Part 2

In a note to this tale it is stated that tradition reports that the young Pretender visited the Principality prior to the Rebellion; but this statement is scarcely credible, nor is there any evidence in support of its truth. It is, however, indisputable, that he reckoned the greater number of the wealthy landowners of Wales among his adherents, and one of the original projects of his army, in its advance from Scotland, was that of marching into Wales, where the people, and even the clergy, {14a} were well known to be warmly devoted to the Stuarts, while the character of the country was considered to be favourable to the desultory mode of warfare practised by the Highlanders. Anticipating that such a course would be adopted, several of the leading gentry had prepared themselves to join him, and many of them had left their houses, and were actually on their way to meet him, {14b} when the mortifying intelligence reached them of the retreat from Derby. At that period, the influence of the gentry of Wales over their tenantry, and the peasantry generally, was very great, and it is extremely probable that an advance into Wiles would have secured to the Pretender an immense accession to his forces. The unexpected retreat, however, prevented any rising among the Welsh, and the adherents of the Stuarts were thus saved from the ruin in which most probably they would otherwise have been eventually involved. They were fully prepared to risk both life and estate in the cause of the prince whom they loved, though that prince, like other Stuarts, may, after all, have proved unworthy of their sacrifices and devotion. Tradition states that, for many years subsequent to the memorable Forty-Five, {15a} the Welsh squires, at their convivial meetings, were accustomed to discuss and dispute as to the share which each had taken in the movement, and the respective distances that intervened between them and the prince’s army, when the news of the retreat reached them, and compelled them to return to their homes. In a letter written many months subsequently, {15b} the young Pretender, while referring incidently to Mr. Barry, states that he “arrived at Derby two days after I parted. He had been sent by Sir Watkin Wynn to assure me, in the name of my friends, that they were ready to join me in what manner I pleased.”

The prince himself is said to have been most anxious to proceed into Wales; {15c} for at Derby, when the retreat was under discussion, and all his arguments in favour of an advance to London had proved unavailing, he, at last, “as a middle course, proposed that they should march into Wales, to give their partizans in that country an opportunity of joining.” {15d}

Foremost and boldest among those who contended for a forward movement, and counselled the advance upon Loudon, was David Morgan. He determinedly opposed the retreat, and clearly foresaw its disastrous consequences. W hen he found that the Scottish commanders had actually commenced the retrograde movement, and that the troops were in full retreat for Scotland, it is stated by one of the leading noblemen {16} connected with the Pretender, that “Mr. Morgan, an English gentleman, came up to Mr. Vaughan, who was riding with the Life Guards, and after saluting him, said, ‘D— me, Vaughan, they are going to Scotland!’ Mr. Vaughan replied, ‘wherever they go, I am determined, now I have joined them, to go along with them.’ Upon which Mr. Morgan said, with an oath, ‘I had rather be _hanged_ than go to Scotland to _starve_.’ Mr. Morgan _was hanged_ in 1746; and Mr. Vaughan _is an officer in Spain_.”

David Morgan, or, as he is occasionally designated, David Thomas Morgan, was one of the boldest spirits associated with this momentous struggle. He was among the first of the English, or Welsh, Jacobites to join the forces of Charles Edward on his advance into England, and remained by his side until the forward movement had been finally abandoned, and all hope of a successful issue to the enterprize had been lost.

As was the case with many of the unfortunate participators in the Rebellion, it was the fortune of David Morgan to be misrepresented by the partisans of the reigning dynasty, and to have his memory assailed by the most injurious aspersions, and discreditable calumnies. Long after the turbulent times in which these brave and hapless men lived, it would have been unsafe to suggest any palliation of their offence, to express any sorrow for their melancholy fate, or to seek to defend their memories from unmerited ignomy, and unjustifiable slander. And, yet many of those whose memories have been clouded, and whose names have been involved in partial oblivion, were men of the highest honour, the most refined intelligence, and chivalrous self-devotion. In supporting the cause of the prince, whom they regarded as the only lawful heir to the throne of their country, the highest order of personal bravery, romantic heroism, and complete disregard of all selfish considerations were evoked, and called into existence. With a lofty disdain of the dangers which they incurred, they braved the fearful penalties which the barbarous laws relating to High Treason then awarded to its luckless victims, and were content to sacrifice their positions (distinguished and influential as many of them were), their homes, and fortunes, and even life itself, for the cherished idea to which they clung, and were devoted. For themselves individually, few of them could have anticipated much personal advantage, even from a successful issue to their struggle; while all that men cherished and held dear were fearfully imperilled. Yet these were the men whom a merciless but dominant faction doomed to deaths invested with every horror that cruelty and a brutal law could devise, and pursued with malignant and unrelenting ferocity, even after they had expiated with their lives the offences into which their mistaken but noble devotion had led them.

