Iolo Morganwg is one of the outstanding figures of Welsh history. A stonemason and scholar, a poet and antiquarian, a farmer and entrepreneur, a political and religious firebrand – and more besides – his legacy continues to influence Wales even today.
Iolo’s life was dominated by his love for his home county of Glamorgan. He lived at a pivotal time, when the ancient county families were dying out and being replaced by a new breed of businessmen and industrialists. This book takes a novel approach by examining the life of Iolo Morganwg through his cross-generational social networks, and argues that in many important respects he should be regarded as a member of the Glamorgan gentry whose connections spanned the old and new families.
Based on solid academic research, it contributes important information to our understanding of Iolo, including:
how his grandfather lost his fortune, and what became of him afterwards;
the family background of Iolo’s grandmother and great-aunt;
confirmation of his great-aunt's name;
the identity of the Nicholls of Remenham, and why they were so helpful to Iolo;
who really gained permission for Iolo to dedicate his poetry to the Prince of Wales, and why the Prince ultimately snubbed Iolo;
that Iolo was related to one of the most controversial women of 18th-century Britain;
new information about Iolo's wife, and her illegitimacy;
new evidence that Iolo and William Blake knew each other.
