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William Price (doctor)
Encyclopedia
William Price was a Welsh physician who achieved notoriety for his support of Welsh nationalism
, Chartism
and his involvement with the Neo-Druidic
religious movement. He has been recognised as one of the most significant figures in 19th century Welsh history, as well as being one of the most unusual in Victorian Britain.
Born into a relatively low class household in Monmouthshire
, Wales, he subsequently trained as a doctor in London before returning to his homeland, where he became interested in the radical
ideas of the Chartists, a socialist
movement who were proposing the concept of equal democratic
rights for all men. Escaping to France to avoid a government persecution of the Chartists following their failed uprising in 1839, it was whilst in the country that he became convinced that an ancient prophecy indicated that he would liberate his country, and upon returning to Wales he tried to revive what he saw as the religion of the ancient druid
s, the priests of the "Celtic" Iron Age
peoples of western Europe. In doing so, he became one of the most prominent proponents of the Neo-druidic movement, something that had been developing since the Welsh nationalist Iolo Morganwg
's activities in the late 18th century. After cremating the body of his dead son in 1884, Price was arrested and put on trial by those who believed cremation was illegal in Britain; however, he successfully argued that there was no legislation that specifically outlawed it, setting a precedent that allowed cremation to eventually flourish in the country.
Known for adhering to such principles as equal democratic rights for all men, vegetarianism
, cremation and the abolition of marriage, all of which were highly controversial at the time, he has been widely labelled as an "eccentric
" and a "radical
". Since his death he has been remembered as "one of the great Welshman of all time" with a permanent exhibition and statue dedicated to him being opened in the town of Llantrisant
, where he had lived for much of his later life.
, Monmouthshire
on 4 March 1800. His father, who was also named William Price (1761-), was an ordained priest in the Church of England
who had studied at Jesus College, Oxford
, whilst his mother, Mary Edmunds (1767–1844), was an uneducated Welshwoman who had been a maidservant prior to her marriage. Their marital union was controversial because Mary was of a lower social standing than William, something which was socially taboo in late 18th century society. The couple went on to have three surviving children, Elisabeth (1793–1872), Mary (1797–1869) and Ann (1804–1878), prior to William's birth.
Following his son's birth, the Reverend Price began suffering from a mental illness, acting erratically and experiencing fits of violent rage. He used to bathe either fully clothed or naked in local ponds, and collected snakes, which he would keep in his pockets for several days at a time. He was also known to carry a saw around with him, for the purpose of removing bark from trees, which he would then burn whilst muttering certain words, whilst he similarly used to spit onto stones that he collected, believing that it improved their value. His actions led to him becoming a threat to other members of the local community, in one instance firing a gun at a woman whom he claimed was taking sticks from his hedgerow, and in another case hurling a sharp implement at another man, narrowly missing him.
At home, Welsh
was William's primary language, but he learned how to speak English
at school, which was located two miles from his home, in Machen
. Although he only stayed at school for three years, between the ages of ten and thirteen, he passed most of his exams and proved himself to be a successful student. After spending six months living at home, he decided that he wanted to become a doctor, despite his father's belief that he should instead become a solicitor. Travelling to Caerphilly
in south Wales, in 1814 he became an apprentice to Dr Evan Edwards, a successful surgeon, and paid for his tuition with money supplied by various family members. One of these benefactors, his uncle the Reverend Thomas Price of Merriott
, Somerset
, advised him to give up this education, arguing that it was putting too great a financial strain upon Price's family, but William was insistent that he should continue.
In 1820, his apprenticeship with Dr Edwards came to an end, and despite his lack of funds, he decided to move to London in order to continue his studies. Here he took up lodgings near to St Paul's Cathedral
, and entered The London Hospital in Whitechapel
for a year of instruction under Sir William Blizard
. Around the same time, he also registered at St Bartholomew's Hospital
, where he was under the instruction of surgeon John Abernethy
. Gaining employment caring for wealthy clients to help financially support his studies, Price eventually became a member of the Royal College of Surgeons, being awarded with a certificate signed by Blizard, Abernathy and others. Contemplating travelling to India following the culmination of his studies in London, he instead decided to return to Wales, where he would work as a general practitioner.
near to Pontypridd
. It was here that he was elected by the workforce to be the surgeon of the main chain-making plant in Pontypridd in 1823.
Being a proud Welsh nationalist
, Price became friends with a wealthy family, the Guests, who held similar views, and gave a speech on Welsh history and literature at their Royal Eisteddfod in 1834, which Lady Charlotte Guest felt to be "one of the most beautiful and eloquent speeches that was ever heard". On the basis of it, he was invited to take up the job of judging the eisteddfod's bardic competition, with the prize being awarded to Taliesin, the son of the famous Welsh nationalist and Druid, Iolo Morganwg
.
