Winifred, Countess of Dundonald

Winifred was the second daughter and sole heir of Robert Bamford Hesketh and Ellen Jones-Bateman, She was born into the royal house of Marchudd ap Cynan, the founder of the VIII Noble Tribe of North Wales. Cynan’s descendants, the Lloyds of Plas yn y Gwrych were based in the Parish of Abergele, where Winifred, through her ancestors shared co-sanguinity with Llywelyn the Great.[3]

Growing up, Winifred Bamford Hesketh lived at her family’s residences in London, Torquay and Gwyrch Castle. She married Lieutenant General Douglas Mackinnon Baillie Hamilton Cochrane, 12th Earl of Dundonald in 1878, when she was 19 years old.

When Winifred turned 21, the money in her Trust Fund became available and a house was purchased in London. She had five children between 1880 and 1893.[4]

The arranged marriage[5] is thought to have been an unhappy one. The Earl spent most of his time in Scotland and fighting wars while the Countess remained in Wales.[6]

She had many friends within royal circles, who visited her at her Gwrych Castle estate. There is an account of Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein staying at Gwrych on September 1901, where they then went on a day trip to Caernarfon.[7]

It is believed that the Earl was landless and even through the marriage, the castle belonged solely to Winifred, according to 'The Omaha Sunday Bee'; "In fact, until his marriage, the earl of Dundonald was a very poor man, glad to receive his salary as an officer in the British army."[8]

Winifred died on Wednesday, the 16th of January, 1924 of heart failure whilst staying at her London residency, her funeral was held at Llanddulas the following Saturday the 19th, it was documented as being a simple and modest service, attended by those closest to her, her coffin was delivered by train from London to Llanddulas where it was then carried by a pony carriage. Feeling distraught, her daughter; Lousia Hamilton on the way to the service at Llanddulas fainted on the platform at Chester Station whilst waiting for her connection to Abergele, Louisa's brother (most likely Thomas Cochrane), took her by taxi to her hotel, where she fainted again, Thomas then left Louisa in the care of the manageress so that he could attend the funeral, by the afternoon, Louisa was well enough to make her journey back to her home in London. Winifred's chief mourners were; Robert Cochrane (her son) and her estranged husband; Douglas Cochrane.[9]

The countess inherited Gwrych Castle, the seat of the Bamford-Hesketh family on the death of her father in 1894.

In 1919, she sold some of the old buildings on the estate, along with the Llanddulas limestone quarry and some mines.

In her will, she bequeathed Gwrych to Prince George, later King George V, who was unable to accept the gift and sold the castle. It was later re-purchased by her husband the Earl of Dundonald for £70,000 (calculated at £4,288,000 in 2019 after inflation).[11]

Winifred was made a patron of the Gwynedd Ladies' Art Society. It was started by Miss Clearance Whaite, and presided over by Lady Augusta Mostyn in 1894.[12]

She supported the Welsh Industries, in 1900 the Welsh Industrial Association held an exhibition at 83 Eaton Square, Winifred's address in London and the event was visited by the Alexandra, Princess of Wales.[13] In the same year, Winifred opened an exhibition at the Anglesey branch of the Welsh industries, which was held at Menai Bridge.[14]

The countess was a Welsh speaker and a patron of Welsh art, music and literature.[15]

In the early 1900s she founded a North Wales Harp competition. she was heavily involved within the Eisteddfod, especially within the arts and crafts section, she was initiated as an ovate at the Colwyn Bay Eisteddfod and later inducted as a bard in 1913 at the Colwyn Bay National Eisteddfod.[16] She supported the organisation financially and because of her ability to speak Welsh, the organisation was a place that she attended annually.

Winifred was interested in archaeology and involved with the Abergele Historical and Cambrian Societies. She allowed excavations on ancient monuments she owned and financed the publication of their findings.[17]

Knowing how vulnerable local poor people would be during the winter months, Winifred would often donate firewood from the fell at her properties to keep them warm.[18]

In 1900, she opened the Royal Alexandra Hospital, Rhyl, a hospital which was built for 'sick and needy' children[19]

The countess had a church hall built for the village of Llanddulas in 1909.

In 1910 she opened a medical theatre room at the 'Colwyn Bay and West Denbighshire Hospital' which was the former name of Colwyn Bay Community Hospital[20]

In 1914 she supplied warm clothing to the Royal Welsh Fusiliers and Denbighshire Hussars, following an appeal.[21]

The Countess opened a hospital in 1916 at Belgravia, 87 Eaton Square to treat the wounded of the Great War, the 'Countess of Dundonald Hospital'. It closed at the end of the war in 1918.[22]

On her death Winifred bequeathed £5000 and a piece of land for building almshouses houses in Groes Lwyd, Abergele.[23] She also bequeathed the whole Gwyrch estate to the Welsh Church.