William Wynne ( – May 1704) was a Welsh historian.

Life

Wynne was the youngest son of Robert Wynne (a

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

Bangor Cathedral Bangor Cathedral ( cy, Eglwys Gadeiriol Bangor) is a cathedral in Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales. It is dedicated to its founder, Saint Deiniol. The site of the present building of Bangor Cathedral has been in use as a place of Christian worship since ...

and

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

Llanddeiniolen Llanddeiniolen (; ; ) is a hamlet and name of a community in the county of Gwynedd, Wales, and is from Cardiff and from London. It comprises the villages of Deiniolen, Bethel, Dinorwig, Rhiwlas, Brynrefail and Penisarwaun, and is the third-l ...

and Llaniestyn) and his wife Catherine Madryn, heiress of Llannerch Fawr. William Wynne's eldest brother was

Robert Wynne The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, hono ...

. William Wynne was born before 12 November 1671 and educated at

Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship St ...

(like his father and elder brother). He

matriculated Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now. ...

in March 1688 and took his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in 1691. He became a

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of the college in 1692, and held this position until his death in 1704. After ordination, he became rector of

Llanfachraeth Llanfachraeth is a village and community in Anglesey, Wales. It is located near the west coast of the island, at the head of the Alaw estuary, east of Holyhead, south west of Amlwch and north west of Llangefni. The A5025 road runs through ...

Anglesey Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...

, but appears not to have resided there. Whilst at Oxford, he was part of the circle of

Edward Lhuyd Edward Lhuyd FRS (; occasionally written Llwyd in line with modern Welsh orthography, 1660 – 30 June 1709) was a Welsh naturalist, botanist, linguist, geographer and antiquary. He is also named in a Latinate form as Eduardus Luidius. Life ...

, the Welsh naturalist, botanist, linguist, geographer and antiquary. Wynne's publications included a ''History of Wales'' (1697), which was essentially a new version of

David Powel David Powel (1549/52 – 1598) was a Welsh Church of England clergyman and historian who published the first printed history of Wales in 1584. Life Powel was born in Denbighshire and commenced his studies at the University of Oxford when he was 1 ...

's 1584 work '' The Historie of Cambria, now called Wales''. Wynne's version, which was reprinted in 1702 (unchanged), 1774 and 1812 (with changes each time), and in 1832 (with

topographical Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the land forms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sci ...

notes), was the starting point in English on medieval Welsh history for nearly two hundred years.

References

1670s births 1704 deaths Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford Fellows of Jesus College, Oxford 17th-century Welsh historians 17th-century Welsh Anglican priests 18th-century Welsh Anglican priests Historians of Wales {{UK-Anglican-clergy-stub