He began to get increasingly interested in Welsh cultural activities, which included those that had been influenced by the Neo-Druidic movement. He joined the Society of the Rocking Stone, a Neo-Druidic group that met in Pontypridd, and by 1837 had become one of its leading members. To encourage the revival in Welsh culture, he gave lessons every Sunday in the Welsh language, which he feared was dying out with the spread of English. In 1838 he also called for the Society to raise funds to build a Druidical Museum in the town, the receipts from which he believed would be used to run a free school for the poor. He was supported in this venture by Francis Crawshay, a member of the important Crawshay ironworkers family, but did not gain enough sponsors to allow the project to go ahead. In anger, he issued a statement in a local newspaper, telling the people that they were ignoring "your immortal progenitors, to whom you owe your very existence as a civilised people."
Meanwhile, his social conscience had led him to become a significant figure in the local Chartist
movement, which was then spreading about the country, supporting the idea that all men should have the right to vote, irrespective of their wealth or social standing. Many of the Chartists in the industrial areas of southern Wales took up arms in order to ready themselves for revolution
against the government, and Price himself aided them in gaining such weaponry, and according to government reports, by 1839 he had seven pieces of field artillery. That same year, the Newport Rising
took place, when many of the Chartists and their working class supporters rose up against the authorities, only to be quashed by soldiers, who killed a number of the revolutionaries. Price himself had recognised that this would happen, and he and his supporters had not joined in with the rebellion on that day. Nonetheless, he also realised that the government would begin a crackdown of those involved in the Chartist movement in retaliation for the uprising, and so he fled to France
, disguised as a woman.
museum, where he experienced what has been described as "a turning-point in his religious life." He became highly interested in a stone with a Greek inscription that he erroneously felt depicted an ancient Celtic bard addressing the moon. He subsequently interpreted the inscription as a prophecy given by an ancient Welsh prince named Alun, declaring that a man would come in the future to reveal the true secrets of the Welsh language and to liberate the Welsh people: as historian Ronald Hutton
later remarked however, "nobody else had heard of this person, or made (anything like) the same interpretation of the inscription". Nonetheless, Price felt that this prophecy applied to him, and that he must return to Wales to free his people from the English-dominated authorities.
Soon returning to Wales, he set himself up as a Druid, founding a religious Druidic group that attracted a number of followers. Little is known of the specific doctrines which he preached, but his followers walked around carrying staffs engraved with figures and letters. Declaring that marriage
was wrong as it enslaved women, he began having a relationship with a woman named Ann Morgan, whom he moved in with, and in 1842 she bore him a daughter. He baptised this child himself at the Rocking Stone in Pontypridd, naming her Gwenhiolan Iarlles Morganwg (meaning 'Gwenhiolan, Countess of Glamorgan
'). He began developing an appearance that was unconventional at the time, for instance wearing a fox fur hat and emerald green clothing, as well as growing his beard long and not cutting his hair. He also began attempting to hold Druidic events, organising an eisteddfod at Pontypridd in 1844, but nobody turned up, and so, solitarily, he initiated his daughter as a bard at the event. In 1855 he then led a parade of the Ivorites
, a friendly society
that held to a philosophy of Welsh nationalism, through the streets of Merthyr Tydfil
, accompanied by a half-naked man calling himself Myrddin (the Welsh name for Merlin
) and a goat.
Returning to his long held idea of building a museum and school at Pontypridd, a local landowner, Sir Benjamin Hall, who wanted to encourage the revival of Welsh culture, allowed him to use his own land, although Price and the Halls subsequently fell out and the project was scrapped. Left with debts from the aborted project, Price once more escaped to France in 1861. Around this time, he began writing to the national press, making exaggerated statements about himself and Welsh history, for instance claiming that he was Lord of the Southern Welsh and that "All the Greek Books are the Works of the Primitive Bards, in our own Language!!!!!!!… Homer
was born in the hamlet of Y Van near Caerphili
. He built Caerphili Castle… the oldest Books of the Chinese confess the fact!!"
