The Bulkeleys of Beaumaris achieved pre-eminence in Anglesey during this period. However, their increasing domination of county affairs was resented by the longer-established and related landowning families, the Owens of Bodeon and Brondeg, and the Meredydds of Bodowyr. At the beginning of the reign they were powerful enough to obtain two of the county seats (Meredydd in 1559, when his uncle, Lewis Owen ap Meurig was sheriff, and Owen himself in 1572). Sir Richard Bulkeley, head of the Beaumaris branch of the family, sat in 1571 having already returned his eldest son to the county seat in 1563. After 1572 all the county MPs were either relatives or followers of the Bulkeley family. Richard Bulkeley II (1589) came from the Porthamel branch of the family. Owen Holland (1584) and his son Thomas (1601) of Plas Berw, were relatives by marriage of the Bulkeley family, as was Sir Henry Bagnall (1586), who owned estates at Plas Newydd. William Glynne (1593), who had not succeeded to his Caernarvonshire estates at the time of his election but was living on his father’s estates at Llanfwrog in Anglesey, was later to marry into a junior branch of the Bulkeley family and no doubt enjoyed their goodwill. Hugh Hughes (1597) of Plas Coch, was a neighbour and follower of the family.