Colonel Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 5th Baronet (25 October 1772 – 6 January 1840) was a Welsh landowner and Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1794 to 1840.
Williams-Wynn was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Beaumaris[4] in 1794 and held the seat to 1796, when following the end of the parliament his uncle Robert Watkin Wynne retired,[5] enabling him to be elected MP for Denbighshire in his place.[6] He held the seat until his death in 1840.
As the largest landowner in North Wales, and controller of many parliamentary seats, he was referred to, at least by himself, as the 'Prince in Wales'.[8] and had a keen interest in military affairs. In 1794 he raised a regiment of fencible cavalry called the "Ancient British Fencibles" and took part in the suppression of the Irish rebellion of 1798, when they were known as "Sir Watkin's lambs" and "a terror of the rebels", acquiring a reputation that he had to defend from charges of cruelty among the Irish. He commanded them until they disbanded in 1800, after Williams-Wynn unsuccessfully requested they be deployed on foreign service.[2][9]Colonel of the Royal Denbigh Rifles since 1797, he deployed with a militia battalion (3rd Provisional Battalion) largely composed of his own men, to serve under his kinsman the Marquess of Buckingham in France from March to June 1814. Originally intending to link up with the Duke of Wellington's army who had come from Spain before the French armistice intervened, they were garrisoned in Bordeaux where he was known among local people as "le gros commandant Whof Whof Whof". He also became Colonel commanding the Denbighshire Yeomanry Cavalry in 1820 and was Welsh Militia aide-de-camp to King William IV from 1830 to 1837 and to Queen Victoria from 1837 until his death.[2]
He grew to be a portly man of seventeen and a half stone (238 pounds (108 kg)), which sometimes caused chairs to collapse under him, and Lady Holland, in her Journal (volume I, page 238), commented: "Sir Watkin is a Grenville in person and manner all over him; his tongue is immensely too big for his mouth and his utterance is so impeded by it that what he attempts to articulate is generally unintelligible."[2] From the winter of 1826–27, when he contracted erysipelas, he was affected by varying degrees of deafness at their worst in 1831.[5]
He died at Wynnstay Hall, aged 67, on 6 January 1840, and was buried at Ruabon, Denbighshire.[10] His namesake son Watkin Williams-Wynn succeeded to the baronetcy and was also MP for Denbighshire.
^ abc"Wynn, Sir Watkin Williams, Bart. (WN819WW)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
^ abcde[1] History of Parliament Online article by R.G. Thorne (volume 1790-1820).
^*Stapleton Cotton, Mary Woolley; Stapleton Cotton, Stapleton; Knollys, William Wallingford (1866). Memoirs and Correspondence of Field-marshal Viscount Combermere, from his family papers, by Mary Viscountess Combermere and W.W. Knollys. p. 29.
^Keeling-Roberts, Margaret (1981). In Retrospect: A Short History of The Royal Salop Infirmary. North Shropshire Printing Company. p. x. ISBN0-9507849-0-7.
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Colonel Sir Watkin Williams Wynn 5th Baronet 25 October 1772 6 January 1840 was a Welsh landowner and Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1794 to 1840 Sir Watkin Williams Wynn 5th Baronet Contents 1 Biography 2 Family 3 Notes 4 References 5 External linksBiography editWilliams Wynn was the son of Sir Watkin Williams Wynn 4th Baronet and his second wife Charlotte daughter of George Grenville a former Prime Minister through whose sister Hester s marriage to William Pitt 1st Earl of Chatham Williams Wynn became cousin to Pitt the Younger He was educated at Westminster School and Christ Church Oxford He succeeded his father in the baronetcy on 29 July 1789 He received Hon D C L at Oxford in 1793 and was Lord Lieutenant of Merionethshire from 1793 to 1840 and Lord Lieutenant of Denbighshire from 1796 to 1840 1 In 1819 Williams Wynn was admitted to Magdalene College Cambridge and was awarded MA 1 He declined several offers of a peerage 2 In later years Williams Wynn would return to Westminster School every St David s Day where he presented all the Welsh boys that he knew with a guinea and his godson Stapleton Cotton later Viscount Combermere with two 3 Williams Wynn was elected Member of Parliament MP for Beaumaris 4 in 1794 and held the seat to 1796 when following the end of the parliament his uncle Robert Watkin Wynne retired 5 