Among the adherents of the young Pretender there were few who evinced more devoted attachment to his cause, albeit a desperate one, than David Morgan. He appears to have received prompt information of the movements of Charles Edward, and to have been aware, at an early period, of the projected advance into England. The army of the Pretender commenced its adventurous march from Carlisle, where the onward movement was finally decided upon, on the 20th of November, 1745; and arrived at Preston, in Lancashire, on the 27th, {17a} where the two divisions into which their forces had been divided were again united, and rested for the day.

Here it was that David Morgan joined them, with a friend, whose name is unknown to me, but who, together with his servant, had accompanied him from Monmouthshire. {17b} At the distance of a mile, or so, from the town, the two gentlemen dismounted, and leaving their horses in charge of the servant, walked to Preston, in order to elude observation, and to avoid creating any suspicion of their intention to join the rebels.

The circumstance of its appearing in evidence that he had left Monmouthshire with his friend probably caused it to be inferred that he resided in that county. Such, however, was not the case. His residence was in Glamorganshire, though close to the borders of the adjoining county of Monmouth. It is somewhat singular that the house of his father’s nativity, if not of his also, as well as that in which he resided, though nearly 20 miles apart, were situated in nearly the same relative position with reference to the counties of Monmouth and Glamorgan; and were, in each case, not far removed from the Rhymney river, which divides those shires.

He appears to have spent much of his time in London, and to have possessed a residence there; but, when staying in Glamorganshire, he resided at Penygraig Taf, which, at that period, must have been a singularly secluded and solitary place. It is situated in the hamlet of Forest, in the parish of Merthyr-Tydfil, and occupies an elevated and picturesque position on the summit of the hill that divides the Taff from the Bargoed Taff valley, and is now a farm-house, retaining nothing in its character to distinguish it from the ordinary dwelling of a Welsh farmer. At that period, the population must have been very limited, and widely scattered; so that few scenes could be found of greater seclusion, or more conducive to quiet and calm contentment.

The river Taff, that flowed far below in the depths of the valley, was then unpolluted by the dross and impure refuse of the mines and manufactures of Merthyr-Tydfil, and, except when agitated into wrathful turbulence by storms, and the rapid influx of mountain torrents, rippled by in pure and calm serenity. The small forge, at which iron had been manufactured as early as the reign of Henry VIII., if not previously, at the place now called Pontygwaith, or the bridge of the work, and immediately below Penygraig, on the opposite side of the river, had long ceased to resound in the valley, and Merthyr-Tydfil was then a quiet village, containing perhaps at most a score of houses, or so. And now, when little more than a century has passed away, how wonderfully have all things changed, and the stillness of this remote locality been invaded. Midway up the side of the valley, not more than a mile from Penygraig House, now stands the Quaker’s-Yard Station of the West Midland Railway, and the two noble viaducts that carry the Taff Vale and the West Midland Railways across the Taff river; while at an equally short distance, stands another viaduct of elegant proportions that spans the tributary valley of Bargoed Taff.

In this quiet spot David Morgan was roused from what may possibly have been peaceful dreams of happiness, and calm domesticity, to participate in the anxieties and perils of the Rebellion. On receiving the first intimation of the Pretender’s arrival in Scotland, he departed from Penygraig, to return there no more; and there is a tradition still extant in that neighbourhood that, in starting on his fatal journey, he stopped at Efail Llancaiach, which still exists as a smithy, to have his horse shod, and is stated so have said to the smith, in Welsh, “You are against me now, but when I return you will be all with me.” He then appears to have proceeded to join the friend of whom previous mention has been made, and to have journeyed with him on horseback through North Wales into Cheshire, where he paid a visit to an acquaintance residing at Etherton Hall. From thence he rode to Preston, in Lancashire, as already stated, to join the army of the Pretender.

It is quite manifest that he must have been very actively and influentially engaged in the movement prior to this, and well known by reputation, if not by actual correspondence, to Prince Charles Edward, as he was immediately received into his confidence, and held so prominent a position in his counsels as to cause him to be designated the “Pretender’s Counsellor.” {19}

