Pennal was regarded with honour because of its status as one of the 21 llysoedd, the courts of the native Welsh Princes of Gwynedd.

While the original letter remains in the Archives Nationales in Paris, a copy is displayed at the Parliament House in Machynlleth, and at the National Library of Wales.

On his departure, he claimed that the Christian Church had become "cosy club for members who abide by the rules, accepting of their place in the hierarchy".

[5] He had previously been the centre of controversy when he burned pages from the King James Bible as part of an "art experiment".

Local celebrity Robert Plant, who had made a donation towards the cost of the statue, attended the opening ceremony.