Family stories

Families always have stories that get passed down through the generations. Here is one.

I have read a family story that was conveyed in a letter dated 1959 that stated that Robert Henry Wynyard was the illegitimate son of King George 4th and Maria Fitzherbert. It is an intriguing story but the evidence would indicate that this is highly unlikely. George was married illegally (George’s father had not given his consent for the marriage) to Maria on 15th December 1785. At that stage George was 21 and Maria was 27. They had a son called James Ord (b 1786) who later became a priest in the USA.

If Robert Henry Wynyard was another son of this union, then Maria would have been 44 when he was born in 1802. By that time George had been married legally and had numerous affairs and other illegitimate children by other women.

RH’s recorded father was William Wynyard who was Equiry to George 3rd (father of George 4th). His mother, Jane, was a lady-in-waiting to Queen Charlotte. Jane would have been 22 when RH was born which is probably more realistic. The likelihood of this couple taking on the illegitimate son of George 4th without anyone knowing seems highly unlikely.

Although not very scientific, there is a definite family resemblance between RHW and his father William: