Evan Morgan, 2nd Viscount Tredegar
Evan Frederic Morgan, 2nd Viscount Tredegar (July 13, 1893 – April 27, 1949) was a Welsh poet and author. Morgan succeeded as 2nd Viscount and 4th Baron Tredegar in May 1934 after the death of his father.
Life
Tredegar was the son of Courtenay Morgan, 1st Viscount Tredegar, of Tredegar Park, Monmouth-shire, and Lady Katharine Carnegie. He was also a chamberlain to both Pope Benedict XV and Pope Pius XI.
As an accomplished occultist, he was hailed by Aleister Crowley as "Adept of Adepts" [1]
Tredegar came from what the 13th Duke of Bedford described as "the oddest family I have ever met".[2] This observation could have stemmed from the rumour that his mother had built bird nests large enough to sit in, or that his father had owned one of the largest yachts in the world. Adding to his family's peculiarity, in 1925, his sister Gwyneth Ericka Morgan was found dead at age 29 in the River Thames.
A noted eccentric, Tredegar kept at Tredegar House in Newport a menagerie of animals including a boxing kangaroo, honey bear, baboon and a macaw. Morgan's weekend house parties attracted such figures as Aldous Huxley, H. G. Wells, Augustus John, and Aleister Crowley and gained local notoriety, as did the host's extravagant lifestyle.
In 1929, he stood as the Conservative Party candidate for Limehouse. During World War II he was a high-ranking officer in MI8. Extraordinarily well-connected, his associations included Queen Mary, Brendan Bracken, and leading nazis.[3]
Despite his known homosexuality and reputation for dissipation, he married twice.[4] His first wife was Lois Ina Sturt (1900–1937), an actress and daughter of Napier Sturt, 2nd Baron Alington; they married in 1928. After her death, he married Princess Olga Sergievna Dolgorouky (1915–1998); they married in 1939 in Singapore, but the marriage was annulled in 1943.
Works
- Fragments
- Gold and Ochre
- At Dawn
- The Eel
- The City of Canals
See also
References
- ↑ "Evan Morgan of Tredegar House". Wales. Retrieved 2016-01-01.
- ↑ Russell, John Robert, Duke of Bedford, A Silver Plated Spoon, Cassell, London 1959, pp64-65
- ↑ "Evan Morgan of Tredegar House". Wales. Retrieved 2016-01-01.
- ↑ D. J. Taylor, "Bright Young People", Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007, page 232
External links
Biographies
- Tredegar House guide book (1985) published by Newport County Borough Council
- Tredegar House Blog
- Only Evan: The eccentric life of Lord Tredegar by Paul Busby (Awaiting Publication)
- Dart, Monty; Cross, William (2012). Aspects of Evan: The Last Viscount Tredegar: With a Transcript of His Court Martial for Offences Against the Official Secrets Acts. William P. Cross. ISBN 978-1-905914-15-9.
- Dart, Monty; Cross, William P. (2012). A Beautiful Nuisance: The Life and Death of Hon. Gwyneth Ericka Morgan. William P. Cross. ISBN 978-1-905914-10-4.
- Cross, William P. (2013). Not Behind Lace Curtains: The Hidden World of Evan, Viscount Tredegar. William P Cross. ISBN 978-1-905914-23-4.
- Evan Frederic Morgan: Viscount Tredegar The Final Affairs: Financial and Carnal by William Cross. ISBN 978-1-905914-24-1 (2014)
- Cross, William. and Morgan, Hon. Evan Frederic. Evan, Lord Tredegar, Selected Letters, Prose and Quotations. The Mystic Muse of Evan Frederic Morgan. . Book Midden Publishing ISBN 9781905914333 : (2015).
- Cross, William P. (2014). Lois Sturt, Wild Child: A Glance at Hon. Lois Ina Sturt, Viscountess Tredegar. William P.Cross. ISBN 978-1-905914-31-9.
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Courtenay Morgan |
Viscount Tredegar 1934–1949 |
Extinct |
| Baron Tredegar 1934–1949 |
Succeeded by Frederic Morgan | |
|