Sir Hugh Williams, 8th Baronet ( – 19 August 1794), was a British soldier 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. ...

between 1768 and 1794.

Early life

Williams was born in 1718 and was the son of Col. Griffith Williams of Arianws, near Llangelynin, Caernarvonshire and, his wife, Mary Williams.Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage'', 107th edition, 3 volumes.

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

U.S.A. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Burke's Peerage Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher founded in 1826, when the Irish genealogist John Burke began releasing books devoted to the ancestry and heraldry of the peerage, baronetage, knightage and landed gentry of Great Br ...

(Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003. He entered the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

in 1739 and was Captain in the

34th Foot The 34th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1702. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 55th (Westmorland) Regiment of Foot to form the Border Regiment in 1881. History Early history The regim ...

in 1744. He succeeded to the

baronetcy A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

on the death of his cousin Sir Robert Williams, 7th Baronet, in November 1745.

Career

In 1756 he was a major in the

6th Foot The Royal Warwickshire Regiment, previously titled the 6th Regiment of Foot, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. The regiment saw service in many conflicts and wars, including the Second Boer Wa ...

and was at

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when the garrison was attacked in that year. In 1759 he was in a volunteer battalion in the 85th Foot. Correspondence indicates that Williams was becoming involved in politics in

Beaumaris Beaumaris ( ; cy, Biwmares ) is a town and community on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales, of which it is the former county town of Anglesey. It is located at the eastern entrance to the Menai Strait, the tidal waterway separating Anglesey from ...

, partly in the interest of his stepson Thomas Bulkeley, but was handicapped by the secrecy of his marriage (because of his father-in-law's disapproval of Williams). In the course of these dealings, he became Lt Colonel in the 53rd Foot in 1761 and became Constable of

Beaumaris Castle Beaumaris Castle ( ; cy, Castell Biwmares ), in Beaumaris, Anglesey, Wales, was built as part of Edward I's campaign to conquer north Wales after 1282. Plans were probably first made to construct the castle in 1284, but this was delayed d ...

in July 1761. However, his regiment was stationed in

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

and he was ordered to return to military duties on the European continent. Williams disliked the climate and wished to be transferred to a regiment at home. As this was refused he retired from the army on half-pay in December 1764 to take care of affairs at

Political career

1768 Events January–March * January 9 – Philip Astley stages the first modern circus, with acrobats on galloping horses, in London. * February 11 – Samuel Adams's circular letter is issued by the Massachusetts House of Rep ...

he was elected

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

but made little contribution. His stepson Thomas Bulkeley joined him in parliament in 1774 and was encouraging him to take a greater interest. However he found parliamentary business tiresome and stood down in 1780. He returned as MP for Beaumaris in a by-election in 1785 and retained the seat until his death on 19 August 1794.

Personal life

Williams married Emma Bridget ( Rowlands) Bulkeley, the dowager Viscountess Bulkeley, widow of

James Bulkeley, 6th Viscount Bulkeley James Bulkeley, 6th Viscount Bulkeley (17 February 1716/17 – 23 April 1752) of Baron Hill, Anglesey, was a Welsh landowner and Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1739 to 1752. Early life Bulkeley was the second son of Richa ...

on 28 June 1760. She was daughter of Thomas Rowlands of Caerau,

Anglesey Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...

, but as her father disapproved of Williams, the marriage was kept secret. Together, they were the parents of two sons and two daughters, including:G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, ''The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14'' (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes,

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

U.K. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Alan Sutton Publishing The History Press is a British publishing company specialising in the publication of titles devoted to local and specialist history. It claims to be the United Kingdom's largest independent publisher in this field, publishing approximately 300 ...

, 2000), volume II, page 413. *

Sir Robert Williams, 9th Baronet Sir Robert Williams, 9th Baronet (20 July 1764 – 1 December 1830) was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1790 to 1830. Williams was the son of Sir Hugh Williams, 8th Baronet and his wife Emma Rowland. Williams was el ...

(1764–1830), who married Anne Lewis, daughter of the Rev. Edward Hughes Lewis, in 1799.Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990. Sir Hugh died on 19 August 1794 and was succeeded by his eldest son

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

References

Sources

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Sir Hugh, 8th Baronet 1716 births 1794 deaths British MPs 1768–1774 British MPs 1774–1780 British MPs 1784–1790 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Beaumaris Baronets in the Baronetage of England