In 1866 he returned to Wales, finding that his daughter had grown up to live her own life following her mother, Ann Morgan's death. He settled to live in the town of Llantrisant
, where he opened up a new medical practice, which proved to be a success, and he took a young farmer's daughter, Gwenllian Llewelyn, who at the time was only twenty-one years old, to be his new partner, despite the fact that he was an old man by this time. Despite his earlier pronouncements against marriage, he organised a Druidic wedding ceremony through which he married Gwellian on 4 March 1881. Taking place at the Rocking Stone in Pontypridd, it involved Price addressing the sun at noon, and women dressed as the Three Graces
were involved. The ceremony attracted a large audience, who according to reports found the whole proceeding amusing. Meanwhile, in 1871, he had published a book, written in his own invented form of Welsh that he believed was the true language of the ancient Welsh. In the work, which had a title that translated as The Will of My Father, Price conceptualised the universe being created out of a snake's egg by a supreme Father God. However, this work was largely ignored at the time and soon fell into obscurity.
his son’s body, an act which at the time was taboo, although across the country there were already several proponents of it as a form of corpse disposal. He performed the funeral in the early evening of Sunday 13 January 1884, upon the summit of a hill to one side of Llantrisant. A number of local people noticed the fire, and upon discovering that Price was attempting to burn his infant son, surged on him. He was rescued from an angry mob by the police, who arrested him for what they believed was the illegal disposal of a corpse, and the body of his son, which had not yet been engulfed by the flames, was removed from the pyre.
An autopsy was performed on Iesu’s body by a local doctor, who concluded that the child had died of natural causes and had not been murdered. Price was therefore not charged with infanticide
, but was instead tried in a Cardiff
courtroom for performing cremation rather than burial, which the police believed to be illegal. Price argued that while the law did not state that cremation was legal, it also did not state that it was illegal. The judge, Mr. Justice Stephen, agreed. Price was freed, and returned to Llantrisant to find a crowd of supporters cheering for his victory. On 14 March, he was finally able to give his son a cremation involving his own personal Druidic prayers. The case set a precedent
which, together with the activities of the newly founded Cremation Society of Great Britain, led to the Cremation Act of 1902
. In 1885 the first official cremation took place at Woking
, and ten cremations are recorded as being performed in the following year. In 1892 a crematorium opened in Manchester
, followed by one in Glasgow
in 1895 and one in Liverpool
in 1896.
The media interest in the court case had made Price famous, and he soon began to capitalise on this fame, selling three hundred medal
s, each depicting the cosmic egg and the snake that laid it, commemorating his victory, which sold at three pence each. He began to be invited to give lectures and attend public functions, but these did not prove to be particular successes, with much of his audiences not understanding either his philosophies, or his attire, which was made out of red cloth and embroidered with green letters.
In late 1884, his wife gave birth to their second child, whom Price also named Iesu Grist, and in 1886 she then bore him a daughter, whom they named Penelopen. He believed that his son had an important future ahead of him, being the prophesised second coming of Jesus Christ, his namesake, and predicted that he would come to reign over the earth. Meanwhile, in 1892 he erected a pole which was over sixty feet high, with a crescent moon symbol at its peak, atop the hill where his first son had been cremated, and noted that he wanted his funeral to take place there as well.
Price died on the night of January 23, 1893. His final words, when he knew that he was near death, were "Bring me a glass of Champagne". He drank the champagne and died shortly after. On January 31, 1893, William Price was cremated on a pyre of two tons of coal, in accordance with his will, on the same hillside overlooking Llantrisant. It was watched by 20,000 people, and overseen by his family, who were dressed in a mix of traditional Welsh and his own Druidic clothing. His wife would go on to remarry, this time to a road inspector employed by the local council, and she gave up her Druidic beliefs to join a conventional Christian denomination, having her two children baptised into it, and Iesu Grist was renamed Nicholas, never fulfilling the ambitious predictions that his father had made about him.
During his life, Price's list of behaviour and characteristics included being a fanatical walker and a strong supporter of conservation, wearing a fox
-skin headdress, never wearing socks (which, he thought, were unhygienic), refusing to treat patients who were smokers
and washing every coin he received as he considered them a major source of cross-contamination. He was also a vegetarian, saying that eating meat "brought out the beast in man". Price did not believe in marriage, which he saw as the enslavement
of women and also disliked the capitalist
coal mine owners and the all-powerful local gentry
. He was also a supporter of the local miners in several strikes during the 19th century.
Price was also responsible for the building of the famous "Round houses" in Pontypridd
. He convinced a local builder that he owned the land and these round houses were to be the gateway to his mansion. He neither owned the land nor a mansion.
His religious beliefs have provided an influence on the modern druidic movement. Michell referred to him as "a natural shaman".
In a 1966 book examining the history of Llantrisant, author Dillwyn Lewis described Price as being "one of the most controversial figures of modern times." The historian Ronald Hutton
would later describe him as "both one of the most colourful characters in Welsh history, and one of the most remarkable in Victorian Britain" whilst his biographer Dean Powell considered him "the most notable individual in 19th century Wales".
----
Welsh nationalism
Welsh nationalism emphasises the distinctiveness of Welsh language, culture, and history, and calls for more self-determination for Wales, which may include more Devolved powers for the Welsh Assembly or full independence from the United Kingdom.-Conquest:...
