Dr Price

I had a job which finished in Llantrisant so in the pouring rain I headed to Old Llantrisant for a look around since they've now revamped the town square (Bull Ring). Prominent here is the statue of Dr W. Price (see blip photo).

William Price was born in a cottage at Ty'n-y-coedcae Farm ("The House in the Wooded Field") near Rudry, Caerphilly on 4 March 1800 and died on  23 January 1893.

He trained as a doctor in London before returning to Wales.After cremating his dead son in 1884, Price was arrested and put on trial by those who believed cremation was illegal in Britain; however, he successfully argued that there was no legislation that specifically outlawed it, which paved the way for the Cremation Act 1902.  Upon his death, he was cremated in a ceremony watched by 20,000 onlookers. Known for adhering to such principles as equal democratic rights for all men, vegetarianism, cremation and the abolition of marriage, all of which were highly controversial at the time, he has been widely labelled as an eccentic and radical. Since his death he has been remembered as "one of the great Welshman of all time" with a permanent exhibition and statue dedicated to him being opened in the town of Llantrisant, where he had lived for much of his later life.