33:
280:, while there he "laboured with so much zeal and activity in promoting the cultivation of the island, that he almost made of it another Piercefield." He helped defend it at his own expense against the French, but, in 1779, negotiated its surrender to French forces. He later brought charges against the American-born military commander of the island, Lt. Colonel George Etherington, on the grounds of "neglect of duty and ... improper behaviour in the face of the enemy." However, Etherington was acquitted and recent research has suggested that Morris may have been motivated by vindictiveness against him.
154:
230:, often against the wishes of the local gentry who owned the land through which improvements were made. He was responsible for ensuring the building of over 300 miles of turnpike roads in Monmouthshire and Gloucestershire during the 1760s. As a magistrate, he also imposed standardised weights and measures in trading, for the first time in the area .
257:, and a slaveowner. For his part, Morris appealed to the "honest unbiassed men" of Monmouthshire to "shake off all shackles, assert your independency, and once in your life have courage to dare elect the man of your choice". Morris lost the election, by 535 votes to Morgan's 743.
218:. c. 31). He gave evidence to the House of Commons that there were no roads in Monmouthshire and, when asked how people travelled, replied: "We travel in ditches." As trustee of several turnpike trusts, he was responsible for maintaining and improving the roads from Chepstow to
433:
387:
142:
164:
Born in
Antigua, in the West Indies, Valentine Morris was the son of Colonel Valentine Morris (c. 1678–1743), a sugar plantation owner and merchant who claimed descent from the Walter family of
199:
landscaping. Morris laid out walks through the woodland and included a grotto, druid’s temple, bathing house and giant’s cave. He also developed viewpoints along the clifftop above the
183:, and began living at Piercefield with his family in 1753. Morris added to the magnificent splendour of the estate and its setting, by landscaping the parkland, with the help of
179:
On his father's death, the younger
Valentine Morris, who was then attending school in London, inherited Piercefield. In 1748 he married Mary Mordaunt, a niece of the
438:
32:
180:
428:
287:. He was imprisoned for debt, surrendered his estates in the West Indies, and had to sell Piercefield in 1784. He died in London in 1789, aged 61.
260:
After failing to be elected, Morris was forced by both political and financial pressures to set sail for his estates in
Antigua. In 1772 he became
333:
312:
233:
However, Morris' personal generosity and his gambling, business and political dealings took him into financial difficulty. In 1771,
195:
was starting to become popular, Piercefield was developed into a park of national reputation, as one of the earliest examples of
234:
129:(27 October 1727 – 26 August 1789) was an Antiguan-born landowner and politician, responsible for developing the
277:
165:
261:
204:
273:
265:
250:
184:
118:
283:
By now reduced to poverty, he returned to London. His wife had attempted suicide and been confined to a
253:. A contested election was highly unusual at the time, and the Morgans attacked Morris as an outsider, a
219:
423:
418:
284:
238:
203:, and opened the park up to visitors. One of the many tourists to marvel at this view was the poet
207:, who wrote: "Oh what a godly scene....The whole world seemed imaged in its vast circumference."
329:
308:
269:
169:
158:
134:
113:
188:
153:
254:
242:
211:
412:
86:
246:
196:
130:
53:
192:
138:
71:
223:
215:
200:
375:
Data Wales : Valentine Morris and the surrender of St. Vincent in 1779
374:
210:
Morris was strongly in favour of road improvement, and promoted the first
227:
173:
49:
75:
152:
241:
388:"Valentine Morris – The Failed Monmouthshire Slave Owner"
434:
Governors of
British Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
276:in 1763. According to an 1801 memoir of Morris by
108:
100:
92:
82:
60:
42:
23:
8:
245:, died, and Morris resolved to stand in the
305:The Buildings of Wales: Gwent/Monmouthshire
31:
20:
357:
355:
296:
439:Merchants from the British West Indies
7:
16:Antiguan-born politician (1727–1789)
326:Piercefield on the Banks of the Wye
214:in Monmouthshire, enacted in 1755 (
14:
191:. At a time when tourism in the
429:Antigua and Barbuda slave owners
363:The Unfortunate Valentine Morris
187:, in the fashionable style of
1:
386:Evans, Roger (30 July 2021).
