Robert Vernon Atherton Gwillym (c.1741–1783) was a British country landowner and politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

from 1774 to 1780. Joseph Wright - Mr

Gwillym was the second son of Robert Gwillym of Langstone, Herefordshire and his wife Elizabeth Atherton (1721-1763), daughter of Richard Atherton (1700-1726) and Elizabeth Farrington of Atherton Hall. He is a direct descendant of

Richard Atherton Sir Richard Atherton (22 September 1656 - 11 January 1687), was a Tory politician and an English Member of Parliament elected in 1671 representing Liverpool (UK Parliament constituency). He also served as Mayor of Liverpool from 1684 to 1685. He ...

Arthur Devis - Robert Gwillym of Atherton and His Family - Google Art Project

He married Henrietta Maria Legh, daughter of Peter Legh (1706–1792] of

Lyme Park Lyme Park is a large estate south of Disley, Cheshire, England, managed by the National Trust and consisting of a mansion house surrounded by formal gardens and a deer park in the Peak District National Park. The house is the largest in Chesh ...

and

Bank Hall Bank Hall is a Jacobean mansion in Bretherton, Lancashire, England. It is a Grade II* listed building and is at the centre of a private estate, surrounded by parkland. The hall was built on the site of an older house in 1608 by the Banastres ...

in January 1763. In 1766 at the age of 25, both he and his family were painted by

Joseph Wright of Derby Joseph Wright (3 September 1734 – 29 August 1797), styled Joseph Wright of Derby, was an English landscape and portrait painter. He has been acclaimed as "the first professional painter to express the spirit of the Industrial Revolution". Wr ...

He succeeded his brother William in 1771, and inherited

Atherton Hall, Leigh Atherton Hall was a English country houses, country house and estate in Atherton, Greater Manchester, Atherton Historic counties of England, historically a part of Lancashire, England. The hall was built between 1723 and 1742 and demolished in 182 ...

. That same year he is listed as a subscriber to a journal on travels to America and of agriculture and plantations. It is likely that he invested in such enterprises, as did the other members of the Atherton family. At the 1774 general election, Gwillym was returned unopposed as

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

Newton Newton most commonly refers to: * Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist * Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton Newton may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Newton'' (film), a 2017 Indian film * Newton ( ...

on the interest of his father-in-law. His attendance in Parliament was very infrequent as he suffered from poor health. His only recorded vote was for Wilkes's Middlesex resolution, and he is not recorded as having spoken. He did not stand at the 1780 general election. Gwillym took name of Atherton in 1779. He and his wife Henrietta had two sons who died young and four daughters. His daughter Henrietta Maria Atherton married

Thomas Powys, 2nd Baron Lilford Thomas Powys, 2nd Baron Lilford (8 April 1775 – 4 July 1825) was a British peer. He was the son of Thomas Powys, 1st Baron Lilford and Mary Mann of Lilford Hall. He succeeded his father as Baron Lilford in 1800. He was educated at Eton College ...

on 5 December 1797 at

Penwortham Penwortham () is a town in South Ribble, Lancashire, England, on the south bank of the River Ribble facing the city of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. The town is at the most westerly crossing point of the river, with major road and rail links cr ...

, Lancashire and they had twelve children.Tim Powys-Lyb (2011) "Thomas Powys Lord Lilford", http://www.tim.ukpub.net/pl_tree/ps01/ps01_143.html He died in France on 9 July 1783. The family portraits were inherited by his eldest daughter, Henrietta Maria Vernon Atherton, the wife of Thomas Powys, 2nd Baron Lilford and remained under the ownership of the Lilford family until 1961.

Descendants

* Thomas Powys, 3rd Baron Lilford *

Thomas Powys, 4th Baron Lilford Thomas Littleton Powys, 4th Baron Lilford (18 March 1833 – 17 June 1896), was a British aristocrat and ornithologist. Life Lilford was the eldest son of Thomas Powys, 3rd Baron Lilford, and Mary Elizabeth Fox, daughter of Henry Vassall-Fox ...

John Powys, 5th Baron Lilford John Powys, 5th Baron Lilford (12 January 1863 – 17 December 1945), was a British peer and cricketer. Biography Powys was born at Lilford Hall, Northamptonshire, the son of ornithologist Thomas Powys, 4th Baron Lilford, and his wife Emma El ...

* Stephen Powys, 6th Baron Lilford *

George Powys, 7th Baron Lilford George Vernon Powys, 7th Baron Lilford (8 January 1931 – 3 January 2005), was the son of Robert Horace Powys and Vera Grace Bryant. Born in 1931, he inherited the title of Baron Lilford in 1949 following the death of Stephen Powys, 6th Baron L ...

Mark Powys, 8th Baron Lilford Baron Lilford, of Lilford in the County of Northampton, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1797 for Thomas Powys, who had previously represented Northamptonshire in the House of Commons. His grandson, the third Baron, ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gwillym, Robert Vernon Atherton 1740s births 1783 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1774–1780