Ellis Wynne (7 March 1671 – 13 July 1734) was a Welsh clergyman and author. He is remembered mainly for one of the most important and influential pieces of

Welsh-language literature Welsh-language literature ( cy, Llenyddiaeth Gymraeg) has been produced continuously since the emergence of Welsh from Brythonic as a distinct language in around the 5th century AD. Huws Daniel National Library of Wales and Centre for Advanced W ...

Life

Born in Lasynys Fawr () near

Harlech Harlech () is a seaside resort and community in Gwynedd, north Wales and formerly in the historic county of Merionethshire. It lies on Tremadog Bay in the Snowdonia National Park. Before 1966, it belonged to the Meirionydd District of the 19 ...

, Gwynedd, Wynne excelled at school and entered

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 S ...

on 1 March 1692. There is historical debate as to whether or not he graduated and little evidence to support either claim, but local tradition suggests he was studying law before he was convinced to take holy orders by a friend,

Humphrey Humphreys Humphrey Humphreys (24 November 1648 – 20 November 1712) was successively Bishop of Bangor (1689–1701) and Bishop of Hereford (1701–1712). Life Born 24 November 1648 in Hendre, Penrhyndeudraeth, the eldest son of Richard Humphreys and ...

Bishop of Bangor The Bishop of Bangor is the ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of Bangor. The see is based in the city of Bangor where the bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Cathedral Church of Saint Deiniol. The ''Report of the Commissioners appointed ...

and afterwards of Hereford. Wynne married for the first time in

Llanfihangel-y-traethau Llanfihangel-y-traethau ("St. Michael's on the Beaches") was a parish in Ardudwy, Gwynedd, north-west Wales centred on a church of the same name in the village of Ynys. The original parish church was built in the 12th century on a tidal island. La ...

Church in 1698. He was ordained priest in December 1704 and held the livings of Llandanwg,

Llanbedr Llanbedr () is a village and community south of Harlech. Administratively, it lies in the Ardudwy area, formerly Meirionnydd, of the county of Gwynedd, Wales. History Ancient monuments at Llanbedr include Neolithic standing stones; the St ...

and Llanfair.

Works

Although a respected priest, Welsh translator and hymn writer (a translation of

Jeremy Taylor Jeremy Taylor (1613–1667) was a cleric in the Church of England who achieved fame as an author during the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell. He is sometimes known as the "Shakespeare of Divines" for his poetic style of expression, and he is fr ...

's ''Holy Living'' appeared in London, 1701, republished 1928), Wynne is remembered today largely for his literary output. ''Gweledigaetheu y Bardd Cwsc'' (Visions of the Sleeping Bard), first published in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in 1703, was an adaptation of Sir

Roger L'Estrange Sir Roger L'Estrange (17 December 1616 – 11 December 1704) was an English pamphleteer, author, courtier, and press censor. Throughout his life L'Estrange was frequently mired in controversy and acted as a staunch ideological defender of Kin ...

's translation of the Spanish satirist

Francisco de Quevedo Francisco Gómez de Quevedo y Santibáñez Villegas, Knight of the Order of Santiago (; 14 September 1580 – 8 September 1645) was a Spanish nobleman, politician and writer of the Baroque era. Along with his lifelong rival, Luis de Góngora ...

's Sueños (1627; "Visions"), giving savage pictures of contemporary evils, and is seen as a Welsh-language classic. It is generally said that no better model exists of "pure", idiomatic Welsh, as yet uninfluenced by English style and method. At least 32 editions had appeared up to 1932, and at least three translations into English were made.''Dictionary of Welsh Biography'
Retrieved 5 February 2017.
/ref> The title page bears the words ''Y Rhann Gyntaf'' (The First Part) and it has been suggested that Wynne wrote a second part – a "Vision of Heaven" – but on hearing that he had been charged with plagiarism in the first part, he destroyed the manuscript. The charges of plagiarism are no longer credited.

Later obscurity

Wynne's later life is as obscure as his early years. Little is known of him after the publication of the ''Gweledigaethau''. He was buried under the altar at Llanfair (near Harlech).

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wynne, Ellis 1671 births 1734 deaths Welsh-language writers 18th-century Welsh writers 18th-century British male writers People from Gwynedd Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford 18th-century Welsh Anglican priests