Sir Hugh Williams, 8th Baronet (1718 – 19 August 1794), was a

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

and landowner in

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, 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 ...

between 1768 and 1794.

Early life

Born in 1718, the son of Colonel Griffith Williams of Arianws, near

Llangelynnin Llangelynnin may refer to: * Llangelynnin, Conwy, a former parish in Conwy County Borough, Wales * Llangelynnin, Gwynedd, a village and community in Gwynedd, Wales {{disambiguation ...

Caernarvonshire Caernarfonshire (; , ), previously spelled Caernarvonshire or Carnarvonshire, was one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was located in the north-west of Wales. Geography The county ...

and, his wife, Mary, daughter of Robert Williams,Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage'', 107th edition, 3 volumes.

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

, U.S.A.:

Burke's Peerage Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher, considered an authority on the order of precedence of noble families and information on the lesser nobility of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1826, when the Anglo-Irish genea ...

(Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003. he was commissioned into the

in 1739. Promoted

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in the 34th Foot 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 Sir Hugh was a

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in the 6th Foot at

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when the

garrison A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...

was attacked in that year. In 1759 Williams was serving in a Volunteer Battalion of the 85th Foot. Correspondence indicates that Sir Hugh was becoming involved in

politics Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...

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

, partly in the interest of his stepson Thomas Bulkeley, but was hindered by the secrecy of his marriage (due to his father-in-law's disapproval of Williams). In the course of these dealings, he was promoted Lieutenant Colonel of the 53rd Foot in 1761 and appointed

Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. ''Constable'' is commonly the rank of an officer within a police service. Other peo ...

Beaumaris Castle Beaumaris Castle ( ; , ), in Beaumaris, Anglesey, Wales, was built as part of Edward I of England, Edward I's Conquest of Wales by Edward I of England, campaign to conquer north Wales after 1282. Plans were probably first made to construct t ...

in July 1761. However, his regiment being stationed at

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

, Williams was ordered to return to military duties on the

European continent Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the eas ...

. Williams disliked the climate and requested to be transferred to a regiment at home. As this was refused Sir Hugh 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 Re ...

Williams was elected Member of Parliament 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. Returned as MP for Beaumaris at a by-election in 1785 Williams retained the seat until his death on 19 August 1794.

Personal life

Sir Hugh married Emma Bridget ( Rowlands), 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 Ric ...

on 28 June 1760. She was the only daughter and heiress of Thomas Rowlands of

Caerau, Anglesey Caerau, Cylch-y-Garn is an area in the community of Cylch-y-Garn, Isle of Anglesey Anglesey ( ; ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms the bulk of the Principal areas of Wales, county known as the Isle of Anglesey, which ...

, but as her father disapproved of Williams, the marriage was kept secret. Sir Hugh and Lady Williams (''aka'' Bulkeley) had 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, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

U.K. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the 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. Biography Williams was the son of Sir Hugh Williams, 8th Baronet and his wife Emma Rowland. Willia ...

(1764–1830), who married Anne (died 1837),www.kinmel-estate.co.uk
/ref> daughter of the Rev. Edward Lewis Hughes, 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, being succeeded in the

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 ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

References

Sources

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Sir Hugh, 8th Baronet 1710s births 1794 deaths King's Shropshire Light Infantry officers 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 18th-century Welsh landowners