The settlement in
Wales
of the family of
Kenyon
dates from the marriage,
c.
1694
, of
THOMAS
KENYON
(
1668
-
1731
), fourth son of
ROGER
KENYON
of
Peel, Lancs.
, with
Catherine
(b.
1660
), daughter and heiress of
Luke
Lloyd
(d.
1695
), of
Bryn
, in the parish of
Hanmer, Flints.
, whose family had been long settled in the hundred of
Maelor Saesneg
, and claimed descent from
Rhodri Mawr
.
Luke
Lloyd
fought on the side of
Parliament
, and letters to and from him in
1644
have survived. Sometime, also, during the reign of
Charles
II
, he was imprisoned with
Philip
Henry
(q.v.)
on account of his nonconformity.
LLOYD
KENYON
(
1696
-[
1773
]),
eldest son of
Thomas
and
Catherine
Kenyon
was b.
17 March 1696
and educated at
S. John's College
Cambridge
. He m.,
Nov. 1730
Jane
, daughter and coheiress of
Robert
Eddowes
of
Eagle Hall
,
Cheshire
, by
Anne
, daughter and heiress of the
Rev.
Richard
Hilton
(d.
1706
) of
Gredington
, which he purchased from
Sir
John
Hanmer
on
9 May 1678
.
Hilton
was
vicar
of
Hanmer
,
1662-1706
. It would seem that the
Kenyons
moved to
Gredington
soon after the
vicar
's death in
1706
.
LLOYD
KENYON
II
second son of the above, was b. at
Gredington
,
5 Oct. 1732
. Educated at
Ruthin grammar school
, he was articled in
1749
to
Tomkinson
, an attorney of
Nantwich
,
Cheshire
. On
7 Nov. 1750
he was admitted to the
Middle Temple
, continuing with
Tomkinson
until he moved to
London
in
1755
. After being
called to the Bar
, on
7 Feb. 1756
, he was mainly dependent for his living on an allowance from his father of £80 a year, together with such work as he got from
Tomkinson
and other sympathetic neighbours, until he made the acquaintance of
Edward
Thurlow
, soon to become
Lord Chancellor
, who was glad to have the services of an efficient and painstaking ‘devil.’ Thenceforward he built up an enviable reputation, and at the instigation of the
Chancellor
, on
30 June 1780
, was created
K.C.
On
4 Aug.
he was sworn
chief justice
of
Chester
,
Flint
,
Denbigh
, and
Montgomery
; and on
13 Nov.
he was raised to the bench of the
Middle Temple
. In
Sept. 1780
he was also elected
M.P.
for
Hindon, Wilts.
, which he represented until
1784
, when he was returned for
Tregony
, for which he continued to sit until raised to the
peerage
. In
March 1782
Kenyon
was appointed
Attorney-General
, an office which he held almost continuously until he became
Master of the Rolls
on
30 March 1784
. He was appointed
privy councillor
on
12 April
and created
baronet
on
28 July 1784
. On
4 June 1788
he succeeded
lord Mansfield
as
chief justice of the King's Bench
, and was created a
peer
on
9 June
with the title ‘
Lord Kenyon, Baron of Gredington, co. Flint
.’
During his long career at the
Bar
,
Lord Chief Justice
Kenyon
was concerned with many interesting cases: as advocate he led the defence of
lord
George
Gordon
in
1780
; as
judge
, he presided over the trial of
Stockdale
for libel, in
1789
, and, for a period, over the trial of
Warren
Hastings
; [he also tried
Edward
Jones
,
fl.
1741-1806
, q.v.
]. He was
lord lieutenant
of the
county of Flint
1796-8
, and ‘
Custos Rotulorum
’ from
1796
until his death. He m.,
16 Oct. 1773
, at
Deane, Lancs.
