Sir William Williams, 2nd Baronet, of Gray's Inn

Who was Sir William Williams, 2nd Baronet, of Gray's Inn?

Sir William Williams, 2nd Baronet was a politician in the United Kingdom Great Britain. He was Member of Parliament for Denbigh Boroughs.

His father, the 1st Baronet, was Speaker of the House of Commons. He himself was appointed Sheriff of Denbighshire for 1695, Sheriff of Montgomeryshire for 1704, Sheriff of Merioneth for 1706 and Sheriff of Caernarvonshire for 1707. He was then elected MP for Denbigh Boroughs in 1708.

He married Jane Thelwall, the great-granddaughter of Sir John Wynn, 1st Baronet, and daughter and heiress of Edward Thelwall of Plas-y-Ward. The name Thewall is cognate with the name Llewellyn. In 1719 her relative Sir John Wynn, 5th Baronet, bequeathed the entire Wynnstay estate near Ruabon, Denbighshire to her, together with estates in Montgomery, Merioneth and Llangedwyn, Denbighshire. Since he and Sir William Williams were the two largest landowners in north Wales at that time, the combined estate dwarfed all others in the area. In honour of his wife's ancestry, Sir William changed his name to Sir William Williams-Wynn of Wynnstay.