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{{About|the British diplomat and satirist|other people called Charles or Charlie Williams|Charles Williams (disambiguation){{!}}Charles Williams}}
{{About|the British diplomat and satirist|other people called Charles or Charlie Williams|Charles Williams (disambiguation){{!}}Charles Williams}}
{{infobox officeholder
⚫
[[File:Sir Charles Hanbury Williams by John Giles Eccardt.jpg|thumb]]
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Sir Charles Hanbury Williams
| honorific_suffix = [[Order of the Bath|KB]]
⚫
| image = Sir Charles Hanbury Williams by John Giles Eccardt.jpg
| caption = ''Sir Charles Hanbury Williams by [[John Giles Eccardt]]''
| office = [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Leominster (UK Parliament constituency)|Leominster]]
| term_start = 1754
| term_end = 1759
| alongside = [[Richard Gorges]]
| predecessor = [[Sir Robert de Cornwall]]<br />[[James Peachey]]
| successor = [[Richard Gorges]]<br />[[Chase Price]]
| office1 = [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Monmouthshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Monmouthshire]]
| term_start1 = 1735
| term_end1 = 1747
| alongside1 = [[Thomas Morgan (judge advocate)|Thomas Morgan]]
| predecessor1 = [[John Hanbury (1664–1734)|John Hanbury]]<br />[[Thomas Morgan (judge advocate)|Thomas Morgan]]
| successor1 = [[William Morgan (of Tredegar, younger)|William Morgan]]<br />[[Capel Hanbury]]
| birth_date = {{birth date|1708|12|08|df=yes}}
| birth_place =
| death_date = {{dda|1759|11|02|1708|12|08|df=yes}}
| death_place =
| parents = [[John Hanbury (1664–1734)|John Hanbury]]<br>Bridget Ayscough Hanbury
| spouse = {{marriage|Lady Frances Coningsby<br>|1 July 1732|2 November 1759|reason=his death}}
| children =
| relations = [[Edward Ayscough (died 1699)|Sir Edward Ayscough]] (grandfather)
}}
[[File:|thumb]]
'''Sir Charles Hanbury Williams''', [[Order of the Bath|KB]] (8 December 1708 – 2 November 1759) was a Welsh diplomat, writer and satirist. He was a [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] from 1734 until his death.
'''Sir Charles Hanbury Williams''', [[Order of the Bath|KB]] (8 December 1708 – 2 November 1759) was a Welsh diplomat, writer and satirist. He was a [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] from 1734 until his death.


==Life==
==Early life==
The son of [[John Hanbury (1664–1734)|John Hanbury]], a Welsh ironmaster, he assumed the name of Williams in 1720, under the terms of a bequest from his godfather, Charles Williams of Caerleon.
The son of Welsh ironmaster [[John Hanbury (1664–1734)|John Hanbury]] and, his second wife, Bridget Ayscough, eldest daughter of [[Edward Ayscough (died 1699)|Sir Edward Ayscough]] of Stallingborough and South Kelsey. With his marriage to Bridget came a fortune of £10,000 and connections with established political families. His mother was a close friend of [[Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough]].


In 1720, Charles assumed the name of Williams, under the terms of a bequest from his godfather, Charles Williams of Caerleon.
On 1 July 1732 at Saint James, [[Westminster]], London, he married Lady Frances Coningsby (15 January 1707/1708 – buried at [[Westminster Abbey]], 31 December 1781), daughter of [[Thomas Coningsby, 1st Earl Coningsby]] and Lady Frances Jones. They had two daughters: Frances married [[William Capel, 4th Earl of Essex]] and Charlotte Robert Boyle Walsingham, youngest son of the Earl of Shannon.


==Career==
⚫
[[File:Catherine II's letter to C.Williams (1756).jpg|thumb|A letter to Sir Charles Williams, by Grand Duchess Catherine Alexeyevna]]
He entered Parliament in 1734 for the [[Monmouthshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Monmouthshire]] constituency as a supporter of [[Robert Walpole]], and held the seat until 1747. He then won the seat of [[Leominster (UK Parliament constituency)|Leominster]] in 1754 and held it until his death.
He entered Parliament in 1734 for the [[Monmouthshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Monmouthshire]] constituency as a supporter of [[Robert Walpole]], and held the seat until 1747. He then won the seat of [[Leominster (UK Parliament constituency)|Leominster]] in 1754 and held it until his death.

In 1739 Williams gave support for the establishment of the [[Foundling Hospital]] and served as one of its founding governors.


