Personalities
Tinted photograph of Harry Hartley Southey
Not recorded
Harry Hartley Southey (1871-1917) was the eldest son of Harry
Wood Southey, who came to Merthyr from Somerset in the 1860s to
work on the Merthyr Express newspaper, which publication he
eventually owned. From his earliest years Harry Southey had a
desire for travel and during his youth was able to travel to the
Black Sea, the North Cape, various European countries, America and
the Far East. He was particularly interested in Egypt, and on a
visit in 1901 was able to buy a quantity of Egyptian antiquities
which he later added to when stationed in Egypt during 1916. Harry
Southey was a well-known in Merthyr owing to his connexion with the
newspaper, and also ran the Merthyr branch of the territorial army.
He enlisted during the 1914-1918 conflict and was fatally wounded
at the Battle of Gaza in 1917.
Statue Of Richard
Trevithick
480mm height x 180mm width x 180mm depth
This is a scale model of the bronze statue erected outside of
the library in Camborne, west Cornwall. Richard Trevithick
(1771-1833) was born in the heart of the Cornish tin and copper
mining district, and from an early age showed an interest in
engineering. The mines of Cornwall were pumped of water using steam
engines patented by Thomas Newcomen that were costly to run.
Trevithick improved the design by using high-pressure steam, which
paved the way for more efficient, cheaper engines. His inventions
led to the first steam-propelled wheeled vehicle (in 1801) and by
placing an engine on tracks he effectively invented the railway
train, at Penydarren in 1804.
Portrait Of Rose Mary Crawshay With Son
Richard
2220mm height x 1600mm width
Rose Mary Crawshay (1828-1907), formerly Yeates, was the wife of
Robert Thompson Crawshay, the last of the Ironmasters before the
closure of the works in 1875. Born of landed gentry in Berkshire,
Rose Mary's marriage in 1846 brought her to Merthyr Tydfil as the
new mistress of Cyfarthfa Castle. Forward thinking with a social
conscience, she quickly set about organising free meals for the
poor and established libraries in the local villages for the
education of the workers. She was also an early advocate of
cremation and women's suffrage, years before such things were
permitted by law. She is shown with her youngest son Richard
Frederick Crawshay (1859-1903), dressed as a girl, in the usual
fashion of the 1860s.
Portrait Of Richard
Crawshay
1165mm height x 1010mm width
The first of the Cyfarthfa Ironmasters, Richard Crawshay
(1739-1810) was born of yeoman stock in Yorkshire and in his teens
moved south to London in search of his fortune. By perseverance
(the family's watch-word) he was able to gain the controlling
interest in the recently established Cyfarthfa works and founded
the Crawshay dynasty's association with Merthyr Tydfil, which
endured for over a century.
Portrait Of Margaret Morgan ('Macws') Of
Cefn Coed
560mm height x 710mm width
Margaret Morgan (1815-1896), known as 'Macws,' was a well-known
character in Cefn Coed, where she was born and lived all her life.
She learnt to read the Welsh language at school in Vaynor Church,
and won fame as a Welsh elocutionist. She married Rees Morgan, with
whom she had one son. The portrait was painted by Henry Dyke Pearce
(1848-1895) of Merthyr Tydfil.
Plaster Bust Of Frank Treharne
James
520mm height x 180mm width x 180mm depth
F. T. James (1861-1942) was a member of a family that had
involved itself in public service in Merthyr for more than a
century. Amongst other public offices, he was variously clerk of
the Board of Guardians, Superintendent Registrar, clerk to the
Gelligaer and Rhigos Rural District Council, clerk to the Merthyr
Assessment Committee, and Lord Mayor. He was made a freeman of the
borough in 1939. F. T. James was largely responsible for the
foundation of Cyfarthfa Castle Museum and Art Gallery in 1910 and
was closely involved in the affairs of the museum as Chairman of
the Museum Committee until his death in 1942.
Photograph Of Penry
Williams
Not Recorded
A native of Merthyr, Penry Williams (1802-1885) demonstrated
artistic talents from a young age and came to the notice of the
Ironmaster William Crawshay II, who encouraged the young man and
became his patron. Despite having little formal education or
training, Williams went on to study at the Royal Academy in London
and became an accomplished artist. In style, stood between the
classicalism of the eighteenth century and the realism of the later
nineteenth, and after he established himself in Rome from the
1820s, he painted Italian subjects for the delight of British
buyers. The Procession to the Christening was painted for J. J.
Guest, who gave it to his new bride Charlotte as a wedding
gift.
Johnny Owen's Belt
760mm height x 100mm width
Popularly known as the 'Matchstick Man,' Johnny Owen (1956-1980)
represented Wales 7 times during his amateur career, and went on to
hold the British and European Bantamweight titles. He won 25
fights, lost 2 and drew 1. His fight with Lupe Pinter in Los
Angeles, in 1980, resulted in him being knocked unconscious, and he
was left in a coma from which he never recovered.
Cast Marble Bust Of Sir Josiah John
Guest
860mm height x 620mm width x 330mm depth
The names of Josiah John Guest (1785-1852) and his second wife
Charlotte Guest (1815-1895) are indelibly linked to the ironworks
at Dowlais and to the great efforts they made to improve the lives
and conditions of their employees. J. J. Guest's grandfather John
came to Dowlais from Shopshire during the 1760s, as work's manager
for the owner William Lewis. Guest was rewarded for his labour by a
partnership in 1782, and was succeeded by his son Thomas. J. J.
Guest was the younger of two sons and came to have the controlling
interest of the Dowlais works, which in the mid nineteenth century
was the largest iron producing concern in the world. Guest held
strong views on the important political concerns of the day and was
M.P. for Merthyr Tydfil after the enfranchisement of the town in
1832. He supported Free Trade, the abolition of slavery, and the
reform of the church.
Boxing Match Poster Featuring Howard
Winstone
512mm height x 356mm width
Howard Winstone (1939-2000) held many boxing titles, including
the British Featherweight Championship and the European
Featherweight championship. He defeated Mitsunori Seki at the Royal
Albert Hall in January 1968 to become the World Featherweight
Champion, and although he held the title for only 6 months, to many
fans he is still their champion. This early poster is advertising a
boxing match at the Drill Hall, Swansea, on Thursday 22 November
1962, between Howard Winstone and Brain Curvis.
Was this information useful?