THE two Hughes brothers had been dreamers.

Pryce and brother Richard were born in Llanllugan in 1687 and his brother two years later had joined him in dreaming of the New World.

Pryce was influenced by explorer and colonist pioneer Thomas Nairne who had spoken of the virtues of Carolina when the two had met in England in 1710 with the pair sharing a dream of expanding the British empire based on Christian principles and fair trade with the native Americans.

The Pryce family had friends in high places and had used their connections with the Herbert family to gain Queen Anne’s support for a colony which he had named Annarea in her honour.

Richard ventured to Carolina first and purchased a 5,000 acre estate and established himself as a merchant but died of a fever in 1711.

The tragedy had not dissuaded Pryce from continuing to pursue the dream he and his brother shared.

Pryce championed the Welsh as ‘perfect colonists because of their frugal, down right honest, generous and loyal temper.’

In 1713, Pryce and 500 Welsh families had set sail on the New World.

Pryce said all had been ‘truly needy, as he did not intend to rob the country of others’ and ‘If the Welsh did not avail themselves of this opportunity, he would 'return home and see them starve rather than give such lazy timorous drones ye least farthing'.

Upon arrival in Carolina, Pryce was kept busy settling disputes between the settlers and Indian nations, the Chocra and Natchez, who had previously traded with French colonisers.

The Welsh colony proved successful and a rival to the French in Louisiana which had sought a route through the Mississippi river.

Pryce was captured by French agents in 1715 though treated well and released.

However Pryce was killed soon after in the Yamasse War, a massive native uprising which saw hundreds of traders and frontiersmen killed, including Nairne and Pryce Hughes.

Along with the dream of a Welsh colony in Carolina.