DENBIGHSHIRE ARCHIVES DD/RC Records of Ruthin Castle Estate (1604-1949) In 1632 the Ruthin Castle Estate was purchased from the Crown by Sir Thomas Myddelton of Chirk Castle (1585-1666), who acquired the stewardship of the lordship in 1635. He was MP for Denbighshire from 1625, was elected for the Long Parliament and became a Parliamentary commander during the Civil War. Sir William Myddelton (1694-1718), 4th baronet, a copy of whose will is in this archive (ref: DD/RC/1164) died unmarried and the baronetcy became extinct. The Chirk Castle Estate, with the lordships of Chirk, Chirklands and Ruthin passed to Robert, younger son of Richard Myddelton of Llysfasi by his wife Elizabeth Ryder. Robert died without heirs in 1733 and was succeeded by his brother, John (d. 1747). John’s son Richard and then his son of the same name can be found on mortgages of the Ruthin estate and other property from the 1750s onwards. On the death of John's grandson, Richard Myddelton of Chirk Castle, the last surviving male heir of the Myddelton family in 1796, the estate was divided between his sisters Charlotte, Maria and step-sister Harriet. Charlotte and Maria were the daughters of Elizabeth (nee Rushout, d. 1772), sister of Lord Northwick, and Harriet the daughter of Mary, formerly Mary Lloyd of Rhydwriel (d. 1788). The original division was disputed resulting in an Act of Parliament dated 1819 which was directed by the High Court of Chancery. The Chirk Castle Estate passed to the eldest sister, Charlotte, wife of Robert Biddulph of Ledbury, Herefordshire, who prefixed his surname with Myddelton. Maria (d. 1843), who had married Frederick West (d. 1852) third son of John, Earl De La Warr in 1798 inherited the lands later known as the Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog Estate after the division. The Ruthin Castle Estate passed to Harriet who did not marry and who bequeathed the estate to Maria’s family on her death in 1848. The Wests lived at Culham Court, Berkshire and their eldest son Frederick Richard West at Arnewood House near Lymington before the family moved to Ruthin after the death of his aunt Harriet. Frederick West and Maria had already expanded the Ruthin Castle Estate by purchasing property in Castle Street, Ruthin in 1827. Also in 1827 Frederick Richard West had married Theresa John Cornwallis Whitby the daughter and only child of Mary Anna Whitby, the heiress of Admiral William Cornwallis of Newlands. He therefore inherited both the Ruthin and Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog Estates and acquired Newlands Manor Estate in the parish of Milford by marriage. His eldest son, Frederick Myddelton West died unmarried without heirs in 1868, outliving his father by only six years and was succeeded by his brother, William Cornwallis-West. In what is practically the only item of personal correspondence preserved in the archive (Ref DD/RC/1073) there is reference to Frederick Myddelton West’s drinking and debts. There had already been some sales of property in the Myddeltons’ Chirklands estates in the 1850s and 60s to repay some of them. Frederick Richard West and his son William Cornwallis West developed existing sites in Ruthin and purchased others, and embarked on a building programme which included cottages and public houses. William also attempted to develop land on the Newlands Estate bordering the sea at Milford and renaming it Milford on Sea. The family also had industrial interests in mining and quarrying at Llanymynech, Ruabon and Wrexham. A Acc No: 880 Acc Date: 13 Oct 1981 Creator: KM Page 1 of 274 DENBIGHSHIRE ARCHIVES sidelight on the influence of the Myddelton/ West; Cornwallis West family on Ruthin can be seen in the small section concerning the internal rearrangement of the parish church in the 1860s. From 1859 the estates were subject to a settlement, the settled estate’s main trustees being solicitors and agents Longueville and Williams of Oswestry. A further settlement of the estate was made when William’s only son George attained his majority in 1895. Both William’s daughters made famous marriages, Constance married Hugh Grosvenor, second Duke of Westminster, and Daisy (Mary Theresa Olivia) married Heinrich, Prince of Pless who took a lease of Ruthin Castle in 1911. The estates had been mortgaged by the time of George’s inheritance and became progressively more so. He was a well- known figure in Edwardian society, was the second husband of Lady Randolph Churchill and later married the actress Mrs Patrick Cambell. He was declared bankrupt soon after his father’s death in 1917. Unfortunately material reflecting the social milieu the family occupied and the extravagant spending in which they reputedly indulged is not reflected directly in the collection. The Ruthin, Llanarmon and Newlands Estates had all been sold by 1920. George Cornwallis West died by his own hand in 1951 having suffered for many years from Parkinson’s disease. The organisation of the collection reflects the complex nature of the estate’s development. Acc No: 880 Acc Date: 13 Oct 1981 Creator: KM Page 2 of 274 DENBIGHSHIRE ARCHIVES Mixed