Godfrey Charles Morgan, 1st Viscount Tredegar (28 April 1831 – 11 March 1913) was a Welsh officer, a General in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

, and a peer in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

. Tredegar was born on 28 April 1831 in

Ruperra Castle Ruperra Castle or Rhiwperra Castle is a Grade II* Listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument, situated in Lower Machen in the county borough of Caerphilly, Wales. It was built in 1626, now it is in a ruined condition. History Built in 1 ...

Glamorganshire , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Motto ...

, the eldest son of Charles Morgan, 1st Baron Tredegar and his wife Rosamund Morgan (née Mundy), Baroness Tredegar. He was educated at Eton and joined the

in 1853.

When the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...

broke out in 1854, Tredegar, aged 22, held the rank of captain in the

17th Lancers The 17th Lancers (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1759 and notable for its participation in the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War. The regiment was amalgamated with the 21st Lance ...

and accompanied his famous regiment to the scene of the great struggle. He was in action at the

Battle of Alma The Battle of the Alma (short for Battle of the Alma River) was a battle in the Crimean War between an allied expeditionary force (made up of French, British, and Ottoman forces) and Russian forces defending the Crimean Peninsula on 20Septem ...

and later on 25 October 1854 was in command of a section of the Light Brigade that rode into the 'Valley of Death' at the Battle of Balaclava, which he survived. Godfrey's horse, 'Sir Briggs', also survived, and lived at Tredegar's home,

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 ...

Newport, Wales Newport ( cy, Casnewydd; ) is a city and county borough in Wales, situated on the River Usk close to its confluence with the Severn Estuary, northeast of Cardiff. With a population of 145,700 at the 2011 census, Newport is the third-largest a ...

, until his death at the age of 28. He was buried in the Cedar Garden at Tredegar House (though not with full military honours as is frequently believed). The monument still stands there today. In later years, as other members of the Morgan family had been in the past, he became a benefactor to the people of Newport. Large tracts of land were donated to the Newport Corporation for the benefit of the public, including

Belle Vue Park Belle Vue Park is a large Victorian public park in the west of the city of Newport, in South Wales. It was awarded a Green Flag Award in 2008 and has maintained the status for over a decade since. The park is listed on the Cadw/ICOMOS Registe ...

, the

Royal Gwent Hospital The Royal Gwent Hospital ( cy, Ysbyty Brenhinol Gwent) is a local general hospital in the city of Newport. It is managed by the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board. Since 2020, the hospital no longer has a full Emergency Department, and redirec ...

and Newport Athletics Grounds. This earned him the nickname of "Godfrey the Good" among local people. He served as High Sheriff of Monmouthshire for 1858. Tredegar succeeded his father as 2nd Baron Tredegar in 1875. Tredegar House 1 (16984431737)

In May 1902 he bought the lordships of the manor of Newport and

Caerleon Caerleon (; cy, Caerllion) is a town and community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies northeast of Newport city centre, and southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable Roman ...

from the Duke of Beaufort, including the right to appoint a member of the Newport Harbour Commission. He was created Viscount Tredegar, of

Tredegar Tredegar (pronounced , ) is a town and community situated on the banks of the Sirhowy River in the county borough of Blaenau Gwent, in the southeast of Wales. Within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire, it became an early centre of the In ...

in the County of Monmouth on 28 December 1905, and became the first Freeman of Newport in 1909. He was awarded the Freedom of the City of

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

on 25 October 1909. Tredegar died on 11 March 1913 aged 81 and is buried at

Bassaleg Bassaleg ( cy, Basaleg) is a suburb on the west side of Newport, Wales. It is in the Graig electoral ward and community.Bassaleg is located two miles northwest of Newport city centre. Bassaleg is bounded by the A467 road (A4072) to the east, th ...

Parish Church. He never married and on his death the viscountcy became extinct and his barony and baronetcy and the Tredegar estate passed to his nephew Courtenay Morgan, who spent little time in Wales. A statue of The Viscount Tredegar was unveiled in 1909 in Gorsedd Gardens,

Cathays Park Cathays Park ( cy, Parc Cathays) or Cardiff Civic Centre is a civic centre area in the city centre of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales, consisting of a number of early 20th century buildings and a central park area, Alexandra Gardens. It i ...

, Cardiff. The sculptor was Sir William Goscombe John.Statue of Godfrey, First Viscount Tredegar

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* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tredegar, Godfrey Morgan, 1st Viscount 1831 births 1913 deaths People educated at Eton College People from Caerphilly Lord-Lieutenants of Monmouthshire Viscounts in the Peerage of the United Kingdom 17th Lancers officers British Army personnel of the Crimean War Morgan, Godfrey Morgan, Godfrey Morgan, Godfrey Morgan, Godfrey Morgan, Godfrey Morgan, Godfrey UK MPs who inherited peerages UK MPs who were granted peerages History of Newport, Wales High Sheriffs of Monmouthshire Eldest sons of British hereditary barons Welsh army officers Peers created by Edward VII