John Wynn, 5th Bt, by English School of the 18th Century

Sir John Wynn, 5th Baronet (1628 – 11 January 1719) was a Welsh landowner and Tory politician who sat in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and

British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 mem ...

between 1679 and 1713.

Early life

Wynn was the only son of

Henry Wynn Henry Philip Wynn (born 19 February 1945) is a British statistician who has been a President of the Royal Statistical Society. He gained a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics from Oxford and a Doctor of Philosophy, PhD in Mathematical Statistics ...

of Rhiwgoch, Merioneth, and was educated at the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

, 1646. He inherited the Watstay Estate through his marriage to Jane Evans (daughter of Eyton Evans of Watstay), which he renamed the

Wynnstay Wynnstay is a country house within an important landscaped park 1.3 km (0.75 miles) south-east of Ruabon, near Wrexham, Wales. Wynnstay, previously Watstay, is a famous estate and the family seat of the Wynns. The house was sold in 1948 and ...

Estate. He also, allegedly, won the manor of Stanwardine in

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

from Thomas Corbett in a snail race. He succeeded his cousin

Sir Richard Wynn, 4th Baronet Sir Richard Wynn, 4th Baronet (1625–1674) was Sheriff of Caernarvonshire and twice a member of Parliament for the same county. Biography Sir Richard succeeded his father Sir Owen Wynn at Gwydir in 1660. His mother was Grace Williams, a niece o ...

as a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

in 1674George Edward Cokayne ''Complete Baronetage'' 1900
/ref> but did not inherit the Gwydyr Estate, which passed to his predecessor's daughter Mary (later wife of

Robert Bertie, 1st Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven Robert Bertie, 1st Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven PC (20 October 1660 – 26 July 1723), ''styled'' 17th Baron Willoughby de Eresby between 1666 and 1701, and known as 4th Earl of Lindsey between 1701 and 1706, and as 1st Marquess of Lindsey ...

Career

Wynn served as

High Sheriff of Denbighshire The first High Sheriff of Denbighshire was John Salusbury, snr, appointed in 1540. The shrievalty of Denbighshire, together with that of Flintshire, continued until 1974 when it was abolished after the county and shrievalty of Clwyd was create ...

for 1671–3, as

High Sheriff of Caernarvonshire This is a list of Sheriffs of Caernarvonshire (or Carnarvonshire). The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in a county but over the centuries most of the responsibi ...

for 1674-75 and as

High Sheriff of Merionethshire This is a list of Sheriffs of Merionethshire (or Sheriffs of Meirionnydd). The historic county of Merioneth was originally created in 1284. The administrative county of Merioneth was created from the historic county under the Local Government Act ...

for 1675–1676. He was

Custos Rotulorum of Merionethshire This is a list of people who have served as Custos Rotulorum of Merionethshire. * John "Wynn" ap Maredudd 1543 – bef. 1558 * Lewis ap Owen 1553–1555 History of Parliament Online * Ellis Price bef. 1558 – bef. 1562 * Owen ap Jo ...

for 1678–1688, 1690–96 and 1700–1711. Wynn was returned as

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

Merioneth , HQ= Dolgellau , Government= Merionethshire County Council (1889-1974) , Origin= , Status= , Start= 1284 , End= , Code= MER , CodeName= ...

in 1679. He was returned again in 1685 and held the seat until 1695. At the

1698 English general election After the conclusion of the 1698 English general election the government led by the Whig Junto believed it had held its ground against the opposition. Over the previous few years, divisions had emerged within the Whig party between the 'court' sup ...

he was returned as MP for

Caernarvon Boroughs Caernarfon was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Caernarfon in Wales. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system. The constituency was created in 1536 as a District of Boroughs, represented in ...

. At the

1705 English general election The 1705 English general election saw contests in 110 constituencies in England and Wales, roughly 41% of the total. The election was fiercely fought, with mob violence and cries of " Church in Danger" occurring in several boroughs. During the pr ...

he was returned unopposed as MP for Caernarvonshire. He was returned unopposed at the

1708 British general election The 1708 British general election was the first general election to be held after the Acts of Union had united the Parliaments of England and Scotland. The election saw the Whigs finally gain a majority in the House of Commons, and by November ...

and the

1710 British general election The 1710 British general election produced a landslide victory for the Tories. The election came in the wake of the prosecution of Henry Sacheverell, which had led to the collapse of the previous government led by Godolphin and the Whig Junto. ...

. He retired at the

1713 British general election The 1713 British general election produced further gains for the governing Tory party. Since 1710 Robert Harley had led a government appointed after the downfall of the Whig Junto, attempting to pursue a moderate and non-controversial policy, b ...

Later life

Wynn lived into his nineties, mainly residing in London, but died without issue in 1719. On his death the Wynn baronetcy became extinct and the ancient

House of Aberffraw The Royal House of Aberffraw was a cadet branch of the Kingdom of Gwynedd originating from the sons of Rhodri the Great in the 9th century. Establishing the Royal court ( cy, Llys) of the Aberffraw Commote would begin a new location from which t ...

(which claimed direct descent from

Rhodri Mawr Rhodri ap Merfyn ( 820 – 873/877/878), popularly known as Rhodri the Great ( cy, Rhodri Mawr), succeeded his father, Merfyn Frych, as King of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd in 844. Rhodri annexed Kingdom of Powys, Powys c. 856 and Seisyllwg c. 8 ...

ap Merfyn in the late 9th century and through him to the legendary line of

Brutus Marcus Junius Brutus (; ; 85 BC – 23 October 42 BC), often referred to simply as Brutus, was a Roman politician, orator, and the most famous of the assassins of Julius Caesar. After being adopted by a relative, he used the name Quintus Serv ...

) was left without known male issue.

Possible heir and relatives

Had Thomas Jones (

Twm Siôn Cati Twm Siôn Cati (also sometimes spelt Twm Sion Cati, historically Twm Shon Catti or Twm Shon Catty) is a figure in Welsh folklore. Background Tales about him vary on details, but he is usually said to have been born in or very near to Tregaron ...

) really been the illegitimate son of John "Wynn" ap Maredudd (as claimed by

Sir John Wynn, 1st Baronet Sir John Wynn, 1st Baronet (1553 – 1 March 1627), was a Welsh baronet, Member of Parliament and antiquary. Life He was the son of Morys Wynn ap John, whom he succeeded in 1580, inheriting Gwydir Castle in Carnarvonshire. John was educated a ...

in his family history), his children would have been next in line, illegitimate sons having the same rights of inheritance as legitimate ones under ancient Welsh law. There are also several claims that "lost" relatives such as a supposed Colonel Hugh Wynn who is alleged to have moved to

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

and raised a family. However, with no clear heir, Sir John bequeathed the entire Wynnstay estate to Jane Thelwall, great-granddaughter of the first baronet and wife of Sir William Williams, 2nd Baronet (c. 1665 – 20 October 1740). Sir John Wynn and Sir William Williams were the two largest landowners in north Wales at that time and together the combined estate dwarfed all others. In honour of his wife's ancestry Sir William Williams changed his name to Sir William Williams-Wynn of Wynnstay. The current baronet is Sir David Watkin Williams-Wynn, 11th Baronet (born 1940).

Notes

References