Welsh Journals

His son and heir, William Morgan (d. 1569), was a minor at the time of his father's death, although his age at that time is not recorded, and his wardship was granted in June 1525 to Henry Norris, one of the esquires for the Body.106 John Morgan's premature death and the minority of his heir may explain why the Morgans of Tredegar were less prominent in the early sixteenth century than might have been expected in view of their substantial estate. William Morgan's later career suggests, however, that he may not have sought to achieve a leading place in county affairs, as apparently the only major official appointments which he held were those of sheriff of the county in 1549 and 1564, and MP for the county in 1559. 107 The foregoing comments on John Morgan of Tredegar may help to dispel the confusion between his career and that of John Morgan of Caerleon, the eldest of Sir William Morgan's brothers, which occurs in G. Blacker Morgan's work on the Morgan family and in the History of Parliament article concerning the latter's son, William Morgan (d. 1582) of Llantarnam.108 John Morgan of Caerleon appears as keeper of Caerleon park in 1502 and received a royal grant of that office, during pleasure, in 1509.109 He continued to hold it until August 1532, when he surrendered his patent.110 In January 1535 he was appointed with his brother, Sir William, and many others to the commission to assess the value of the ecclesiastical benefices in the diocese of Llandaff.111 In a deposition on 18 November 1533 relating to the Newport affrays earlier that year he gave his age as fifty-six, and since the latest reference to him appears to be in a deed of 17 May 1535 it seems likely that he predeceased his eldest brother.112 Next to the Morgans of Pencoed and the Morgans of Tredegar, the most prominent branch of the Morgan family in Gwent in the early sixteenth century was the Morgan family of Machen. This branch of the family was founded by Thomas Morgan, a younger brother of Sir Morgan John (d. 1499 or 1500) of Tredegar. Several deeds dating from 1494 onwards to which this Thomas Morgan, also known as Thomas ap Morgan, was a party survive among the Tredegar Manuscripts in the National Library of Wales.113 As he gave his age as sixty-eight years in a deposition in January 1534, he was probably born about 1465 or 1466. 114 He is probably to be identified with the Thomas Morgan included in a commission made by Jasper, duke of Bedford in March 1486 appointing justices in eyre in the Duchy of Lancaster lordships of Mon- mouth, Skenfrith, Grosmont, Whitecastle and Ebbw (near Newport).115 He was, however, mainly concerned with the administration of Edward, duke of Buckingham's lordships of Newport (Wentloog) and Machen, particularly after the death of his elder brother, Sir Morgan John, and with his own lands in Machen. In 1500 the duke fined him 40s for not performing the duties of coroner