredegar Evan Morgan aims to tell his outrageous story for the first time”.  The book is itself a myth, it has not appeared, and the article is full of errors and is discredited by the research in the books “Aspects of Evan”and“Not Behind Lace Curtains The hidden world of Evan, Viscount Tredegar” by Monty Dart and William Cross.  Book Midden Publishing. ( 2013).

[3] This matter was the subject of a complaint by the Author to the National Trust at Tredegar House; please contact the Author for further details, if required. A short digest of events is as follows: Comments about the film were left in the feedback system at Tredegar House but there with no response. The Author wrote to the General Manager and copied the mail to the National Trust’s Area Manager saying the film lacked integrity. A meeting followed. The General Manager spoke of having a five year plan to obliterate myths and tall stories, with the appointment of a “myth buster”. She left the job soon afterwards. The National Trust subsequently removed the books written by the Author on the Morgans from the gift shop for sale to the public.  See also Chapter 12 of this book on Evan’s last papers and documents with the outcome of recent research on their whereabouts.

[4] See the Author’s introduction to his book “Sketches of Evan, Viscount Tredegar. ‘Lord of the Lies’ ” ISBN 9781905914463. A copy of this piece “The Erosion of the History of the Morgans of Tredegar House, Newport” is available by e-mail, on request.

[5] There seems to be no policy, clearing system or prohibition for employees of the National Trust giving interviews to the press or other third parties about the Morgans of Tredegar House.   See the Author’s book reviews on Amazon, Good Reads and Google. The Author would be pleased to send any reader a list of titles already in the public domain including several sourced by guides and volunteers at Tredegar House with fake news, bad history or bogus stories about the Morgans.

[6] Material on the Morgans is scattered across various British Archives, the National Library of Wales has the most important of the Estate records. Gwent and Glamorgan Archives have material as does the British Library, and the National Archives, Kew. Some records are still in the hands of other archives and in private hands.

New Book: Myths About The Morgans of Tredegar House, Newport

MYTHS ABOUT THE MORGANS OF TREDEGAR HOUSE

BUSTING THE HISTORY FRAUDSTERS

BY WILLIAM CROSS, FSA SCOT

Among the myths about the Morgans of Tredegar House is that they are descended from the Welsh Princes. Some also claim they have a family link to the notorious Captain Henry Morgan, the blood thirsty pirate of the Caribbean. Whilst at least one Lord Tredegar is dubbed ‘Cardinal Morgan’, the Pope’s right hand man in Wales’.

Such myths are often romantic notions substituted for fact.

Others are inventions. So what is the truth?

There are plenty of wonderful, established true stories about the Morgans and collaterals without adorning the tales told to the visitors with myths, inaccuracies and fake stories.

In this book William Cross (author of seven books on the Morgans) sets out to bust some of the myths.

ISBN 10 1-905914-42-3 ISBN 13 978-1-0905914-42-5

Published by William P. Cross, 58 Sutton Road Newport S Wales NP19 7JF 

For More details contact the Author William Cross by e-mail.

williecross@aol.com