Williams family of Caerhays and Burncoose

The Williams family of Caerhays and Burncoose, were, for several generations, dominant in the Cornish Industrial Revolution as owners of mines and smelting works. They also developed williamsii hybrid camellias and fine gardens at Burncoose, Gwennap and St Michael Caerhays, in Cornwall, United Kingdom.

Family members

• John Williams the First (1685–1761) Purchased Burncoose in 1715, married Thomasine Paynter.
• John Williams the Second (1714- ?) Initiated the construction of the Great County Adit, which eventually became a 40-mile system of adits, draining over 60 mines.^[1]
• Michael Williams (1730–1775), son of John the First. He married Susanna, daughter of Henry Harris of Cusgarne, Cornwall, by his wife Elizabeth, daughter of William Beauchamp (1670–1729) of Pengreep, Cornwall. He lived at Burncoose and was the father of,
• John Williams the Third (23 September 1753-17 April 1841) Son of Michael Williams (1730–1775). Controlled the Gwennap copperbelt and copper smelting works in Swansea. Also owned tin-smelting works, sulphur mines and quarries. Director of The Cornish Bank. With the Fox family of Falmouth, built the Plymouth breakwater and developed the harbour at Portreath and linked it by tramway to his mine at Poldice. Purchased land at Scorrier and built Scorrier House there. Married Catherine Harvey in 1776. Received a dream warning of the assassination of the Prime Minister in 1812, "correct in every detail".^[2]
• John Williams the Fourth (12 April 1778-11 August 1849), FRS (6 March 1828). Son of John the Third.
• Michael Williams, MP for the Western Division of Cornwall from 1853 to 1858. Son of John the Third. High Sheriff of Glamorgan in 1840, Deputy Lieutenant of Cornwall and Deputy-Warden of the Stannaries. Bought Caerhays Estate in 1853.
• Sir William Williams, (3 August 1791 - 24 March 1870^[3]), Son of John the Third. He served as Deputy-Lieutenant of Cornwall, High Sheriff of Cornwall and Deputy-Warden of the Stannaries in 1851. He was created "Baronet Williams of Tregullow in the County of Cornwall", on 4 August 1866.^[4]
• Frederick Martin Williams (1830–1878), was Conservative Member of Parliament for Truro.^[5]
• Philippa Williams ( ? -1861)
• Arthur Trefusis Heneage Williams of Penryn Park, Port Hope, Ontario, son of John Tucker Williams, and grandson of John Williams (1753–1841) of Scorrier House. He was the hero of the Battle of Batoche and his statue stands in front of the town hall at Port Hope. His son General Arthur Victor Seymour Williams served in the Second Boer War, World War I and Mount Williams (Canada) was named in his honour.
• John Michael Williams (25 December 1813-1880), married Elizabeth Maria Davey, dau of Stephen Davey of Redruth, in 1852 ^[6]
• John Charles Williams (30 September 1861 - 29 March 1939), son of John Michael Williams and Elizabeth Davey, his wife. MP for the Truro Division of Cornwall, 1892–1895, High Sheriff of Cornwall 1888, Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall 1918-1936.^[7]
• Charlotte Williams, daughter of John Michael Williams, married Edward Powys Rogers. They moved to "Burncoose" in 1916.^[8]
• Harriet Rogers, daughter of Edward Powys Rogers and Charlotte Rogers, married James Malcolm McLaren (1874–1935), a geologist and developed a garden at "Tregye", near Carnon Downs.^[8]
• Francis Julian Williams (16 April 1927 - ), CBE, current owner of Caerhays Castle.^[9]

Caerhays Castle

Caerhays Castle is a mock-mediaeval castle, designed by John Nash on the south coast of Cornwall, at St Michael Caerhays, between Truro and St Austell.^[10][11] The garden^[12] holds the NCCPG National Magnolia Collection. It was bought by the Williams family, who still own it. The gardens are open to the public each year during March, April and May.

See also

• Great Cornish families

Notes, References and Sources

1. ^ For more information on the Great Adit , see this website and this one
2. ^ The Times, Saturday, 16 August 1828; pg. 2; Issue 13673; col F "Remarkable Coincidence".
3. ^ The Peerage.com
4. ^ Note: There is a significant opportunity for confusion with this name. See William Williams and Williams Baronets.
5. ^ Williams Baronets#Williams Baronets, of Tregullow (1866) gives the succession.
6. ^ Burke's A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain (1863) "Williams of Burncoose and Caerhays Castle" article, provided by Google Books.
7. ^ Who was Who
8. ^ ^{a b} Burncoose gardens a guidebook with a historical introduction by F.J.Williams (n.d, purchased at Burncoose 24 February 2008)
9. ^ Who's Who
10. ^ Caerhays Estate official website
11. ^ Caerhays history section of Estate website.
12. ^ Caerhays garden section of Estate website.

Sources

• Williams, F. J., et al. Burncoose gardens: a garden oasis in the Minewastes of Cornwall by F. J. Williams C.B.E., Arnold Dance, David Knuckey.
• Smelt, Maurice (2006) 101 Cornish Lives, Penzance, Cornwall: Alison Hodge ISBN 0-906720-50-8, pages 246-248: “John Williams (1753-1841), Mining magnate, born Lower Cusgarne, Gwennap".
• Newell, Edmund (2004) ‘Williams, John (1753–1841)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, May 2006 Link to Article (Subscription) accessed 27 July 2007]