Sir Richard Wynn, 4th Baronet (1625–1674) was a Welsh landowner who was

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 ...

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 of

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

Archbishop of York The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers the ...

. Sir Richard was sheriff of Caernarvonshire (1657/1658) and twice MP for

Caernarvonshire Caernarfonshire (; , ), previously spelled Caernarvonshire or Carnarvonshire, was one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was located in the north-west of Wales. Geography The county ...

: in the

Rump Parliament The Rump Parliament describes the members of the Long Parliament who remained in session after Colonel Thomas Pride, on 6 December 1648, commanded his soldiers to Pride's Purge, purge the House of Commons of those Members of Parliament, members ...

(1647–1653) and the

Cavalier Parliament The Cavalier Parliament of England lasted from 8 May 1661 until 24 January 1679. With the exception of the Long Parliament, it was the longest-lasting English Parliament, and longer than any Great British or UK Parliament to date, enduring ...

(1661–1675). Sir Richard spent some time imprisoned in

Caernarfon Castle Caernarfon Castle (; ) is a medieval fortress in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. The first fortification on the site was a motte-and-bailey castle built in the late 11th century, which King Edward I of England began to replace with the current st ...

. He may have been incarcerated because of possible involvement in the Royalist

Booth's Uprising Booth's Uprising, also known as Booth's Rebellion or the Cheshire Rising of 1659, was an unsuccessful attempt in August 1659 to restore Charles II of England. Centred on North West England and led by George Booth, 1st Baron Delamer, George Booth, ...

(1659) as he was by that time a son-in-law to one of the participants Sir Thomas Myddelton. Sir Richard died in 1674 and was succeeded to the title by his cousin

Sir John Wynn, 5th Baronet Sir John Wynn, 5th Baronet (1628 – 11 January 1719) was a Welsh landowner and Tory politician who sat in the English House of Commons, English and British House of Commons between 1679 and 1713. He was among the largest landowners in Wales ...

, the only son of Henry Wynn, who himself was the tenth son of

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 ...

Family

In 1654 Sir Richard married Sarah, daughter of Sir Thomas Myddelton. They had one child, Mary (1661–1689), who inherited the Gwydir estate on the death of her father. She married Robert Bertie (1660–1723), 17th Lord Willoughby de Eresby and later 1st

Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven Earl of Lindsey is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1626 for the 14th Baron Willoughby de Eresby. He was First Lord of the Admiralty from 1635 to 1636 and also established his claim in right of his mother to the heredita ...

. The Llanrwst Parish registers also mention either one or two Johannis Wynn's as son(s) of Sir Richard both dated to 1667, one entry in January the other in October. Thus implying Sir Richard may have illegitimate descendants in the modern day however evidence beyond that and letters in the Gwydir papers confirming mentions of a son are scarce.

Notes

References

* * . Endnotes: ** ''Cal. Wynn (of Gwydir) Papers'', passim; ** ''Clenennau Letters'', i, Introduction ** ''Hist. Gwydir Family'', passim ** W. R. Williams, ''Parl. Hist. of Wales'', passim ** E. Breeze, Kalendars of Gwynedd, passim; Cymm., xxxviii ** ''The Welsh Review'', v, 187–191; Trans. Caern. Hist. Soc., 1939, 37–46; J. E. Griffith, Pedigrees, 280–1

Biography

Family

Notes

References

Further reading