Charles Octavius Swinnerton Morgan DL, JP, FRS, FSA (15 September 1803 – 5 August 1888), known as Octavius Morgan, was a British politician, historian and antiquary. He was a significant benefactor to the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

Background and education

Morgan was born on 15 September 1803. He was the fourth son of

Sir Charles Morgan, 2nd Baronet Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Charles Gould Morgan, 2nd Baronet (4 February 1760 – 5 December 1846), was a Welsh soldier and politician, the MP for Brecon and County of Monmouth. Early career The 2nd baronet was the son of Sir Charles Morgan, 1st ...

, of Tredegar Park, Monmouthshire, by his wife Mary (née Stoney).

Charles Rodney Morgan Charles Rodney Morgan (2 December 1828 – 14 January 1854) was a Welsh politician. He was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Brecon from 1852 until his death in 1854, in Marseille. He was the eldest son of Charles Morgan, 1st Baron Tr ...

and

Charles Morgan, 1st Baron Tredegar Charles Morgan Robinson Morgan, 1st Baron Tredegar (10 April 1792 – 16 April 1875), was a Welsh Whig peer and a member of the House of Lords. He was the son of Lt.-Col. Sir Charles Morgan, 2nd Baronet, and his wife, the former Mary Margare ...

, were his elder brothers. He was educated at

Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...

in London and at Christ Church, Oxford, gaining an M.A. in 1832.

Career

Morgan was a Fellow of the

Society of Antiquaries of London A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Soci ...

, a Fellow of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

and the President of the

Royal Archaeological Institute The Royal Archaeological Institute (RAI) is a learned society, established in 1844, with interests in all aspects of the archaeological, architectural and landscape history of the British Isles. Membership is open to all with an interest in these ...

. In 1832 he was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathemat ...

. Morgan had inherited an ample fortune and in 1839 he had "The Friars" rebuilt for his use in the Elizabethan style. The Friars had at one time been home to Carmelite monks. He was said to have filled the house with "Tudor furniture, more curious than useful".History of the Friars
Gwent Clinical School, Wales NHS, accessed July 2010 Morgan had an octagonal preaching platform installed halfway up the main wooden staircase where he would conduct services every day. His congregation would consist of his maids, the housekeeper, bailiff and the boot boy. The lock he had installed on the door reflected his interest in mechanisms and

automata An automaton (; plural: automata or automatons) is a relatively self-operating machine, or control mechanism designed to automatically follow a sequence of operations, or respond to predetermined instructions.Automaton – Definition and More ...

. The substantial brass lock is still on the door of his house and it has seven subsidiary controls. Morgan sat as Member of Parliament for Monmouthshire from 1841 to 1874 for the Conservatives. He also served as a Justice of the Peace and Deputy Lieutenant for Monmouthshire. He was President of the

Cambrian Archaeological Association The Cambrian Archaeological Association ( cy, Cymdeithas Hynafiaethau Cymru) was founded in 1846 to examine, preserve and illustrate the ancient monuments and remains of the history, language, manners, customs, arts and industries of Wales and the ...

1857–8. He had been elected to Society of Antiquaries but was not active until 1848 after which he was Vice-President more than once.J. A. Jenkins, "Morgan, Charles Octavius Swinnerton (1803–1888)", rev. Brynley F. Roberts, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 27 July 2010
/ref> Morgan published papers on astrolabes and

episcopal ring An ecclesiastical ring is a finger ring worn by clergy, such as a bishop's ring. As pontifical accoutrements In Western Christianity, rings are worn by bishops as well as other clerics who are given the privilege of wearing pontifical vestment ...

s and early communion plate. In 1852 Morgan published a series of papers in the Archaeological Journal about the assay and hallmarking of gold and silver, the first information that had been made public on this ancient practice. These sparked public interest in studying and collecting old gold and silver because of the information about its date and origins that can be discovered from the hallmarks. In 1872 he published a valuable guide to the monuments in the Priory Church of St Mary in Abergavenny. Ship Clock at British Museum

During his lifetime Morgan made a number of generous donations to the

including a nef, an extravagant table ornament automaton known as the Mechanical Galleon in 1866.Octavius Morgan (1803–88)
British Museum, accessed July 2010 Morgan never married and died on 5 August 1888 aged 84. He was buried in his family's vault at St Basil's Church 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 ...

in Monmouthshire. He left his clock collection, astronomical instruments and

s. His astrolabes included the 14th-century astrolabe used to call the faithful to prayer in Damascus. Morgan's collections of papers including his translations of Welsh poetry are in the National Library of Wales. A book published at the time and attributed to his fellow MP, Reginald Blewitt, describes Morgan as flippant in his youth and overbearing, arrogant, short and effeminate. Today his house's extensive dairy and orangery are gone as his home is now (2010) an educational facility for the Welsh National Health Service, but it is said that the house is still adorned with

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

inscriptions hidden within wooden carvings and a grand imported German fireplace bearing his initials.

References

External links

Welsh Biography Online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Charles Octavius Swinnerton 1803 births 1888 deaths Younger sons of baronets Conservative Party (UK) MPs for Welsh constituencies Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Monmouthshire UK MPs 1841–1847 UK MPs 1847–1852 UK MPs 1852–1857 UK MPs 1857–1859 UK MPs 1859–1865 UK MPs 1865–1868 UK MPs 1868–1874 Fellows of the Royal Society Members of the Cambrian Archaeological Association People associated with the British Museum