Frederic Morgan, 5th Baron Tredegar
Frederic George Morgan, 5th Baron Tredegar, styled the Honourable Frederic Morgan between 1913 and 1949, was a Welsh peer and landowner. On 27 April 1949, he succeeded his childless nephew, Evan Morgan, 2nd Viscount Tredegar, as the 5th Baron Tredegar and 7th Morgan Baronet. Crippling inheritance tax on estates in the 1940s forced Morgan to renounce his inheritance to his son in an attempt to avoid further duties and protect the longevity of the Morgan estates.
Early life and ancestry
Frederic George Morgan was born at Ruperra Castle on 22 November 1873 to Colonel the Hon. Frederic Courtenay Morgan and Charlotte Anne Williamson. He was educated at Eton College, following family tradition, and later studied at the University of Oxford. Although he never lived at Tredegar House, Morgan spent much of his youth there as the tenure of the property was held consecutively by his uncle, Godfrey, and subsequently by his brother, Courtenay.The Morgans claimed descent from Welsh princes, and were among the most powerful families in South Wales, their fortunes having been established by William Morgan, who was a politician, and acquired substantial landholdings throughout Monmouthshire, Glamorganshire and Breconshire. His descendants continued the family's political and social ascent; Charles Morgan becoming a baronet in 1792, and another Charles becoming Baron Tredegar in 1859. His second son, Godfrey Morgan fought in the Charge of the Light Brigade in the Crimean War and was made Viscount Tredegar in 1905. Never marrying, Godfrey was in turn succeeded by his nephew Courtenay Morgan, and the Tredegar Viscountcy was revived in his favour in 1926. Evan Morgan succeeded his father in 1934. Evan, homosexual despite two marriages, had no children and his heir was his uncle, Frederic.
Morgan was a keen angler and hunter, who kept various fishing books and game books throughout his life, many of which are now held by the National Library of Wales, having been donated by the executors of his daughter, Avis Gurney, following her death in 1963. In 1909, Morgan became justice of the peace for Brecon and Radnorshire, and latterly was on the supplementary list of magistrates. In 1913, Morgan gained the rank of honourable by royal decree following his brother, Courtenay's, succeeding their uncle as the third Baron Tredegar.
Marriage
On 14 April 1898, Morgan married Dorothy Syssyllt Bassett in the parish church of Llanblethian. Dorothy was the daughter of Ralph Bassett, a justice of the peace, Deputy Lieutenant, and High Sheriff, claiming descent the early Norman Bassets. The bride wore a diamond necklace gifted to her by Morgan's uncle, Godfrey, who was Lord Tredegar at the time.Frederic and Dorothy made their residence Boughrood Castle in Radnorshire, where they had two children:
- The Hon. Syssyllt Avis Morgan,, married Peter Hugh Gurney. Died without issue.
- (Frederic Charles) John Morgan, 6th Baron Tredegar,, married Joanna Russell in 1954. Died without issue.
In November 1919, Dorothy began an affair with Ralph Kirby, a Second Lieutenant in the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry, while he was stationed in Pembrokeshire. As a result, Frederic filed for divorce against her in March 1920, on the grounds of "frequent adultery" and took custody of their two children. Dorothy married Ralph in the following year. In his autobiography, The Bonus of Laughter, Alan Pryce-Jones noted Morgan as having a miserable persona in his later life, attributing this to the "disappearance and indeed misconduct of his wife". Although Morgan never remarried, Pryce-Jones references him having an elderly mistress, Miss Bassett-Boot, in the 1920s, of whom his daughter, Avis, was particularly fond.
Morgan left Boughrood Castle in 1921, and with the exception of a brief stint in Scotland, spent the remainder of his life in various Mayfair flats.
Later life
In 1937, houses 208-238 Pantbach Road, Rhiwbina, which Morgan co-owned with the Earl of Carrick and the Hon. Simon Rodney, came under a compulsory purchase order with the intention of demolition to "widen and improve" Pantbach road. All three men were trustees of the Tredegar Estate.Inheritance
Morgan's nephew, Evan Morgan, died without issue on 27 April 1949, leaving Morgan as the sole heir to the Tredegar titles and estates. Neither Frederic, nor his son John, enjoyed good relations with Evan; this disharmony saw them unable to reach agreement regarding inheritance tax planning, with Evan refusing to transfer any of the estates to John. As a result, Frederic succeeded to the Welsh estates, the barony, and the baronetcy with an inheritance tax bill of £1,000,000. In 1949, during an interview with the Yorkshire Observer, Frederic described himself as "an arthiritus cripple", asserting "I cannot expect to live very long". It was on this basis that Morgan made arrangements for the estate to pass immediately to John, while retaining the titles. This ensured that on Frederic's death, John would inherit the family estates without liability of tax.John Morgan told the press that he would make Tredegar House his residence "on a modest scale in view of the prevailing conditions". Despite this, the property was sold in 1951, and John Morgan's sale of the remaining 70,000-acre Tredegar Estate in 1957, and death without issue in 1962, signalled in the end of the Morgans of Tredegar.
Death
Having been in ill-health for sometime, Frederic Morgan succumbed to osteoarthritis, and died on 21 August 1954 at his London home, 42 Upper Brook Street. Following his death, an article in the Western Mail stated that Morgan "will be remembered as a keen sportsman, who always had tenants interests at heart. His interests in those who attached themselves to the Tredegar family never diminished." On 25 August 1954, a requiem Mass was celebrated for Morgan at The Church of The Immaculate Conception, Mayfair, conducted by Father Maurice O’Leary, with his interment being held at the Roman Catholic cemetery, St Pancras. The Edinburgh Evening News reported that Morgan left gross estates of £6488, having transferred his entire inheritance to his son.In 1960, Morgan's butler, Thomas Cronin, gave an interview to The People, speaking extensively about him. Cronin described him as "an exceedingly lonely man... who never exchanged a sentence with me unless it was absolutely necessary". Cronin stated that in Morgan's later years, he sustained his interest in horse-racing by betting large wagers on races. An extract reads, "a winning day would lead to an evening decorated with smiles; failure would mean a bout of gloom at dinner". Morgan followed a strict schedule, leaving his flat at 10 a.m. for Boodle's Club, staying for lunch, before starting for the local graveyard gardens, where he would sit "pending the receipt of news as to the success or failure of his wagers". During the interview, Cronin recalled when Morgan spoke, "Cronin - I think I am dying". Surprised at such a rare moment of conversation, Cronin responded, "very good, my Lord".