The progenitor of the many branches of the
Wogan
family (there were branches at
Boulston
,
Wiston
,
Picton
,
Llanstinan
,
Stonehall
, and elsewhere in
Pembrokeshire
, as well as in
Ireland
and
England
) is supposed to have been
GWGAN AP
,
lord of Brecknock
, one of whose descendants married the heiress of
Wiston
, who was a descendant of
Wizo the Fleming
,
lord of Daugleddy
.
(1)
Picton
.
The first noteworthy member of the family is
Sir
JOHN
WOGAN
,
justiciary
of
Ireland
, a member of the
Picton
branch. There is complete uncertainty about his parentage and early life. We first hear of him in
1281
and
1290
, when he was
conducting inquiries for the crown
in
Wales
, but he seems to have had some interests also in
Ireland
before
1284
. Following his appointment as one of the justices for
co. York
in
1293
, he became
judiciary
of
Ireland
in
1295
. During his term of office he acquired considerable estates in
Ireland
. Unless he had a son of the same name as himself, who was also
justiciary
of
Ireland
(as
Francis
Green
suggests,
W. Wales Records
, vi, 176), he was again appointed
justiciary
of
Ireland
in
1308
and continued in the office until
1313
. His wife was
Margaret
(d.
1302
), daughter and one of the co-heirs of
Robert de
Valle
(
Dale
)
,
lord
of
Walwyn's Castle
.
Sir
John
Wogan
,
lord of Picton
(as he was designated), founded the
chantry of S. Nicholas
in the
cathedral of S. Davids
in
1302
, and it is said that he was buried in that chapel. He also secured a grant of the manor of
Castle Morris
, in
Dewsland
, for the
bishop of S. Davids
in
1302
. He d.
1321
.
Sir
THOMAS
WOGAN
(b.
c.
1311
), son and heir of the
justiciary
, became
escheator
of
Ireland
in
1338
and
gained the king's praise
and reward for his services there and in
Wales
and
Scotland
. He d.
1357
. His great-grandson,
JOHN
WOGAN
(d.
before 1420
), was the last of the male line of the
Picton
branch.
Bibliography:
-
West Wales Historical Records
,
1910–29
, vi, 170-88;
-
Oxford Dictionary of National
Biography
;
-
Heraldic Visitations
of Wales and Part of the Marches
, 1846
, i, 115.
(2)
Wiston
.
The exact relationship between the
Picton
and
Wiston
branches of the family has never been determined. The
Wogans
of
Wiston
, great
landowners
in
Daugleddy
, became prominent in local affairs, particularly in the
15th and 16th cent.
A number of them were
knights
—
Sir
JOHN
WOGAN
(d.
1419
), his grandson,
Sir
HENRY
WOGAN
,
steward
of the earldom of
Pembroke
in
1448
(his wife was
Margaret
, daughter of
Sir
William
Thomas
, later
Herbert
, of
Raglan
)
, and his son,
Sir
JOHN
WOGAN
, whose wife was
Matilda
, daughter and heiress of
William
Clement
,
lord
of
Geneu'r-glyn
,
Cardiganshire
, and who d. at the
battle of Banbury
,
26 July 1469
(
H. T.
Evans
,
Wales and the Wars of the Roses
, 109-10, 176, 184). The latter's grandson,
Sir
JOHN
WOGAN
, was a
gentleman usher of the king's chamber
and was granted certain offices in
Pembrokeshire
and
Cardiganshire
in consideration of his services in
England
and abroad. He was
sheriff
of
Cardiganshire
in
1542
and
1556
, and of
Pembrokeshire
in
1543
and
1554
. He m.
Anne
, the heiress of
William ap Phillip
of
Stone Hall, Pembs.
He d.
23 Aug. 1557
. His
grandson,
JOHN
WOGAN
, who m.
Cecil
, daughter of
Sir
Edward
Carne
of
Ewenny Priory, Glam.
, was
sheriff
of
Cardiganshire
in
1564
, and of
Pembrokeshire
in
1567
and
1572
; he d.
4 May 1580
. His heir,
Sir
WILLIAM
WOGAN
(d.
1625
), was
knighted
before 1611
. He m.
