0 1 0 ), ▁pen ▁name ▁I ris ▁G ower , ▁was ▁a ▁Wel sh ▁novel ist , ▁noted ▁for ▁her ▁many ▁historical ▁roman ces , ▁most ▁of ▁which ▁are ▁set ▁in ▁the ▁se ap ort ▁of ▁Sw anse a ▁and ▁the ▁adjacent ▁G ower ▁Pen ins ula , ▁from ▁which ▁she ▁took ▁her ▁pseud onym . ▁ ▁Biography ▁I ris ▁Richard son ▁was ▁born ▁in ▁ 1 9 3 5 ▁in ▁Sw anse a , ▁the ▁sister ▁of ▁Billy , ▁Jean , ▁John ▁and ▁Christ ine . ▁Her ▁family ▁lived ▁in ▁Sw anse a ▁city ▁centre , ▁but ▁afterwards ▁moved ▁to ▁May hill , ▁where ▁I ris ▁met ▁pattern - maker , ▁William ▁T ud or ▁Dav ies . ▁ ▁She ▁and ▁Dav ies ▁married ▁on ▁I ris ' s ▁ 2 1 st ▁birth day . ▁The ▁couple ▁settled ▁in ▁Mans el ton , ▁Sw anse a , ▁and ▁had ▁four ▁children : ▁T ud or ▁Junior , ▁Ang ela , ▁Susan ▁and ▁Paul . ▁ ▁As ▁a ▁young ▁woman ▁she ▁worked ▁as ▁a ▁nur ser y ▁teacher ▁and ▁took ▁other ▁part - time ▁jobs . ▁She ▁began ▁writing ▁in ▁her ▁tw ent ies ▁and ▁had ▁several ▁stories ▁published ▁in ▁mag az ines , ▁such ▁as ▁Woman ' s ▁O wn ▁and ▁Jack ie . ▁She ▁published ▁her ▁first ▁novel , ▁T ud or ▁T apest ry , ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 4 , ▁but ▁it ▁was ▁the ▁success ▁of ▁her ▁novel , ▁Co pper ▁Kingdom ▁( 1 9 8