Parishes Myddelton and Chirk Estates Deeds of property in more than one parish are listed in chronological order (deeds relating to properties in single parishes are listed later under the parish) including the parishes of Bryneglwys, Cerrigydrudion, Holt, Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog, Llangadwaladr, Llangollen, Llangwm, Llanrwst, Llanrhaeadr ym Mochnant; Llansanffraid Glynceiriog, Llansilin, Ruabon, Wrexham and Ysbytty Ifan and the Ruthin Castle Estate in Bryneglwys, Eglwysfach, Gwytherin, Henllan, Llandrillo yn Rhos, Llandyrnog, Llanfwrog, Llanynys, Nantglyn and Ruthin in the possession of the Myddelton family prior to the division of the estates after the death of Richard Myddelton in 1796, including settlement dated 1719, made of part of the estate after the death of Sir William Myddelton and succession of Richard Myddelton in 1748 after the death his father John. DD/RC/1 Copy abstract of title to property of the late Richard 1679-1716 Myddelton subject to a mortgage to Sir Richard Carr Glynn, baronet and William Whitmore esq. (Chirk Castle Estates) 1 item DD/RC/2 Deed declaring the uses of a fine 9 Apr 1692 (i) John Lloyd of Place Eva, co. Denbigh, gent. and John Hugh of Trekeiriogge, co. Denbigh, yeoman. (ii) Richard Mitton of Hallstone, co Salop, esq. and Roger Trevor of Bodynvill, co Montgomery. Fine of the same date suffered on one messuage, two cottages, three gardens, thirty acres of land, five acres of meadow, thirty acres of pasture, four acres of wood and forty acres of furse and heath in Kysyllte and Trekeiriogge in the parishes of Llangollen and Llangadwaladr, co Denbigh, otherwise Erow Tywyn, Cae Morvydd, Erw yr garregge, Doll vechan, y deuru (?), yr wyvthin, in Kysyllte in the parish of Llangollen. 1 item DD/RC/3 Final Concord (Wrexham) 20 May 1692 (i) Richard Myton, gent. and Roger Trevor, gent. (ii) John Lloyd, gent. and John Hugh, yeoman. One messuage, two cottages, three gardens, thirty acres of land, five acres of meadow, thirty acres of pasture, four acres of wood and forty acres of furse and heath in Kysyllte and Trekeiriogge in the parishes of Llangollen and Llangadawladr, co Denbigh, otherwise Erow Tywyn, Cae Morvydd; Erw yr garregge, Doll vechan, y deuru (?) yr wyvthin in Kysyllte in the parish of Llangollen 1 item Acc No: 880 Acc Date: 13 Oct 1981 Creator: KM Page 3 of 274 DENBIGHSHIRE ARCHIVES DD/RC/4 Recovery 30 Aug 1703 (i) David Lloyd and Humphrey Jones. (ii) John Moris and Jodova his wife. Two messuages, one cottage, nine gardens, 40 acres of land; 50 acres of pasture, 50 acres of meadow, 50 acres of heath and bruery in parishes of Clocaenog and Llansilin 1 item DD/RC/5 Settlement 5 Jun 1719 (i) Robert Myddelton of Chirk Castle, co Denbigh, esq. (ii) Sir John Bridgman of Castle Bromwich, Co Warwick, baronet, son and heir of Sir John Bridgman late of Castle Bromwich, deceased who was the last surviving trustee of the will of Sir Thomas Myddelton of Chirk Castle, baronet, deceased. (iii) Sir Henry Bunbury of the city of Chester, baronet, John Myddelton of Gwaunynog, co Denbigh, esq. and Thomas Lloyd of Chirk, co Denbigh, clerk (trustees of the will of Sir Richard Myddelton of Chirk Castle, deceased). (iv) Mary Myddelton of Chirk Castle, spinster, only daughter and heir of Sir Richard Myddelton of Chirk Castle and sister of Sir William Myddelton, deceased. (v) Sir Richard Grosvenor of Eaton, Chester, baronet and John Robinson of Gwersillt, co Denbigh. (vi) Thomas Price of Glynne, co Denbigh, esq and Henry Roberts of Rhydonen, co Denbigh, esq. (vii) William Bunbury of The Inner Temple, London, esq. and Thomas Lloyd of Gwernhaylod, co Flint, esq. Property in the parishes of Llanfachreth, Trawsfynydd, Llanycil, Llanymawddwy, Llanfor, Llandrillo, co Merioneth; Bodfari and Tremeirchion, co Flint; parishes of St Martins, Llanymynech and Oswestry, co Salop; Llanrhaeadr ym Mochnant; Halghton, Hirnant; Llanllugan; Rhysnant, co Montgomery and various legacies and debts. Schedule attached of debts secured by mortgages and bond debts entered into by Sir William Myddelton; debts owed to tradesmen and contract debts and legacies in Sir William Myddelton's last will. Endorsed: ' one of the two parts of the deed of agreements and conveyances between Robert Myddelton esq. and Mrs Mary Myddelton and the trustees of Sir Thomas Myddelton, Sir Richard Myddelton and Sir William Myddelton and leading to the uses of the Recovery to be suffered of part of the estate'. 1 item DD/RC/6 Lease and Release 19/20 Mar 1721/22 (i) Thomas Puleston of Emerhall, co Flint, esq., only son and heir of Sir Roger Puleston late of Emerhall, knight, deceased (ii) Sir Barnham Ryder of Broughton Mouchelsea, co Kent, knight, son and heir of Thomas Ryder of the same place, esq., surviving trustee named in Acc No: 880 Acc Date: 13 Oct 1981 Creator: KM Page 4 of 274 DENBIGHSHIRE ARCHIVES the will of Sir Roger Puleston (iii) Magdalen Roe of Trevor, co Denbigh, spinster, and Magdalen Eyton of Chirk, co Denbigh, widow, the surviving co-heirs of William Edwards of Chirk Hall, co Denbigh, deceased (iv) Robert Myddelton of Chirk Castle, co Denbigh, esq.