enabling him to be elected MP for Denbighshire in his place 6 He held the seat until his death in 1840 He served as Mayor of Oswestry in 1800 and 1831 and of Chester in 1813 2 In 1800 he served as treasurer of the Salop Infirmary in Shrewsbury 7 As the largest landowner in North Wales and controller of many parliamentary seats he was referred to at least by himself as the Prince in Wales 8 and had a keen interest in military affairs In 1794 he raised a regiment of fencible cavalry called the Ancient British Fencibles and took part in the suppression of the Irish rebellion of 1798 when they were known as Sir Watkin s lambs and a terror of the rebels acquiring a reputation that he had to defend from charges of cruelty among the Irish He commanded them until they disbanded in 1800 after Williams Wynn unsuccessfully requested they be deployed on foreign service 2 9 Colonel of the Royal Denbigh Rifles since 1797 he deployed with a militia battalion 3rd Provisional Battalion largely composed of his own men to serve under his kinsman the Marquess of Buckingham in France from March to June 1814 Originally intending to link up with the Duke of Wellington s army who had come from Spain before the French armistice intervened they were garrisoned in Bordeaux where he was known among local people as le gros commandant Whof Whof Whof He also became Colonel commanding the Denbighshire Yeomanry Cavalry in 1820 and was Welsh Militia aide de camp to King William IV from 1830 to 1837 and to Queen Victoria from 1837 until his death 2 He grew to be a portly man of seventeen and a half stone 238 pounds 108 kg which sometimes caused chairs to collapse under him and Lady Holland in her Journal volume I page 238 commented Sir Watkin is a Grenville in person and manner all over him his tongue is immensely too big for his mouth and his utterance is so impeded by it that what he attempts to articulate is generally unintelligible 2 From the winter of 1826 27 when he contracted erysipelas he was affected by varying degrees of deafness at their worst in 1831 5 He died at Wynnstay Hall aged 67 on 6 January 1840 and was buried at Ruabon Denbighshire 10 His namesake son Watkin Williams Wynn succeeded to the baronetcy and was also MP for Denbighshire Family editWilliams Wynn married Lady Henrietta Antonia Clive eldest daughter of Edward Clive 1st Earl of Powis and the former Lady Henrietta Herbert on 4 February 1817 1 His wife predeceased him on 22 December 1835 aged 49 Notes edit a b c Wynn Sir Watkin Williams Bart WN819WW A Cambridge Alumni Database University of Cambridge a b c d e 1 History of Parliament Online article by R G Thorne volume 1790 1820 Stapleton Cotton Mary Woolley Stapleton Cotton Stapleton Knollys William Wallingford 1866 Memoirs and Correspondence of Field marshal Viscount Combermere from his family papers by Mary Viscountess Combermere and W W Knollys p 29 Leigh Rayment s Historical List of MPs Constituencies beginning with B part 2 a b 2 History of Parliament Online article by Margaret Estcott volume 1820 32 Leigh Rayment s Historical List of MPs Constituencies beginning with D part 2 Keeling Roberts Margaret 1981 In Retrospect A Short History of The Royal Salop Infirmary North Shropshire Printing Company p x ISBN 0 9507849 0 7 Wynnstay and the Wynns Wynnstay Estate Records Retrieved 24 July 2012 The Complete Baronetage Volume IV 1904 page 150 Editor G E C publisher William Pollard amp Co Exeter References editLeigh Rayment s list of baronetsExternal links editHansard 1803 2005 contributions in Parliament by Sir Watkin Williams WynnParliament of Great BritainPreceded bySir Hugh Williams Bt Member of Parliament for Beaumaris1794 1796 Succeeded byThe Lord NewboroughPreceded byRobert Watkin Wynne Member of Parliament for Denbighshire1796 1800 Succeeded byParliament of the United KingdomParliament of the United KingdomPreceded byParliament of Great Britain Member of Parliament for Denbighshire1801 1840 With Robert Myddleton Biddulph 1832 1835William Bagot from 1835 Succeeded byHugh CholmondeleyWilliam BagotHonorary titlesPreceded byWatkin Williams Lord Lieutenant of Merionethshire1793 1840 Succeeded byEdward Lloyd MostynVacantTitle last held byRichard Myddelton Lord Lieutenant of Denbighshire1796 1840 Succeeded byRobert Myddelton BiddulphBaronetage of EnglandPreceded byWatkin Williams Wynn Baronet of Gray s Inn 1789 1840 Succeeded byWatkin Williams Wynn Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sir Watkin Williams Wynn 5th Baronet amp oldid 1175337525, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