, Chartism
Chartism
Chartism was a movement for political and social reform in the United Kingdom during the mid-19th century, between 1838 and 1859. It takes its name from the People's Charter of 1838. Chartism was possibly the first mass working class labour movement in the world...
and his involvement with the Neo-Druidic
Neo-Druidism
Neo-Druidism or Neo-Druidry, commonly referred to as Druidism or Druidry by its adherents, is a form of modern spirituality or religion that generally promotes harmony and worship of nature, and respect for all beings, including the environment...
religious movement. He has been recognised as one of the most significant figures in 19th century Welsh history, as well as being one of the most unusual in Victorian Britain.
Born into a relatively low class household in Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire is a county in south east Wales. The name derives from the historic county of Monmouthshire which covered a much larger area. The largest town is Abergavenny. There are many castles in Monmouthshire .-Historic county:...
, Wales, he subsequently trained as a doctor in London before returning to his homeland, where he became interested in the radical
Radicalism (historical)
The term Radical was used during the late 18th century for proponents of the Radical Movement. It later became a general pejorative term for those favoring or seeking political reforms which include dramatic changes to the social order...
ideas of the Chartists, a socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
movement who were proposing the concept of equal democratic
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
rights for all men. Escaping to France to avoid a government persecution of the Chartists following their failed uprising in 1839, it was whilst in the country that he became convinced that an ancient prophecy indicated that he would liberate his country, and upon returning to Wales he tried to revive what he saw as the religion of the ancient druid
Druid
A druid was a member of the priestly class in Britain, Ireland, and Gaul, and possibly other parts of Celtic western Europe, during the Iron Age....
s, the priests of the "Celtic" Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
peoples of western Europe. In doing so, he became one of the most prominent proponents of the Neo-druidic movement, something that had been developing since the Welsh nationalist Iolo Morganwg
Iolo Morganwg
Edward Williams, better known by his bardic name Iolo Morganwg , was an influential Welsh antiquarian, poet, collector, and literary forger. He was widely considered a leading collector and expert on medieval Welsh literature in his day, but after his death it was revealed that he had forged a...
's activities in the late 18th century. After cremating the body of his dead son in 1884, Price was arrested and put on trial by those who believed cremation was illegal in Britain; however, he successfully argued that there was no legislation that specifically outlawed it, setting a precedent that allowed cremation to eventually flourish in the country.
Known for adhering to such principles as equal democratic rights for all men, vegetarianism
Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism encompasses the practice of following plant-based diets , with or without the inclusion of dairy products or eggs, and with the exclusion of meat...
, cremation and the abolition of marriage, all of which were highly controversial at the time, he has been widely labelled as an "eccentric
Eccentricity (behavior)
In popular usage, eccentricity refers to unusual or odd behavior on the part of an individual. This behavior would typically be perceived as unusual or unnecessary, without being demonstrably maladaptive...
" and a "radical
Radicalism (historical)
The term Radical was used during the late 18th century for proponents of the Radical Movement. It later became a general pejorative term for those favoring or seeking political reforms which include dramatic changes to the social order...
". Since his death he has been remembered as "one of the great Welshman of all time" with a permanent exhibition and statue dedicated to him being opened in the town of Llantrisant
Llantrisant
Llantrisant is a town in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf in Wales, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales, lying on the River Ely and the Afon Clun. The town's name translates as The Parish of the Three Saints. The three saints in question are St Illtyd, St Gwynno and St...
, where he had lived for much of his later life.
Early Life: 1800-1819
William Price was born in a cottage at Ty'n-y-coedcae Farm ("The House in the Wooded Field") in RiscaRisca
Risca is a town of approximately 11,500 people in South Wales, within the Caerphilly County Borough and the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. It is today part of the Newport conurbation , though it is not a Ward of Newport City Council...
, Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire is a county in south east Wales. The name derives from the historic county of Monmouthshire which covered a much larger area. The largest town is Abergavenny. There are many castles in Monmouthshire .-Historic county:...
on 4 March 1800. His father, who was also named William Price (1761-), was an ordained priest in the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
who had studied at Jesus College, Oxford
Jesus College, Oxford
Jesus College is one of the colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship Street, Cornmarket Street and Market Street...
, whilst his mother, Mary Edmunds (1767–1844), was an uneducated Welshwoman who had been a maidservant prior to her marriage. Their marital union was controversial because Mary was of a lower social standing than William, something which was socially taboo in late 18th century society. The couple went on to have three surviving children, Elisabeth (1793–1872), Mary (1797–1869) and Ann (1804–1878), prior to William's birth.
