The
Wynnes
of
Peniarth
, parish of
Llanegryn, Mer.
, were a cadet branch of the
Wynns
of
Glyn Cywarch
(qq.v.)
, near
Harlech, Mer.
Like some other
Merioneth
families its members claimed descent from
Osbwrn Wyddel
(q.v.)
.
W. W. E.
Wynne
(below), a very high
authority on North Wales genealogies
, published
Pedigree of the Family of Wynne, of Peniarth in the County of Merioneth
(
London
,
1872
), and as
Wynne
was a most careful searcher for evidence in ancient records of almost every historical statement which he made, the
Pedigree
is a work on which reliance can be placed. This article will, perforce, deal only very briefly with the earlier generations, particularly as the career of
W. W. E.
Wynne
himself needs a fairly full note.
KENRIC AB
, of
Corsygedol, Mer.
— see
Vaughan
family of
Corsygedol
— had a son,
LLEWELYN AP
, also of
Corsygedol
, who m.
NEST
(
NESTA
)
, daughter and heiress of
GRIFFITH AB
, of
Dôl Goch
and
Ynysmaengwyn
,
Towyn
(the tomb of
Griffith ab Adda
can be seen in
Towyn church
). From this marriage there descended — to take only the main line —
EINION AP
,
IEUAN AB
,
RHYS AP
(
Rhys
had a better-known brother,
Dafydd ab Ifan ab Einion
, q.v.
), and
IEUAN AP
, who m.
LAUREA
, daughter and heiress of
Richard
Bamville
,
Wirral, Ches.
, and thereby acquired
Glyn (Cywarch)
.
JOHN AP
, son of this marriage, is described as of
Glyn
— he was
living there
27 Nov. 1545
.
ROBERT
, of
Glyn
, who d. in
1589
, had m.
KATHERINE
, daughter of
Ellis ap Maurice
of
Clenennau, Caerns.
(
sheriff of Merioneth
in
1541
), and was the father of
WILLIAM
WYNNE
(d.
1658
), of
Glyn
, who, by his wife,
Katherine
(d.
23 Feb. 1638/9
), eldest child of
William Lewis
Anwyl
,
Park
,
Llanfrothen, Mer.
(see the article on the family), had
ROBERT
WYNNE
(d.
1670
), of
Glyn
and
Sylfaen
, whose wife was
KATHERINE
, eldest daughter and heir of
Robert
Owen
of
Ystumcegid, Caerns.
The fourth son of
William
Wynne
of
Glyn
and
Katherine
(
Owen
)
was
WILLIAM
WYNNE
I
(d.
1700
), of
Wern, Caerns.
, of which he became possessed by right of his wife (and first cousin),
ELIZABETH
, daughter and heiress of
Maurice
Jones
of
Wern
. He was succeeded by his son,
WILLIAM
WYNNE
II
(d.
1721
), of
Wern
. He, by his wife,
Catherine
(
Goodman
)
, was the father of
WILLIAM
WYNNE
III
(
1708
-
1766
), of
Wern
, whose wife was
Ellinor
, daughter of
Griffith
Williams
,
cleric
, of
Llandegwning
and
Aberkin, Caerns.
The son of this
William
Wynne
and
Ellinor
was
WILLIAM
WYNNE
IV
(
1745
-
1796
), of
Wern
and
Peniarth
, the
Peniarth estate
coming to him when he m.
Jane
,
viscountess dowager Bulkeley
, this
lady Bulkeley
(
1740
-
1811
), being the daughter and heiress of
LEWIS
OWEN
of
Peniarth
, ‘
Custos Rotulorum
’ for
Merioneth
, etc. (see the article
Owen
family of
Peniarth
). Their eldest son,
WILLIAM
WYNNE
V
(
1774
-
1834
), of
Peniarth
, who was
sheriff
of
Merioneth
in
1812
, and who sold
Wern
(see under
Wardle
,
G.LL.
), m. (
1800
)
ELIZABETH
, youngest daughter and coheiress of
Philip
Puleston
,
D.D.
, of
Pickhill Hall
,
Denbs.
,
rector
of
Worthenbury
and
vicar
of
Ruabon
, and his wife,
Annabella
, eldest daughter and (eventually) heiress of
Richard
Williams
of
Penbedw, Denbs.
