Tredegar House (Welsh: Tŷ Tredegar) is a 17th-century Charles II-era country house in Coedkernew, on the southwestern edge of Newport, Wales. For over five hundred years it was home to the Morgan family, later Lords Tredegar, one of the most powerful and influential families in the area. Described as "the grandest and most exuberant country house in Monmouthshire" and one of the "outstanding houses of the Restoration period in the whole of Britain", the mansion stands in a reduced landscaped garden of . The property became a Grade I listed building on 3 March 1952 and has been under the care of the National Trust since March 2012. The park surrounding the house is designated Grade II* on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.
Etymology The name is first attested in the fourteenth century in the form Tredegyr. This may be explained as a compound of Welsh tre(f) 'a farmstead' and the personal name Tegyr (the same name is found in the Denbighshire name Botegyr < bod 'dwelling place, residence' + Tegyr). The name Tegyr itself may be derived from the Brittonic *Teco-rīx ('fair king').
The form Tredeger is found in the sixteenth century as are variants with -a- in the final syllable. Over time, the form Tredegar established itself as the usual spelling, as in the name of the Tredegar Iron Company of 1800. It was this that gave its name to the village and later town of Tredegar.
The current Welsh name of the house is 'Tŷ Tredegar', but this is somewhat unauthentic and is obviously a translation of 'Tredegar House'.Tŷ Tredegar, Plas Tredegar or Plas Tredegyr? Steffan Ellis. 29-11-2011./
Architecture
The earliest surviving part of the building dates back to the late 15th century. The house was originally built of stone and had sufficient status to host Charles I. Between 1664 and 1672, however, William Morgan decided to rebuild the house on a larger scale from red brick, at that time a rare building material in Wales. The architect of the enlarged house is not known for certain, but John Newman follows Howard Colvin's suggestion that the design was by Roger and William Hurlbutt, who had worked in a similar style at Ragley Hall and Warwick Castle. The architectural historian Peter Smith, writing in his work Houses of the Welsh Countryside, called Tredegar, "the most splendid brick house of the seventeenth century in Wales". In his 1882 publication, local historian, and brother of the first Lord Tredegar, Octavius Morgan, provides a plan of an intricate garden maze which was in place prior to the 1660s improvements and which probably dated from the time of Queen Elizabeth I.Morgan, Octavius (1882), "Goldcliff and the Ancient Roman Inscribed Stone Found There 1878", Monmouthshire & Caerleon Antiquarian Association
The Morgans of Tredegar (1402–1951)
Tredegar's name came from Tredegar Fawr, the name of the mansion or seat of the old Morgans, who were descended from Cadifor the Great the son of Collwyn, and holders of the land upon which Tredegar stands. The earliest record of someone with the name Morgan living at Tredegar is 1402: a Llewellyn Ap Morgan. Tredegar House, set in 90 acres which remains landscaped for ornamental purposes, with less agriculture than in previous centuries, is the finest Restoration house in Wales and for over five hundred years the estate (including Ruperra Castle) was home to the Morgan family, later Lords Tredegar. John Morgan was created a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre (possibly c.1448). Later, when Henry Tudor was crowned King Henry VII it was of great benefit to the Morgans of Tredegar who were supporters of Henry. Sir John received reward for his early support, and on 7 November 1485 he was appointed by the new king to the office of Sheriff of Wentloog and Newport and made Steward of the Machen Commote. His elevation to officer of the Tudor crown placed Sir John Morgan's influence and power at new heights. At around 1490, he commissioned the building of a new house at Tredegar. A wing of Sir John's stone manor house still exists. It is now the oldest part of the present day Tredegar House.
A cadet branch of the ‘Tredegar Morgans’, probably nephews of Sir Thomas Morgan, included three brothers, Thomas, Robert and Edward. Thomas became Major-General Sir Thomas Morgan, 1st Baronet (1604–79), served in the Parliamentarian forces during the English Civil War 1642–9, was made Governor of Gloucester in 1645, fought in Flanders, was wounded, and in 1661 retired to his estate at Kinnersley, Herefordshire. Recalled in 1665 to become Governor of Jersey, he died at St Helier in April 1679. Married on 10 September 1632, he had nine sons, of whom the eldest, Sir John Morgan followed in his father's profession. Robert Morgan, (born circa 1615) became a farmer in Llanrumney, and was father of Henry Morgan (born in Llanrumney Hall, and pursued a successful career in the Caribbean as a privateer). Edward Morgan became Colonel Edward Morgan (born circa 1616 – Colonel after 1665), a Royalist during the English Civil War 1642–49, and Captain General of the King's forces in South Wales. After the King's arrest and execution, he fled to the continent and married Anna Petronilla the daughter of Baron von Pöllnitz from Westphalia (Governor of Lippstadt, east of Dortmund in Germany). They had six children, two sons and four daughters (including Anna Petronilla and Johanna). He was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica 1664–65.
During the civil war and after the Battle of Naseby, Charles I visited Tredegar House in 1645. In 1661 William Morgan (d.1680) rebuilt the house on a very grand scale, with the help of the huge dowry of his wife, Blanche Morgan. Their fortunes continued to flourish down the generations, tremendously enhanced by the foresight and business enterprises of Sir Charles Morgan, 1st Baronet throughout the 18th century. Following his father's financial successes, his son Sir Charles Morgan, 2nd Baronet further expanded several commercial and industrial projects, and virtually established Newport as an important trade centre. Whilst consolidating their influence on the political and economic issues of the country, they secured a baronetcy in 1792, and a barony in 1859.
