The travel writer Robin Bryans mentions in his memoir “ Let the Petals Fall” that the late Hugh Montgomery Massingberd, went to Tredegar Park in the 1990s during the time he was researching to compile this epic and glossy text book “Great Houses of England and Wales”

The House, the seat of the Morgan family, the Lords Tredegar is situated near Newport, South Wales. The male line of the Morgans died out in 1962 with the death of John Morgan, the 6th Baron. The most colourful member of the Morgan clan was the 4th Baron. Evan Frederic Morgan ( 1893-1949), who was also the 2nd Viscount Tredegar. A poet, homosexual and eccentric he held court there hosting many lavish house parties and country weekend stay overs for his London friends and his latest conquests. The House was a Catholic girls school for many years and in 1973 it was taken over by the local authority who opened it up to the public.

Robin Bryans notes that when Massingberd visited the House he over heard a woman guide tell a group of visitors:

'One of his Lordship's party tricks was to let a parrot crawl up his trouser-leggings and then peep out from his fly buttons.

His Lordship was of course Evan. However with no regard to whether the story was accurate or not Massinberd swept the overheard story into his book and gave it credence. Thus a tall tale entered the public domain and since has been regularly repeated and believed .

Bryans, a loyal Evan aficionado comments on Evan's parrot trick:

“Not [a] very nice [ story] , was it? Alas, not very accurate either!

The parrot who is given credit for the extraordinary trouser leg feat is ‘Blue Boy’ a large blue Hyacinth Macaw, who was Evan Morgan’s familiar.

Since the story appears to have began its life in Massinbred , and is not mentioned elsewhere in the recollections of Evan’s friends it must be dismissed as dodgy and far fetched. But this story being cited by Massinbred and gaining compulsory mention ' Blue Boy''s trouser leg trick has achieved greater fame for it than any references to the best members of the Morgans, including Godfrey and Freddie the Morgans who fought bravely in the Crimea. So many of the Morgan men among Godfrey and Freddie’s brothers were disabled or unachievers, but to be eclipsed by a parrot and by a made up story is a humiliating indictment on what information guides should or should not give out.

It is a endless game of suspicions spotting what is true and what has been conjured up by the old guard at Tredegar House on a dull, wet day when they had nothing better to do? So much so that the point has been reached now where there is no integrity on many stories and information given out to visitors.

First and foremost there is no mention of Blue Boy’s trouser leg trick before this 1990s reference by Montgomery Massingberd. Earlier testimony on 'Blue Boy' by Daphne Fielding refers to “ Evan's familiar was a vicious macaw that took women's jewels and dropped them in the huge log fires at Tredegar Park.” Alan Pryce Jones refers to Evan allowing “ himself to be teased by a formidable macaw named Blue Boy, which liked to bestow hammer blows at great speed between his toes, bare in the bathroom.”

The National Trust, the present custodians of Tredegar House are concerned about the myths and stories that have no authenticated source or origin. Pity Mr Massingberd gave the trouser leg story it’s artificial source and back up. It is one story that should be blitzed by the current myth busting project at Tredegar House.