455:
181:third Earl of Peterborough
249:against Thomas' brother,
168:and who, in 1740, bought
30:
37:Valentine Morris, c.1765
347:Chepstow Parish Records
272:under the terms of the
143:Governor of St. Vincent
185:Richard Owen Cambridge
161:
268:, which had ceded by
156:
104:Landowner, politician
145:from 1772 to 1779.
162:
133:woodland walks at
264:of the island of
170:Piercefield House
159:Piercefield House
124:
123:
446:
403:
402:
400:
398:
383:
377:
372:
366:
359:
350:
343:
337:
322:
316:
301:
189:Capability Brown
127:Valentine Morris
114:Piercefield Park
93:Other names
67:
35:
25:Valentine Morris
21:
454:
453:
449:
448:
447:
445:
444:
443:
409:
408:
407:
406:
396:
394:
385:
384:
380:
373:
369:
360:
353:
344:
340:
323:
319:
302:
298:
293:
274:Treaty of Paris
151:
116:
112:Development of
96:Valentin Morris
78:
69:
65:
56:
47:
46:27 October 1727
38:
26:
17:
12:
11:
5:
452:
450:
442:
441:
436:
431:
426:
421:
411:
410:
405:
404:
378:
367:
351:
338:
317:
295:
294:
292:
289:
243:Tredegar House
150:
147:
122:
121:
110:
109:Known for
106:
105:
102:
98:
97:
94:
90:
89:
84:
80:
79:
70:
68:(aged 61)
64:26 August 1789
62:
58:
57:
48:
44:
40:
39:
36:
28:
27:
24:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
451:
440:
437:
435:
432:
430:
427:
425:
422:
420:
417:
416:
414:
393:
392:Welsh Country
389:
382:
379:
376:
371:
368:
364:
361:Ivor Waters,
358:
356:
352:
348:
345:Ivor Waters,
342:
339:
335:
334:0-904765-00-8
331:
327:
324:Ivor Waters,
321:
318:
314:
313:0-14-071053-1
310:
306:
303:John Newman,
300:
297:
290:
288:
286:
281:
279:
275:
271:
267:
266:Saint Vincent
263:
258:
256:
252:
248:
244:
240:
236:
235:Thomas Morgan
231:
229:
225:
221:
217:
213:
212:Turnpike Bill
208:
206:
202:
198:
194:
190:
186:
182:
177:
175:
171:
167:
166:Monmouthshire
160:
155:
148:
146:
144:
140:
136:
132:
128:
120:
115:
111:
107:
103:
101:Occupation(s)
99:
95:
91:
88:
85:
81:
77:
73:
63:
59:
55:
51:
45:
41:
34:
29:
22:
19:
395:. Retrieved
391:
381:
370:
362:
346:
341:
325:
320:
304:
299:
282:
278:William Coxe
259:
232:
209:
178:
163:
126:
125:
117:Governor of
66:(1789-08-26)
18:
424:1789 deaths
419:1727 births
247:by-election
197:Picturesque
135:Piercefield
131:picturesque
119:St. Vincent
83:Nationality
54:West Indies
413:Categories
397:16 October
291:References
193:Wye valley
141:, and the
139:Wye Valley
72:Bloomsbury
224:Woolaston
216:28 Geo. 2
205:Coleridge
201:River Wye
307:, 2000,
285:madhouse
262:Governor
228:Beachley
174:Chepstow
157:Ruin of
365:, 1964.
349:, 1955.
336:, 1975.
137:in the
87:British
50:Antigua
332:
311:
270:France
255:Creole
226:, and
220:Raglan
76:London
172:near
399:2022
330:ISBN
309:ISBN
251:John
149:Life
61:Died
43:Born
415::
390:.
354:^
328:,
239:MP
237:,
222:,
176:.
74:,
52:,
401:.
315:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
