ELIHU Yale is one of the most famous characters in Wrexham's history - so why is the 300th anniversary of his burial at St. Giles Church passing almost without a mention?

That is the question being asked by author David Ebsworth.

Elihu Yale gave his name to one of America's most prominent universities - as well as Yale College and The Elihu Yale Wetherspoons in Wrexham.

David Ebsworth, the pen name of writer Dave McCall, born in Liverpool but living in Wrexham with his wife Ann since 1980, will be releasing a new video podcast this week about Yale's death - and about his legacy, warts and all.

The event will also be marked with a series of blog posts from Wrexham Museum.

David, who has written a trilogy based on Yale's life, said: "Yale gifted his name to one of America's greatest universities. Signs of his gifts to St. Giles Church are famous visitor attractions for the town. And he was one of the very first nabobs - those wealthy merchants who made their fortunes in India and set the foundations for the British Raj. His family was prominent in the Wrexham area, descendants of the Princes of Iâl.

"But his involvement with the Indian slave trade has, quite rightly, made him a contentious figure.

"All the same, we should remember his story - even if only so that we learn from the lessons of history."

Yale was buried in the churchyard of St. Giles, with great pomp and ceremony, on July 22, 1721.

His tomb there carries the famous poem:

"Born in America, in Europe bred

In Africa travell'd and in Asia wed

Where long he liv'd and thriv'd; In London dead

Much good, some ill, he did; so hope all's even

And that his soul thro' mercy's gone to Heaven

You that survive and read this tale, take care

For this most certain exit to prepare

Where blest in peace, the actions of the just

Smell sweet and blossom in the silent dust."

Yale is one of the figures from history whos legacy is being reevaluated due to links to colonialism and the slave trade.

Last year, a statue of slave trader Edward Colston was pulled down in Bristol during a Black Lives Matter protest. Statues of Winston Churchill in London, Thomas Picton in Cardiff, and William Gladstone in Hawarden have also come under scrutiny.