Henry Williams-Wynn

Sir Henry Watkin Williams-Wynn KCB GCH was born on 16 March 1783 and died on 28 March 1856. He was a British politician and diplomat in the 19th century. From 1824 to 1853, he served as the British Envoy to Denmark.

Early Life

He was the younger son of Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 4th Baronet, and Charlotte Grenville. He had seven siblings, six of whom survived to adulthood. His elder brothers included Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 5th Baronet, who married Lady Henrietta Clive, daughter of Edward Clive, 1st Earl of Powis, and Charles Williams-Wynn, who held positions such as Secretary at War and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster; Charles married Mary Cunliffe, daughter of Sir Foster Cunliffe, 3rd Baronet. His sister Henrietta Elizabeth Williams-Wynn married Thomas Cholmondeley, 1st Baron Delamere.

His paternal grandfather was Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 3rd Baronet. His father inherited the baronetcy and Wynnstay estates as a child after his father was killed in a fall from a horse while hunting. His maternal grandparents were Elizabeth Wyndham Grenville, daughter of Sir William Wyndham, 3rd Baronet, and Prime Minister George Grenville.

Career

Williams-Wynn briefly served as a Member of Parliament for Midhurst from January to May 1807. Later, he was appointed as the British Envoy to Denmark, a position he held from 1824 until 1853. He was honored as a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) and was also appointed as a Knight Grand Cross of the Hanoverian Order (GCH).

Personal Life

On 30 September 1813, he married Hon. Hester Frances Smith, daughter of Robert Smith, 1st Baron Carrington of Upton, and Anne Boldero-Barnard. They had several children:

- Charlotte Henrietta Williams-Wynn (1815–1873), who married Count Friedrich von Bismarck in 1847 and was a grandmother to Countess Helene von Bismarck-Schierstein and Count Otto Franz Karl von Bismarck-Schierstein.

- Grenville Watkin Williams-Wynn (1816–1865), who suffered from dwarfism. He was known in Copenhagen for his physical appearance and his courtship of ballet dancer Lucile Grahn. He was also a patron of artist H.G.F. Holm.

- Katharine Williams-Wynn (c. 1818–1881), who married General John Studholme Brownrigg in 1840.

- Arthur Watkin Williams-Wynn (1819–1854) was a Major in the 23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers, fought in the Crimean War, and was killed at the Battle of Alma.

- Henry Bertie Watkin Williams-Wynn (1820–1895), who married Marion Limond in 1848.

- Marie Emily Williams-Wynn (1826–1905), who married her first cousin, Colonel Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 6th Baronet, in 1852.

Death and Descendants

Sir Henry Watkin Williams-Wynn died on 28 March 1856. His descendants through his daughter Charlotte included four grandchildren, notably Countess Helene von Bismarck-Schierstein and Count Otto Franz Karl von Bismarck-Schierstein.