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WYNN family, of Bodewryd, Anglesey

The Wynns of Bodewryd in Twrcelyn, Anglesey, were descended from GWEIRYDD AP RHYS who is reputed to have fl. in the commote of Talybolion about 1170 and is considered to have been the father of one of the Fifteen Tribes. His eldest son was TRAHAEARN, who was also called Cadhaearn, after whom an ancient mill in Caerdegog, ' Melin Cathayran,' is supposed to have been called. His son, MEYRICK, gave his name to a part of the parish of Caerdegog called ' Gwely Meuric ap Gathayran ' in the Record of Caernarvon (1352). The next three links in the genealogy were GRIFFITH AP MEYRICK, HOWELL AP GRIFFITH, and EDNYVED AP HOWELL. EVAN AB EDNYVED AP HOWELL, who married Angharad, daughter of Howell ap Tudur, is said to have died in 1403. If this is correct he must have lived to a great age, for his son HOWELL is named as one of the heirs of ' Gwely Meuric ap Gathayran ' in the Record of Caernarvon. Howell is described as a free tenant in Caerdegog in 1391. He took part in the war of Owain Glyndwr, and was one of the long list of amerced persons, 10 November 1406. His wife was Angharad, daughter of Madoc ap Howell Gymen. His son GRIFFITH AP HOWELL's name is found in documents in 1421-2. LLEWELYN, son of the latter, was ringild of Lliwon in 1451, and was alive in 1467. His son, RHYS, was living in Llechgynfarwy in 1497, and married Agnes, daughter of Nicholas ab Ellis, archdeacon of Anglesey and rector of Llaneilian. Rhys was alive in 1510. His son, DAVID AP RHYS AP LLEWELYN, was one of the pillars of society in Anglesey in the first half of the 16th century. It was he, in 1521, who purchased the house in Bodewryd from his kinsman, William ap Llewelyn ap Tudur ap William, or William Llechog, and gave it, in 1534, as an inheritance to his son Hugh Gwyn and the heirs of his body by his wife, Ellen, daughter of Hugh Conway of Bryneuryn. Hugh Gwyn's mother was Angharad, daughter of David ab Evan ap David, heiress of Plas y Brain, in the parish of Llanbedr. After transferring Bodewryd to their eldest son, the parents went to live at Plas y Brain until the mother's death in 1542. David ap Rhys later married Anne, widow of William John ap Rhys of Llinon, and daughter of Piers Stanley of Ewloe. He repaired the house of Gwredog Esgob, and the family of the second marriage resided there. Pierce ap David or Pierce Lloyd, the first of the Lloyds of Gwredog, was the eldest child of this marriage. Despite David ap Rhys's power as justice of the peace in his day and despite the warmth of Siôn Brwynog's eulogy of him at his death, 27 July 1551, he left a legacy of litigation between his two sets of children, particularly over his property at Dindryfol. HUGH GWYN died before 28 September 1562 leaving ten children. His widow was living in 1588, then wife of Hugh Lewis ap Howell. The heir was EDWARD AP HUGH GWYN, and he went to law with his mother about the property of his grandfather, David ap Rhys ap Llewelyn, in 1564-5. His first wife was Elizabeth, daughter of John ap Rhys ap Llewelyn ap Hwlkyn of Bodychen, and their marriage settlement is dated 14 March 1555/6. His second wife was Ellen, daughter of Robert Bulkeley of Gronant, and widow of John Griffith, Llanddyfnan. By 1594 he had a third wife, Jane, daughter of Rhys ap Howell. He died 1 March 1596/7, leaving the estate to his son, JOHN WYN EDWARD, who also styled himself JOHN EDWARD AP HUGH GWYN and JOHN EDWARDS. Under him the family advanced to a higher grade in society. He was collector of the subsidy in Anglesey in 1600, and was appointed escheator in 1606. In 1612-3 he was high sheriff of the county. He died in 1614 (before 4 May). His wife was Grace, daughter of John Griffith III, of Chwaen Hen, in Llanddyfnan. Their marriage settlement was drawn up on 1 November 1577. She later married William Bulkeley of Coedan, and was alive in 1629. John Edwards had a brother, Richard Edwards, who was a citizen and girdler of London. With John Edwards's heir, EDWARD WYNN, the family surname became established.

