1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Wynn, Sir John

WYNN, SIR JOHN (1553–1627), Welsh antiquary, was the son of Morris Wynn and descended from the princes of Wales. He was educated at Oxford, succeeded to his father’s estate of Gwydir in Carnarvonshire in 1580, and was member of parliament for this county in 1586. In 1606 he was made a knight and in 1611 a baronet. He was interested in several mining ventures and also found time for antiquarian studies. He died on the 1st of March 1627. At Llanrwst Wynn founded an hospital and endowed a school. His History of the Gwydir Family, which had a great reputation in North Wales, was first published by Daines Barrington in 1770, and in 1878 an edition was published at Oswestry. It is valuable as the only work which describes the state of society in North Wales in the 15th and the earlier part of the 16th century. His son Richard (d. 1649) was in attendance on Prince Charles, afterwards Charles I., when he visited Spain in 1623, and was afterwards treasurer to Queen Henrietta Maria; he wrote an account of the journey to Spain, published by T. Hearne in 1729 with the Historia vitae et regni Ricardi II. He built the bridge over the Conway at Llanrwst. The baronetcy became extinct in 1719, when Wynnstay, near Ruabon, passed to Sir Watkin Williams, who took the name of Williams-Wynn and founded the family of that name.

Sir John Wynn’s estate of Gwydir came to the 1st duke of Ancaster in the 17th century by his marriage with the heiress of the Wynns. On the death of the last duke in 1779, Gwydir was inherited by his sister Priscilla, Lady Willoughby de Eresby in her own right, whose husband was created Baron Gwydir. On the death of Alberic, Lord Willoughby de Eresby (1870), this title (now merged in that of earl of Ancaster) fell into abeyance between his two daughters, while that of Baron Gwydir passed to his cousin and heir male. Gwydir itself was sold by the earl of Ancaster in 1895, the house and part of the estate being bought by Earl Carrington, who also claimed descent from Sir John Wynn.