Description

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The first book dedicated to the life and legacy of Welsh curator and academic Iorweth C. Peate.

This study examines Iorweth C. Peate’s role in the foundation and development of the Welsh Folk Museum at St Fagans, and his contribution to ethnology, museology, and the cultural history of Wales. It is written in accessible language and makes extensive use of summary and translation.

About the Author

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Eurwyn Wiliam is a retired scholar and emeritus keeper at Amgueddfa Cymru-National Museum Wales.

Praise For…

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‘Iorwerth Peate was a legend in his own time, portraying himself as a people’s hero fighting lonely battles to establish folk-life studies in Wales. In 1948 he succeeded, in the teeth of his enemies, in fathering the Welsh Folk Museum at St Fagans. This riveting biography pulls no punches about Peate’s controversial character, but goes behind the myth to tell a more credible (though still dramatic) story of the varied individuals and movements that coalesced to form St Fagans. It is a thought-provoking study raising many questions that trouble all of us concerned with history, heritage and museums throughout the world.’
— Prys Morgan, emeritus professor of history, Swansea University

"This magisterial biography of one of the most important Welshmen of the twentieth century interrogates Iorwerth Peate the myth (of his own creation) regarding his contribution to the study of folk life and the founding of the Welsh Folk Museum. The author addresses this controversial topic with great insight and understanding, providing the reader with a lively narrative based upon meticulous research."
— Catrin Stevens, author of Iorwerth C. Peate (Writers of Wales)