Lieutenant-General Owen Wynne (1665–1737) was an Irish general and commander in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

, and a member of the

Parliament of Ireland The Parliament of Ireland ( ga, Parlaimint na hÉireann) was the legislature of the Lordship of Ireland, and later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1297 until 1800. It was modelled on the Parliament of England and from 1537 comprised two cham ...

. He was the third son of Owen Wynne, who settled in Ireland about the year 1688, having previously lived in Wales. In 1688 he was serving in the army of James II, but being a Protestant, he transferred his allegiance to the Prince of Orange on the breaking out of the Glorious Revolution. He was with Major-General Kirke's force sent from England to the relief of Londonderry, and he also took some part in the defence of Enniskillen, and served through the War in Ireland. Owen Wynne was appointed a major in his brother James Wynne's Dragoons on 1 November 1694, and served with his Regiment through the Flanders campaign of 1694 to 1697, being promoted lieutenant-colonel in July 1695, taking the place of Charles Ross, promoted colonel of the regiment on the death of James Wynne. He served under

John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, 1st Prince of Mindelheim, 1st Count of Nellenburg, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, (26 May 1650 – 16 June 1722 O.S.) was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reign ...

and was promoted colonel in 1703, and in 1705 he raised and commanded a regiment of foot. The year 1706 saw him a brigadier-general, and in 1709 he was promoted to

major-general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

. In 1715 Major-General Wynne raised and commanded the regiment later known as the

9th Lancers The 9th Queen's Royal Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1715. It saw service for three centuries, including the First and Second World Wars. The regiment survived the immediate post-war reduction in forces, but w ...

. From the head of Owen Wynne's Dragoons, he was transferred to the colonelcy of the 5th Horse, later the

4th Dragoon Guards The 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1685 as the Earl of Arran's Regiment of Cuirassiers. It was renamed as the 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards in 1788 and service for two centuries, inclu ...

. Promotion to lieutenant-general followed in 1726, and in 1728 Owen Wynne was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the

Royal Irish Army Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a ci ...

. In August 1732 he was transferred from the 5th Horse to the colonelcy of his old regiment, the Royal Irish Dragoons, which appointment he retained until his death in 1737. Owen Wynne represented

Ballyshannon Ballyshannon () is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is located at the southern end of the county where the N3 from Dublin ends and the N15 crosses the River Erne. Incorporated in 1613, it is one of the oldest towns in Ireland. Location B ...

in Parliament from 1715 to 1727, and from 1727 to 1737 was member for Sligo. He was also a Privy Councillor, and in 1736 was

Governor of Londonderry The Governor of Londonderry and Culmore was a British military appointment. The Governor was the officer who commanded the garrison and fortifications of the city of Derry and of Culmore fort. The Governor was paid by The Honourable The Irish So ...

. It is stated that he several times refused a peerage.

References

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wynne, Owen 1665 births 1737 deaths Irish MPs 1692–1693 Irish MPs 1713–1714 Irish MPs 1715–1727 Irish MPs 1727–1760 Members of the Privy Council of Ireland Commanders-in-Chief, Ireland British Army generals 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards officers 5th Royal Irish Lancers officers 9th Queen's Royal Lancers officers Williamite military personnel of the Williamite War in Ireland British military personnel of the Nine Years' War British military personnel of the War of the Spanish Succession Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Leitrim constituencies Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Donegal constituencies Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Sligo constituencies Irish soldiers