Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine Volume 84 April 1991
Eccentric
or
229
visionary- Dr Price of Liantrisant
J P Grffin FRCP FRCPath
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, 2DY London SWiA 12 Whitehall,
Keywords: William Price; William Blizard; Chartist; cremation; Archdruid of Wales
Dr William Price, self-styled 'Archdruid ofWales' was an eccentric the like ofwhich is, fortunately perhaps, seldom seen in the ranks of the medical profession. However, stripped of the more bizarre elements of his behaviour and his rejection of religious and moral conventions, he can be seen as a man actively involved in the social issues of his day. He was certainly a Chartist and quite probably a member of the Daughters of Rebecca. In preventive medicine terms he would today be seen as quite conventional in his views of the dangers of tobacco smoking and overeating. He will, however, be best remembered for the introduction of cremation into the United Kingdom. My maternal grandfather, William John, was born in Llantrisant in January 1870 and was a first-hand witness to many of the events recorded here. Such too was the fame of Dr Price that at my interview at the London Hospital in 1956 his activities were a subject broached, bearing in mind my origins and Dr Price's contacts with the London Hospital. William Price was born on 4 March 1800 at Rudry, Glamorgan and was the third son, and the fifth of seven children born to the Rev William Price MA, a clergyman. The Rev William Price was at one time a Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford. He resigned his fellowship on his marriage to Mary Edmonds of Machen, Glamorgan. Mary Edmonds has been described as an illiterate maidservant who although 'much below him in station in life' looked after the clergyman and his seven children for he certainly could not. John Culel described at length the Rev William Price's 'predilection for water'. 'One of his greatest enjoyments was to immerse himself in a pond up to his neck. Sometimes he would take off his clothes before going into the water. But before he put them on again he would be sure to dip them in the pond to make them wet. If he went in without his hat he would not neglect to fill it with water before he replaced it on his head.' After the Rev William Price's death a dispute arose about his competence in managing his affairs. This entailed exhumation of the body for the purpose of showing he was 'non compos mentis' at the relevant time. Necropsy examination revealed that the blood vessels of the brain were very large and it was solemnly suggested that the clergyman's desire to immerse himself in water was in order to 'relieve the
throbbing'. To return to William Price, the son, he was sent to school at Machen at the age of 10 years and remained there for 3% years and it was while at school in Machen that he learnt to speak English. At the age of 14 years William Price was apprenticed to Evan Edwards, a surgeon of Caerphilly. The apprenticeship to Evan Edwards cost £35 and was paid by the
Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy. The document relating to this agreement now resides at the Welsh National Museum at St Fagans, Cardiff and reads as follows: The Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy have been pleased to order an apprentice fee of £35 to be allowed for binding William Price to you for 5 years. You, therewith receive the indenture as prepared accordingly the part having the receipt endorsed must be executed by you in the presence of a witness of credit, and the receipt also signed by you in the presence of the same witness, and returned to me to remain in the office of the Corporation. After which the money will be paid to you by our Bill duly stamped drawn on me payable at 10 days and not otherwise. Signed the Registrar, Corporation House, Bloomsbury Place, London'
An interesting footnote to this is that Evan Edwards only received £34 14 shillings. A sum of 6 shillings being deducted for the drawing up of the indenture. The date of Wlliam Price's apprenticeship indenture was 12 February 1814, on the completion of which in 1819 William Price went to The London Hospital to further his studies. Up to 1815 nothing more than an apprenticeship was necessary before taking the examination of the Apothecaries Hall, ie similar to that undertaken by William Price with Evan Edwards at Caerphilly. The London Hospital Medical College was founded in 1785 by Sir William Blizard. There is no record in the minutes of the Governors of the hospital to the opening ofthe school and there is no record of Blizard, or anyone, seeking permission to call the first medical school in England, the London Hospital Medical College. During the first 50 years of the school's existence there is no reference to it in the records of the hospital. Sir William Blizard had set out to create an entirely new education facility, a complete medical school with the best clinical training possible2 3. Six relevant documents relating to the completion of William Price's studies in London are still extant. (i) Certificate dated 28 August 1821 certifying that William Price has attended the medical practice of the General Dispensary for 6 months. Signed by Henry Clutterbuck, George Burberick and William Lambert, Physicians to the Dispensary. (ii) Certificate dated 29 August 1821 certifying that William Price has attended courses in the theory and practice of physic signed H Clutterbuck of the Royal College of Physicians, Senior Physician to the General Dispensary. (iii) A certificate signed by the Chairman and Examiners of the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London dated 6 September 1821
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certifying that William Price is licensed to practise as an apothecary. (iv) A certificate dated 25 September 1821 certifying that William Price had attended as a dressing pupil in the London Hospital. This certificate shows a picture of the London Hospital (the 1740 engraving) with the text below: 'Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of one of my brethren ye have done it unto me. St. Matthew Ch. 25 v 40. The London Hospital charitably relieving sick and wounded manufacturers and seamen in merchant service their wives and children. These are to certify that William Price hath diligently attended the practice of surgery as a dressing pupil in this hospital for 12 months. Witness our hand this day September in the year of our Lord 1821 signed William Blizard.'
