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| Plas Newyth |
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Plas Newydd lies on the north bank of the Menai Strait, near Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, in Anglesey. The current building has its origins in 1470, but eventually came into the possession of Paget family who rose to be Earls of Uxbridge and then Marquesses of Anglesey. The property has been in the care of the National Trust since 1976 when if was transferred by the 7th Marquess.
The house site was first occupied in the 13th century, and was known as Llwyn-y-Moel. By 1470 it belonged to the Griffith family, who also owned Penrhyn Castle near Bangor. In 1533, Ellen Griffith married Nicholas Bagenal and they took possession of what was still known as Llwyn-y-Moel. Their granddaughter Ann married Lewis Bayly, Bishop of Bangor. It was Lewis who made the first major additions to the house, and was the first to call it Plas Newydd (Welsh for New Hall). Lewis's grandson Edward Bayly acquired an Irish baronetcy in 1730, when he was styled Baronet of Plas Newydd in the County of Anglesey and Mount Bagenall in the County of Down. Lewis's great-grandson Sir Nicholas Bayly, 2nd Baronet married Caroline Paget in 1737, and became Lord Lieutenant of Anglesey in 1761, a position his family would fill for the next 100 years.
Henry Bayly, born in 1744, succeeded, through his mother, to the title and estates of the Barony of Paget in 1769, on the death of Henry Paget, 8th Baron Paget and Earl of Uxbridge, a distant cousin on his mother's side. As 9th Baron Paget, Henry Bayly took possession of the Beaudesert estates in Staffordshire, and changed his surname to Paget. Unlike the Barony, the Earldom could not be transferred as it was not held by a common ancestor. In 1782 his father died, which added "3rd Baronet" to his titles, and Plas Newydd to his estates. He also took over as Lord Lieutenant of Anglesey. In 1784 he was created Earl of Uxbridge as a second creation of that Earldom. Plas Newydd had been extended in the middle of the 18th century, with an octagonal tower at the south-east corner, but under Henry's care there were substantial additions and rebuilding throughout the estate, especially with the appointment of James Wyatt and Joseph Potter as architects.
Henry died, and the estate passed to his son Henry William Paget, who became the 2nd Earl of Uxbridge. Henry William had raised a regiment of volunteers in the 1790s, was commissioned into the Army in 1795, and distinguished himself in numerous engagements and campaigns across Europe. By 1802 he was a major-general, and in 1815 was appointed cavalry commander, leading a spectacular charge of the British heavy cavalry at the Battle of Waterloo. In recognition of his heroism he was created the first Marquess of Anglesey, although he lost a leg from one of the last cannon shots of the day. The following year, a 27 metre column was raised in his honour, sited to the north of Plas Newydd. Lord Anglesey later held political office as Master-General of the Ordnance and Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland. The 1st Marquess and his exploits marks the high water mark of the Paget family's history. The house holds a museum of Battle of Waterloo items.
The 5th Marquess, Henry Cyril Paget (1875 – 1905), was notable during his short life for squandering his inheritance on a lavish social life and accumulating massive debts. He was fond of theatre and put on performances at home in which he played a leading role often in very exotic costumes. Regarded as the "black sheep" of the family, he was dubbed "the dancing marquess" for his Butterfly Dancing, where a voluminous robe of transparent white silk would be waved like wings. The 8th Marquess is Charles Alexander Vaughan Paget, born in 1950. He is unusual among the aristocracy in having followed education at Eton and Oxford by a D.Phil a the University of Sussex.
Sources
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| Plas Newyth |
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The Wonders of Wales
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