There have been two baronetcies created in the 17th and 18th centuries for persons with the same surname, Wynn; these titles were given to families from North Wales, United Kingdom:
The surname Wynn is derived from Welsh : gwyn (which can mean "white" or "blessed"), [2] [3] (soft mutation form wyn). The family name Wynn originates from North Wales. The first mention of the Wynn family of Gwydir was recorded by the children of Maredudd ap Ifan (died 1525), and the name was subsequently adopted as a surname by Maredudd's grandchildren, including Maurice Wynn (died 1580), ancestor of the Wynns of Gwydir; whereas the Wynns of Bodvean (subsequently Baron Newborough) descended from John Wyn ap Hugh (John Wynne, died 1576).
The Wynn of Gwydir Baronetcy in the County of Carnarvon was created in the Baronetage of England on 29 June 1611, for John Wynn. The members of this line were heirs to the House of Aberffraw's claim to the Kingdom of Gwynedd and subsequently the Principality of Wales as direct descendants of Prince Owain Gwynedd, the King of Gwynedd. [4] [5] [6]
The history of the Wynns of Gwydir begins with the father of Maurice Wynn, John "Wynn" ap Maredudd. John had rebuilt Gwydir around 1555 after inheriting the lease of Gwydir from his father Maredudd ab Ieuan; Maredudd had purchased the estate from Dafydd ap Hywel Coetmor around 1500. Maredudd also purchased the lease for Dolwyddelan Castle, built Penamnen, and owned lands in the commote of Nant Conwy and Llanfrothen. Maurice was the first to adopt the family name 'Wynn' and was a high sheriff and a member of parliament for Caernarvonshire during the 16th century. [7] The family continued to be prominent in politics, and all the baronets except for Owen (3rd baronet) sat as Members of Parliament, often for Carnarvonshire or other parts of England and Wales. On the death of the fifth baronet, the title became extinct in 1719. [4] [8]
A younger branch of the Wynn of Gwydir family emerged in the area of Berthddu and Bodysgallen as descendants of Gruffudd Wynn, the younger brother of Maurice (d. 1580); they married into the Mostyn baronets and Vaughan of Corsygedol and Talhenbont families. [9]
Before the baronetcy of Wynn of Gwydir became extinct, there had been marriages and inheritances shared amongst the descendants of the family. Mary Wynn, an only child, and heiress of the fourth Baronet was the wife of Robert Bertie, 17th Baron Willoughby de Eresby and 1st Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven, of Grimsthorpe Castle, and is now represented by the Baron Carrington who sold Gwydir Castle in 1921. Another descendant of the 4th baronet, Richard Wynn, was Sir Peter Burrell, husband of Priscilla Bertie, 21st Baroness Willoughby de Eresby, of Drummond Castle, Peter was created Baron Gwydyr in 1796. Peter's wife Priscilla was a daughter of Peregrine Bertie, 3rd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven, and Duchess Mary Panton. The family seat of the Barons of Willoughby de Eresby is Grimsthorpe Castle. [4] [8] [10]
The fifth baronet succeeded his cousin as baronet and inherited the Wynnstay estate, near Ruabon, north Wales. Wynnstay had been the family seat of the Wynn family. The mansion eventually passed to a cousin of the Wynn baronet, Jane Thelwell, and her husband Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 3rd Baronet who inherited the estate. Sir Watkin added the surname Wynn to his name, and his descendants became the Williams-Wynn Baronets. [4] [8] [11]
Upon extinction of the baronetcy, the family estate was inherited by a cousin; the family is still in the same area today, known as the Williams-Wynn Baronets. [12]
The Wynn of Bodvean Baronetcy in the County of Carnarvon was created in the Baronetage of Great Britain on 25 October 1742, for Sir Thomas Wynn. The family origins were near Boduan, North Wales. [13] [14]
John Wynn (John Wyn ap Hugh of Bodvel, died 1576) being the Bodvel family ancestor, John was high sheriff for Caernarfon. Wynn was the standard bearer for John, Earl of Warwick / Duke of Northumberland; this was for the Earl of Warwick's service at Kett's Rebellion in 1549 and he received Bardsey Island (Gwynedd) for his feats. Wynn descended directly from the Kings of Gwynedd via Collwyn ap Tangno (founder of the 5th tribe of the Fifteen Tribes of Wales). The Wynn of Bodvean family are also descendants of Ynyr Fychan from the Nannau family dynasty in Wales. The Wynn of Bodvel (Bodvean) family ceased to exist, but did marry into an Irish noble family to create the then new title, Baron Newborough. [15] [14] [16] [17]
An example of intermarriages between both Wynn families was John Bodvel (1617–1663). Bodvel was a grandchild of Sir John Wynn, 1st Baronet of Gwydir, and also Hugh Gwyn's (died 1611) great-grandchild, Gwyn being one of John Wynne of Bodvean's (died 1576) children. [15]
Dolwyddelan Castle is a thirteenth-century castle located west of Dolwyddelan in Conwy County Borough, North Wales. Tomen Castell, a late twelfth-century tower, is located south-east of the castle.
