In an age when the political institutions of Europe and America were already democratizing, the owners of a huge parcel of land in North America went the other way, to feudalism. This book is an original study of the patricians who directed the history of gorgeous Campobello Island. A unique governance underpinned the Owens until their power strained and broke. Three Tory aristocrats from Wales – a father, his son, and between them the father’s nephew – exercised rule over Campobello Island from 1767 to 1857. They were called Principal Proprietors. Theirs was a fractious family that patterned a rule by landlord which they endeavored impose on North American soil. The first Welsh squire, Captain William Owen, a swashbuckling adventurer, received the grant of the 24-square-mile “Outer Island” as a reward for his heroism in the Royal Navy. A restless person, he returned to the Navy at 60 to fight the French in India. The second, a distrustful snob, who took Cambridge University’s highest mathematical prize was David Owen. A friend in London, General Benedict Arnold, convinced him to go to Canada and claim the Island. The third Welsh squire of Campobello, Admiral Fitzwilliam Owen, had an illustrious career as a surveyor for the Empire. He was a great abolitionist who led sting operations against slave traders on the African coasts and created a British colony in Mombasa which he governed as a protectorate not to profit from trade but from which to hunt slavers and free slaves. On Campobello he was popular but autocratic and took a particular interest in the young ladies. The story thread continues with the island being acquired by an American company that sold parcels to rusticators like the Roosevelt family. Franklin Delano Roosevelt summered on the Island for three decades and left an indelible mark on its culture.

This book is part of the Images of Wales series, which uses old photographs and archived images to show the history of various local areas in Wales, through their streets, shops, pubs, and people.

Trefor M. Owen’s seminal work educates, enlightens and entertains with a far-reaching yet accessible text, which paints a colourful and comprehensive portrait of a nation’s rich folk culture. The Customs and Traditions of Wales is an illuminating and engrossing insight into a subject that continues to unfold and develop in contemporary life. Despite an increasingly globalised society that has transformed local communities, folk customs are still practised and enjoyed the world over as people combine modern-day and historical rituals and embrace opportunities to learn about their past, and Owen’s influential study has maintained its relevance as customs change and evolve.

"Owain Glyndŵr (Welsh pronunciation: [oain lndu?r]), or Owain Glyn Dŵr, (c. 1349 or 1359? c. 1416) was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales (Tywysog Cymru). He instigated a fierce and long-running but ultimately unsuccessful revolt against the English rule of Wales."--Wikipedia.