Tredegar House - people - above stairs

William Morgan

William Morgan was born in 1640, the son of Thomas Morgan who began the building of the red brick house. Thomas lived at Machen Place, but when his father died he decided to move to Tredegar and make it the main family residence. The building of the new red-brick Tredegar House began c1664, Thomas died two years later aged 76, leaving his son William to complete the project. This William was able to do, thanks in main, to a very lucrative marriage to his cousin, Blanche Morgan, a wealthy heiress from Breconshire. Blanche was the only child of Judge William Morgan of Therrew and the Middle Temple; King’s Attorney for South Wales and a very wealthy man. Blanche brought a considerable dowry and lands in Breconshire. These lands were to remain a part of the Tredegar Estate until 1921. William served as an MP for Monmouthshire, and was a supporter of the King in Parliament. Indeed, he became close friends with the king’s Secretary of State, Williamson. Williamson was wined and dined at Tredegar House in 1674. After the death of his wife Blanche in 1673, William, three years later, married Lady Elizabeth Dayrell, a wealthy widow from Monmouthshire. As with Blanche, marriage to Lady Elizabeth seemed an advantageous match. Marriage Settlements were often negotiated like business transactions and constituted perhaps the principal means by which the great land owning families grew in wealth and power. The land and money from this marriage allowed William to increase Morgan influence in the Cardiff area. The price for this expansion was high however, as William's second wife soon turned murderous! By the time of William's death in 1680, Lady Elizabeth had been declared a lunatic. The trustees of his estate had ordered the servants to refuse Elizabeth access to any of the household goods or chattels. William proved to be far kinder and in his will, after making financial provisions for Elizabeth, he left her "the best of all my coaches and six of my best coach horses and all those three nags and one mare that are now known by the name of her horses." Thanks to two advantageous marriages and wise purchases of land, William Morgan left behind a legacy of not only a magnificently remodelled ancestral home, but of an expanded Tredegar Estate.



people - above stairs


	William Morgan William Morgan was born in 1640, the son of Thomas Morgan who began the building of the red brick house. Thomas lived at Machen Place, but when his father died he decided to move to Tredegar and make it the main family residence. The building of the new red-brick Tredegar House began c1664, Thomas died two years later aged 76, leaving his son William to complete the project. This William was able to do, thanks in main, to a very lucrative marriage to his cousin, Blanche Morgan, a wealthy heiress from Breconshire. Blanche was the only child of Judge William Morgan of Therrew and the Middle Temple; King’s Attorney for South Wales and a very wealthy man. Blanche brought a considerable dowry and lands in Breconshire. These lands were to remain a part of the Tredegar Estate until 1921. William served as an MP for Monmouthshire, and was a supporter of the King in Parliament. Indeed, he became close friends with the king’s Secretary of State, Williamson. Williamson was wined and dined at Tredegar House in 1674. After the death of his wife Blanche in 1673, William, three years later, married Lady Elizabeth Dayrell, a wealthy widow from Monmouthshire. As with Blanche, marriage to Lady Elizabeth seemed an advantageous match. Marriage Settlements were often negotiated like business transactions and constituted perhaps the principal means by which the great land owning families grew in wealth and power. The land and money from this marriage allowed William to increase Morgan influence in the Cardiff area. The price for this expansion was high however, as William's second wife soon turned murderous! By the time of William's death in 1680, Lady Elizabeth had been declared a lunatic. The trustees of his estate had ordered the servants to refuse Elizabeth access to any of the household goods or chattels. William proved to be far kinder and in his will, after making financial provisions for Elizabeth, he left her "the best of all my coaches and six of my best coach horses and all those three nags and one mare that are now known by the name of her horses." Thanks to two advantageous marriages and wise purchases of land, William Morgan left behind a legacy of not only a magnificently remodelled ancestral home, but of an expanded Tredegar Estate. Back to Biographies
















people - above stairs

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