Gwaenynog is a small estate about to the south-west of the town of Denbigh, Wales. Its origins are mediaeval when it was built as a house for the Myddelton family. The Myddeltons claimed descent from Rhirid Flaidd, of the House of Cunedda, hereditary Kings of Gwynedd. Anglicising themselves and their name after the conquest of Wales, they thrived as prominent local landowners and politicians. Basing themselves ultimately at Chirk Castle, they served as receivers of Denbigh, governors of its castle and as members of parliament for Denbighshire and Denbigh Boroughs. Originally the principal family house, Gwaenynog descended to a cadet branch after the purchase of Chirk. This first building was a timber-framed hall-house dating to the middle of the 16th century. Extended in the 18th century, in 1774 the then owner, Colonel John Myddleton, hosted his relative Hester Thrale and her close friend, the lexicographer Samuel Johnson, a visit Myddleton commemorated by the erection of a monument in the grounds. In the 19th century, the house passed out of Myddleton ownership and was bought by Fred Burton, whose wife was an aunt of Beatrix Potter. Potter stayed at the house on many occasions between 1895-1912 and the walled kitchen garden was the inspiration for The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies. Mr Macgregor's potting shed still stands. The house, which remains privately owned, is a Grade II* listed building and its gardens and landscaped park are listed at Grade II on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales. History The Myddelton family (variously Myddleton and Middleton) claimed lineal descendant from Rhirid Flaidd (c.1160-1207), himself descended from of the kings of both Gwynedd and Powys. From the reign of Edward IV, when David Myddelton served as Receiver for North Wales, the family established themselves as landowners and politicians, serving as governors of Denbigh Castle and as members of parliament for Denbighshire and Denbigh Boroughs. During this period, Gwaenynog was the family's main home in North Wales, but was superseded in around 1590, when Thomas Myddleton (1550-1631), Lord Mayor of London, bought Chirk Castle as his principal seat. Gwaenynog passed to a cadet branch of the family, and declined in importance. In the 18th century, when home to Colonel John Myddleton, the estate was embellished with a Neoclassical monument erected to commemorate a visit to Gwaenynog by Hester Thrale and her friend, Samuel Johnson. While Johnson appeared