(v) A certificate from the Royal College of Surgeons dated 19 October 1821 certifying that William Price is qualified to practise as a surgeon signed by Sir William Bligard, John Abernethy and others. (vi) Finally, the completion of William Price's medical education was made when he received- his final certificate in March 1823 stating that he had completed a course in midwifery. This series of documents is fascinating from two points of view. Firstly, in that it gives a very clear insight into medical education in the early 19th century and secondly in the signatories to these documents great medical names like Sir William Blizard and John Abernethy appear. After his period of training in London Dr Price returned to South Wales and practised at first at Nantgarw, subsequently' moving to Treforest, Pontypridd and finally settling in Llantrisant. In the 1830s he became involved in the Chartist movement in Wales. He is alleged to have been involved in the Merthyr riots of 1831 in which the military slew some 20 people and following which Dic Penderyn was hung at Cardiff. Dr Price was supposed to have produced hilf and seven cannons for the Chartists march on Newport in 1839. Neither Dr Price nor the cannons materialized. The march itself, led by John Frost, did take place and ended in much 10oss Qf life at the fracas at the Westgate Hotel, Newport. Dr Price's obituary in the British Medical Journal of 28 January 1893 records Dr Price's subsequent flight from Britain in the following terms4. 'On account of his extreme opiniions, a warrant was issued for his arrest by the Government of the day, and a large reward was offered for his capture. He eluded his pursuers disguised as a woman and succeeded in escaping X France. Landing at Havre, he proceeded to Paris where he was introduced to the reigning French monarch.
The story of Dr Price's escape dressed asaa-woman may be apocryphal and may be based- on his association with the other politically active group in South Wales at that time, the Daughters of Rebecca. Rebecca and her daughters carried out a determined destruction of toll gates and turnpike gates. Dressed in dark female attire with flowing black capes and darkened, faces, they descended on the toll gates destroying them and burning the toll-keepers' houses. The reference to Rebecca is derived from Genesis 24 v 60
'. .. and they blessed Rebecca and said to her ... let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate thee...' The burden of tollgate fees- was considerable5. Travelling from Cardiff westward 'we pass through one gate on the Cardiff Trust, two gates on the Cowbridge Trust, six gates on the Bridgend Trust, three gates on the Neath Trust and one on the Swansea Trust' stated C R M Talbot MP in Hansard. He concluded that 'while not condoning the behaviour of Rebecca and her atrocious daughters the existence of 13 toll gates in 50 miles was unacceptable', when every horse'drawn vehicle had to pay 6d at each gate. To local farmers who were charged ld for every sheep driven through the gates, the presence of these charges was even more burdensome to the traveller. Dr Price's possible involvement with the Chartists and the Daughters of Rebecca could be interpreted as a social conscience manifest in a rather violent manner. After his return from exile, Dr Price became notorious for his litigious propensities and he squandered a large fortune in frivolous legal actions. -In July 1853 Dr Price was indicted -at the Glamorgan Assizes, Cardiff, for perjury alleged to have been committed during an earlier trial at another court some 5 years previously.-Dr Price conducted his own defence with great skill and secured a verdict of 'not guilty'. Ever the publist William Price published a full account of his legal encounter entitled T7he Trial versus William Price' which was privately printed by William Hemmons of 60 Broad Street, Bristol, and sold for 6d per copy. At what stage Dr Price became interested in Druidism is uncertain. However, it was clear that the Druid iiniform he devised for himself was being worn at the above trial in 1853. At this trial he described his sartorial elegance to the judge This is the military uiniform, my lord, worn by Welshmen when they defeated you Englishmen at the Battle of Bosworth Field nearly 500 years ago'. The uniform he devised for his personal use was that which he considered appropriate for him in his selfstyled capacity of Archdruid of Wales. The headpiece was of red fox skin with the tail dangling in Davy Crocket-fashion; a w-hite cotton shirt that laced up; a double-breasted red suede waistcoat with two rows of brass buttons; and green trusers with -the bottoms deeply scalloped and trimmed with red. The ensemble was completed by a long tartan plaid cape with the predominant colour beikg- scarlet. Dr Price wore no socks or stockings. He believed that 'kings prevented the proper exhalation of the feet which are in consequence kept damp. Thus. the person who wears them, is more likely to catch cold'. Dr Price did however wear shoes! IIn personal hygiene he was meticulous and he wore a clean white tunic daily, freshly laundered by his mistress Gwenllian Llewellyn. Any coins he received he always washed before putting them in his pocket. He was strongly against tobacco smoking and was reported to have snatched a clay pipe from the mouth of a fellow train traveller and thrown it out of the -window and threatened to throw the smoker out too if he protested. Such were the joys of travelling with Dr Price on the Pontypridd to Merthyr train6. He was known to have refused to treat patients who smoked unless they.undertook to give up smoking. Hle also fiequently made a diagnosis of 'coption' by which he meant over indulgence in food and
Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine Volume 84 April 1991 not tuberculosis. Dr Price was considered as a brilliant but eccentric physician and his skills were much sought after. He however was a man who readily bore grudges and if a patient was sick against whom or against whose family Dr Price held a grudge for a real or imagined wrong, then the family had to approach him on their knees, literally, before -he would condescend to see and treat the patient. Cremation as a means of disposal of the dead had been widely used by Greeks and Romans and various Teutonic tribes but had been frowned on by the Christian Church. It was however revived in Italy in 1870 and the Cremation Society was formed in Britain in 1874. The subject of cremation was one of Dr Price's enthusiasms and when at the age of 84 years the 5-month-old child he had sired on his Mistress Gwenllian Llewellyn died he set in motion on the Sunday evening, 13 January, 1884 the cremation of his son 'Iesu Grist' (Jesus Christ). It was considered blasphemy enough to name one's son this manner in non-conformist Wales but to cremate the body in a public place on a Sunday evening as people were leaving the chapels ofthe town, provoked a near riot. The crowd was so enraged that unless rescued and arrested by the police Dr Price would have received severe handling. Other reports state that Dr Price fled to his home where his mistress, shotgun in hand, held the crowd at bay until the police arrived and arrested him. The mode in which: Dr Price had attempted cremation was to place the body ofthe child on a cask of paraffin oil wrapped napkins and then set on fire.
