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William Hughes, 1st Baron Dinorben

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William Lewis Hughes, 1st Baron Dinorben (10 November 1767 – 10 February 1852), was a Welsh copper mine owner, philanthropist and Whig politician.

Hughes was the son of Reverend Edward Hughes, of Kinmel Hall, Denbighshire, and Mary, daughter of Robert Lewis, Rector of Trefdraeth. Mary had inherited the Llysdulas estate on Anglesey from her uncle, including Parys Mountain, which later became the largest copper mine in Europe and gained the Hughes family great wealth.[1] The Kinmel estate in Denbighshire was acquired by Reverend Edward Hughes in 1786.[2]

William Lewis Hughes was returned to parliament as one of two representatives for Wallingford in 1802, a seat he held until 1831.[3] The latter year he was raised to the peerage as Baron Dinorben, of Kinmel in the County of Denbigh.[4] He was also a philanthropist and notably founded a free school for local girls at Kinmel.[2]

He was appointed Major-Commandant of the Royal Anglesey Militia on 19 April 1803 and commanded the unit on the South Coast of England during the invasion crisis of 1805. He remained the commanding officer, with the personal rank of Colonel, until his death.[5][6][7][8]

Lord Dinorben died in February 1852, aged 84, and was succeeded in the barony by his younger but only surviving son, William. William was disabled and the title became extinct on his early death only eight months after succeeding in the title. Kinmel was passed on to the late Baron's cousin, Hugh Robert Hughes, who became known as "HRH", a reflection of his grand lifestyle.[2]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Hayward, Will (11 December 2016). "These houses helped shape Wales' history but are now crumbling". Wales Online.
  2. ^ a b c Kinmel Estate
  3. ^ House of Commons: Wakefield to Waterford County West[usurped]
  4. ^ "No. 18846". The London Gazette. 9 September 1831. p. 1834.
  5. ^ Bryn Owen, History of the Welsh Militia and Volunteer Corps 1757–1908: 1: Anglesey and Caernarfonshire, Caernarfon: Palace Books, 1989, ISBN 1-871904-00-5, pp. 32–3.
  6. ^ War Office, A List of the Officers of the Militia, the Gentlemen & Yeomanry Cavalry, and Volunteer Infantry of the United Kingdom, 11th Edn, London: War Office, 14 October 1805/Uckfield: Naval and Military Press, 2005, ISBN 978-1-84574-207-2.
  7. ^ Steve Brown, 'Home Guard: The Forces to Meet the Expected French Invasion/1 September 1805' at The Napoleon Series (archived at the Wayback Machine).
  8. ^ Arthur Sleigh, The Royal Militia and Yeomanry Cavalry Army List, April 1850, London: British Army Despatch Press, 1850/Uckfield: Naval and Military Press, 1991, ISBN 978-1-84342-410-9, p. 99.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Wallingford
1802–1831
With: Sir Francis Sykes, Bt 1802–1804
George Galway Mills 1804–1806
Richard Benyon 1806–1812
Ebenezer Fuller Maitland 1812–1820
George James Robarts 1820–1826
Robert Knight 1826–1831 		Succeeded by
Peerage of the United Kingdom
New creation Baron Dinorben
1831–1852 		Succeeded by
William Lewis Hughes
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