Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 4th Baronet

Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 4th Baronet (23 September 1749 – 24 July 1789) was a Welsh landowner, politician and patron of the arts. The Williams-Wynn baronets had been begun in 1688 by the politician Sir William Williams, 1st Baronet, but had inherited, in the time of the 3rd baronet, Sir Watkin's father, the estates of the Wynn baronets, and changed their name to reflect this.

Early life

Williams-Wynn was the eldest son of the second marriage of his father, Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 3rd Baronet, to Frances Shackerley of Cheshire. He was a baby when his father was killed by a fall from his horse while out hunting, and he inherited the extensive Wynnstay estates, the largest in North Wales. These straddled at least five Welsh counties and extended into Shropshire in England, and yielded an estimated rental income of £20,000 – a very substantial sum at the time, whose spending he tackled with enthusiasm and considerable success.

On his coming of age in 1770, he held an extravagant party for 15,000 guests; the bills record consumption of "31 bullocks, 50 hogs, 50 calves, 80 sheep, 18,000 eggs...."

Williams-Wynn's family had been powerful in politics for several generations, and Sir Watkin effectively controlled several Parliamentary seats and led a Tory faction in the House of Commons, though he was less involved in politics than his father, and tended not to lead his faction decisively. The influence of the family had declined during his long minority.^[3]

He served as a

Sir Watkin made a

He was married twice, first in April 1769 to Lady Henrietta Somerset, daughter of Charles Somerset, 4th Duke of Beaufort. As Williams-Wynn was a minor (under 21) he had to get Parliamentary permission by a special Act for the marriage settlement.^[7] Lady Henrietta died very shortly afterwards in July 1769.^[8]

Secondly, in December 1771 he married

• Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 5th Baronet (1772–1840), who married Lady Henrietta Antonia Clive, eldest daughter of Edward Clive, 1st Earl of Powis and Henrietta Clive, Countess of Powis, in 1817.^[8]
• Frances Williams-Wynn (1773-1857), who remained unmarried, and whose political Diaries were published posthumously in 1864.^[10]
• Charlotte Williams-Wynn (1775–1819), who married Lt-Col William Shipley, MP for Flint Boroughs and St Mawes, and son of Very Rev. William Davies Shipley.^[8]
• Charles Williams-Wynn (1775–1850), who married Mary Cunliffe, daughter of Sir Foster Cunliffe, 3rd Baronet and Harriet Kinloch, in 1806.^[8]
• Henrietta Elizabeth Williams-Wynn (1780–1852), who married Thomas Cholmondeley, 1st Baron Delamere of Vale Royal.^[8]
• Sir Henry Williams-Wynn (1783–1856), who married Hon. Hester Frances Smith, daughter of Robert Smith, 1st Baron Carrington, in 1813.^[8]
• Sir Watkin died on 24 July 1789.

Residence

Sir Watkin commissioned

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 4th Baronet.

References

• Hughes, Peter, "Williams-Wynn, Sir Watkin, 4th Baronet of Wynnstay." Grove Art Online, Oxford Art Online, Oxford University Press, accessed 13 June 2015, subscription required
• "Rhagor", "One of the wealthiest families of Wales", National Museum Wales
• Thomas, Peter, D.G., Biography in History of Parliament Online, extracted from The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1754–1790, ed.
  L. Namier
  , J. Brooke., 1964
• "The Williams-Wynn collection | National Museum Wales". Museumwales.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
• "A History of the World – Object : Watkin Williams-Wynn in Rome, by Batoni". BBC. 1 January 1970. Retrieved 5 January 2013.

External links

• "The Williams-Wynn collection",
  National Museum Wales