He accompanied the army in its onward march to Manchester, where it arrived on the 29th. Though he had joined them only two days previously, he was shown on his trial to have been one of the most prominent actors in the proceedings that took place in that town. The Pretender was received at Manchester with demonstrations of high satisfaction, and a large number of the inhabitants enrolled themselves among his supporters, under the designation of “the Manchester Regiment,” the command of which was offered, in the first place, to David Morgan. He, however, declined the position, and the unfortunate Colonel Towneley, {20a} who, Morgan said, “was much fitter than he was for such an office,” a Roman Catholic gentleman of ancient family, high reputation, and more than ordinary attainments, consented to assume the command. But, though declining to undertake any special command, he marched with the army as a gentleman volunteer, was particularly active and prominent, and appears to have been invested with considerable authority. He obtained an order from Secretary Murray {20b} to search for arms, and for their surrender on pain of military execution; and it was proved by one of the constables of Manchester that he had obtained possession of arms, which he had delivered at the lodgings of “Squire Morgan.” He wore a white cockade in his hat, and a sword by his side. It was likewise shown that he paid the expenses, when the officers and he dined together; and as one of the witnesses stated at his trial, “gave all the directions about everything,” and rode at the side of the Pretender, mounted on a bay horse. It was further given in evidence against him, that, “being at dinner with several rebel officers at Derby, he asked Lord Elcho what number of men they had? to which his lordship answered, about 4 or 5000, and 17 pieces of cannon. That he then asked, what religion the young Pretender was of? and Lord Elcho replied, shaking his head, that he believed his religion was to seek. That the prisoner advised to beat up for volunteers, and said that it would be an easy matter to march to London; for that there were not above 3000 soldiers between London and that city, and those mostly dragoons, except a few undisciplined troops lately raised by Lords Gower and Cholmondely, who could make but little opposition.” {21}

They departed from Manchester on the 1st of December, and, marching through Congleton, Leek, and Ashbourn, they entered on the 4th December into the town of Derby, which was only one hundred and twenty-seven miles distant from the metropolis.

The news of the Pretender having arrived at that town soon reached London, and struck terror into the hearts of those who were unfavourable to the Stuarts’ cause; and the King was so seriously alarmed, that he ordered his yacht to be loaded with his valuables, and to remain at the Tower Quay, prepared to start at the shortest intimation. At this time, precarious as the Prince’s position unquestionably was, a bold dash in the direction of London would probably have rendered him the possessor of the throne of England. Weaker counsels, however, prevailed; the whole of the principal leaders imperatively urged a retreat into Scotland, and the Prince was compelled to succumb to their views, though wholly opposed to his own convictions. This decision sealed the fate of Charles, and destroyed the glowing hopes that had hitherto buoyed him up; but none of his adherents, as has been already stated, were more clearly impressed with the conviction of the suicidal impolicy of a retrograde movement than David Morgan. Bold, decisive, and rapid action could alone have saved them; and an onward march would have encouraged the wavering, and strengthened the determination of the doubtful; while many of their adherents, as in the case of the Welsh gentry, were at that moment on their way to join them. But regardless of the prayers and entreaties of the Prince, the Highland commanders held firmly to their determination to return to Scotland; and on Friday, {22} the 6th of December, commenced the melancholy retreat, that was the forerunner of so much subsequent disaster, bloodshed, and ruthless cruelty. Seeing the utter hopelessness of their position, if left to the tender mercies of the government, many of the English Jacobites determined to share the fortunes of the retreating army, while others withdrew themselves at various parts of the route, and made an effort to save themselves by flight. Among those who declined to proceed into Scotland, as already mentioned, was David Morgan, who parted from his friends at Ashbourn, near Leek, in Staffordshire, on Saturday, the 7th of December; and, accompanied by a guide, proceeded in the direction of Stone, near which place he was apprehended on suspicion of having belonged to the Pretender’s army, and placed in confinement.

Though apprehended early in the month of December, 1745, and brought to trial among the first batch of the unfortunate Jacobites, David Morgan suffered imprisonment until the close of July, 1746. Immediately preceding the trial, he was imprisoned in Newgate, to which prison it is probable that he was removed shortly after his apprehension.

The special commission was opened on the 23rd of June, when eight of the Judges went in procession from Sergeants’ Inn, to the Town Hall of St. Margaret’s Hill, and Lord Chief Justice Lee delivered a charge to the grand jury. The trials did not, however, commence before the 15th of July, 1746, when seventeen prisoners, including David Morgan, were placed at the bar, though his trial did not, after all, take place until the 18th.

It is stated that “the time, place, or circumstances were not varied in any of the indictments, except Counsellor Morgan’s, who was indicted for having been in arms in Derby on the 5th of December, and adhering to the King’s enemies.” {23a}

David Morgan had been too bold and prominent an actor in the Rebellion to render it in any degree difficult for the government to procure decisive evidence of his complicity; and, though he made a lengthened and ingenious defence, the united testimony of several credible witnesses insured his conviction.