The baby's body was retrieved from the flames. It was then subjected to an autopsy and the cause of death given by coroners' jury was 'dentition' presumably what would now be termed 'cot-death'. Dr Price was then tried at the Winter Assizes in Cardiff before Mr Justice Stephen in February 1884 for endeavouring to cremate the body of a child. Dr Price was acquitted. Mr Justice Stephen delivered his well-known judgement declaring that cremation was a legal procedure provided it was effected without nuisance to others. Dr Price, who had recovered the-remains of his son following the autopsy and retained them in a box under his bed, for some 8 weeks, completed the cremation at Caerlan Fields, Llantrisant on 14 March 1884. The cremation took place with half a ton of coal, a gallon of paraffln, and 6 pennyworth of wood. The British Medical Journal of that time reported the total cost as being '8 shillings and 2 pence'. On the site of the cremation of Iesu Grist Price, Dr Price erected a 60 ft pole with a 2 ft diameter brass moon on top with the request that he too should be cremated at the same spot. Figures 1 and 2 show the brass moon in the one case held by Dr Price and in the other on its pole in Caerlan Fields at his own cremation. In 1871 Dr Price published a book Gwyllis yn Nawd (The Will of my Father) in what Dr Price claimed was Old Welsh as it had been spelt for 2600 years. In a picture in the frontispiece of this book he holds 'a mundane egg' the sign of immortality and in the other the famous crescent moon on a pole. To commemorate the cremation of his son, Dr Price had oval brass medals struck on one side with an inscription and the other was filled by a- representation of a billy goat! Subsequent to these events Dr Price sued the Glamorgan police for wrongful arrest and won his case. He was awarded one farthing damages. Cremation as a means of disposal of the dead was legalized in Britain in 1885. Betweenthis episode and his death in 1893 Dr Price sired two more children. The daughter Penelope bequeathed much of the material on which this article is based to the Welsh National Folk Museum, the other and younger child he again called Iesu Grist. The cremation of Dr Price after his death in January 1893 was described by Taliesin Morgan7 in his History of Llantrisant published in 1898 as follows: The coffin, a unique specimen of its kind, was specially constructed by a local blacksmith, from the designs of a wellknown surveyor, with a view to the fiery ordeal which it was
Figure
1. Dr Price in his
garb
as
self-styled Archdruid of
Wales, holding crescent moon, flaming torch and with unsheathed sword at waist in red sash. (Reproduced with permission from the Curator, Welsh National Folk Museum, St Fagans, Cardiff)
Figure 2. The cremation of Dr Price at Caerlan Fields, Llantrisant showing crescent moon on 60 ft pole; the crematorium consisting of two parallel brick walls, with the cremation in progress. A large crowd of several thousand watching the event. (Reproduced by permission of the Editor, Western Mail, Cardiff)
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Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine Volume 84 April 1991
destined to undergo. Sheet-iron was selected as its materia for the express purpose of preventing the least possibility of the body itself becoming exposed under any circumstances, the iron bands being subsequently placed as an additional precaution. It was anticipated that the sheet-iron, when placed in the heart of the burning pile would soon become red-hot, and so materially assist the process of Cremation while at the same time preserving the ashes, which, the Doctor had arranged, should 'be cast to winds and scattered o'er the earth to help the green grass and flowers to grow'.
