Gwenllian Elizabeth Fanny Morgan (9 April 1852 – 7 November 1939) was the first woman in Wales to hold the office of Mayor. She was also an

antiquary An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifact (archaeology), artifac ...

and published books about her area of study. Morgan served as superintendent of Petitions and Treaties, World's

Woman's Christian Temperance Union The Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) is an international temperance organization, originating among women in the United States Prohibition movement. It was among the first organizations of women devoted to social reform with a program th ...

(W. C. T. U.); was a member of the Executive Committee of the National

British Women's Temperance Association The White Ribbon Association (WRA), previously known as the British Women's Temperance Association (BWTA), is an organization that seeks to educate the public about alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, as well as gambling. Founding of British Wom ...

; and was the president of the

Brecon Brecon (; cy, Aberhonddu; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the coun ...

Branch. She was a

white ribbon The white ribbon is an awareness ribbon sometimes used by political movements to signify or spread their beliefs. It is usually worn on garments or represented in information sources such as posters, leaflets, etc. The White Ribbon has been t ...

worker for eleven years and took a deep interest in the work. Morgan organized the

Polyglot Petition The Polyglot Petition for Home Protection was the first world-wide proclamation against the manufacturing and international trade in liquor and drugs as well as the prohibition of legalised vice. It served as a first major campaign to raise public ...

work in Great Britain and Ireland and filled the position of British Secretary for the World's W. C. T. U. Apart from this, she was in full sympathy with, and was long connected with active work for women generally, of political and suffrage lines. Towards the end of her life, Morgan and

Louise Imogen Guiney Louise Imogen Guiney (January 7, 1861 – November 2, 1920) was an American poet, essayist and editor, born in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Biography The daughter of Gen. Patrick R. Guiney, an Irish-born American Civil War officer and lawyer,''Th ...

collaborated in writing historical notes about the works of

Henry Vaughan Henry Vaughan (17 April 1621 – 23 April 1695) was a Welsh metaphysical poet, author and translator writing in English, and a medical physician. His religious poetry appeared in ''Silex Scintillans'' in 1650, with a second part in 1655.''Oxfo ...

. Their work was published posthumously in 1947.

Early years

Gwenllian Elizabeth Fanny Morgan was born in

Defynnog Defynnog, also known as Devynock in some historical documents, is a small village in the community of Maescar in the historic county of Brecknockshire, Wales, now lying within the unitary authority area of Powys. It lies immediately south of Se ...

on 9 April 1852. She was the daughter of Philip Morgan, curate at Penpont and rector in

Llanhamlach Llanhamlach is a village in rural Powys, Wales about 4 miles east of Brecon, in the community of Llanfrynach. It had a railway junction called Talyllyn Junction. History Previously part of Brecknock Rural District, Llanhamlach was in the count ...

. After his death in 1868, she moved to

Career

Morgan was very prominent in public life in her town and its area, especially with regard to education. She became the first woman in Wales to be elected to a

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counci ...

, and the first woman in Wales to be a mayor, from 1910 to 1911 in

. In 1912, over 900 women raised the money for the

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

artist Isaac Cooke to paint a full portrait of her. The painting recorded that she was the first woman mayor and that she was the "Coronation Mayor". Morgan was interested in literature and contributed articles to ''Old Wales. A monthly magazine of antiquities for Wales and the Borders'', edited by W. R. Williams of

Talybont-on-Usk Talybont-on-Usk ( cy, Tal-y-bont ar Wysg) is a village and community in Powys, Wales, in the historic county of Brecknockshire. It lies on both the Caerfanell river and the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, about from the River Usk. In 2001 ...

. Morgan was an admirer of the work of the metaphysical poet

, who had lived near Brecon. She collaborated with

on a volume of Vaughan's work, with biographical sketch and historical notes, but these two died before finishing the job and it was taken over by Dr. F. E. Hutchinson. Hutchinson published a comprehensive book about Vaughan based on their work in 1947. Morgan was honoured with an honorary MA degree from the

University of Wales The University of Wales (Welsh language, Welsh: ''Prifysgol Cymru'') is a confederal university based in Cardiff, Wales. Founded by royal charter in 1893 as a federal university with three constituent colleges – Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff � ...

in 1925. She died on 7 November 1939 in Brecon.

References

* powysenc.weebly.com; accessed 1 July 2015

Attribution

* *

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Gwenllian Elizabeth Fanny 1852 births 1939 deaths 19th-century Welsh people 19th-century Welsh women 20th-century antiquarians 20th-century British women politicians 20th-century Welsh politicians 20th-century Welsh writers 20th-century Welsh women writers 20th-century British non-fiction writers Women mayors of places in Wales Welsh antiquarians People from Brecon People from Powys Mayors of places in Wales British temperance activists