Following his son's birth, the Reverend Price began suffering from a mental illness, acting erratically and experiencing fits of violent rage. He used to bathe either fully clothed or naked in local ponds, and collected snakes, which he would keep in his pockets for several days at a time. He was also known to carry a saw around with him, for the purpose of removing bark from trees, which he would then burn whilst muttering certain words, whilst he similarly used to spit onto stones that he collected, believing that it improved their value. His actions led to him becoming a threat to other members of the local community, in one instance firing a gun at a woman whom he claimed was taking sticks from his hedgerow, and in another case hurling a sharp implement at another man, narrowly missing him.
At home, Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
was William's primary language, but he learned how to speak English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
at school, which was located two miles from his home, in Machen
Machen
Machen is a large village 3 miles east of Caerphilly, south Wales, situated in the Caerphilly borough within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. It neighbours Bedwas and Trethomas, and forms a council ward in conjunction with those communities. It lies on the Rhymney River.-Mynydd...
. Although he only stayed at school for three years, between the ages of ten and thirteen, he passed most of his exams and proved himself to be a successful student. After spending six months living at home, he decided that he wanted to become a doctor, despite his father's belief that he should instead become a solicitor. Travelling to Caerphilly
Caerphilly
Caerphilly is a town in the county borough of Caerphilly, south Wales, located at the southern end of the Rhymney Valley, with a population of approximately 31,000. It is a commuter town of Cardiff and Newport, which are located some 7.5 miles and 12 miles away, respectively...
in south Wales, in 1814 he became an apprentice to Dr Evan Edwards, a successful surgeon, and paid for his tuition with money supplied by various family members. One of these benefactors, his uncle the Reverend Thomas Price of Merriott
Merriott
Merriott is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, near the town of Crewkerne and west of Yeovil in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of 2,020....
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, advised him to give up this education, arguing that it was putting too great a financial strain upon Price's family, but William was insistent that he should continue.
In 1820, his apprenticeship with Dr Edwards came to an end, and despite his lack of funds, he decided to move to London in order to continue his studies. Here he took up lodgings near to St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
, and entered The London Hospital in Whitechapel
Whitechapel
Whitechapel is a built-up inner city district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London, England. It is located east of Charing Cross and roughly bounded by the Bishopsgate thoroughfare on the west, Fashion Street on the north, Brady Street and Cavell Street on the east and The Highway on the...
for a year of instruction under Sir William Blizard
William Blizard
Sir William Blizard was an English surgeon.He was born in Barn Elms, Surrey, the fourth child of auctioneer William Blizard. After an apprenticeship to a surgeon in Mortlake he went to study at the London Hospital where he was a pupil of Sir Percivall Pott and John Hunter...
. Around the same time, he also registered at St Bartholomew's Hospital
St Bartholomew's Hospital
St Bartholomew's Hospital, also known as Barts, is a hospital in Smithfield in the City of London, England.-Early history:It was founded in 1123 by Raherus or Rahere , a favourite courtier of King Henry I...
, where he was under the instruction of surgeon John Abernethy
John Abernethy (surgeon)
John Abernethy FRS was an English surgeon, grandson of the Reverend John Abernethy.He was born in Coleman Street in the City of London, where his father was a merchant. Educated at Wolverhampton Grammar School, he was apprenticed in 1779 to Sir Charles Blicke , a surgeon at St Bartholomew's...
. Gaining employment caring for wealthy clients to help financially support his studies, Price eventually became a member of the Royal College of Surgeons, being awarded with a certificate signed by Blizard, Abernathy and others. Contemplating travelling to India following the culmination of his studies in London, he instead decided to return to Wales, where he would work as a general practitioner.
Welsh Nationalism and Chartism: 1820-1839
Becoming a trained doctor, Price returned to his homeland of Wales, initially setting up in his practice in his home district, before later moving to the newly industrialised Taff ValleyRiver Taff
The River Taff is a large river in Wales. It rises as two rivers in the Brecon Beacons — the Taf Fechan and the Taf Fawr — before joining to form the Taff north of Merthyr Tydfil...
near to Pontypridd
Pontypridd
Pontypridd is both a community and a principal town of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales and is situated 12 miles/19 km north of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff...
. It was here that he was elected by the workforce to be the surgeon of the main chain-making plant in Pontypridd in 1823.
Being a proud Welsh nationalist
Welsh nationalism
Welsh nationalism emphasises the distinctiveness of Welsh language, culture, and history, and calls for more self-determination for Wales, which may include more Devolved powers for the Welsh Assembly or full independence from the United Kingdom.-Conquest:...
, Price became friends with a wealthy family, the Guests, who held similar views, and gave a speech on Welsh history and literature at their Royal Eisteddfod in 1834, which Lady Charlotte Guest felt to be "one of the most beautiful and eloquent speeches that was ever heard". On the basis of it, he was invited to take up the job of judging the eisteddfod's bardic competition, with the prize being awarded to Taliesin, the son of the famous Welsh nationalist and Druid, Iolo Morganwg
Iolo Morganwg
Edward Williams, better known by his bardic name Iolo Morganwg , was an influential Welsh antiquarian, poet, collector, and literary forger. He was widely considered a leading collector and expert on medieval Welsh literature in his day, but after his death it was revealed that he had forged a...