Along each side of the coffin, from end to end, were a series of holes, each of them an inch or an inch and a half in diameter, means being thus provided for the entry ofthe fire and for the escape of the gases emitted from the body, during the process of combustion. At the top of the lid of the coffin was a square aperture disclosing the face and bust of the corpse. The Crematorium was, contrary to the evident expectation of many of the general public, so constructed as to consume the remains ofthe deceased without exposing the body, or even the coffin, to view. Every endeavour had been made to avoid giving rise to complaints as to the indecency and nuisance which had been alleged against the old Doctor himself when he cremated his child in 1884. Two substantial walls, 10 ft long, 2 ft thick and about 4 ft high, had been erected. These walls were 3 ft 6 in apart. At a height of about 2 ft from the ground 12 iron bars, 2 in thick, had been placed crossways from wall to wall, so as to form the bottom of a furnace. Over these at a distance of a few inches, were five or six more bars of the same kind to hold the weight of the coffin. On each side of the coffin there was a space of 16 in for fuel. Above the coffin was another row of bars, or rather a grating of iron, to hold up the top part of the fire. By such means as these about 2 ft of coal was sustained over and above the aperture left for the coffin. The fire had been ready prepared for lighting, and on the arrival of the procession all there was to be done was to slide the coffin into its receptacle and kindle the funeral pyre when the necessary directions should be given. The ceremony of Cremation was carried out early on a Tuesday morning. A procession was formed about seven o'clock, and 12 bearers selected from the friends of the Doctor, were in readiness to carry him to the funeral pyre. On arrival of the procession at the entrance of the field, the Rev D Fisher, Curate of Llantrisant, and Rev D Williams, of Pontyclun, who wore white surplices, read the opening portions ofthe Burial Service ofthe Established Church in the Welsh
language. The coffin was pushed into the Crematorium, and the pyre lighted; and then proceeded the Burial Service. When he came to the words which usually stated that the body is consigned to the earth, there was a variation in the wording, and the appropriate revision was made that it was being 'consigned to fire'. The actual words used were: 'Gan hyny yr y'm ni yn rhoddi ei gorff ei i'r tan, gan ddysgwyl am adgyfodiad y meirw ac am fywyd y byd sydd ar ddyfod.' Then the Rev gentleman reverted to the usual phraseology. Shortly after one o'clock in the afternoon it became evident that the fierceness of the flames had been such as to completely consume the body. Portions of the iron coffin fell away into the fire, and the people who stood near gazed into what appeared to be
nothing but an empty shell glowing at white heat. Mr Superintendant Jones, who had carefully watched the proceedings throughout, suggested, after a consultation with Dr Williams, the county medical officer, that it was totally unnecessary to place any more fuel upon the fire, so that the whole of the quantity provided was not used. About half-past three o'clock directions were given to have the coffin drawn out, and when this was done, it was seen that the precautions taken to ascertain whether the body had been completely consumed or not were by that time unnecessary. The body had entirely disappeared, and the coffin itself had, to a great extent, been shattered or consumed by the fire. When the sheet iron had been allowed to cool, what remained ofthe coffin was placed upon the bier already referred to and preparations were made to carry it back to the house of the deceased. At this time the crowd had increased to very large proportions, and it was estimated from five to six thousand people gathered from all parts of the country, many ofthem searching among the ashes for relics ofthe Cremation. Pieces of the iron coffin were thus secured by many, while others were content with pieces ofcinder snatched from the fire. It is estimated that 20 thousand people visited the town during the day. Great credit is due to Chief Constable Lindsay for his foresight in placing Superintendent Jones, who was actively assisted by inspectors Jones of Pentre, and Davies of Porth, Sergeant Hallett, and a posse of 50 constables, to direct matters and maintain order. Everything passed off without any disturbance or
complaint. Dr Price's death certificate, inset in a wooden frame, was donated to the Welsh National Museum by Mrs S E E Fisher. The frame has inset into its upper border two half crowns paid to the Rev Daniel Fisher for officiating at the cremation an inset into the lower border two medals struck on the occasion of the cremation of Dr Price's son, mounted to show the obverse and reverse faces respectively. Cards commemorating the cremation of Dr Price and a lengthy piece of doggerel verse entitled 'The Log Cabin' were sold to attendees at the ceremony. The atmosphere seems to have been rather similar to that of a rugby international. The first crematorium in the UK was eventually built in Woking, Surrey. A crematorium now stands at Thornhill, within 4 miles ofboth Rudry, where Dr Price was born, Caerphilly where he was apprenticed, and within 10 miles of where he was cremated. References 1 Cule J. William Price of Llantrisant 1800-1893. BMJ 1982;284:483-4 2 Cooke J. A brief memoir ofSir William Blizard. Longman, Rees Orme Browne, 1835 3 Ellis J. London Hospital Medical College. The story of England's first medical school.. London: London Hospital Medical Club, 1986:178-1985 4 Obituary. William Price MRCS Eng. BMJ 1893;i:210 5 Evans CJO. Glamorgan, its history and topography. Cardiff: William Lowis, 1938:35-6,190,304-5,332 6 Powell J. Lotter to the Western Mall, 17 April 1940 7 Morgan T. History ofLlantrisant Glamorganshire. Cardiff: Clements & Co, 1898:132-9
(Accepted 18 April 1990)
Eccentric
or
229
visionary- Dr Price of Liantrisant
J P Grffin FRCP FRCPath
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, 2DY London SWiA 12 Whitehall,
Keywords: William Price; William Blizard; Chartist; cremation; Archdruid of Wales
