William Edward Thomas Morgan Explained

Jurisdiction:Diocese
Swansea and Brecon
Local:Esgobaeth Abertawe ac Aberhonddu
Coat Size:100px
Flag Size:100px
Province:Wales
Cathedral:Brecon Cathedral
Archdeaconries:Brecon, Gower
Map Size:150px

Reverend William Edward Thomas Morgan (1847–1940) was a 19th-century Welsh Anglican priest. He was vicar at the pre-conquest church of St. Eigon, Llanigon, Wales.

St. Eigon is in the Greater Brecon Deanery, in the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon, in the Church in Wales (an independent member of the Anglican Communion). Before 1923, the diocese was in the Archdeaconry of Brecon within the Diocese of St Davids.[1] [2] [3] [4]

Alma mater

Ordained ministry

c.f. Crockfords clerical directory.

Scholarship

William was an active Welsh scholar throughout his long life. He wrote articles for the Woolhope Naturalists' Field Club, the Archaeologia Cambrensis,[6] the Brecknock Society and others. He focused on archeology, local history, Welsh place names and the folklore of Breconshire and Radnorshire.[7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] His research on folklore has been cited by other authors.[17] [18] He contributed a list of Welsh words to the English Dialect Society.[19] He wrote a book entitled "Hay and Neighbourhood",[20] which revealed that churches once had door flaps for cats and dogs e.g. the south porch of St. Mary the Virgin, Brecon.[21] [22] [23] William was an amateur archaeologist. He was the vice-secretary of the Woolhope club for many years. He discovered a Neolithic long barrow at Pen-y-Wyrlod near Llanigon. With a fellow member of the Woolhope club (i.e. George Marshal FSA) they carried out a partial excavation.[24] The Pen-y-Wyrlod site is described as a prehistoric scheduled monument.[25] Human burial bones and teeth were found for babies, multiple children and male/female adults of various ages. The also found artefacts including a Roman coin (Crispus A.D. 317–326), wire-wound Romano-Egyptian blue beads and Beaker pottery with flint flakes.[26] [27] [28] [29] The long barrow is a Cadw scheduled monument (c.f. report BR012 [30]). Cadw describe the long barrow as of "national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric burial and ritual practices". The Coflein online database, known as the National Monuments Record of Wales (NMRW) stored in the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth have archived records for the long barrow: (NPRN: 92012) including: 6191330, 6356026, 6482821, 6482823, 6482820, 6482822, 6482819, 6482817, 6182693, 6028530, 6059830, 6482816, 6057527, 6517110, 6381218, 6392227, 6457168, 6182692, 6482818, 6151010. In conjunction with the Woolhope club, William conducted many local archeological activities including a brief excavation on Llanthomas Castle Mound.

William's community involvement included membership of the Hay Rural Council on the Brecon education committee, he was secretary of the Hay book club for 30 years, and he was secretary to the Brecon Archdeaconal Charity.[31]

Personal life

William was an amateur athlete. He was a keen cricketer playing for Hay Cricket club when he was over 60. His highest score was 97 against Penybont. He was a founder member of Newbridge (on Wye) Cricket Club. He also played tennis, and was secretary of the local archery club, the Wyeside bowmen.William was rejected as a suitor for one of the daughters of the Reverend William Jones Thomas i.e. Charlotte Alice Thomas (1848–1933). William Morgan never married, instead he immersed himself in his priestly, community, and scholarly duties. He remained in close contact with all the Thomas family throughout his life. In 1911, the surviving Thomas family members resided temporarily in the Llanigon vicarage as guests of William as they awaited repairs to their home Llanthomas hall.[32]

In 1871, Reverend Francis Kilvert was also rejected as a suitor for another of the daughters of the William Thomas i.e. Frances Eleanor Jane Thomas (1853–1928).[33] [34] In 1879, Morgan was the best man at the wedding of Francis Kilvert to Elizabeth Rowland. William Morgan and William Thomas (and his family) are mentioned in the Kilvert's diaries.[35]

William succeeded William Thomas as vicar at St. Eigon. William is buried in the St. Eigon, Llanigon graveyard, just to right of the entrance porch. Williams grave is not far from Charlotte Thomas who is buried in the Thomas family grave in front of the Chancel.