From 1747 till 1750, he was the British ambassador in [[Dresden]]. In 1748 he was in [[Poland]] and witnessed a Polish [[Sejm]], where he met members of the influential [[Czartoryski]] family ([[August Aleksander Czartoryski]]). When the future King of Poland, [[Stanisław August Poniatowski|Stanisław Poniatowski]], was receiving medical treatment in [[Berlin]], he met Sir Charles, who was sent there as ambassador (1750–1751). This Welshman became part of Polish and Russian history by introducing Stanisław to the Russian [[Catherine the Great|Grand Duchess Catherine Alexeyevna]] ([[Saint Petersburg]] 1755, the future Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia). From that moment began the famous romance between Catherine and Poniatowski.
From 1747 till 1750, he was the British ambassador in [[Dresden]]. In 1748 he was in [[Poland]] and witnessed a Polish [[Sejm]], where he met members of the influential [[Czartoryski]] family ([[August Aleksander Czartoryski]]). When the future King of Poland, [[Stanisław August Poniatowski|Stanisław Poniatowski]], was receiving medical treatment in [[Berlin]], he met Sir Charles, who was sent there as ambassador (1750–1751). This Welshman became part of Polish and Russian history by introducing Stanisław to the Russian [[Catherine the Great|Grand Duchess Catherine Alexeyevna]] ([[Saint Petersburg]] 1755, the future Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia). From that moment began the famous romance between Catherine and Poniatowski.
⚫
[[File:Catherine II's letter to C.Williams (1756).jpg|thumb|A letter to Sir Charles Williams, by Grand Duchess Catherine Alexeyevna]]


Williams's father bought the Coldbrook Park estate near Abergavenny for him from his godfather's bequest. There in 1746 he added a nine-bay, two-storey Georgian façade in 1746. He died insane in 1759 and the Coldbrook estate passed to his brother George.<ref>{{Cite book |title=An Historical Tour in Monmouthshire, Volume 2 |page=279}}</ref>
In 1739, Williams gave support for the establishment of the [[Foundling Hospital]] and served as one of its founding governors. Williams's father bought the Coldbrook Park estate near Abergavenny for him from his godfather's bequest. There in 1746 he added a nine-bay, two-storey Georgian façade in 1746.


==Seven Years' War==
===Seven Years' War===
{{further|Great Britain in the Seven Years War}}
{{further|Great Britain in the Seven Years War}}
Williams played a major role as a British envoy at the court in Russia during the [[Seven Years' War]]. Although Russia was at war with Britain's ally Prussia, the two countries remained at peace.
Williams played a major role as a British envoy at the court in Russia during the [[Seven Years' War]]. Although Russia was at war with Britain's ally Prussia, the two countries remained at peace.
Line 23: Line 49:
[[Horace Walpole]] praised the wit of his poetry and wrote of his "biting satire".<ref>{{Cite ODNB |id=29488 |first=Mary Margaret |last=Stewart |title=Williams, Sir Charles Hanbury}}</ref>
[[Horace Walpole]] praised the wit of his poetry and wrote of his "biting satire".<ref>{{Cite ODNB |id=29488 |first=Mary Margaret |last=Stewart |title=Williams, Sir Charles Hanbury}}</ref>


==Legacy==
==Personal life==
On 1 July 1732, he married Lady Frances Coningsby (1707/8–1781) at Saint James, [[Westminster]], London. Lady Frances was a daughter of [[Thomas Coningsby, 1st Earl Coningsby]] and Lady Frances Jones (second daughter and sole heiress of [[Richard Jones, 1st Earl of Ranelagh]] and the Hon. Frances Willoughby, a daughter and heiress of [[Francis Willoughby, 5th Baron Willoughby]]).<ref name="EarlConingsby">{{cite web |title=Coningsby, Earl of (GB, 1719 - 1761) |url=http://www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk/coningsby1719.htm#CONINGSBY_1719_1 |website=www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk |publisher=Heraldic Media Limited |accessdate=4 May 2020}}</ref> Together, they had two daughters:

* Frances Hanbury-Williams ({{Circa|1735}}–1759), who married [[William Capel, 4th Earl of Essex]], the son of [[William Capell, 3rd Earl of Essex]] and [[Elizabeth Capell, Countess of Essex (1704-1784)|Lady Elizabeth Russell]] (a daughter of [[Wriothesley Russell, 2nd Duke of Bedford]]).<ref name="EarlEssex">{{cite web |title=Essex, Earl of (E, 1661) |url=http://www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk/essex1661.htm#ESSEX_1661_6 |website=www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk |publisher=Heraldic Media Limited |accessdate=4 May 2020}}</ref>
* Charlotte Hanbury-Williams (1738–1790), who married [[Robert Boyle-Walsingham]], the fifth and youngest son of [[Henry Boyle, 1st Earl of Shannon]], in 1759. He was lost aboard [[HMS Thunderer|HMS ''Thunderer'']] in a West Indian hurricane.<ref name="EarlShannon">{{cite web |title=Shannon, Earl of (I, 1756) |url=http://www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk/online/content/shannon1756.htm |website=www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk |publisher=Heraldic Media Limited |accessdate=4 May 2020}}</ref>

He died insane in 1759 and the Coldbrook estate passed to his brother George.<ref>{{Cite book |title=An Historical Tour in Monmouthshire, Volume 2 |page=279}}</ref>. His widow died on 31 December 1781 and was buried at [[Westminster Abbey]].

