William Price (physician) - Legacy

Legacy

Soon after his death, ballads commemorating him were composed and circled the local area for a number of years to come. In 1896, an exhibition that commemorated his life was held in Cardiff, whilst a pamphlet biography of him was published to accompany it. In 1940, a more significant biography about Price was published, entitled A Welsh Heretic, which was written by Islwyn Nicholas. In 1947, the Cremation Society put up a plaque commemorating him in the town of Llantrisant, whilst a statue of him was unveiled in the town in 1982, depicting the doctor in his characteristic fox-skin headdress, arms outstretched. This was followed in 1992 when a memorial garden was named after him, and an exhibition about him opened in the town's visitor centre.

In a 1966 book examining the history of Llantrisant, author Dillwyn Lewis described Price as being "one of the most controversial figures of modern times." The historian Ronald Hutton would later describe him as "both one of the most colourful characters in Welsh history, and one of the most remarkable in Victorian Britain" whilst his biographer Dean Powell considered him "the most notable individual in 19th century Wales".