References

  1. Web site: St Eigon's, Llanigon . 2024-06-18 . St. Mary's Church . en-US.
  2. Web site: Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust - Projects - Longer - Historic Churches - Brecknockshire Churches Survey - Llanigon . 2024-06-18 . cpat.org.uk.
  3. Web site: Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust - Projects - Historic Landscapes - Middle Wye - . 2024-06-18 . www.cpat.org.uk.
  4. Web site: Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust - Community Heritage . 2024-06-18 . cpat.org.uk.
  5. Web site: Rev Dr Rowe . J.N. . Mar 1995 . The Kilvert Society Newsletter - Canon W.E.T Morgan . 2024-06-19 . www.thekilvertsociety.org.uk.
  6. Web site: Morgan . W.E.T. . 2018 . Archeologica Cambrensis (1900-1999) 6th Series Vol. 18 1918 Welsh Journals - The National Library of Wales Radnorshire words . 2024-06-19 . journals.library.wales . 89 . en.
  7. Web site: Morgan . W.E.T. . 1898 . TRANSACTIONS 1898 The Woolhope Club Notes on Llanigon Parish . 2024-06-18 . www.woolhopeclub.org.uk . 32–44.
  8. Web site: Morgan . W.E.T. . 1911 . TRANSACTIONS 1911 The Woolhope Club Rhosgoch and Paincastle . 2024-06-18 . www.woolhopeclub.org.uk . 212–217.
  9. Web site: Morgan . W.E.T. . 1913 . TRANSACTIONS 1913 The Woolhope Club Glasbury to Hay . 2024-06-18 . www.woolhopeclub.org.uk . 83–92.
  10. Web site: Morgan . W.E.T. . 1918 . TRANSACTIONS 1918 The Woolhope Club Llanigon place names . 2024-06-18 . www.woolhopeclub.org.uk . 91–98.
  11. Web site: Morgan . W.E.T. . 1921 . TRANSACTIONS 1921 The Woolhope Club I Further notes on the parish of Llanigon . 2024-06-18 . www.woolhopeclub.org.uk . 13–17.
  12. Web site: Morgan . W.E.T. . 1921 . TRANSACTIONS 1921 The Woolhope Club I Castles and camps of South Herefordshire . 2024-06-18 . www.woolhopeclub.org.uk.
  13. Web site: Morgan . W.E.T. . 1923 . TRANSACTIONS 1923 The Woolhope Club Llowes . 2024-06-18 . www.woolhopeclub.org.uk . 221–223.
  14. Web site: Morgan . W.E.T. . 1927 . TRANSACTIONS 1927 The Woolhope Club Paincastle . 2024-06-18 . www.woolhopeclub.org.uk . 29–32.
  15. Web site: Morgan . W.E.T. . 1928 . TRANSACTIONS 1928 The Woolhope Club Notes on the derivation of "Bettws" and "Yspytty" and the origin of parishes. . 2024-06-18 . www.woolhopeclub.org.uk . 170–175.
  16. Web site: Morgan . W.E.T. . 1932 . TRANSACTIONS 1932 The Woolhope Club St. Davids and Swansea and Brecon Dioceses . 2024-06-18 . www.woolhopeclub.org.uk . 163–168.
  17. Book: Palmer, Roy . Folklore of Radnorshire . 2001.
  18. Web site: Price . John . Mar 2019 . The Kilvert Society Journal No. 48 - W.E.T. Morgan: Vicar and Scholar . 2024-06-19 . www.thekilvertsociety.org.uk . 20.
  19. Web site: Price . John . Mar 2019 . The Kilvert Society Journal No. 48 - W.E.T. Morgan: Vicar and Scholar . 2024-06-19 . www.thekilvertsociety.org.uk . 15.
  20. Book: Morgan, W.E.T. . Hay and Neighbourhood . 1932 . H.R. Grant and son..
  21. Web site: 1929 . Transactions The Woolhope Club Fourth Field Trip Dog doors in churches and dog tongs . 2024-06-19 . www.woolhopeclub.org.uk . 218.
  22. Web site: Dog doors in churches and dog tongs . 2024-06-19 . archaeologydataservice.ac.uk . en.
  23. Web site: History . 2024-06-19 . St Mary's Brecon . en-US.
  24. Vulliamy . C. E. . 1922 . 6. Note on a Long Barrow in Wales. . Man . 22 . 11–13 . 10.2307/2839616 . 0025-1496.
  25. Book: Biggs, C.S. . An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Brecknock (Brycheiniog), The Prehistoric and Roman Monuments, Part i: Later Prehistoric Monuments and Unenclosed Settlements to 1000 A.D. . RCAHMW . 1997 . 9780113000036 . 60–62.
  26. Web site: Morgan . W.E.T. . Marshall . George . 1921 . TRANSACTIONS 1921 The Woolhope Club Report on a excavation of a long barrow at Llanigon, Co. Brecon . 2024-06-19 . www.woolhopeclub.org.uk . 30.
  27. Web site: Pen-y-Wyrlod Long Barrow, Llanigon, Powys . 2024-06-18 . ancientmonuments.uk.
  28. Web site: Coflein - Pen-y-Wyrlodd Long Barrow . 2024-06-18 . coflein.gov.uk.
  29. Web site: Price . John . Mar 2019 . The Kilvert Society Journal No. 48 W.E.T. Morgan: Vicar and Scholar . 2024-06-19 . www.thekilvertsociety.org.uk . 17.
  30. Web site: Scheduled Monument - Full Report - HeritageBill Cadw Assets - Reports . 2024-06-20 . cadwpublic-api.azurewebsites.net.
  31. Web site: Williams . Teresa . Jun 1986 . The Kilvert Society Presentation at Newbridge-on-Wye . 2024-06-19 . www.thekilvertsociety.org.uk.
  32. Web site: Graves . Rob . Sep 2012 . Kilvert Society Journal No. 35 - The Ladies of Llanthomas . 184.
  33. Book: Toman, John . Kilvert: The Homeless Heart . Apr 2001 . Logaston Press . 978-1873827376.
  34. Web site: 2001-06-06 . Kilvert and a sad love affair . 2024-06-19 . Hereford Times . en.
  35. Book: Kilvert, Francis . Kilvert's Diary . 2012 . Penguin Random House . 978-0099528753 . Plomer . William.