Sybil
, daughter of
Sir
Hugh
Owen
of
Orielton
. Their son,
Sir
JOHN
WOGAN
(
1588
-
1644
), m.
Jane
, daughter of
Sir
Thomas
Colclough
of
Tintern
,
Wexfordshire
,
prior to 1628
. He was educated at
Jesus College
,
Oxford
. He was
sheriff
of
Pembrokeshire
in
1636
, and
Member of Parliament
for the same county in
1614
,
1620-2
,
1625
,
1626
,
1628-9
,
1640
, and
1640-4
.
Colonel
THOMAS
WOGAN
, the
regicide
, was the third son of
Sir
John
Wogan
and his wife
Jane
Colclough
. He was a well-known
parliamentarian
in the struggle between the king and Parliament, and held the rank of
captain
(later
colonel
). In
March 1648
he was ordered by
Cromwell
to go to
Wales
to
assist in the restoration of peace in Pembrokeshire
and the adjoining counties. He was praised by
colonel
Thomas
Horton
for his services in the fighting which culminated in the
battle of S. Fagans
on
8 May 1648
. He was
Member of Parliament
for the
borough of Cardigan
in
1646-53
when he
presented a petition from the town for a free school
. In
Jan. 1649
he acted as
one of the king's judges
and signed the death warrant. He sat in the
Rump Parliament
of
1659
. At the
Restoration
he was summoned to trial, and on
6 June 1660
was excepted from the
Act of Oblivion
. He surrendered on
27 June 1664
and was imprisoned, but on
27 July 1664
he escaped from the
Tower
with other prisoners. It seems that he fled to
Holland
, and in
1666
he was in
Utrecht
. He was still alive in
1669
(
Trans. Cymm
.,
1946-7
, 214).
The
Wogans
remained at
Wiston
until the estate was sold to
John
Campbell
(
lord Cawdor
)
in
1794
.
Bibliography:
-
West Wales Historical Records
,
1910–29
, vi, 188-232;
-
Oxford Dictionary of National
Biography
(under Thomas Wogan);
-
W. R. Williams
,
The History of the Parliamentary
Representation of Wales
, 1895
, 38, 155;
-
J. R. Phillips
,
Memoirs of the Civil War in Wales and the
Marches, 1642–1649
, 1874
, ii, 366;
-
Public Record Office, List of Sheriffs for
England and Wales…to A.D. 1831
, 1898
(P.R.O.), 266;
-
The Transactions of the Honourable Society
of Cymmrodorion
,
1942
(41),
1946-7
(96);
-
Richard Fenton
,
A Historical Tour through
Pembrokeshire
. (1st ed.), 160.
(3)
Boulston
.
In the
15th cent.
HENRY
WOGAN
of
Milton
, son of
Sir
John
Wogan
of
Wiston
, m.
Margaret
Dyer
of
Boulston
, and from this union the
Wogans
of
Boulston
were descended.
JOHN
WOGAN
, son of
Richard
Wogan
of
Boulston
by his wife
Matilda
, daughter of
Sir
Thomas
Phillips
of
Cil-sant
, was
sheriff
for
Pembrokeshire
in
1566
,
1574
,
1584
, and
1598?
and
Member of Parliament
for the county in
1545-7
,
1553
(
Williams
,
Parl. Hist. of Wales
, 154). He was created a
knight
before 25 Nov. 1597
. He m. (1)
Jane
, daughter of
Richard
Wogan
of
Wiston
, and (2)
Elizabeth
, daughter of
Robert
Byrte
of
Llwyndyris, Cards.
He was
involved in the piracy inquiries
of
1564-90
. He d.
1601
. His son (by his first wife)
JOHN
WOGAN
was also
knighted
.
Williams
(
Parl. Hist. of Wales
, 155) states that he was
Member of Parliament
for
Pembrokeshire
in
1571
,
c.
1576 or 1581-3
. He held the offices of
deputy-lieutenant
(
1595-1600
) and
sheriff
(
1606
and
1630
) of
Pembrokeshire
. He m. (1)
Frances
Pollard
(d.
1623
), daughter of
Lewis
Pollard
of
Kingsnympton
,
Devon
, and (2)
Margaret
(unidentified). He d.
