Less attention has been given to some of the women of Tredegar House, who were as fascinating as their husbands. Reporter TOMOS POVEY writes about three former Ladies of Tredegar

AT the right-hand side to all but one of the lords of Tredegar was a unique woman.

They dramatically differed from one another in every respect, with one obsessed with crafting bird nests, a philanthropist to a Russian princess.

The former Ladies of Tredegar rightly deserve the same attention afforded to their husbands.

The first Lady Tredegar was in 1859.

Born in Derbyshire in 1807, Lady Rosamond was known as the Victorian “matriarch” in the Tredegar household.

She married Sir Charles Morgan Robinson Morgan.

The Morgan family’s long-held dream of a peerage finally became a reality in 1859, where the future prime minister Benjamin Disraeli used his influence to see Charles become first Baron Tredegar.

Records indicated that the charismatic Lady Rosamond was a loved figure.

Her popularity can best be seen when she was scheduled to open the Alexandra Dock in Newport in the mid-1870s and a medal bearing her image was struck for the occasion.

Credited for carrying out her duties in an unostentatious fashion, Lady Rosamond ensured that her level of humility was ingrained into her 11 children. Is it any wonder that her one son – who would one day become Lord of Tredegar – later became well-known as “Godfrey the Great” for his philanthropy?

Tragedy struck in 1854, when her eldest son, Charles, died. And less than eight months later, two other sons were to participate in the Crimean War. If her blood pressure had not been sky high from that, then it certainly would have when discovering son Godfrey would take part in the Charge of the Light Brigade – often dubbed one of Britain’s biggest military disasters.

Fortunately, he survived to tell the tale.

She later died aged 75 at Tredegar House in 1883.

Lady Rosamond thoroughly enjoyed her time at Tredegar House and Wales.

The same cannot be said for Lady Katharine Carnegie.

Born in 1867 to one of Britain’s most famous aristocratic families, she married first Viscount Tredegar, Courtney Morgan, in 1890.

The marriage produced two children, Evan and Gwyneth.

Katharine became Lady Tredegar in March 1913 and was styled as Viscountess Tredegar from 1926.

A complete contrast to Lady Rosamond, Katharine had no intention of living at the historic house. She never spent any great period at the family home.

In fact, her disdain goes further, with evidence suggesting that she loathed Wales.

Residents had little knowledge of who she was or even what she looked like.

And as the years went by, so too did her mental fragility and she began to re-treat from society. Rumour had it that she spent many hours each day crafting a variety of bird nests and demanded total silence.

Historian Paul Busby believes Katharine was a “misunderstood” character, saying: “She hardly ever visited Tredegar House.

“She was misunderstood and desperately lonely at times, her illness forced her withdrawal from society.”

He added: “Her legacy at Tredegar House was certainly through her son, Evan. His artistic interests, creativity, and even some of his eccentricities, recalled his mother's rather than his father's side of the family.”

Before her death in 1949, staff were instructed that her remains were not to be returned to Wales.

Then came the glitz and glamour of a Russian princess.

Olga Dolgarouky was born in 1915 in Russia. She and her family were forced to flee the country two years later after the Russian Revolution.

She married Evan Morgan in 1939 and thus became the fourth Lady Tredegar.

Upon settling in Newport, the 34-year-old quickly volunteered to aid the war effort against Nazi Germany. She trained with St John’s Ambulance and spent several years volunteering with the Royal Gwent Hospital.

Her husband commented on her nursing in a letter, where he said: "Olga has now qualified for nursing in the Royal Gwent Hospital where she puts in a long and arduous day.”

And in another letter, he added: "Olga passed all her nursing exams and works in the hospital when required to do so, but as most of the ordinary hospital patients have been evacuated to make room for potential air-raid casualties there is very little to do there of late."

Mr Busby said Olga was popular and described her as being “down-to-earth”.

He said: “Her spell nursing at the Royal Gwent Hospital during the Second World War was remembered fondly in the area.

“Refreshingly down-to-earth, she would happily chat to anyone.

“The calm serenity of Tredegar House must have been a world away from the revolution she fled as a young child.”

Bumbling with life, Olga certainly had no qualms about her public duties as Lady Tredegar; she could regularly be spotted opening fetes and exhibitions across Newport.

A great deal of her time and energy was also dedicated to charity. For instance, she once donated toys to the Royal Gwent Hospital.

She was even made president of the Pontypool Women's Conservative and Unionist Association and the president of Newport and Monmouthshire Art and Craft Society.

But the good times were not to last. Their marriage broke down and Olga was subsequently granted an annulment in 1943.

She eventually moved to Guernsey and died in 1998.

It is interesting to look at the stark contrasts between the three women.

Two of them certainly relished being Lady Tredegar, while the other did not.

Either way, all three women have left their imprint in history.