After the breaking up of the court, all those that were found guilty received notice that sentence of death would be passed upon them on Tuesday, the 22nd of July, and were required to be prepared on that day with any plea they might have to urge in arrest of judgment. Many objections were accordingly raised on behalf of the prisoners, but were over-ruled by the court; and Lord Chief Justice Lee then proceeded to pass sentence on the whole of the prisoners, seventeen in number, the last of whom was David Morgan, in a lengthy address, and concluded by sentencing them, in the barbarous terms prescribed by the law of high treason, “to be drawn to the place of execution, and when they are come there, they must be severally hanged by the neck, but not till they be dead, for they must be cut down alive; then their bowels must be taken out, and burnt before their faces; then their heads must be severed from their bodies, and their bodies severally divided into four quarters, and these must be at the King’s disposal.” {23b}

At two o’clock, on the 29th of the same month, an order arrived at the gaol for the execution, on the next day, of Francis Towneley, George Fletcher, Thomas Chadwick, James Dawson, Thomas Deacon, John Berwick, Andrew Syddal, and David Morgan; and when it was intimated to them that they were to die on the following morning; “they seemed not at all shocked, but rather cheerful, only saying ‘God’s will be done.’ They went to rest at the usual hour, and slept soundly; but first took leave of their friends.” {24a} Among those who carne to take a sad farewell of one of the unhappy men, was Mrs. Morgan. During the whole period of her husband’s imprisonment she had attended on him with remarkable devotion, and, to use the words of a contemporary writer, by no means favourable to the unfortunate Jacobites, “had behaved with all the love and tenderness becoming an affectionate wife.” {24b}

At six o’clock on the following morning they were aroused from sleep, and unfastened from the floor, to which, since their condemnation, they had been chained. On descending to the court-yard of their prison, Morgan ordered coffee to be prepared for their breakfast, and bade them “take care to make it very good and strong; for he had never drunk any since he had been in that prison fit to come near a gentleman.” {24c}

With death in its most terrible form before them, never did men manifest more undaunted courage and manly fortitude, nor more calmly await the doom which they knew to be inevitable. Actors and sufferers in the same cause, and participators in the same sad fate, they sympathised with, and aided, comforted, and consoled each other like a band of brothers. Much has been said of the lofty indifference to his doom that was exhibited at his execution by the brave Lord Balmerino, which was of so remarkable a character that a fear was expressed by himself that his coolness might possibly be supposed to proceed from insensibility to the great change that awaited him; from which, however, the noble fortitude of the old Jacobite lord was very far removed. And, while clinging warmly to life, and to the loved ones from whom they were about to be separated for ever, David Morgan and his heroic companions had, in like manner, tutored their hearts to manly resignation, and were determined so to die as to reflect no dishonour on the cause which they had espoused. In their conduct and demeanour in the hour of their great trial and suffering, they displayed neither levity, nor stoical indifference to the awful fate that awaited them; but comported themselves with the calmness and resignation of brave Christian gentlemen. After breakfast their irons were struck off, Colonel Towneley being the first to have them removed, and Mr. Morgan the second. They were then pinioned, and, while the sledges were being placed in readiness, they were removed for a short time into a back room. After this they were placed in three sledges, each of which was drawn by three horses; and about ten o’clock were removed from the gaol, and taken to Kennington Common, guarded by a troop of dragoons, and some companies of the Foot-Guards. There the gallows had been erected, and beside it were placed a pile of faggots and a block. On their arrival, the doomed men were removed from the sledges to a cart that was placed under the beam, for the purpose of receiving, and turning them off. The faggots were then set on fire, and the guards formed in a circle around the place of execution.

There being no minister of religion in attendance on either of the condemned men, “Mr. Morgan, with his spectacles on, read prayers, and other pious meditations to them,” {25} out of some devotional work, to which they all paid marked attention, and joined devoutly and fervently in the prayers that were offered up. They continued at their devotions for upwards of half-an-hour, after which they arose from their knees, and each taking some papers out of the book that he held in his hand, threw them, together with the book, among the spectators. Those papers appear to have contained ardent professions of attachment to the cause for which they died, and declarations that they remained faithful to their principles, even to death. They likewise handed statements, of a similar purport, to the sheriffs, and then flung their hats, which were laced with gold, among the crowd. The executioner immediately placed the caps on their heads, drew them over their faces, and, the ropes having been adjusted round their necks, they were at once turned off. After they had been suspended for about three minutes, their shoes, white stockings, and breeches were pulled off by the soldiers, while the executioner himself removed the other portions of the clothing, immediately after which the body of Colonel Towneley was cut down, and placed on the block. Some appearances of life having however, been observed, the executioner struck the body, and cut the throat with a knife. He then proceeded to remove the bowels and heart, which he threw into the fire. The head was afterwards severed from the body with a cleaver, and both were placed in a coffin that stood ready to receive them. The body of poor David Morgan was the next to undergo the same disgusting and barbarous mutilation, which was repeated in succession on all the other victims, terminating with the unhappy Dawson, after which the executioner shouted aloud, “God save King George,” to which the multitude responded with a yell.