14 Sept. 1636
. His grandson,
ABRAHAM
WOGAN
, second son of
Maurice
Wogan
(
1583
—
1640
) and
Frances
, daughter of
Sir
Hugh
Owen
of
Orielton
, became
sheriff
of
Pembrokeshire
in
1648
. He d.
Jan. 1652
. His son,
LEWIS
WOGAN
(
c.
1649
-
1702
), was educated at
Jesus College
,
Oxford
(
1665-?
), and was
sheriff
of
Pembrokeshire
in
1672
. He m.
Katherine
Philipps
(see p. 754) of
Cardigan
. The
Boulston estate
descended to the
Wogans
of
Gawdy Hall
,
Norfolk
, in
1715
.
Bibliography:
-
Y Cymmrodor
, xv, 100-49;
-
Alumni Oxonienses
.
(4)
Llanstinan
.
The
Llanstinan
branch was founded by
REES
WOGAN
, son of
Sir
John
Wogan
of
Boulston
, who m.
Jenet
, co-heiress of
Llewelyn
Lloyd
of
Llanstinan
. His grandson,
WILLIAM
WOGAN
, second son of
Thomas
Wogan
, achieved distinction in the law. He was admitted to
Gray's Inn
on
23 May 1653
, and
called to the Bar
on
1 June 1660
. He was made
king's serjeant
on
4 May 1689
. He served as
chief justice
of the
Carmarthen circuit of the Great Sessions
,
1689-1701
. He was
Member of Parliament
for
Haverfordwest
in
1679
,
1685-7
, and
1689-1701
, and for
Pembrokeshire
in
1681
. He was
knighted
21 Oct. 1689
. His first wife was
Elizabeth
(d.
1697
), daughter and co-heiress
of
Sir
John
Ashburnam
, and widow of
Sir
John
Jacob
of
Bromley
,
Middlesex
, bt. His second wife was
Mary
, (d.
1708
), daughter of
Dame
Elizabeth
Purbeck
of
Hatton Gardens
,
Middlesex
, by her husband
viscount Purbeck
. He d.
1 Dec. 1708
.
Bibliography:
-
W. R. Williams
,
The History of the Parliamentary
Representation of Wales
, 1895
, 156;
-
West Wales Historical Records
,
1910–29
, vii, 8-9;
-
Williams
,
The history of the Great Sessions in Wales,
1542-1830 together with the lives of the Welsh judges, and
annotated lists of the chamberlains and chancellors,
attorney generals, and prothonotaries of the four circuits
of Chester and Wales
, Brecknock, 1899
,
1899
, 178-9.
(5)
WOGAN
,
WILLIAM
(
1678
-
1758
),
religious writer
;
third son of
Ethelred
Wogan
,
rector
of
Gumfreston
(
1665
-
1686?
) and
vicar
of
Penally, Pembs.
, who was either a grandson of
Ethelred
Wogan
,
sheriff
and
mayor
of
Haverfordwest
in the period
1623–47
(
W. Wales Records
, vii, 11-2), or one of the
Wogans
of
Lisburne
,
Ireland
. His mother (d.
1732
) is said to have been a sister of
Robert
Williams
of
Cefn-gorwydd
, in the parish of
Loughor, Glam.
, where he himself was brought up after the death of his father
before 13 Feb. 1686
. He was educated at
Swansea grammar school
and
Westminster School
(
1694
), and entered
Trinity College
,
Cambridge
, on
5 June 1700
. He left without a degree to serve as
tutor
and then as
clerk
in the family of
Sir
Robert
Southwell
. In
1712
he
entered the army
. He m.
Catherine
Stanhope
(d.
1726
) and lived at
Ealing
from about
1727
on. There he
wrote many religious works
, including
Essay on the Proper Lessons of the Church of England
,
1753
. A pious man and friend of many Evangelical leaders, he d.
24 Jan. 1758
.
Bibliography:
-
Oxford Dictionary of National
Biography
;
-
West Wales Historical Records
,
1910–29
, vii, 11-4;
-
Alumni Cantabrigienses
.
Author:
Dr Bertie George Charles, Ph.D., (1908-2000), Aberystwyth
