served as a member of Sir Henry James's committee on foreign loans. At the 1880 general election he was elected for Caernarvonshire, soundly defeating the sitting Conservative MP the Hon. George Douglas-Pennant. When Gladstone returned to office in 1880, he was offered but declined the post of judge-advocate-general. However a few months later he gave up his seat when he was appointed a judge. In November 1880, on the promotion of Sir Robert Lush to a lord-justiceship, his son-in-law, Williams, was appointed to the vacant puisne judgeship, even though he had recently made a public declaration that he would never accept such an office. He concurred in the judgment of the crown cases reserved in upholding the conviction of Most in connection with the murder of Alexander II of Russia. In Sanders v. Richardson he decided that a parent who sends a child to school without fee is liable to legal penalty. His judgment in the case of privilege of counsel (Munster v. Lamb), when he nonsuited the plaintiff, was upheld by the superior courts. To the council of judges Williams submitted a paper advocating the abolition of distinctions between the common pleas and exchequer divisions, but the retention of the chiefships. He publicly repudiated their decisions announced in November 1881, declaring that nothing less than an act of parliament should ever induce him to deprive a prisoner of the right of making a statement to a jury of facts not given in evidence. Williams sat with Mr. Justice Mathew as the tribunal of commerce. Williams died suddenly of heart disease at the age of 55 at Nottingham, where he was on circuit with Mr. Justice Lopes. 'Suddenly of heart disease' euphemistically describes his demise in one of the town's brothels on Forman Street. A contemporary Nottingham memorial card reported that he 'departed this life suddenly at Mrs. Salmands', and noted that 'in eight feet deep of solid earth Sir Watkin Williams lies. He lost his breath, which caused his death, 'twixt Nellie Blankey's thighs'. He was buried at Kensal Green cemetery on 22 July 1884. Judgements Foakes v Beer (Watkin Williams sitting on the Queens Bench) [1884] UKHL 1, [1881-85] All ER Rep 106, (1884) 9 App Cas 605; 54 LJQB 130; 51 LT 833; 33 WR 233 - a leading case from the House of Lords on the legal concept of consideration Works Besides the works mentioned, he