WYNN and OWEN families, of Glyn (Glyn Cywarch), Merioneth, and Brogyntyn, Salop.

This family traces its descent from Osbwrn Wyddel, a member of the Geraldine clan. EINION, living 16 October 1380, and fifth in descent from Osbwrn, married Tanglwst, daughter of Rhydderch ap Ieuan Llwyd , of Gogerddan, Cardiganshire. He was succeeded by IFAN (living 6 October 1427), RHYS, and IFAN (living 4 March 1513), who married Laurea, daughter of Richard Bamville, of the Wirral, Cheshire, probably before 1 October 1499. This Ifan, who is also referred to as IEUAN AP RHYS, had released to him certain lands which became part of the Glyn estate ' which are stated to have been previously pledged by Richard Bamville ' (W. W. E. Wynne, Pedigree of … Wynne of Peniarth, 1872). ' Through this marriage, Glyn, and much of the property in the parish of Llanvihangel y Traethau, came into the family, but probably there was no mansion house at Glyn at so early a period ' (Wynne, op. cit.). JOHN AP IEUAN, the heir of this marriage, and described as of Glyn, was living on 27 November 1545. His son, ROBERT WYN AP JOHN (died 1589), married (probably in 1544) Katherine, daughter of Ellis ap Maurice of Clenennau, Caernarfonshire, and was the father of MAURICE AP ROBERT WYNNE (died between 9 February 1609/10 and 16 April 1610), who was escheator of the county of Merioneth upon 19 October 1604. It was by his second wife, Annes, daughter of Robert ap Richard of Llecheiddior, Caernarfonshire, that Maurice was the father of WILLIAM WYNN (died 1658), high sheriff of Merioneth in 1618 and again in 1637. In 1611 William Wynn married Catherine (died 23 February 1638/9), daughter of William Lewis Anwyl, of Park, Llanfrothen - see Anwyl family of Park. It was this William Wynn who built the present house of Glyn; for details, see the article by lord Harlech in Journal of the Merioneth Hist. Soc., i, 9-11.

The heir of William Wynn and Catherine (Anwyl) was ROBERT WYNN (died 1670), of Glyn and Ystumcegid, high sheriff of Merioneth in 1656-7 and 1668-9. By his wife, Catherine (died 1675), daughter and co-heiress of Robert Owen of Ystumcegid, he was the father of OWEN WYNN (died 1682/3), of Glyn and Ystumcegid, who married Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of Robert Mostyn, of Nant, Flintshire, the issue of the marriage being two daughters, (1) MARGARET (died 1727), who married Sir ROBERT OWEN (died 1698), of Clenennau and Brogyntyn who was Member of Parliament for Merioneth, 1681-85, and was elected for Caernarvon boroughs in 1698 (Sir Robert Owen was grandson of Sir John Owen of Clenennau, (1600 - 1666), the Royalist soldier; through his mother, Catherine, daughter and heiress of Lewis Anwyl, Park, Llanfrothen, he inherited the Anwyl library, included in which was a copy of a Shakespeare ' Folio,' lately at Brogyntyn), and (2) Catherine (died 1700), who became the first wife of Peter Pennant, of Bychton, Flintshire.

Lady (Margaret) Owen and her husband were neighbours of Ellis Wynne, author of Gweledigaethau y Bardd Cwsc, who wrote to the husband on 16 September 1697 soliciting his help in regard to difficulties which had arisen in regard to the estate of the writer's uncle, John Jones, of Uwchlaw'r Coed, and, on 9 November 1706, to lady (Margaret) Owen, by then a widow, asking her and her son, William Owen, to let him and his parishioners of Llandanwg have the old Shire Hall at Harlech for conversion into a chapel-of-ease; both letters are in the Brogyntyn collection in N.L.W. - see Ellis Wynn: Dauganmlwyddiant, published by the National Library in 1934.

The heir of Sir Robert Owen and lady (Margaret) Owen was WILLIAM OWEN (died 1768) who married Mary, daughter of Henry Godolphin, dean of S. Paul's and provost of Eton (see Godolphin papers in Brogyntyn collection in N.L.W., and an account in Etoniana, 1939), leaving as (eventual) heiress a daughter, another MARGARET OWEN, who married Owen Ormsby (died 1804), of Willowbrook, Co. Sligo, Ireland (he, incidentally, had a Welsh mother, Hannah Wynne, a descendant of the Wynn family of Gwydir); the issue of the marriage was MARY JANE ORMSBY (died 1869), heiress of Glyn, Clenennau, and Brogyntyn. By her marriage (1815) to William Gore (died 1860), Mary Jane Ormsby became the mother of JOHN RALPH ORMSBY -GORE (1816 – 1876), who was created baron Harlech 11 January 1876.

Author

Sir William Llewelyn Davies, (1887 - 1952)

Sources

To the references already given in the text add J. E. Griffith, Pedigrees of Anglesey and Carnarvonshire Families (1914)
Lord Harlech, 'The Brogyntyn Library of Printed Books,' in The National Library of Wales Journal, v, 165-74
'Phylipiaid Ardudwy,' in Y Cymmrodor, xlii

WYNN and OWEN families, of Glyn (Glyn Cywarch), Merioneth, and Brogyntyn, Salop.

Author

Sources

Further reading