Charles Hanbury Williams


Sir Charles Hanbury Williams, KB was a Welsh diplomat, writer and satirist. He was a Member of Parliament from 1734 until his death.

Early life

Hanbury was the son of a Welsh ironmaster, John Hanbury, and his second wife, Bridget Ayscough, eldest daughter of Sir Edward Ayscough of Stallingborough and South Kelsey. With his father's 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

Williams 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, Williams was the British Ambassador in Dresden. In 1748 he had the same function in Poland and witnessed a Polish Sejm, where he met members of the influential Czartoryski family. When the future King of Poland, Stanisław Poniatowski, was receiving medical treatment in Berlin, Sir Charles met him when sent there as Ambassador. He entered into Polish and Russian history by introducing Stanisław to the Russian Grand Duchess Catherine Alexeyevna, from which a famous romance developed between them.
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

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".

Personal life

On 1 July 1732, he married Lady Frances Coningsby at Saint James, Westminster, London. Lady Frances was a daughter of Thomas Coningsby, 1st Earl Coningsby and Lady Frances Jones. Together, they had two daughters:
He died insane in 1759 and the Coldbrook estate passed to his brother George. 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 and George Capel-Coningsby, 5th Earl of Essex.
Through his second daughter Charlotte, he was a grandfather of Richard Boyle-Walsingham, 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.

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".