Dr William Price, self-styled 'Archdruid ofWales' was an eccentric the like ofwhich is, fortunately perhaps, seldom seen in the ranks of the medical profession. However, stripped of the more bizarre elements of his behaviour and his rejection of religious and moral conventions, he can be seen as a man actively involved in the social issues of his day. He was certainly a Chartist and quite probably a member of the Daughters of Rebecca. In preventive medicine terms he would today be seen as quite conventional in his views of the dangers of tobacco smoking and overeating. He will, however, be best remembered for the introduction of cremation into the United Kingdom. My maternal grandfather, William John, was born in Llantrisant in January 1870 and was a first-hand witness to many of the events recorded here. Such too was the fame of Dr Price that at my interview at the London Hospital in 1956 his activities were a subject broached, bearing in mind my origins and Dr Price's contacts with the London Hospital. William Price was born on 4 March 1800 at Rudry, Glamorgan and was the third son, and the fifth of seven children born to the Rev William Price MA, a clergyman. The Rev William Price was at one time a Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford. He resigned his fellowship on his marriage to Mary Edmonds of Machen, Glamorgan. Mary Edmonds has been described as an illiterate maidservant who although 'much below him in station in life' looked after the clergyman and his seven children for he certainly could not. John Culel described at length the Rev William Price's 'predilection for water'. 'One of his greatest enjoyments was to immerse himself in a pond up to his neck. Sometimes he would take off his clothes before going into the water. But before he put them on again he would be sure to dip them in the pond to make them wet. If he went in without his hat he would not neglect to fill it with water before he replaced it on his head.' After the Rev William Price's death a dispute arose about his competence in managing his affairs. This entailed exhumation of the body for the purpose of showing he was 'non compos mentis' at the relevant time. Necropsy examination revealed that the blood vessels of the brain were very large and it was solemnly suggested that the clergyman's desire to immerse himself in water was in order to 'relieve the
throbbing'. To return to William Price, the son, he was sent to school at Machen at the age of 10 years and remained there for 3% years and it was while at school in Machen that he learnt to speak English. At the age of 14 years William Price was apprenticed to Evan Edwards, a surgeon of Caerphilly. The apprenticeship to Evan Edwards cost £35 and was paid by the
Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy. The document relating to this agreement now resides at the Welsh National Museum at St Fagans, Cardiff and reads as follows: The Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy have been pleased to order an apprentice fee of £35 to be allowed for binding William Price to you for 5 years. You, therewith receive the indenture as prepared accordingly the part having the receipt endorsed must be executed by you in the presence of a witness of credit, and the receipt also signed by you in the presence of the same witness, and returned to me to remain in the office of the Corporation. After which the money will be paid to you by our Bill duly stamped drawn on me payable at 10 days and not otherwise. Signed the Registrar, Corporation House, Bloomsbury Place, London'
An interesting footnote to this is that Evan Edwards only received £34 14 shillings. A sum of 6 shillings being deducted for the drawing up of the indenture. The date of Wlliam Price's apprenticeship indenture was 12 February 1814, on the completion of which in 1819 William Price went to The London Hospital to further his studies. Up to 1815 nothing more than an apprenticeship was necessary before taking the examination of the Apothecaries Hall, ie similar to that undertaken by William Price with Evan Edwards at Caerphilly. The London Hospital Medical College was founded in 1785 by Sir William Blizard. There is no record in the minutes of the Governors of the hospital to the opening ofthe school and there is no record of Blizard, or anyone, seeking permission to call the first medical school in England, the London Hospital Medical College. During the first 50 years of the school's existence there is no reference to it in the records of the hospital. Sir William Blizard had set out to create an entirely new education facility, a complete medical school with the best clinical training possible2 3. Six relevant documents relating to the completion of William Price's studies in London are still extant. (i) Certificate dated 28 August 1821 certifying that William Price has attended the medical practice of the General Dispensary for 6 months. Signed by Henry Clutterbuck, George Burberick and William Lambert, Physicians to the Dispensary. (ii) Certificate dated 29 August 1821 certifying that William Price has attended courses in the theory and practice of physic signed H Clutterbuck of the Royal College of Physicians, Senior Physician to the General Dispensary. (iii) A certificate signed by the Chairman and Examiners of the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London dated 6 September 1821
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certifying that William Price is licensed to practise as an apothecary. (iv) A certificate dated 25 September 1821 certifying that William Price had attended as a dressing pupil in the London Hospital. This certificate shows a picture of the London Hospital (the 1740 engraving) with the text below: 'Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of one of my brethren ye have done it unto me. St. Matthew Ch. 25 v 40. The London Hospital charitably relieving sick and wounded manufacturers and seamen in merchant service their wives and children. These are to certify that William Price hath diligently attended the practice of surgery as a dressing pupil in this hospital for 12 months. Witness our hand this day September in the year of our Lord 1821 signed William Blizard.'
