Williams-Wynn Baronets

The Williams-Wynn Baronetcy, of Gray's Inn in the County of Middlesex in the Baronetage of England, and of Bodelwyddan in the County of Flint in the Baronetage of Great Britain, are two titles held jointly since 1880.

Creation

Initially the "Williams" baronetcy of Greys Inn in Middlesex was created on 6 July 1688 for William Williams, a prominate the Welsh politician and lawyer from North Wales. He served as Speaker of the House of Commons from 1680 to 1681. The second Baronet represented Denbigh in the House of Commons.

Sir Watkin, 3rd Baronet, sat as Member of Parliament for Denbighshire and was a prominent Jacobite. He was the husband of Jane (née Thelwall), great-granddaughter of Sir John Wynn, 1st Baronet, of Gwydir. Sir John Wyn was the direct male heir descendant of the princely house of Aberffraw through his ancestor Owain Gwynedd, and pretender to the title prince of Wales. By the 18th century the Wynn family had become the largest landowners in North Wales. In 1718, he inherited, through his wife, the Wynnstay estates on the death of Sir John Wynn, 5th Baronet, of Gwydir (see Wynn Baronets), and assumed the same year the additional surname of Wynn in honor of his wife's princely heritage and claims as prince of Wales. [It is claimed by some that there are living relatives of the Wynn family living in the United States who claim to be decended from either an Owen Wynn or a Hugh Wynn who supposedly emigrated there in the 17th Century. However, the sources for both these claims are considered to be very unreliable and probably later constructions [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ttg13/mylespage2.html] . Certainly, if there were any sons or grandsons of Owen Wynn alive in 1719 then they would have inherited the Baronetcy. No one made any such claim so it seems most likely that there were no surviving sons or grandsons of Owen Wynn living in New England.]

The fourth Baronet represented Shropshire and Denbighshire in Parliament and served as Lord Lieutenant of Merionethshire. The fifth Baronet sat for Beaumaris and Denbighshire and was also Lord-Lieutenant of Merionethshire. The sixth Baronet was Conservative Member of Parliament for Denbighshire for over forty years.

Bodelwyddan Castle

Sir Herbert, 7th Baronet inherited the Williams Baronetcy of Bodelwyddan in the County of Flint in 1880 on the death of his cousin, [The Williams Baronetcy of Bodelwyddan in the County of Flint, was created in the Baronetage of Great Britain on 24 July 1798 for John Williams. He had previously served as High Sheriff of Flintshire. Williams was the great-grandson of John Williams, second son of Sir William Williams] and made Bodelwyddan Castle the family's principle seat, referbershing the castle in the 1880s. Additionally, Sir Herbert briefly represented Denbighshire in 1885 before the constituency was abolished. However, the costs of maintaining the castle became too great, and Sir Watkin, 8th Baronet, was forced to sell Bodelwyddan Castle and estate by 1925. [ [http://www.bodelwyddan-castle.co.uk/history.htm Bodelwyddan Castle] ]

The ninth Baronet was Lord Lieutenant of Denbighshire, and the tenth Baronet served as Lord Lieutenant of Denbighshire and of Clwyd.

Today, the family is represented by Sir David, 11th Baronet, who remains active in Welsh life in Dinbighshire and Flint. [ [http://www.denbighandflintshow.com/pastpresidents.htm Dinbigh and Flintshow] ] In 2008 he was in the news because it was widely reported that his daughter Alexandra - a sculptor and student at the Royal Academy of Arts - had modelled nude for the famous artist Lucien Freud.

In the continued discussion of potential Welsh independence his name is brought forward as a theoretical candidate in Welsh monarchy scenarios. Leading Plaid Cymru members advocated that an independent Wales would be better served by a Welsh constitutional monarchy, one which would engender the affection and allegiance of the Welsh people and legitimize Welsh sovereignty.Jobbins, Siôn T., "Why Not a Welsh Royal Family?" Published in Cambria Magazine, January, 2008] An hereditary constitutional monarch would, they argued, embody and personify Welsh national identity above party politics, while political parties formed governments in a parliamentary system similar to those of Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, or Spain.

The socialist and economist D.J. Davies wrote an artical in "Y Faner" in 1953, and later published in English in the 1958 book "Towards Welsh Freedom", in which he advocated for the elevation of a Welsh gentry family as the Royal Family of Wales. ["Wales Must Have A Monarchy", published in Welsh in the journal "Y Faner" 1953, and in English in the book "Towards Welsh Freedom" in 1958] Among the criteria for consideration, argued Davies, was that the family had to have a history of contributing to Welsh life and reside in Wales.

Through primogeniture, Sir David Williams-Wynn, 11th Baronet, may be heir to the Aberffraw legacy and claim as princes of Wales, and may be known as "Dafydd III of Wales". [ D.J. Davies wrote of the Rhys/Rice family of Dinefwr, prehaps unaware of the Williams-Wynn family and claims as decendants of the Wynn family.] [Conversly, he may be known as "Dafydd IV of Wales" if the 12th century usurption of Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd were considered part of the line of rulers.]

Williams Baronets of Gray's Inn (1688)

*Sir William Williams, 1st Baronet ("c." 1634–1700)
*Sir William Williams, 2nd Baronet (c. 1665–1740)

Williams-Wynn Baronets of Grey's Inn

*Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 3rd Baronet (1692–1749)
*Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 4th Baronet (1749–1789)
*Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 5th Baronet (1772–1840)

Williams-Wynn of Greys Inn and of Bodelwyddan

*Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 6th Baronet (1820–1885)
*Sir Herbert Lloyd Watkin Williams-Wynn, 7th Baronet (1860–1944)
*Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 8th Baronet (1891–1949)
*Sir Robert William Herbert Watkin Williams-Wynn, 9th Baronet (1862–1951)
*Sir Owen Watkin Williams-Wynn, 10th Baronet (1904–1988)
*Sir David Watkin Williams-Wynn, 11th Baronet (b. 1940)

The Heir Apparent is the present holder's son Charles Edward Watkin Williams-Wynn (born 1970). [Charles Edward might be known as "Iorwerth I of Wales", the name "Edward" translated into Welsh.]

ources

*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). "Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage" (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.
*rayment-b

References

See also

*Williams Baronets