When Richard E Huws published his book Pobol y Topie / Bont-goch Lives a year ago, he didn’t expect to be contacted by the relative of one of the locals featured in it.

That local, Thomas Brynwyn Morgan, was, according to Richard, “quite an eccentric character”.

Brynwyn’s great grandson, Julian Morgan, bought the book and reached out to the author, as Richard explained.

“A few months ago, I was contacted by his great grandson who had purchased a copy of my book.

“He lives in Brighton and had never been to Ceredigion, but he was aware of his eccentric ancestor.

“He came to see me, and I was able to take him to see Llawcwmbach, at the top of Cwm Eleri, where his ancestors lived. He also visited other places in the area connected with his family.”

Julian was inspired to write something of his own about his eccentric relative.

“There’s always been a rumour about an eccentric faith healer in my family,” Julian writes.

“Just before the start of the pandemic last year, my father told me all he knew about his grandfather, Thomas Brynwyn Morgan, who hailed from the countryside near Aberystwyth.

“He showed me some official certificates, a scattering of old photographs and, most intriguingly, a book by Thomas Morgan Melini entitled The Master Seer. During lockdown I decided to do my own research. This revealed that Thomas went from being a minister of religion to a fortune teller by the name of ‘Professor’ Melini.

“And it seems I was not alone in researching my great grandfather. The ‘Professor’ had earned an entry in Richard Huws’ book Pobol Y Topie, which reassuringly corroborated my own research and filled in some gaps. Richard skilfully described the twists and turns of a life that veered from respectability to notoriety and finally seemed to involve a degree of rehabilitation by the community. After I got in touch, Richard suggested that there might be interest in an update on the story.

“Richard did not have a photograph of my great grandfather. I think the picture here must have been taken at some point in the mid-1930s and Thomas is accompanied by a woman I believe to be Mary Hopcraft, who appears to have been a significant figure in his life. Richard mentions the places Thomas lived in the Trefeurig area, including Bwlch Villa, Cwmerfyn, which I believe is shown in the second photograph, dated September 1932.

“Thomas had two children, Maurice Hamer (my grandfather, born in 1906) and Eluned Rhun (born in 1908).

“I understand that both were educated at Towyn County School. Eluned worked in the hotel industry – initially in Aberystwyth, before moving to Port Erin in the Isle of Man and finally a hotel in Dorchester. By all accounts she was a warm and generous hearted person. She never married and died in Weymouth in 1988.

“Maurice moved to London and worked in telegraphy, but I sense that he gained most fulfilment from being a Methodist local preacher and through his love of cricket – both playing and watching the game. He married Louisa and they moved to Hatch End in London before retiring to nearby Pinner. Maurice rarely talked about his family, perhaps through embarrassment about some of his father’s activities, although he stayed in touch with Eluned, who was an occasional visitor to the family home. He died in 1993.

“My father, David Hopcraft John Morgan, was born in 1937, a few months before my great grandfather died. The choice of his first middle name also suggests that Mary Hopcraft played an important role within the family.

“David became a renowned sociologist, specialising in family research. He was also an actual professor, at the University of Manchester which named a research centre after him. Sadly, my father died last year and so I was not able to share my findings with him. I am sure he would have been fascinated to hear more about his grandfather and amused to learn that he was not the first ‘professor’ in the family.”