(v) A certificate from the Royal College of Surgeons dated 19 October 1821 certifying that William Price is qualified to practise as a surgeon signed by Sir William Bligard, John Abernethy and others. (vi) Finally, the completion of William Price's medical education was made when he received- his final certificate in March 1823 stating that he had completed a course in midwifery. This series of documents is fascinating from two points of view. Firstly, in that it gives a very clear insight into medical education in the early 19th century and secondly in the signatories to these documents great medical names like Sir William Blizard and John Abernethy appear. After his period of training in London Dr Price returned to South Wales and practised at first at Nantgarw, subsequently' moving to Treforest, Pontypridd and finally settling in Llantrisant. In the 1830s he became involved in the Chartist movement in Wales. He is alleged to have been involved in the Merthyr riots of 1831 in which the military slew some 20 people and following which Dic Penderyn was hung at Cardiff. Dr Price was supposed to have produced hilf and seven cannons for the Chartists march on Newport in 1839. Neither Dr Price nor the cannons materialized. The march itself, led by John Frost, did take place and ended in much 10oss Qf life at the fracas at the Westgate Hotel, Newport. Dr Price's obituary in the British Medical Journal of 28 January 1893 records Dr Price's subsequent flight from Britain in the following terms4. 'On account of his extreme opiniions, a warrant was issued for his arrest by the Government of the day, and a large reward was offered for his capture. He eluded his pursuers disguised as a woman and succeeded in escaping X France. Landing at Havre, he proceeded to Paris where he was introduced to the reigning French monarch.
The story of Dr Price's escape dressed asaa-woman may be apocryphal and may be based- on his association with the other politically active group in South Wales at that time, the Daughters of Rebecca. Rebecca and her daughters carried out a determined destruction of toll gates and turnpike gates. Dressed in dark female attire with flowing black capes and darkened, faces, they descended on the toll gates destroying them and burning the toll-keepers' houses. The reference to Rebecca is derived from Genesis 24 v 60
'. .. and they blessed Rebecca and said to her ... let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate thee...' The burden of tollgate fees- was considerable5. Travelling from Cardiff westward 'we pass through one gate on the Cardiff Trust, two gates on the Cowbridge Trust, six gates on the Bridgend Trust, three gates on the Neath Trust and one on the Swansea Trust' stated C R M Talbot MP in Hansard. He concluded that 'while not condoning the behaviour of Rebecca and her atrocious daughters the existence of 13 toll gates in 50 miles was unacceptable', when every horse'drawn vehicle had to pay 6d at each gate. To local farmers who were charged ld for every sheep driven through the gates, the presence of these charges was even more burdensome to the traveller. Dr Price's possible involvement with the Chartists and the Daughters of Rebecca could be interpreted as a social conscience manifest in a rather violent manner. After his return from exile, Dr Price became notorious for his litigious propensities and he squandered a large fortune in frivolous legal actions. -In July 1853 Dr Price was indicted -at the Glamorgan Assizes, Cardiff, for perjury alleged to have been committed during an earlier trial at another court some 5 years previously.-Dr Price conducted his own defence with great skill and secured a verdict of 'not guilty'. Ever the publist William Price published a full account of his legal encounter entitled T7he Trial versus William Price' which was privately printed by William Hemmons of 60 Broad Street, Bristol, and sold for 6d per copy. At what stage Dr Price became interested in Druidism is uncertain. However, it was clear that the Druid iiniform he devised for himself was being worn at the above trial in 1853. At this trial he described his sartorial elegance to the judge This is the military uiniform, my lord, worn by Welshmen when they defeated you Englishmen at the Battle of Bosworth Field nearly 500 years ago'. The uniform he devised for his personal use was that which he considered appropriate for him in his selfstyled capacity of Archdruid of Wales. The headpiece was of red fox skin with the tail dangling in Davy Crocket-fashion; a w-hite cotton shirt that laced up; a double-breasted red suede waistcoat with two rows of brass buttons; and green trusers with -the bottoms deeply scalloped and trimmed with red. The ensemble was completed by a long tartan plaid cape with the predominant colour beikg- scarlet. Dr Price wore no socks or stockings. He believed that 'kings prevented the proper exhalation of the feet which are in consequence kept damp. Thus. the person who wears them, is more likely to catch cold'. Dr Price did however wear shoes! IIn personal hygiene he was meticulous and he wore a clean white tunic daily, freshly laundered by his mistress Gwenllian Llewellyn. Any coins he received he always washed before putting them in his pocket. He was strongly against tobacco smoking and was reported to have snatched a clay pipe from the mouth of a fellow train traveller and thrown it out of the -window and threatened to throw the smoker out too if he protested. Such were the joys of travelling with Dr Price on the Pontypridd to Merthyr train6. He was known to have refused to treat patients who smoked unless they.undertook to give up smoking. Hle also fiequently made a diagnosis of 'coption' by which he meant over indulgence in food and
Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine Volume 84 April 1991 not tuberculosis. Dr Price was considered as a brilliant but eccentric physician and his skills were much sought after. He however was a man who readily bore grudges and if a patient was sick against whom or against whose family Dr Price held a grudge for a real or imagined wrong, then the family had to approach him on their knees, literally, before -he would condescend to see and treat the patient. Cremation as a means of disposal of the dead had been widely used by Greeks and Romans and various Teutonic tribes but had been frowned on by the Christian Church. It was however revived in Italy in 1870 and the Cremation Society was formed in Britain in 1874. The subject of cremation was one of Dr Price's enthusiasms and when at the age of 84 years the 5-month-old child he had sired on his Mistress Gwenllian Llewellyn died he set in motion on the Sunday evening, 13 January, 1884 the cremation of his son 'Iesu Grist' (Jesus Christ). It was considered blasphemy enough to name one's son this manner in non-conformist Wales but to cremate the body in a public place on a Sunday evening as people were leaving the chapels ofthe town, provoked a near riot. The crowd was so enraged that unless rescued and arrested by the police Dr Price would have received severe handling. Other reports state that Dr Price fled to his home where his mistress, shotgun in hand, held the crowd at bay until the police arrived and arrested him. The mode in which: Dr Price had attempted cremation was to place the body ofthe child on a cask of paraffin oil wrapped napkins and then set on fire.