Godfrey Morgan, the second son of the first Baron Tredegar, served in the Crimean War as a captain in the 17th Lancers. He led men at the Charge of the Light Brigade on his horse, Sir Briggs, and was one of the few soldiers to survive the charge. When Sir Briggs died in 1874 aged 28, Godfrey had him buried in the Cedar Garden at Tredegar House, with a stone memorial erected above his grave. While serving in the Crimea, Godfrey's elder brother and heir to their father's title and estates, Charles Rodney Morgan, died in France aged 25, leaving no legitimate children. Subsequently, Godfrey became the new heir, succeeding his father as the second Baron Tredegar in 1875. As Lord Tredegar, Godfrey quickly became a much-loved benefactor of Monmouthshire, devoting his time as the head of the Morgan family to serving the county, donating land for hospitals, libraries, schools and parks. He was appointed Lord-Lieutenant of Monmouthshire in 1899, and was elevated to the rank of viscount in 1905. It was under Godfrey's tenure of Tredegar House that the Bath stone porch was added to the north-easterly wing, the Side Hall it opened onto was remodelled, and electricity was installed. Godfrey Morgan died in 1913, aged 81. As he died childless, his viscountcy became extinct. However, the barony and estates passed to his nephew, Courtenay Morgan, who became the third Baron Tredegar.
Throughout his time as Lord Tredegar, Courtenay Morgan led an extravagant lifestyle, a contrast to his uncle and predecessor who lived a very modest life alone at Tredegar House. On succeeding to his uncle's estates, he bought Liberty, one of the largest steam-yachts in the world. Shortly after purchasing her, Liberty was requisitioned by the Royal Navy for use as a hospital ship during the First World War, and was voluntarily captained by Courtenay between 1914 and 1915 as lieutenant, and latterly as a temporary commander, in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. When Liberty was returned to him following the war, he embarked on a world cruise, eventually circumnavigating the globe twice, visiting every colony in the British Empire and every state in the Commonwealth of Australia. In 1925, Courtenay became Naval aide-de-camp to George V, and was elevated to the rank of viscount in 1926. As a young man, his eyesight had begun to deteriorate, and by the late 1920s, he was completely blind. It was around this time that he built the stone staircase which extended from a window of the Gilt Room into the Cedar Garden at Tredegar House, enabling him to move more easily between the house and gardens. In 1933, Courtenay was appointed Lord-Lieutenant of Monmouthshire, however died the following year at The Ritz Hotel, aged 67. Courtenay was succeeded by his son from an otherwise unsuccessful marriage to Lady Katherine Carnegie, Evan Morgan, who became the second Viscount Tredegar.
The new viscount was an infamous eccentric and copious spender, who spent his youth as an amateur poet and painter, as well as a member of the Bright Young Things, a group of socialites from aristocratic families. In 1919, he converted to Roman Catholicism, and later became Papal Chamberlain to Popes Benedict XV and Pius XI. Despite his devout Catholicism, Evan also had a fascination with the occult, and had a "magik room" at Tredegar House, where he practised occult ritual. He also enjoyed friendship with Aleister Crowley, who was a frequent visitor to Tredegar House, hailed Evan as the "Adept of Adepts" with regard to his occult expertise, and described his magik room as "the best equipped [he had] ever seen." Guests at Evan's weekend house parties at Tredegar included a wide selection of society figures: among them, Aldous Huxley, H. G. Wells, G. K. Chesterton, and the Marchesa Casati. Evan also had a love for animals, birds in particular, and following his father's death amassed a menagerie at the family home, including bears, kangaroos, and birds, including Blue Boy, a formidable macaw. Alan Pryce-Jones, a friend of Evan's and frequent visitor to Tredegar, recalled in his autobiography, "When [Evan] called 'Rosa, Rosa' across the lake at Tredegar, Rosa, a duck, came skimming out of the reeds."
Although Evan was a known homosexual, he married twice, firstly in 1928 to his friend and fellow socialite, Lois Sturt. The marriage was one of convenience, providing cover for Evan's scandalous and illegal affairs, and Lois' own with the Earl of Pembroke. Lois died in 1937 aged just 37, by which point the couple had already been separated for some months. Evan married secondly in 1939 to Princess Olga Dolgorouky, an exiled Russian aristocrat who had fled Russia as a child following the 1917 Revolution. This union was another of convenience, and ended in annulment in 1943. By the late 1940s, Evan's extravagant spending had significantly depleted the family's finances, and his ever-fragile health was failing. Between 1946 and 1947, several meetings took place between Evan and the trustees of the Tredegar Estates. Evan suggested that parts of the estate could be sold to recover some of the lost capital, but this was blocked by his uncle and heir, Frederic. Another proposal was that Evan transfer part of the estate to Frederic's son, John, to reduce the burden of inheritance tax on his death, but this was rejected by Evan; he and John shared a mutual loathing of each other. Evan Morgan died in April 1949, aged 55, and – having converted to Catholicism – was buried at Buckfast Abbey. As he died childless, the viscountcy became extinct. However, the barony and estates passed to his uncle, Frederic, who became the fifth Baron Tredegar.