Baron Willoughby de Eresby is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1313 for Robert de Willoughby. Since 1983, the title has been held by Jane Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, 28th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby.
Baron Newborough is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland; both titles are extant. The first creation came in 1716 in favour of George Cholmondeley, later 2nd Earl of Cholmondeley. See Marquess of Cholmondeley for further history of this creation.
Sir John Wynn, 1st Baronet, was a Welsh baronet, Member of Parliament and antiquary.
General Peregrine Bertie, 3rd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven, styled Lord Willoughby de Eresby from 1715 to 1723 and Marquess of Lindsey from 1735 to 1742, was an English peer.
Sir Richard Wynn, 4th Baronet (1625–1674) was Sheriff of Caernarvonshire and twice a member of Parliament for the same county.
Maredudd ab Ieuan ab Robert, also spelt Maredudd ap Ieuan and Maredudd ab Ifan, was a Welsh landed gentleman and succeeded his father Ieuan ap Robert ap Maredudd (1437–1468). He had two full brothers, Robert and John, and three half-siblings born of his father Ieuan ap Robert's second marriage to Gwenhwyfar ferch Madog Vaughan of Llwyn Dyrus, they being Gruffudd Vaughan, Ieuan and an unnamed sister. He purchased and rebuilt Gwydyr Castle after it was destroyed in the 1460s and made it the family home. He was an ancestor of Sir John Wynn, 1st Baronet.
Sir John Wynn, 5th Baronet was a Welsh landowner and Tory politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons between 1679 and 1713. He was among the largest landowners in Wales.
Priscilla Barbara Elizabeth Bertie, 21st Baroness Willoughby de Eresby, known before 1780 as Lady Priscilla Bertie, was a daughter of the Peregrine Bertie, 3rd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven, and Mary Panton. Through her grandmother Mary Wynn, Priscilla Bertie was a descendant of the Welsh princely House of Aberffraw.
Gwydir Castle is situated in the Conwy valley, Wales, a mile to the west of the ancient market town of Llanrwst and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to the south of the large village of Trefriw. An example of a fortified manor house dating back to c. 1500, it is located on the edge of the floodplain of the river Conwy, and overlooked from the west by the now-forested slopes of Gwydir Forest.
This is a list of people who have served as Custos Rotulorum of Caernarvonshire.
This is a list of Sheriffs of Caernarvonshire.
The Williams-Wynn Baronetcy, of Gray's Inn in the County of Middlesex was created in the Baronetage of England on 6 July 1688 for William Williams, a prominent Welsh politician and lawyer from Anglesey, Wales. A member of the family, Sir Watkin, became one of the richest men in Britain.
The Royal House of Mathrafal began as a cadet branch of the Welsh Royal House of Dinefwr, taking their name from Mathrafal Castle. They effectively replaced the House of Gwertherion, who had been ruling the Kingdom of Powys since late Roman Britain, through the politically advantageous marriage of an ancestor, Merfyn the Oppressor. King Bleddyn ap Cynfyn would join the resistance of the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson, against the invasion of William the Conqueror, following the Norman conquest of England. Thereafter, they would struggle with the Plantagenets and the remaining Welsh Royal houses for the control of Wales. Although their fortunes rose and fell over the generations, they are primarily remembered as Kings of Powys and last native Prince of Wales.
Anwyl of Tywyn are a Welsh family who claim a patrilinear descent from Owain Gwynedd, King of Gwynedd from 1137 to 1170 and a scion of the royal House of Aberffraw. The family motto is: Eryr eryrod Eryri, which translates as "The Eagle of the Eagles of Snowdonia. The family lives in Gwynedd and speak Welsh.
Sir John Wynn, 2nd Baronet, of Glynllifon and Bodvean, Caernarvonshire and Melai, Denbighshire was a Welsh politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1740 and 1768.
Maurice Wynn or Morys Wynn ap John of Gwydir was a Welsh courtier and politician.
The Wynne Baronetcy, of Leeswood Hall, Leeswood in the County of Flint, was a title in the Baronetage of Great Britain. It was created on 9 August 1731 for George Wynne, subsequently member of parliament for Flint Boroughs. The title became extinct on the death of the third Baronet some time between 1764 and 1792.
John Bodvel was a Welsh politician who sat in the House of Commons of England from 1640 to 1644. He was a colonel in the Royalist army in the English Civil War.
Colonel Sir Robert William Herbert Watkin Williams-Wynn, 9th Baronet, KCB, DSO was a Welsh soldier and landowner.