.
Meanwhile, his social conscience had led him to become a significant figure in the local Chartist
Chartism
Chartism was a movement for political and social reform in the United Kingdom during the mid-19th century, between 1838 and 1859. It takes its name from the People's Charter of 1838. Chartism was possibly the first mass working class labour movement in the world...
movement, which was then spreading about the country, supporting the idea that all men should have the right to vote, irrespective of their wealth or social standing. Many of the Chartists in the industrial areas of southern Wales took up arms in order to ready themselves for revolution
Revolution
A revolution is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time.Aristotle described two types of political revolution:...
against the government, and Price himself aided them in gaining such weaponry, and according to government reports, by 1839 he had seven pieces of field artillery. That same year, the Newport Rising
Newport Rising
The Newport Rising was the last large-scale armed rebellion against authority in mainland Britain, when on 4 November 1839, somewhere between 1,000 and 5,000 Chartist sympathisers, including many coal-miners, most with home-made arms, led by John Frost, marched on the town of Newport,...
took place, when many of the Chartists and their working class supporters rose up against the authorities, only to be quashed by soldiers, who killed a number of the revolutionaries. Price himself had recognised that this would happen, and he and his supporters had not joined in with the rebellion on that day. Nonetheless, he also realised that the government would begin a crackdown of those involved in the Chartist movement in retaliation for the uprising, and so he fled to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, disguised as a woman.
Life as an Archdruid: 1840-1882
It was whilst in temporary exile as a political dissident in Paris, France that he visited the LouvreLouvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
museum, where he experienced what has been described as "a turning-point in his religious life." He became highly interested in a stone with a Greek inscription that he erroneously felt depicted an ancient Celtic bard addressing the moon. He subsequently interpreted the inscription as a prophecy given by an ancient Welsh prince named Alun, declaring that a man would come in the future to reveal the true secrets of the Welsh language and to liberate the Welsh people: as historian Ronald Hutton
Ronald Hutton
Ronald Hutton is an English historian who specializes in the study of Early Modern Britain, British folklore, pre-Christian religion and contemporary Paganism. A reader in the subject at the University of Bristol, Hutton has published fourteen books and has appeared on British television and radio...
later remarked however, "nobody else had heard of this person, or made (anything like) the same interpretation of the inscription". Nonetheless, Price felt that this prophecy applied to him, and that he must return to Wales to free his people from the English-dominated authorities.
Soon returning to Wales, he set himself up as a Druid, founding a religious Druidic group that attracted a number of followers. Little is known of the specific doctrines which he preached, but his followers walked around carrying staffs engraved with figures and letters. Declaring that marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
was wrong as it enslaved women, he began having a relationship with a woman named Ann Morgan, whom he moved in with, and in 1842 she bore him a daughter. He baptised this child himself at the Rocking Stone in Pontypridd, naming her Gwenhiolan Iarlles Morganwg (meaning 'Gwenhiolan, Countess of Glamorgan
Glamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...
'). He began developing an appearance that was unconventional at the time, for instance wearing a fox fur hat and emerald green clothing, as well as growing his beard long and not cutting his hair. He also began attempting to hold Druidic events, organising an eisteddfod at Pontypridd in 1844, but nobody turned up, and so, solitarily, he initiated his daughter as a bard at the event. In 1855 he then led a parade of the Ivorites
The Philanthropic Order of True Ivorites
The Philanthropic Order of True Ivorites commonly referred to as the Ivorites Society or The Ivorites was a friendly society founded in Wrexham, Wales in 1836.-History:...
, a friendly society
Friendly society
A friendly society is a mutual association for insurance, pensions or savings and loan-like purposes, or cooperative banking. It is a mutual organization or benefit society composed of a body of people who join together for a common financial or social purpose...
that held to a philosophy of Welsh nationalism, through the streets of Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil is a town in Wales, with a population of about 30,000. Although once the largest town in Wales, it is now ranked as the 15th largest urban area in Wales. It also gives its name to a county borough, which has a population of around 55,000. It is located in the historic county of...
, accompanied by a half-naked man calling himself Myrddin (the Welsh name for Merlin
Merlin
Merlin is a legendary figure best known as the wizard featured in the Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written c. 1136, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures...
) and a goat.
