DAFYDD LLWYD AP HUGH, HUGH HUGHES and WILLIAM BULKLEY HUGHES

It was a father and son partnership that established Plas Coch in the 16th century.

Dafydd Llwyd ap Hugh completed the first phase of construction in 1569.  He also sent his son, Hugh, to be educated at Cambridge and Lincoln’s Inn, where he became a leading barrister of his time.

Hugh was the first in the family to take the English surname, Hughes.  He made important additions to the house in the 1590’s, including the tower – and was Anglesey’s MP in 1597.  He also married into the Montagu family (the Dukes of Manchester) which brought him many contacts in the English legal and political establishment of the time.  He was Attorney-General for North Wales under Elizabeth I.  In 1609, James I appointed him Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, but he died before being able to take up the post.

In the 19th century, Hugh’s direct descendant William Bulkeley Hughes achieved distinction as MP for Caernarfon Boroughs (later David Lloyd George’s constituency).  He served in parliament for 40 years, and made further major additions to the house, most notably the east wing and ballroom.  William Bulkeley Hughes was also a key figure in the 19th century development of Llandudno as a successful holiday resort.  In his time, the Plas Coch estate reached its peak of 5000 acres.

William Bulkeley Hughes’ father (of the same name) was a friend of the Prince Regent, later George IV.  Family legend has it that he was almost bankrupted by an extravagant launch party he laid on for the Prince at Plas Coch in 1804.