In 1616 Edward Wynn married Margaret, daughter of Edward Puleston of Llwyn-y-cnotie, incumbent of Llanynys, and a strong clerical element enters into the family. Edward Wynn was sheriff of Anglesey in 1627-8 and 1634-5. In 1631, he paid the composition for non-appearance at the coronation for receiving the dignity of a knighthood. He died 9 January 1637/8, leaving two sons, John, and Edward Wynn. The heir, JOHN WYNN, was born 7 September 1617. He matriculated from Jesus College, Cambridge, in 1637, and took up law, becoming a member of the Inner Temple in 1639. In the same year he married Ellen (who died 11 May 1650), daughter and co-heiress of John Lewis of Chwaen Wen, a descendant of Hugh Lewis, Presaddfed. He was sheriff of Anglesey in 1658-9. He died 30 January 1669/70, and was buried at Llantrisant. Of his six sons, the heir, JOHN WYNN, LL.B., of Jesus College, Cambridge (born 6 May 1642), died unmarried, 16 March 1670/1, and the estate passed to the second son, EDWARD WYNN (born 17 February 1644/5). He also was educated at Cambridge, and graduated M.A. 22 March 1670/1. He was ordained deacon 23 September 1666, and held the living of Mellteyrn for a few months from 22 June 1668. He was presented to the living of Llaneugrad and Llanallgo, 17 February 1668/9, and again to Llantrisant, 7 October 1670. He married Margaret, eldest daughter of Robert Morgan, bishop of Bangor (and sister to the wife of Humphrey Humphreys, afterwards bishop of Bangor and of Hereford), 3 January 1671/2. It is not strange, therefore, that he secured the rectory of Llanddyfnan (which had been held 'in commendam' by his father-in-law), 4 November 1672, together with a licence to hold Llantrisant as well. He died 21 March 1681. His successor at Llantrisant (16 May 1681) was his younger brother, Robert Wynn, who had been rector of Llanddeiniolen since 22 March 1680, and who continued to hold both livings in addition to that of Llanbeblig (from 5 November 1693) until his death, 18 October 1720. JOHN WYNNE, the heir of Edward Wynn, died in 1709. His only child, Edward (by his wife Blanch, daughter of Pierce Lloyd of Llugwy), had died in infancy, and the estate passed to his brother EDWARD WYNNE (1681 - 1755). He had completed a distinguished career in Jesus College, Oxford (matriculating 18 December 1698, at the age of 17, B.A. 1702, M.A. 1705, and B. and D.C.L. 15 March 1710/11), and had secured the office of chancellor of the diocese of Hereford in 1707 from his uncle, bishop Humphreys. Fortunately, his mother resided at Bodewryd (she died 31 August 1723), and he was able to pursue his career and studies in ecclesiastical law, becoming an advocate in Doctors Commons in 1712, without being overtaxed by the worries of his patrimonial estate. He gave the diocese a life of devoted service, holding office until within a year of his death. In 1748 he endowed a sermon in Hereford cathedral on the birthday of bishop Humphreys (24 November). In addition to his interest in canon law, in administration, and in the history of his adopted diocese, he was a progressive landowner, who turned his familiarity with contemporary agricultural developments in Herefordshire to good use on his Anglesey estate. He is reputed to have been the first to grow turnips in the island, in 1714. He was, undoubtedly, one of the chief men of Anglesey in the first half of the 18th century. His judgement and accurate knowledge of the law commanded respect, though the Morris brothers are not always complimentary towards him in their correspondence with one another, but it must be remembered that they were of the Meyrick party, while Wynne was a firm supporter of the Bulkeley s. He is traditionally credited with having patronised Goronwy Owen in his youth, and it is certain that the youthful poet transcribed documents for him during the Christmas vacation of 1739. Edward Wynne died 30 June, and was buried 4 July 1755. His children by his wife Anne, daughter and heiress of John Lloyd of Plas Einion, in the Vale of Clwyd, had all died in infancy. An estrangement had grown between the parents, but they had been reconciled before the wife's death on 29 July 1739. The Bodewryd estate passed to Margaret Owen, heiress of Penrhos, granddaughter of Edward Wynne's sister Anne (died 1748), who had married Robert Owen of Penrhos. She married Sir John Stanley, bt., in 1763 (see the article on the Stanley family).

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Published date: 1959

Article Copyright: http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/

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