Wirt Sikes

Wirt Sikes (1836–1883) was an American journalist and author who served as United States consul at Cardiff from 1876 until his death. Born in Watertown, New York, he worked on newspapers in Chicago and New York and published a novel, a book on the poor of the great cities and a collection of stories before his appointment to Wales. There he set about recording the country's traditions, and British Goblins, published in 1880, was followed by Rambles and Studies in Old South Wales and Studies of Assassination. He died in Cardiff and his Welsh books remain standard references for the folklore of Glamorgan.