(youngest brother of
Sir
Watkin Williams
Wynn
,
3rd bt.
of
Wynnstay
). The eldest son of this marriage was
William Watkin Edward
Wynne
(see below), the famous
antiquary
,
genealogist
, and owner of the
Hengwrt-Peniarth manuscripts
(
William
Wynne
had a brother,
RICHARD
WYNNE
, who was
chief justice
of
Dacca
,
Bengal
, and d. in
India
in
1821
, and two sisters, of whom one,
Elizabeth
, m.
Charles James
Apperley
(‘
Nimrod
,’ q.v.)
.
The career of
WILLIAM
WYNNE
(
1801
-
1880
) is described fully by
G.
Tibbott
in
Jnl. of the Mer. Hist. Soc.
, i, 69-76. Born at
Pickhill Hall
,
23 Dec. 1801
, he went to
Westminster School
in
1814
and matriculated at
Oxford
, as of
Jesus College
,
24 March 1820
. On
8 May 1839
he m.
Mary
, daughter of
Robert Aglionby
Slaney
,
Member of Parliament
for
Shrewsbury
. There were two sons of the marriage:
William Robert Maurice
Wynne
and
Owen Slaney
Wynne
(
1842
-
1908
).
W. W. E.
Wynne
was
Member of Parliament
for
Merioneth
for thirteen years (from
1852
), and
high sheriff of the county
in
1867
; he was also a
deputy-lieutenant
, a
county magistrate
, and
constable
of
Harlech castle
(appointed
1874
). It is, however, as an
antiquary
(he was
president
of the
Cambrian Archaeological Association
in
1850
; about forty articles by him appeared in
Arch. Camb.
), and
genealogist
that he will be remembered by posterity, and particularly as the careful custodian and studious searcher through, and cataloguer of, the
Hengwrt manuscripts
, which became his property, by bequest of
Sir
Robert Williames
Vaughan
,
3rd baronet
, in
1859
(see the article on
Robert
Vaughan
,
Hengwrt
). By training and inclination he was ideally equipped for the trusteeship of the
Hengwrt-Peniarth manuscripts
, which, incidentally, included many volumes other than those formerly at
Hengwrt
(e.g. the
Penbedw
library). He contributed to
Arch. Camb.
a catalogue of his manuscripts (
1861-71
); he was also generous in the matter of giving access to them to trusted scholars, whilst he must also have been very busy answering inquiries from a host of searchers throughout
Britain
. A most valuable feature of his work were notes which he supplied to
S. R.
Meyrick
's edition of
Lewis
Dwnn
's
Heraldic Visitations
(
1846
) and to
Edward
Breese
's
Kalendars of Gwynedd
(
1873
). Others to whom he gave valued assistance were
Sir
Henry
Ellis
,
editor
of
The Record of Kaernarvon
(
1838
), and
Askew
Roberts
, who prepared the third ed. (
1877
) of
Sir
John
Wynn
's
History of the Gwydir Family
.
Angharad
Llwyd
and
Richard
Llwyd
(‘
Bard of Snowdon
’)
were often at
Peniarth
, whilst among
Wynne
's numerous correspondents were such
antiquaries
as
Joseph
Morris
of
Shrewsbury
and
John
Jones
,
Llanllyfni
. Other publications by him (besides numerous contributions to
Mont. Coll.
,
Y Cymmrodor
, and
Bye-Gones
) were
A … Guide to Harlech Castle
(
London
,
1878
) and
Hist. of the Parish of Llanegryn
(
London
,
1879
); his projected reissue of
John
Davies
's,
Display of Herauldry
was not fulfilled because of his death. He d.
9 June 1880
, and was buried at
Llanegryn
. After the death of the survivor of his sons the bulk of the
Peniarth manuscripts
became the property (in
1909
) of
Sir
John
Williams
(
1840
-
1926
) (q.v.)
, who had purchased the reversion, and came into the
National Library of Wales
.
See the separate article on the
Owen
family of
Peniarth
.
Sir William Llewelyn Davies, M.A., LL.D., F.S.A. (1887-1952),
Aberystwyth
