MEMBERS and guests from the Cymdeithas Hanes Lleol Llandyrnog & Llangwyfan Local History Society enjoyed a fantastic visit to Brynkinalt Estate, Chirk at the beginning of July.
Kate, wife of current custodian Iain Hill-Trevor, welcomed everyone to their home and gave a wonderful guided tour followed by tea and cake in the stunning Great Hall. Members and guests then enjoyed exploring the formal West Garden and woodland Shrubbery Garden.
The Trevor family descended from Tudor Trefor and Angharad, daughter of Howel Dda, King of Wales who married in 942 and both Tudor and Angharad trace their pedigrees back to the marriage of Severa, daughter of the Roman Emperor, Macsen Wledig (Maximus) who died in 388 and Gwrtheyrn Gwrtheneu (Vortigen), the 82nd King of Britain.
Brynkinalt has been the home of the Trevor family since it was built in 1612 by Sir Edward Trevor and it has passed down through various generations and family lines including Sir John Trevor, Speaker of the House of Commons (1685) to Sir Edward’s great, great, grandson Arthur Hill-Trevor in 1771.
The house was remodelled and rendered in the early 19th century by Arthur’s wife Charlotte, Viscountess Dungannon who added the wings and a conservatory, giving the body of the house that can be seen today. She also added a number of gothic features such as parapets and castellations and built the walled garden and a number of gate lodges, summer houses and follies around the estate.
Another notable connection to the family is Arthur, 1st Duke of Wellington whose mother was Anne Hill-Trevor. The Duke is said to have visited his maternal grandmother in Brynkinalt on a number of occasions and society members and guests were shown a sword reputed to have belonged to Wellington himself.
It was sad that both of Charlotte and Arthur’s two sons died not having had any children and Brynkinalt was passed to Lord Arthur Edwin Hill, the son of the 3rd Marquis of Downshire who was a direct descendant of Anne, daughter of Sir John and great granddaughter of Sir Edward.
At this point (1880) Arthur accepted the resurrection of the English title of 1st Baron Trevor (of the 3rd Creation) after correspondence from the then Prime Minister Disraeli. Although a Viscountcy is a higher rank than a Barony, a Barony in the Peerage of the United Kingdom was considered politically superior to an Irish Viscountcy with an automatic hereditary seat in the House of Lords, which better befitted a man who had been a Member of Parliament for 35 years.
An English peerage was by far the most valuable for exercising political influence in London at this time and avoided legal hurdles of the Irish peerage system. It also honoured the specific estate that Arthur inherited and his new legal surname and allowed the family to resume holding a noble title appropriate to their extensive estate and lineage. It is this line of the family that still lives in the house today.
Each generation, including the current one, has tried and tries to maintain the Estate and preserve the historic house and landscape – a huge challenge which requires massive investment in both time and money.
Kate explained to everyone how they provide a unique setting for a variety of bespoke corporate and private events and celebrations. The house is open for visits by arrangement and they have a selection of rural offices, residential properties and industrial units to rent. The estate has also been used as the venue for a selection of television programmes and films including the 2022 Netflix film Lady Chatterley’s Lover.
In addition, the Estate has a small number of luxurious self-catering holiday cottages set in beautiful locations around the estate including Bryngwilla Gate Lodge (once the main entrance to Brynkinalt) and Roft Bank Cottage which sits beside a gently flowing brook.
While looking after the main house is the family’s main focus, their strap line of “Restoration, Conservation and Heritage” extends beyond this and the rest of the built environment. Consequently, Iain and Kate and their team have also put a huge amount of time and energy into restoring the wider landscape across the whole estate, taking the majority of the Estate back in hand and running their own organic dairy herd farmed with nature-friendly regenerative techniques. They have carried out a number of projects in the gardens which
can be seen during their annual charitable open garden event for the National Garden Scheme.
Kate Hill-Trevor was thanked for the really warm welcome she extended to all and was presented with a Cymdeithas Hanes Lleol Llandyrnog & Llangwyfan Local History Society publication Trem yn ôl – A View of the Past.
All are welcome to society meetings with members paying only £8 for the yearly programme of 4 meetings and visitors/non-members £3 per meeting.
Light refreshments are served for all at the end of every meeting.
For additional details or queries or to join the society, or volunteer to be part of the projects, please e-mail Cymdeithas Hanes Lleol Llandyrnog & Llangwyfan Local History Society on [email protected]