The baby's body was retrieved from the flames. It was then subjected to an autopsy and the cause of death given by coroners' jury was 'dentition' presumably what would now be termed 'cot-death'. Dr Price was then tried at the Winter Assizes in Cardiff before Mr Justice Stephen in February 1884 for endeavouring to cremate the body of a child. Dr Price was acquitted. Mr Justice Stephen delivered his well-known judgement declaring that cremation was a legal procedure provided it was effected without nuisance to others. Dr Price, who had recovered the-remains of his son following the autopsy and retained them in a box under his bed, for some 8 weeks, completed the cremation at Caerlan Fields, Llantrisant on 14 March 1884. The cremation took place with half a ton of coal, a gallon of paraffln, and 6 pennyworth of wood. The British Medical Journal of that time reported the total cost as being '8 shillings and 2 pence'. On the site of the cremation of Iesu Grist Price, Dr Price erected a 60 ft pole with a 2 ft diameter brass moon on top with the request that he too should be cremated at the same spot. Figures 1 and 2 show the brass moon in the one case held by Dr Price and in the other on its pole in Caerlan Fields at his own cremation. In 1871 Dr Price published a book Gwyllis yn Nawd (The Will of my Father) in what Dr Price claimed was Old Welsh as it had been spelt for 2600 years. In a picture in the frontispiece of this book he holds 'a mundane egg' the sign of immortality and in the other the famous crescent moon on a pole. To commemorate the cremation of his son, Dr Price had oval brass medals struck on one side with an inscription and the other was filled by a- representation of a billy goat! Subsequent to these events Dr Price sued the Glamorgan police for wrongful arrest and won his case. He was awarded one farthing damages. Cremation as a means of disposal of the dead was legalized in Britain in 1885. Betweenthis episode and his death in 1893 Dr Price sired two more children. The daughter Penelope bequeathed much of the material on which this article is based to the Welsh National Folk Museum, the other and younger child he again called Iesu Grist. The cremation of Dr Price after his death in January 1893 was described by Taliesin Morgan7 in his History of Llantrisant published in 1898 as follows: The coffin, a unique specimen of its kind, was specially constructed by a local blacksmith, from the designs of a wellknown surveyor, with a view to the fiery ordeal which it was
Figure
1. Dr Price in his
garb
as
self-styled Archdruid of
Wales, holding crescent moon, flaming torch and with unsheathed sword at waist in red sash. (Reproduced with permission from the Curator, Welsh National Folk Museum, St Fagans, Cardiff)
Figure 2. The cremation of Dr Price at Caerlan Fields, Llantrisant showing crescent moon on 60 ft pole; the crematorium consisting of two parallel brick walls, with the cremation in progress. A large crowd of several thousand watching the event. (Reproduced by permission of the Editor, Western Mail, Cardiff)
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destined to undergo. Sheet-iron was selected as its materia for the express purpose of preventing the least possibility of the body itself becoming exposed under any circumstances, the iron bands being subsequently placed as an additional precaution. It was anticipated that the sheet-iron, when placed in the heart of the burning pile would soon become red-hot, and so materially assist the process of Cremation while at the same time preserving the ashes, which, the Doctor had arranged, should 'be cast to winds and scattered o'er the earth to help the green grass and flowers to grow'.
