Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 4th Baronet

Portrait of Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn and his mother, by Sir Joshua Reynolds, ca. 1768

Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 4th Baronet (23 September 1749 – 24 July 1789) was a Welsh politician and patron of the arts.

Biography

Williams-Wynn was the eldest son of the second marriage of his father, Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 3rd Baronet, to Frances Shackerley of Cheshire. He was a baby when his father was killed by a fall from his horse while out hunting, and inherited the extensive Wynnstay estates. On his coming of age in 1770, he held an extravagant party for 15,000 guests. An embroidered suit which he may have worn on this occasion is in the possession of the National Museum of Wales.^[1]

20 St James's Square

Sir Watkin commissioned Robert Adam to build 20-21 St James's Square in London which was constructed between 1771 and 1775.

Sir Watkin was Member of Parliament (MP) for Shropshire from 1772 to 1774, and for Denbighshire from 1774 to 1789. He was Lord Lieutenant of Merionethshire from 1775-1789.

Family

He was married twice, first to Henrietta Somerset, who died shortly afterwards, and in December 1771 to Charlotte Grenville. He had three sons and two daughters from this second marriage. Sir Joshua Reynolds painted a portrait of him with his first wife in theatrical costume, and another of his second wife with her children, in around 1778.

Notes

References

• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs
• Leigh Rayment's list of baronets
• "The Williams-Wynn collection | National Museum Wales". Museumwales.ac.uk. Retrieved January 2013. 
• "A History of the World - Object : Watkin Williams-Wynn in Rome, by Batoni". BBC. 1 January 1970. Retrieved January 2013.