Returning to his long held idea of building a museum and school at Pontypridd, a local landowner, Sir Benjamin Hall, who wanted to encourage the revival of Welsh culture, allowed him to use his own land, although Price and the Halls subsequently fell out and the project was scrapped. Left with debts from the aborted project, Price once more escaped to France in 1861. Around this time, he began writing to the national press, making exaggerated statements about himself and Welsh history, for instance claiming that he was Lord of the Southern Welsh and that "All the Greek Books are the Works of the Primitive Bards, in our own Language!!!!!!!… Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
was born in the hamlet of Y Van near Caerphili
Caerphilly
Caerphilly is a town in the county borough of Caerphilly, south Wales, located at the southern end of the Rhymney Valley, with a population of approximately 31,000. It is a commuter town of Cardiff and Newport, which are located some 7.5 miles and 12 miles away, respectively...
. He built Caerphili Castle… the oldest Books of the Chinese confess the fact!!"
In 1866 he returned to Wales, finding that his daughter had grown up to live her own life following her mother, Ann Morgan's death. He settled to live in the town of Llantrisant
Llantrisant
Llantrisant is a town in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf in Wales, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales, lying on the River Ely and the Afon Clun. The town's name translates as The Parish of the Three Saints. The three saints in question are St Illtyd, St Gwynno and St...
, where he opened up a new medical practice, which proved to be a success, and he took a young farmer's daughter, Gwenllian Llewelyn, who at the time was only twenty-one years old, to be his new partner, despite the fact that he was an old man by this time. Despite his earlier pronouncements against marriage, he organised a Druidic wedding ceremony through which he married Gwellian on 4 March 1881. Taking place at the Rocking Stone in Pontypridd, it involved Price addressing the sun at noon, and women dressed as the Three Graces
Charites
In Greek mythology, a Charis is one of several Charites , goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity and fertility. They ordinarily numbered three, from youngest to oldest: Aglaea , Euphrosyne , and Thalia . In Roman mythology they were known as the Gratiae, the "Graces"...
were involved. The ceremony attracted a large audience, who according to reports found the whole proceeding amusing. Meanwhile, in 1871, he had published a book, written in his own invented form of Welsh that he believed was the true language of the ancient Welsh. In the work, which had a title that translated as The Will of My Father, Price conceptualised the universe being created out of a snake's egg by a supreme Father God. However, this work was largely ignored at the time and soon fell into obscurity.
Later Life and Advocacy of Cremation: 1883-1893
Gwellian and Price's first child was born in 1883, a son whom Price named Iesu Grist (the Welsh for Jesus Christ), in an act of provocation against the traditional religion of the time, and also because he expected great things from his child. However, the infant died only five months later, in January 1884. Believing that it was wrong to bury a corpse, thereby polluting the earth, Price decided to cremateCremation
Cremation is the process of reducing bodies to basic chemical compounds such as gasses and bone fragments. This is accomplished through high-temperature burning, vaporization and oxidation....
his son’s body, an act which at the time was taboo, although across the country there were already several proponents of it as a form of corpse disposal. He performed the funeral in the early evening of Sunday 13 January 1884, upon the summit of a hill to one side of Llantrisant. A number of local people noticed the fire, and upon discovering that Price was attempting to burn his infant son, surged on him. He was rescued from an angry mob by the police, who arrested him for what they believed was the illegal disposal of a corpse, and the body of his son, which had not yet been engulfed by the flames, was removed from the pyre.
An autopsy was performed on Iesu’s body by a local doctor, who concluded that the child had died of natural causes and had not been murdered. Price was therefore not charged with infanticide
Infanticide
Infanticide or infant homicide is the killing of a human infant. Neonaticide, a killing within 24 hours of a baby's birth, is most commonly done by the mother.In many past societies, certain forms of infanticide were considered permissible...
, but was instead tried in a Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
courtroom for performing cremation rather than burial, which the police believed to be illegal. Price argued that while the law did not state that cremation was legal, it also did not state that it was illegal. The judge, Mr. Justice Stephen, agreed. Price was freed, and returned to Llantrisant to find a crowd of supporters cheering for his victory. On 14 March, he was finally able to give his son a cremation involving his own personal Druidic prayers. The case set a precedent
Precedent
In common law legal systems, a precedent or authority is a principle or rule established in a legal case that a court or other judicial body may apply when deciding subsequent cases with similar issues or facts...
which, together with the activities of the newly founded Cremation Society of Great Britain, led to the Cremation Act of 1902
Cremation Act 1902
The Cremation Act 1902 was an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, given the royal assent on 22 July 1902. The major purpose of the Act was to allow burial authorities to establish crematoria...
. In 1885 the first official cremation took place at Woking
Woking
Woking is a large town and civil parish that shares its name with the surrounding local government district, located in the west of Surrey, UK. It is part of the Greater London Urban Area and the London commuter belt, with frequent trains and a journey time of 24 minutes to Waterloo station....
