Morgan Price Nantgwared

The first major clue is in a memorial found at Llywel Parish Church. Gareth Jones, Brewood, in his survey, “The Memorial Inscriptions at St. David’s Church, Llywel Parish, Breconshire” published in 1966 provides the following details. “Found in the shrubbery by the vestry, “Near this place lie interred Morgan Price of Nantgwared Gent. And Blanche his wife, ye youngest daughter to Charles Hughes of Trostre in the county of Monmouth, Esq. He had issue by her, viz. Jane, Walter, Sarah, Charles, William, Richard, Rice, James, Thomas and John of whom 5 survived (later?), viz. Sarah, wife of John Crewe of Green Hall in Cheshire esq., Charles of Nantgwared Esq. William and Jane(t), Rice of Brecon. He died April 12th 1695 aged 4(1). She died September 17th 1735 aged 77. There is a crest on the stone.”

This provides a number of interesting facts and clues. It was almost certainly erected by Charles Price who inherited Nantgwared when he came of age.  It confirms Morgan’s death in 1695 at a comparatively young age and also provides a list of all their children and in particular those who survived the death of their mother Blanche in 1735. It also confirms what we have learned already of Sarah Price and John Crewe. Finally it also confirms Blanche’s family connection to the Hughes of Trostre in Monmouthshire – an old family with links to aristocracy in the past and also to Brecon and Breconshire through siblings of Blanche who settled in the town.

Some clues to the story of Morgan and Blanche Price are to be found firstly in Morgan’s will and also in estate papers which are lodged in the Powys County Archive. Jeffreys and Powell are a long established firm of solicitors in the county town of Brecon and in the archive of deeds and other papers there are a number of documents which have reference to both Morgan Price and his son Charles.

But the earliest reference is to be found in the Penpont estate papers lodged at the NLW. Here there is a copy of a settlement which was made by Morgan and Blanche Price following their marriage and possibly following the death of Morgan’s father and hence his coming into his inheritance. The NLW catalogue summary has:

#1512

1683, March 30

1.            Morgan Price of the parish of Penrose, co. Monmouth, gent., and Blanch, his wife;

2.            Charles Hughes of Trostrey, esq., and Rowland Hughes of the town of Uske.

RELEASE in consideration of the marriage of the said Morgan Price and Blanch, his wife, of messuages and lands in the parish of Llywell, Llandiloervane, Llanvihangell Nant brane, and Llanvaes, co. Brecknock. Copy.

 

It was obviously important to obtain a copy of this settlement[1] and it established a number of facts.

·        The settlement was drawn up in 1683 and as it mentions Walter, the first son and heir of Morgan and Blanche, it was drawn up some time after their marriage. Blanche was born in 1658 and so they were likely to have married between late 1670’s and 1683. According to a later document Walter died young and so ultimately Morgan’s heir was in fact his second son Charles.

·        The settlement was in consideration that the couple would receive the sum of £500 pounds as full and final settlement of Blanche’s dowry from the Hughes estate.

·        Morgan Price would then place his lands and possessions in trust in the hands of Charles and Rowland Hughes (Blanche’s brothers) but continue to benefit from the income of all rents etc. due on the properties during the term of his natural life. In the event of his pre-deceasing Blanche his estate and its benefits would pass to her and thence to their heir(s).

·        The settlement provides a detailed list of properties and lands which had come into Morgan’s hands by inheritance. These include properties in the parishes of Llywel, Llandeilo’r Fan and Llanfihangel Nant Bran as well as house in Llanfaes in the town of Brecon.

·        The settlement also allowed Morgan Price to raise a further £500 on the properties through his will or other legal transaction so as to provide for his younger children.

·        At the time of the settlement Morgan Price is said to be “of Penrose” (a.k.a. Penros and properly Penrhos) - a small village between Abergavenny and Monmouth and only around 5 – 10 miles north of Trostre (or Trostrey as it is presently known), the seat of the Hughes family.

·        The settlement also names Morgan’s mother as Ann Jeffreys, widow, in connection with certain property. This bit of information is important in helping to trace Morgan Price’s ancestry and is confirmed by Morgan’s will.

The question of why a copy of this settlement was found among the Penpont papers seems a bit of a mystery – but there might be a clue in Morgan’s ancestry.

So, summarising thus far, Morgan Price (1654 – 1695) married Blanche Hughes of Trostre Monmouth and in ca. 1683, after the birth of their first child Walter, a marriage settlement was drawn up. They had 10 children between ca. 1680 and Morgan’s death in 1695, a period of some 10 - 15 years.

Morgan died tragically young. It could well be that he did not enjoy good health from the time of his marriage and so deemed it prudent to draw up a settlement which ensured that Blanch would benefit from his death. This possibility is reinforced by the provision made in the settlement for raising a sum of £500 on the property to provide for his young children in the event of his early death. Both his will and also a settlement among the estate papers confirm that he did exercise his right to will the further £500 for his younger children, that will being carried out by his son and heir Charles.

 

Following this settlement it seems that Morgan and Blanche moved to Nantgwared in Llywel – a property that Morgan had inherited from his father.

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[1] A transcript of the full settlement will appear in a further post.