William Addams Williams

William Addams Williams MP
Born	1787
Died	1861
Nationality	Welsh
Occupation	Lawyer Landowner Politician
Known for	MP for Monmouthshire
Political party	Whig
Relatives	Samuel Marsh (Maternal grandfather)

William Addams Williams (1787–1861) was a Welsh lawyer, landowner and politician.

Life

He was the eldest son of William Addams Williams of Llangibby Castle, and Caroline Marsh; she was the daughter of Samuel Marsh, who served as Member of Parliament for Chippenham.^[1][2]

Addams Williams married, through his connection and godfather Rev. George Avery Hatch, into a clerical family with a Welsh background at The Ham, Glamorgan. His wife, Anna Louisa Nicholl, was the daughter of Rev. Illtyd Nicholl, of Tredington parish in Worcestershire, and Anne Hatch (sister of George Avery); her brothers included Whitlock Nicholl the physician, and Illtyd Nicholl who inherited property near Usk.^[1][3]

With his wife Anna Louisa, Addams Williams had four children; one son and three daughters.^[4] William Evans the clerical footballer was a grandson.^[5]

Career

Addams Williams succeeded his father in 1823, at which point he may have given up his legal practice.^[1][6] He became closely involved in local politics, and in particular in the Monmouth Boroughs constituency. He became the High Sheriff of Monmouthshire in 1827.^[6] He was elected MP for the county constituency of Monmouthshire in 1831, as a Whig, at the time of the Great Reform Bill, after Sir Charles Morgan, 2nd Baronet as one of the sitting MPs had voted for a wrecking amendment.^[7] He was elected unopposed, a tribute to personal popularity rather than his reformist views, however.^[8] He was in fact one of the small group of reformist pushing ministers to go further than the Reform Act of 1832 that resulted.^[9] Sir Hopton Williams, Addams Williams' great-great-grandfather, was the last person from the family to hold the Monmouth seat, in 1708.^[1]

As MP Addams Williams was involved in a Monmouth roads bill.^[10] He spoke against a private enclosure bill, for St Harmon, but it received a second reading.^[11] During his career Addams Williams ensured that both local and national newspapers were informed when they omitted or incorrectly inserted him in their published division lists. He resigned his seat in 1841, in bad health.^[1]

References

1. Fisher, D.R. (2009). The House of Commons, 1820–1832: Addams Williams, William (1787–1861), of Llangibby Castle, Mon. Cambridge ; New York: Cambridge University Press Series: History of Parliament. ISBN 9780521193146. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
2. historyofparliamentonline.org Marsh, Samuel (?1736–95), of Battersea, Surr. and Uxbridge, Mdx.
3.  "Nicoll, Whitelock". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
4. Bernard Burke (1863). A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland. Harrison. p. 1666. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
5. Bernard Burke, A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland (1894)p. 2217; archive.org.
6. Fisher, D.R. (2009). The House of Commons, 1820–1832: VI. The Members. Cambridge ; New York: Cambridge University Press Series: History of Parliament. ISBN 9780521193146. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
7. Fisher, D.R. (2009). The House of Commons, 1820–1832: Monmouthshire. Cambridge ; New York: Cambridge University Press Series: History of Parliament. ISBN 9780521193146. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
8. Gwent local history – 79 Autumn 1995 A view of the county, c.1850, p. 10.
9. Fisher, D.R. (2009). The House of Commons, 1820–1832: VIII. Politics and Parties. Cambridge ; New York: Cambridge University Press Series: History of Parliament. ISBN 9780521193146. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
10. Fisher, D.R. (2009). The House of Commons, 1820–1832: Glamorgan. Cambridge ; New York: Cambridge University Press Series: History of Parliament. ISBN 9780521193146. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
11. John Henry Barrow (1840). The Mirror of Parliament for the ... session of the ... Parliament of Great Britain and Ireland. Longman, Orme, Brown, Green & Longmans. pp. 3029–30. Retrieved 17 May 2012.