Evan Frederick Morgan, 2nd Viscount Tredegar, , FAGS, FIL (13 July 1893 – 27 April 1949) was a Welsh poet and author. On 3 March 1934, he succeeded to the title of 6th Baronet Morgan, 4th

Baron Tredegar Baron Tredegar, of Tredegar in the County of Monmouth, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 16 April 1859 for the Welsh politician Sir Charles Morgan, 3rd Baronet, who had earlier represented Brecon in Parliame ...

, and 2nd Viscount Tredegar, after the death of his father.

Life

He was the son of

Courtenay Morgan, 1st Viscount Tredegar Courtenay Charles Evan Morgan, 1st Viscount Tredegar, CBE, KStJ, VD (10 April 1867 – 3 May 1934), was a Welsh peer. Morgan was born at Ruperra Castle near Newport, Monmouthshire, and educated at Eton College.Published under Association of C ...

, of Tredegar Park, Monmouthshire, Wales, and Lady Katharine Carnegie. The 13th

Duke of Bedford Duke of Bedford (named after Bedford, England) is a title that has been created six times (for five distinct people) in the Peerage of England. The first and second creations came in 1414 and 1433 respectively, in favour of Henry IV's third so ...

described the Tredegar family as "the oddest family I have ever met". The 2nd Viscount was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

and

Christ Church, Oxford University Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is unique ...

. While working as private secretary to a government minister, W. C. Bridgeman, in 1917, he became friendly with another Oxford man, the poet Robert Graves, who had been a school friend of Evan's cousin, Raymond Rodakowski. They shared an interest in both poetry and the supernatural. A Roman Catholic convert, Morgan was a

Chamberlain of the Sword and Cape A Papal Gentleman, also called a Gentleman of His Holiness, is a lay attendant of the pope and his papal household in Vatican City. Papal gentlemen serve in the Apostolic Palace near St. Peter's Basilica in ceremonial positions, such as escorting ...

to Popes

Benedict XV Pope Benedict XV (Ecclesiastical Latin, Latin: ''Benedictus XV''; it, Benedetto XV), born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, name=, group= (; 21 November 185422 January 1922), was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his deat ...

and

Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City f ...

. An accomplished

occultist The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism a ...

, he was hailed by

Aleister Crowley Aleister Crowley (; born Edward Alexander Crowley; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the pr ...

as ''Adept of Adepts''. He fought in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, gaining the rank of lieutenant in the service of the

Welsh Guards The Welsh Guards (WG; cy, Gwarchodlu Cymreig), part of the Guards Division, is one of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. It was founded in 1915 as a single-battalion regiment, during the First World War, by Royal Warrant of George V. ...

. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

with MI8, his responsibility was to monitor carrier pigeons. He carelessly let slip on occasion departmental secrets to two girl guides and was court martialled but not sent to jail or worse. Tredegar House 1 (16984431737)

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...

, he unsuccessfully stood as the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

candidate for

Limehouse Limehouse is a district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London. It is east of Charing Cross, on the northern bank of the River Thames. Its proximity to the river has given it a strong maritime character, which it retains through ...

. After the death of his father, in May 1934, he took possession of the family seat of

Tredegar House Tredegar House ( Welsh: ''Tŷ Tredegar'') is a 17th-century Charles II-era mansion 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 infl ...

, near Newport, where he lived alone with a menagerie of animals and birds. He dedicated one room, his 'magik room', to his study of the occult. Morgan provided inspiration for the characters of Ivor Lombard in

Aldous Huxley Aldous Leonard Huxley (26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963) was an English writer and philosopher. He wrote nearly 50 books, both novels and non-fiction works, as well as wide-ranging essays, narratives, and poems. Born into the prominent Huxle ...

's 1921 ''

Crome Yellow ''Crome Yellow'' is the first novel by British author Aldous Huxley, published by Chatto & Windus in 1921, followed by a U.S. edition by George H. Doran Company in 1922. Though a social satire of its time, it is still appreciated and has been a ...

'', and for Eddie Monteith in

Ronald Firbank Arthur Annesley Ronald Firbank (17 January 1886 – 21 May 1926) was an innovative English novelist. His eight short novels, partly inspired by the London aesthetes of the 1890s, especially Oscar Wilde, consist largely of dialogue, with referen ...

's ''The Flower Beneath the Foot''. He was decorated with the following awards: * Knight of Honour and Devotion, Sovereign and Military Order of Malta * Knight of Justice, Constantinian Order of St. George * Knight of Justice,

Order of St. John of Jerusalem The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic Church, Catholic Military ord ...

(KJStJ) * Commander, Order of the Holy Sepulchre (with star) In 1937 or 1938 Edith Mary Hinchley painted him. This painting is in the National Trust collection.

Marriages

Despite his known homosexuality, he married twice.D.J. Taylor, "Bright Young People", Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007, page 232 * Lois Ina Sturt (1900–1937), an actress and daughter of Humphrey Napier Sturt, 2nd

Baron Alington Baron Alington was a title that was created three times in British history. The first creation came in the Peerage of Ireland on 28 July 1642 when William Alington was made Baron Alington, of Killard in the County of Cork. His second son, the th ...

of Crichel and Lady Feodorowna Yorke, on 1 April 1928. She died in 1937. * Princess Olga Sergeivna Dolgorouky (1915–1998), daughter of General Prince Serge Alexandrovitch Dolgorouky and Irina Vassilievna Narishkina, on 13 March 1939; this union was annulled in 1943.

Death

He died suddenly on 27 April 1949 at age 55, without issue, and his viscountcy became extinct, although the title of Baron Tredegar passed to his 76-year-old Uncle Frederick. To avoid death duties Tredegar House passed straight to Frederick's son John, the 6th Baron, who soon afterwards sold it to the Sisters of St Joseph. His mother died in London in 1949, only a few months later.Evan Frederic Morgan profile
peerage.com. Retrieved 20 November 2016.

Works

*''Fragments'' *''Gold and Ochre'' *''At Dawn'' *''The Eel'' *''The City of Canals''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tredegar, Evan Morgan, 2nd Viscount 1893 births 1949 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford 20th-century Welsh poets British Army personnel of World War I British Army personnel of World War II Conservative Party (UK) hereditary peers Converts to Roman Catholicism LGBT peers British gay writers British LGBT poets Welsh LGBT politicians LGBT Roman Catholics Welsh LGBT writers Welsh male poets Papal chamberlains Knights of Malta Viscounts in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Welsh occultists Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature 20th-century male writers 20th-century occultists Welsh Guards officers Royal Corps of Signals officers British Home Guard officers London Regiment officers Royal Engineers officers LGBT military personnel

Life

Marriages

Death

Works

See also

References