MORGAN, CHARLES OCTAVIUS SWINNERTON (1803 - 1888), antiquary and local historian
Date of birth: 1803
Date of death: 1888
Parent: Mary Margaret Morgan (née Stoney)
Parent: Charles Morgan
Gender: Male
Occupation: antiquary and local historian
Area of activity: History and Culture; Scholarship and Languages
Author: William Llewelyn Davies
Born 15 September 1803, fourth son of Sir Charles Morgan, 2nd bart. of Ealing, Middlesex, and Tredegar Park, Monmouth, by Mary Margaret, daughter of capt. George Stoney, R.N.; he was, therefore, a brother of the first baron Tredegar. He entered Christ Church, Oxford, 26 June 1822 (B.A. 1825, M.A. 1832). He was a justice of the peace and deputy-lieutenant of Monmouthshire, and he represented that county in Parliament from 1840 to 1874.
Joining the Society of Antiquaries in 1830 and becoming later a vice-president, Morgan was at the time of his death one of its oldest Fellows. He was a constant contributor to the publications of that Society (see Archaeologia, xxxiii, xxxiv, xxxvi), to Archaeologia Cambrensis, and to the Journal of the Royal Archaeological Institute. He was elected F.R.S. in 1832. His name and that of Thomas Wakeman are thought of immediately in connection with the publications of the Monmouthshire and Caerleon Antiquarian Association (founded in 1847), both Morgan and Wakeman, severally or in conjunction, being responsible for most of those 'Publications.' The following titles give some idea of what Morgan himself published - ' Excavations … within the walls of Caerwent,' 1856, ' Notice of a Tessellated Pavement … in the Churchyard, Caerleon,' 1866, ' Some Account of the Ancient Monuments in the Priory Church, Abergavenny,' 1872, ' Goldcliff and the Ancient Roman-Inscribed Stone found there,' 1882. He was also an authority on clocks and watches, and made gifts of some examples to the national collections. There is evidence that he was well-acquainted with the Tredegar Park muniments. He lived at The Friars, Monmouth, and died, unmarried, 5 August 1888.
Author
- Sir William Llewelyn Davies, (1887 - 1952)
- Burke's … Peerage, Baronetage, and Knightage
- Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of London, II, xii, 384-6
- Tredegar Park muniments in N.L.W.
Sources
- Wikipedia Article: Octavius Morgan
Further Reading
Published date: 1959
Article Copyright: http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-RUU/1.0/
The Dictionary of Welsh Biography is provided by The National Library of Wales and the University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies. It is free to use and does not receive grant support. A donation would help us maintain and improve the site so that we can continue to acknowledge Welsh men and women who have made notable contributions to life in Wales and beyond.
Find out more on our sponsorship page.