How one man’s vision became a town and another’s became a chapel, Leslie Davies looks at two characters with a strong sense of civic duty.

NOT many men can leave a legacy which endures beyond their lifetime and into the next century. One such man of Gwent was John Hodder Moggeridge, who in 1822 changed the course of history pioneering a radical advance in social justice by transforming the village of Blackwood into a thriving township.

He was born in 1771 in Bradford on Avon into a family of clothiers who benefited from the boom in the broadcloth industry providing material for uniforms, blankets, shawls and shirts which made substantial profits.

On moving to Dymock in Gloucestershire he established himself as a member of 'the landed gentry' enhancing his status by marrying a wealthy woman Sarah Jefferies. In 1803 he inherited his father’s estate selling it 12 years later to cross the border and live in Monmouthshire.

This pivotal move accelerated a long held support for the Chartist Movement and he became increasingly concerned about the living conditions of workers. At a meeting in Usk in 1817 he urged Parliament to enact reforms.

The working classes had no vote and he sought support from the industrial middle classes in a quest to change the system to allow cottagers and householders to have equal rights to elect their MP.

Low wages provided a meagre existence and food for the poor was often oat cakes, a common substitute for bread, potatoes, milk and cheese. The 1820 general election provided the opportunity to pursue his objective at Westminster. Bolstered by support from Chartist leader John Frost, who endorsed his candidature for Monmouth, he set about campaigning.

However, the result dismayed him with the Marquis of Worcester polling 90 votes to his 40.

Nevertheless he advanced his ambitions at local level. Though he was a reformist he was not such a radical that he supported Frost’s aggressive tactics. It was an opinion which upset Frost who felt his earlier support should have been reciprocated and this view fractured their relationship.

Undeterred, he pressed on with his vision and in another move which became a defining moment he bought the Plas Bedwellty estate and set about transforming the Blackwood area. Historian Arthur Clark described him “as the man who introduced the expanded village system”.

He wrote: “In return for a small ground rent Moggeridge leased land and provided capita to build substantial cottages from local stone together with enough ground for a small garden to grow vegetables.”

A team of stone masons set to work and within months a new settlement began to emerge.

Scepticism surrounded the project and initially only three people accepted the offer. As more people could see the advantages of the scheme it grew in popularity. It expanded at such a rate that by 1822 the “new town” had its own market hall and five years later there were shops and an inn to serve a population which had expanded to 1,500.

By popular demand the scheme was extended to Ynysddu and Fleur de Lys. So Moggeridge achieved his ambition by practical means and through his foresight and generosity thousands of people were able to improve their quality of life.

He had played a key role in urban development which characterised economic growth in south Wales. Today Blackwood is a township of 8,500 people yet few are aware that its growth was due to the efforts of a benefactor who can rightly claim to take his place as an esteemed Man of Gwent.

Another man whose claim to dame is more modest is Thomas Brace from Monmouth who was a well respected manager of the town’s gas company. A staunch Baptist he was a deacon of the Baptist Chapel off Monnow Street where he was a generous supporter.

It was known that he always kept a pile of pennies on the mantelpiece in his office in case a beggar called and to ensure he did not leave empty handed. On one occasion in the 1880s reported by Clifford Tucker in his volume A Monmouth Boyhood he noticed a distinguished looking stranger in the Chapel congregation and welcomed him, apologising for the poor state of the building which needed urgent repair.

The visitor turned out to be a judge from the Monmouth Assize Court who had earlier attended a full ceremonial service at St Mary’s church. The judge handed Brace £10 for church funds and this proved to be the start of a building fund for a new chapel in Monk Street which was opened in 1906.

Ten years later Thomas Brace collapsed and died while on his way to Sunday service. In his hand was a half sovereign which he always put on the collection plate.

He is buried in the small burial ground attached to Whitebrook Baptist church in a spot which he had chosen within sight and sound of the river.

He made this specific request because he was descended from the Madley family who were well known barge builders with extensive business interests in boat traffic on the river Wye. It was this family which helped to make Monmouth a prosperous town.

So two people each in their turn contributed to the lifestyle of the county in a manner which reflected a keen sense of civic duty and enhanced their reputations.