My Dear Cousin, Your letter reached me as I was leaving London but I forgot to bring it to Bath. Therefore, I can not answer your family history questions in the correct sequence. I may not have written the correct postal address on this letter but the name of Monsieur de la Croises will ensure the arrival of the letter at his residence. I was very pleased to receive your letter, I hope that we will continue to write to each other. I regret that I am not able to consult the manuscripts and books which are temporarily deposited at Ludex House. You have an unusual old pedigree chart and I am frustrated to know that the pedigree does not show dates in logical succession. When I have lived here for a time, I might be able to supply some of the dates by looking at the papers which belonged to my dead uncle. Mignet (François-Auguste Mignet, 1796-1884, a French historian who wrote two books on Mary Stuart in 1851) wrote about Morgan the confidante of Mary, Queen of Scots but we can not place much trust in his judgement. I do not have a high opinion of his other books. Thomas Morgan seems to have been part of the Babington plot and was a member of the "Spanish Party", an organisation which supported Philip of Spain. This will be an interesting subject for research. I can not recall details of his marriage. I will soon meet Canon Tierney, the chaplain to the Duke of Norfolk. Canon Tierney is a learned man and may have some information. I was long separated from my family as a consequence D.G. (Latin for "By the grace of God") of becoming a Catholic. Because of this, I became a bad Welshman. (He seems to indicate that he lived outside Wales and had lost touch with his culture.) Later, when I was invited to rejoin the family, I lived in a household where the people had a high regard for their Norman French ancestry. In passing, I may mention that the grandfather of the present Sir C. Morgan of Tredegar was Sir C. Gould. He married the heiress of Tredegar and Ruperra (two of the large Morgan estates in south Wales). Sir C. Gould changed his name to Morgan as is customary in this country and assumed the Morgan heraldic arms. In a similar way, I am entitled to quarter the heraldic arms of the royal (Plantagenet) family of England. My grandmother, Lady Frances Morgan, was the daughter and heiress of the third Earl of Harborough (or Marlborough). King Edward 1st. was an ancestor of the Earl. When I finished college, I lived with my grandparents. I learned more about this branch of the family. It is curious that they were descended from a man who became known as an enemy of the Welsh people. (King Edward was one of the great military figures of his day and the Welsh people were unable to withstand his forces in the period around 1400.) I will be sure to write but it is possible that I will be called to accompany my dear daughter to Paris for the purpose of her second profession. (Perhaps a profession of vows before entering a religious community.) I am determined to meet your excellent mother. (He had missed a meeting.) When you write to her, please send my regards as well as to "Mme. votre epouse", of whom Leonora writes with enthusiasm ... I must mention that after my visit to Amiens, and just as I was leaving Brussels for England, I received a letter from Lady (there is a blank space here). She supposed I had not been there and asked me to say a thousand pleasantries to you all. She asked me to tear a picture of Hendon House (a bad one) from her letter and to present it to you as a momento. I have added a note she wrote for you. This letter must have been tiring for you to read. Accept then Veuillez faire agréer à Mme la Baronne my kind kindest regards.
Believe me to be Geo. R. Morgan P.S. I shall return to London on Tuesday. Pardon this hurried scrawl. A modernised version of the original. |
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| © John Weston / Data Wales, 2003 | ||