Along each side of the coffin, from end to end, were a series of holes, each of them an inch or an inch and a half in diameter, means being thus provided for the entry ofthe fire and for the escape of the gases emitted from the body, during the process of combustion. At the top of the lid of the coffin was a square aperture disclosing the face and bust of the corpse. The Crematorium was, contrary to the evident expectation of many of the general public, so constructed as to consume the remains ofthe deceased without exposing the body, or even the coffin, to view. Every endeavour had been made to avoid giving rise to complaints as to the indecency and nuisance which had been alleged against the old Doctor himself when he cremated his child in 1884. Two substantial walls, 10 ft long, 2 ft thick and about 4 ft high, had been erected. These walls were 3 ft 6 in apart. At a height of about 2 ft from the ground 12 iron bars, 2 in thick, had been placed crossways from wall to wall, so as to form the bottom of a furnace. Over these at a distance of a few inches, were five or six more bars of the same kind to hold the weight of the coffin. On each side of the coffin there was a space of 16 in for fuel. Above the coffin was another row of bars, or rather a grating of iron, to hold up the top part of the fire. By such means as these about 2 ft of coal was sustained over and above the aperture left for the coffin. The fire had been ready prepared for lighting, and on the arrival of the procession all there was to be done was to slide the coffin into its receptacle and kindle the funeral pyre when the necessary directions should be given. The ceremony of Cremation was carried out early on a Tuesday morning. A procession was formed about seven o'clock, and 12 bearers selected from the friends of the Doctor, were in readiness to carry him to the funeral pyre. On arrival of the procession at the entrance of the field, the Rev D Fisher, Curate of Llantrisant, and Rev D Williams, of Pontyclun, who wore white surplices, read the opening portions ofthe Burial Service ofthe Established Church in the Welsh
language. The coffin was pushed into the Crematorium, and the pyre lighted; and then proceeded the Burial Service. When he came to the words which usually stated that the body is consigned to the earth, there was a variation in the wording, and the appropriate revision was made that it was being 'consigned to fire'. The actual words used were: 'Gan hyny yr y'm ni yn rhoddi ei gorff ei i'r tan, gan ddysgwyl am adgyfodiad y meirw ac am fywyd y byd sydd ar ddyfod.' Then the Rev gentleman reverted to the usual phraseology. Shortly after one o'clock in the afternoon it became evident that the fierceness of the flames had been such as to completely consume the body. Portions of the iron coffin fell away into the fire, and the people who stood near gazed into what appeared to be
nothing but an empty shell glowing at white heat. Mr Superintendant Jones, who had carefully watched the proceedings throughout, suggested, after a consultation with Dr Williams, the county medical officer, that it was totally unnecessary to place any more fuel upon the fire, so that the whole of the quantity provided was not used. About half-past three o'clock directions were given to have the coffin drawn out, and when this was done, it was seen that the precautions taken to ascertain whether the body had been completely consumed or not were by that time unnecessary. The body had entirely disappeared, and the coffin itself had, to a great extent, been shattered or consumed by the fire. When the sheet iron had been allowed to cool, what remained ofthe coffin was placed upon the bier already referred to and preparations were made to carry it back to the house of the deceased. At this time the crowd had increased to very large proportions, and it was estimated from five to six thousand people gathered from all parts of the country, many ofthem searching among the ashes for relics ofthe Cremation. Pieces of the iron coffin were thus secured by many, while others were content with pieces ofcinder snatched from the fire. It is estimated that 20 thousand people visited the town during the day. Great credit is due to Chief Constable Lindsay for his foresight in placing Superintendent Jones, who was actively assisted by inspectors Jones of Pentre, and Davies of Porth, Sergeant Hallett, and a posse of 50 constables, to direct matters and maintain order. Everything passed off without any disturbance or
complaint. Dr Price's death certificate, inset in a wooden frame, was donated to the Welsh National Museum by Mrs S E E Fisher. The frame has inset into its upper border two half crowns paid to the Rev Daniel Fisher for officiating at the cremation an inset into the lower border two medals struck on the occasion of the cremation of Dr Price's son, mounted to show the obverse and reverse faces respectively. Cards commemorating the cremation of Dr Price and a lengthy piece of doggerel verse entitled 'The Log Cabin' were sold to attendees at the ceremony. The atmosphere seems to have been rather similar to that of a rugby international. The first crematorium in the UK was eventually built in Woking, Surrey. A crematorium now stands at Thornhill, within 4 miles ofboth Rudry, where Dr Price was born, Caerphilly where he was apprenticed, and within 10 miles of where he was cremated. References 1 Cule J. William Price of Llantrisant 1800-1893. BMJ 1982;284:483-4 2 Cooke J. A brief memoir ofSir William Blizard. Longman, Rees Orme Browne, 1835 3 Ellis J. London Hospital Medical College. The story of England's first medical school.. London: London Hospital Medical Club, 1986:178-1985 4 Obituary. William Price MRCS Eng. BMJ 1893;i:210 5 Evans CJO. Glamorgan, its history and topography. Cardiff: William Lowis, 1938:35-6,190,304-5,332 6 Powell J. Lotter to the Western Mall, 17 April 1940 7 Morgan T. History ofLlantrisant Glamorganshire. Cardiff: Clements & Co, 1898:132-9
(Accepted 18 April 1990)