===Descendants===
Through his eldest daughter Frances, he was a grandfather of Elizabeth Capel (wife of [[Baron Monson|John Monson, 3rd Baron Monson]]) and [[George Capel-Coningsby, 5th Earl of Essex]] (who married [[Sarah, Countess of Essex|Sarah Bazett]] and, after her death, [[Catherine Stephens, Countess of Essex|Catherine Stephens]]).<ref name="EarlEssex"/>

Through his second daughter Charlotte, he was a grandfather of Richard Boyle-Walsingham (1762–1788), who died unmarried, and [[Charlotte FitzGerald-de Ros, 20th Baroness de Ros|Charlotte Boyle-Walsingham]], later ''[[suo jure]]'' [[Baroness de Ros]], who married [[Lord Henry FitzGerald]], the fourth son of the [[James FitzGerald, 1st Duke of Leinster|1st Duke of Leinster]] and the [[Lady Emily Lennox|Duchess of Leinster]] .<ref name="BarondeRos">{{cite web |title=de Ros, Baron (E, 1299) |url=http://www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk/online/content/ros1299.htm#DE_ROS_1264_20 |website=www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk |publisher=Heraldic Media Limited |accessdate=4 May 2020}}</ref>

===Legacy===
Williams was the inspiration for the character Charles Edaston in the 1913 [[George Bernard Shaw]] play [[Great Catherine (play)|Great Catherine]], which recounts the story of a British envoy to Catherine's court. It was [[Great Catherine (film)|made into a film]] starring [[Peter O'Toole]] in 1968. Williams also left poems which were said to be "witty but licentious".<ref name=daven>{{Cite book |last=Davenport |first=Richard Alfred |authorlink=Richard Alfred Davenport |title=A Dictionary of Biography p. 571 |year=1831 |publisher=Chiswick Press |url=https://archive.org/details/adictionarybiog00presgoog|page=[https://archive.org/details/adictionarybiog00presgoog/page/n579 571] }}</ref>
Williams was the inspiration for the character Charles Edaston in the 1913 [[George Bernard Shaw]] play [[Great Catherine (play)|Great Catherine]], which recounts the story of a British envoy to Catherine's court. It was [[Great Catherine (film)|made into a film]] starring [[Peter O'Toole]] in 1968. Williams also left poems which were said to be "witty but licentious".<ref name=daven>{{Cite book |last=Davenport |first=Richard Alfred |authorlink=Richard Alfred Davenport |title=A Dictionary of Biography p. 571 |year=1831 |publisher=Chiswick Press |url=https://archive.org/details/adictionarybiog00presgoog|page=[https://archive.org/details/adictionarybiog00presgoog/page/n579 571] }}</ref>


Revision as of 22:23, 4 May 2020

This article is about the British diplomat and satirist. For other people called Charles or Charlie Williams, see Charles Williams.
Sir Charles Hanbury Williams
KB
Sir Charles Hanbury Williams by John Giles Eccardt
Member of Parliament for Leominster
In office
1754–1759
Serving with Richard Gorges
Preceded bySir Robert de Cornwall
James Peachey
Succeeded byRichard Gorges
Chase Price
Member of Parliament for Monmouthshire
In office
1735–1747
Serving with Thomas Morgan
Preceded byJohn Hanbury
Thomas Morgan
Succeeded byWilliam Morgan
Capel Hanbury
Personal details
Born(1708-12-08)8 December 1708
Died2 November 1759(1759-11-02) (aged 50)
Spouse(s)
Lady Frances Coningsby
​
​
(m. 1732; "his death" is deprecated; use "died" instead. 1759)​
RelationsSir Edward Ayscough (grandfather)
Parent(s)John Hanbury
Bridget Ayscough Hanbury

[[File:|thumb]] Sir Charles Hanbury Williams, KB (8 December 1708 – 2 November 1759) was a Welsh diplomat, writer and satirist. He was a Member of Parliament from 1734 until his death.

