John Morgan
By
1949, the Morgans of Tredegar had become one of the most heavily taxed
families in the country. Some £4,500,000 had been paid in death duties
in the 20th century. After the death of Evan, Viscount Tredegar in 1949
an elderly uncle, Frederic George Morgan, succeeded to the title of
Baron Tredegar. Frederic was 76 years old and crippled with osteo-arthritis.
The spectre of yet more death duties loomed large. Frederic, to avoid
these, immediately passed the Tredegar estate onto his son, John, whilst
keeping the title for himself. Frederic, 5th Baron Tredegar retired
back to his Mayfair flat leaving John Morgan to assess the situation.
John decided that "due to death duties, heavy taxation and increasing
costs" the ancestral home was to be closed. In 1951 Tredegar House and
200 acres of immediate land were sold to the Sisters of St Josephs,
an order of Roman Catholic nuns, who converted it into a school. Most
of the contents of the House were sold and John looked for a fresh start
abroad. In 1954, the death of his father meant that John became the
6th and last Baron Tredegar. By this time John was married and living
in the tax-haven of Monte Carlo. In this new home John pursued his passion
for art, and was constantly tempted by the alluring casinos. He was
not always lucky at gambling, but luck was certainly on his side in
1957: John was enjoying a cruise on his yacht the 'Henry Morgan' when
all systems failed near Bermuda in a dreadful storm. Many on board feared
the worst; John seemed unconcerned and promptly fell asleep during the
potential disaster! He left an order to be awoken when "all the fuss
is over." Back home, the remnants of the once mighty Tredegar Estate
were being sold-off. J.C Deakin, the final Estate Agent oversaw the
sale of the Morgan's remaining property. Along with Tredegar House went
Honeywood House in Dorking and some 53,000 acres of land. In essence
it was the liquidation of an estate that had taken the Morgans centuries
to obtain. As the Morgan lands were dispersed, the possessions that
once sat at Tredegar House and Ruperra Castle auctioned off and the
Tredegar Estate offices shut, so the book was closed on a long passage
of the history of South East Wales. John Morgan, 6th Baron Tredegar
died childless in 1962 aged 54. His death signalled the end of the Morgans
of Tredegar.
Copyright 2000 Friends of Tredegar House.
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