Cyfres NLW MSS 9070-9104 - Panton papers

Paul Panton the elder (1727-1797), barrister and antiquarian, married in 1756 Jane Jones, heiress to the Plas Gwyn estate at Pentraeth, Anglesey. In addition to his responsibilities as squire of Plas Gwyn, Panton took a keen practical interest in the coal and lead industries of Flintshire, in which county he spent a large proportion of his time. He travelled extensively throughout Wales, England and Scotland and, like his friends Thomas Pennant and Evan Evans (Ieuan Fardd), was greatly interested in British antiquities, a passion reflected in his correspondence. An avid collector of manuscripts, Panton was to gain possession of Ieuan Fardd's papers shortly before the latter's death. The elder Panton retained communications with legal and political colleagues throughout his life.

Like his father, Paul Panton the younger (1758-1822) qualified as a barrister but also followed in his father's antiquarian footsteps, travelling a good deal in pursuit of his interests and maintaining a correspondence with prominent antiquarian and literary figures of his day. The family connection with the north-east of Wales also remained as the younger Panton was not only a prominent figure in Anglesey public life but was elected high sheriff of Flintshire in 1815.