, and ten cremations are recorded as being performed in the following year. In 1892 a crematorium opened in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, followed by one in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
in 1895 and one in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
in 1896.
The media interest in the court case had made Price famous, and he soon began to capitalise on this fame, selling three hundred medal
Medal
A medal, or medallion, is generally a circular object that has been sculpted, molded, cast, struck, stamped, or some way rendered with an insignia, portrait, or other artistic rendering. A medal may be awarded to a person or organization as a form of recognition for athletic, military, scientific,...
s, each depicting the cosmic egg and the snake that laid it, commemorating his victory, which sold at three pence each. He began to be invited to give lectures and attend public functions, but these did not prove to be particular successes, with much of his audiences not understanding either his philosophies, or his attire, which was made out of red cloth and embroidered with green letters.
In late 1884, his wife gave birth to their second child, whom Price also named Iesu Grist, and in 1886 she then bore him a daughter, whom they named Penelopen. He believed that his son had an important future ahead of him, being the prophesised second coming of Jesus Christ, his namesake, and predicted that he would come to reign over the earth. Meanwhile, in 1892 he erected a pole which was over sixty feet high, with a crescent moon symbol at its peak, atop the hill where his first son had been cremated, and noted that he wanted his funeral to take place there as well.
Price died on the night of January 23, 1893. His final words, when he knew that he was near death, were "Bring me a glass of Champagne". He drank the champagne and died shortly after. On January 31, 1893, William Price was cremated on a pyre of two tons of coal, in accordance with his will, on the same hillside overlooking Llantrisant. It was watched by 20,000 people, and overseen by his family, who were dressed in a mix of traditional Welsh and his own Druidic clothing. His wife would go on to remarry, this time to a road inspector employed by the local council, and she gave up her Druidic beliefs to join a conventional Christian denomination, having her two children baptised into it, and Iesu Grist was renamed Nicholas, never fulfilling the ambitious predictions that his father had made about him.
Personal beliefs
Price held several strongly held beliefs that were counter-cultural to the Victorian social norms of the time, and chose to promote them in a "most exhibitory fashion".During his life, Price's list of behaviour and characteristics included being a fanatical walker and a strong supporter of conservation, wearing a fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
-skin headdress, never wearing socks (which, he thought, were unhygienic), refusing to treat patients who were smokers
Tobacco smoking
Tobacco smoking is the practice where tobacco is burned and the resulting smoke is inhaled. The practice may have begun as early as 5000–3000 BCE. Tobacco was introduced to Eurasia in the late 16th century where it followed common trade routes...
and washing every coin he received as he considered them a major source of cross-contamination. He was also a vegetarian, saying that eating meat "brought out the beast in man". Price did not believe in marriage, which he saw as the enslavement
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
of women and also disliked the capitalist
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
coal mine owners and the all-powerful local gentry
Gentry
Gentry denotes "well-born and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past....
. He was also a supporter of the local miners in several strikes during the 19th century.
Price was also responsible for the building of the famous "Round houses" in Pontypridd
Pontypridd
Pontypridd is both a community and a principal town of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales and is situated 12 miles/19 km north of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff...
. He convinced a local builder that he owned the land and these round houses were to be the gateway to his mansion. He neither owned the land nor a mansion.
His religious beliefs have provided an influence on the modern druidic movement. Michell referred to him as "a natural shaman".
Legacy
Soon after his death, ballads commemorating him were composed and circled the local area for a number of years to come. In 1896, an exhibition that commemorated his life was held in Cardiff, whilst a pamphlet biography of him was published to accompany it. In 1940, a more significant biography about Price was published, entitled A Welsh Heretic, which was written by Islwyn Nicholas. In 1947, the Cremation Society put up a plaque commemorating him in the town of Llantrisant, whilst a statue of him was unveiled in the town in 1982, depicting the doctor in his characteristic fox-skin headdress, arms outstretched. This was followed in 1992 when a memorial garden was named after him, and an exhibition about him opened in the town's visitor centre.In a 1966 book examining the history of Llantrisant, author Dillwyn Lewis described Price as being "one of the most controversial figures of modern times." The historian Ronald Hutton
Ronald Hutton
Ronald Hutton is an English historian who specializes in the study of Early Modern Britain, British folklore, pre-Christian religion and contemporary Paganism. A reader in the subject at the University of Bristol, Hutton has published fourteen books and has appeared on British television and radio...
would later describe him as "both one of the most colourful characters in Welsh history, and one of the most remarkable in Victorian Britain" whilst his biographer Dean Powell considered him "the most notable individual in 19th century Wales".
External links
- The Age article on William Price
- BBC Wales article on William Price
- 100 Welsh Heroes article on William Price
- Ballad of the cremation of Dr William Price, 1893
- Photograph of Price's cremation
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