A name that originally owed its popularity through admiration for the twelfth century crusading King Richard the Lionheart, ‘Richards’ features prominently in the historical record.
While many early native Welsh were frequently embroiled in warfare, in later centuries their descendants who came come to bear the Richards name have gained fame through a diverse range of endeavours.
One particularly noted Welsh family is the Richards of Betws Y Coed, in Dolgellau, Gwynedd; born in 1752, Sir Richard Richards was the judge and politician who served for a time in the powerful post of Baron of the Exchequer and who, through marriage, acquired the estate and mansion of Caerynwch, near Dolgellau.