Early life

The son of Welsh ironmaster John Hanbury and, his second wife, Bridget Ayscough, eldest daughter of Sir Edward Ayscough of Stallingborough and South Kelsey. With his marriage to Bridget came a fortune of £10,000 and connections with established political families. His mother was a close friend of Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough.

In 1720, Charles assumed the name of Williams, under the terms of a bequest from his godfather, Charles Williams of Caerleon.

Career

A letter to Sir Charles Williams, by Grand Duchess Catherine Alexeyevna

He entered Parliament in 1734 for the Monmouthshire constituency as a supporter of Robert Walpole, and held the seat until 1747. He then won the seat of Leominster in 1754 and held it until his death.

From 1747 till 1750, he was the British ambassador in Dresden. In 1748 he was in Poland and witnessed a Polish Sejm, where he met members of the influential Czartoryski family (August Aleksander Czartoryski). When the future King of Poland, Stanisław Poniatowski, was receiving medical treatment in Berlin, he met Sir Charles, who was sent there as ambassador (1750–1751). This Welshman became part of Polish and Russian history by introducing Stanisław to the Russian Grand Duchess Catherine Alexeyevna (Saint Petersburg 1755, the future Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia). From that moment began the famous romance between Catherine and Poniatowski.

In 1739, Williams gave support for the establishment of the Foundling Hospital and served as one of its founding governors. Williams's father bought the Coldbrook Park estate near Abergavenny for him from his godfather's bequest. There in 1746 he added a nine-bay, two-storey Georgian façade in 1746.

Seven Years' War

Further information: Great Britain in the Seven Years War

Williams played a major role as a British envoy at the court in Russia during the Seven Years' War. Although Russia was at war with Britain's ally Prussia, the two countries remained at peace.

Horace Walpole praised the wit of his poetry and wrote of his "biting satire".[1]

Personal life

On 1 July 1732, he married Lady Frances Coningsby (1707/8–1781) at Saint James, Westminster, London. Lady Frances was a daughter of Thomas Coningsby, 1st Earl Coningsby and Lady Frances Jones (second daughter and sole heiress of Richard Jones, 1st Earl of Ranelagh and the Hon. Frances Willoughby, a daughter and heiress of Francis Willoughby, 5th Baron Willoughby).[2] Together, they had two daughters:

He died insane in 1759 and the Coldbrook estate passed to his brother George.[5]. His widow died on 31 December 1781 and was buried at Westminster Abbey.

Descendants

Through his eldest daughter Frances, he was a grandfather of Elizabeth Capel (wife of John Monson, 3rd Baron Monson) and George Capel-Coningsby, 5th Earl of Essex (who married Sarah Bazett and, after her death, Catherine Stephens).[3]

Through his second daughter Charlotte, he was a grandfather of Richard Boyle-Walsingham (1762–1788), who died unmarried, and Charlotte Boyle-Walsingham, later suo jure Baroness de Ros, who married Lord Henry FitzGerald, the fourth son of the 1st Duke of Leinster and the Duchess of Leinster .[6]

Legacy

Williams was the inspiration for the character Charles Edaston in the 1913 George Bernard Shaw play Great Catherine, which recounts the story of a British envoy to Catherine's court. It was made into a film starring Peter O'Toole in 1968. Williams also left poems which were said to be "witty but licentious".[7]

Sources

  1. ^ Stewart, Mary Margaret. "Williams, Sir Charles Hanbury". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/29488. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  2. ^ "Coningsby, Earl of (GB, 1719 - 1761)". www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Heraldic Media Limited. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Essex, Earl of (E, 1661)". www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Heraldic Media Limited. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  4. ^ "Shannon, Earl of (I, 1756)". www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Heraldic Media Limited. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  5. ^ An Historical Tour in Monmouthshire, Volume 2. p. 279.
  6. ^ "de Ros, Baron (E, 1299)". www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Heraldic Media Limited. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  7. ^ Davenport, Richard Alfred (1831). A Dictionary of Biography p. 571. Chiswick Press. p. 571.

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Cousin, John William (1910). A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature. London: J. M. Dent & Sons – via Wikisource.

Further reading

  • David B. Horn, Sir Charles Hanbury Williams and European diplomacy, 1747–58, London et al. 1930: Harrap
Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Monmouthshire
1735–1747
With: Thomas Morgan 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Leominster
1754–1759
With: Richard Gorges 		Succeeded by
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by British Ambassador to Poland
1747–1755 		Succeeded by
British Ambassador to Saxony
1747–1750
Preceded by British Ambassador to Prussia
1749–1751 		Unknown
Next known title holder:
Andrew Mitchell
Preceded by British Ambassador to Russia
1752–1759 		Succeeded by
Honorary titles
Preceded by Lord Lieutenant of Herefordshire
1741–1747 		Succeeded by

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