, his cousin
Mary
, third daughter of
George
Kenyon
of
Peel
by
Peregrina
, youngest daughter and coheiress of
Robert
Eddowes
(above), by whom he had three sons —
LLOYD
(
1775
-
1800
),
George
(
1776
-
1855
), and
THOMAS
(
1780
-
1851
). He d. at
Bath
4 April 1802
and was succeeded by his second son
GEORGE
(
1776
-
1855
),
2nd lord Kenyon
[b.
22 July 1776
].
George
Kenyon
was educated at
Harrow
and
Christ Church
,
Oxford
—
B.A.
1797
;
M.A.
1801
;
D.C.L.
1814
, ‘
Custos Brevium
’ of the
Court of King's Bench
;
barrister
,
Middle Temple
,
1793
;
bencher
1811
;
reader
1815
;
treasurer
1823
. He m.,
1 Feb. 1803
,
Margaret Emma
(
1785
-
1815
), daughter of
Sir
Thomas
Hanmer
,
bt.
, by
Margaret
, daughter and co-heiress of
George
Kenyon
, only son and heir apparent of
George
Kenyon
of
Peel
(above); they had three sons and three daughters. He was one of the first
vice-presidents
of the
National Society
, and built the ‘
Madras School
’ at
Penley, Flints.
, the first school to be opened by the Society in
Wales
. He d. at
Gredington
,
25 Feb. 1855
and was succeeded by his eldest son,
LLOYD
KENYON
(
1805
-
1869
),
3rd lord Kenyon
,
b. at
Gredington
1 April 1805
, and educated at
Harrow
and
Christ Church
,
Oxford
, where he matriculated
1823
, and graduated
B.A.
1826
(
M.A.
1829
). He was
M.P. (Tory)
for
S. Michael's
,
Cornwall
,
1830-2
. He unsuccessfully contested
Denbighshire
in the election of
1833
. He m.,
29 June 1833
,
Georgina
, youngest daughter of
Thomas de
Grey
,
4th lord Walsingham
, by whom he had five sons and five daughters. He d. at
Eastbourne
[
24 July 1864
], was buried at
Hanmer
, and was succeeded by his grandson,
LLOYD
(
1864
-
1927
),
4th lord Kenyon
, son of
Lloyd
Kenyon
(
1835
-
1865
) by
Fanny Mary Katherine
, only child of
John Ralph
Ormsby-Gore
,
1st lord Harlech
, by
Sarah
, youngest daughter and heiress of
Sir
John Tyssen
Tyrell
,
Bt.
, of
Boreham House, Essex.
[Born
5 July 1864
], he was
pro-chancellor
of the
University of Wales
1920-7
and
president
of the
University College of North Wales
from
1900 to 1927
. [He d.
30 Nov. 1927
.]
GEORGE
THOMAS
(
1840
-
1908
),
2nd son of the
third lord Kenyon
[b.
28 Dec. 1840
], was, like his brothers, educated at
Harrow
and
Christ Church
,
Oxford
. In
1869
he was
called to the Bar
, but having a
political career
in view, he never practised. After two narrow defeats in
1874
and
1880
, he was returned for the
Denbigh Boroughs division
in
1885
, and represented it until
1895
, and again from
1901 to 1906
. He did not stand at the election of
1895
, but in
1897
he unsuccessfully contested
East Denbighshire
. He had a particular
interest in education
, and was largely responsible for the passing of the
Welsh Intermediate Education Act
; whilst his concern for the development of the
Wrexham
neighbourhood led him to be the first
chairman
of the
Wrexham and Ellesmere Railway Company
. He m.,
1875
,
Florence Anna
, daughter of
John Hurleston
Leche
of
Carden
,
co. Chester
, who survived him. [He d.
8 July 1908
.]
[
Thomas
, 3rd son of the
first lord Kenyon
, had as grandson the eminent
Greek and Biblical scholar
Sir
FREDERIC
KENYON
(
1863
-
1952
),
Director of the British Museum
.]
