WYNN, Thomas (1677-1749), of Glynnllivon and Bodvean, Caern.

Published in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1690-1715, ed. D. Hayton, E. Cruickshanks, S. Handley, 2002
Available from Boydell and Brewer

Constituency

Dates

1713 - 13 Apr. 1749

Family and Education

b. Mar. 1677, 1st s. of Griffith Wynn of Bodvean by Catherine, da. of William Vaughan of Cors-y-Gedol, Merion.; bro. of Sir William Wynn†.  m. by 1701, Frances, da. and coh. of John Glynn, of Glynnllivon, l.c.j.c.p., 1s. 4da.  suc. fa. 1680; cr. Bt. 25 Oct. 1742.

Offices Held

Sheriff, Caern. Jan.–Dec. 1712.

Equerry to Prince of Wales 1714–24; clerk of the household to Prince of Wales Oct. 1724–7; constable, Caernarvon Castle, chief ranger, forest of Snowdon and steward of the manors of Bardsey monastery, Caern. 1724–7; clerk of Bd. of Green Cloth 1727–d.; equerry to George II 1727–d.

Biography

Little is known of Wynn’s early life other than his appointment to the Caernarvonshire lieutenancy in 1701, though it is conceivable that he was the ‘Mr Wynne’ noticed in 1706 as first gentleman to the Electress Sophia of Hanover. After a futile attempt to build an alliance of Whig interests to challenge the Tory dominance over Caernarvonshire politics in 1708 he does not seem to have contested the 1710 general election. By 1712, however, ‘good for naught T[homas] W[ynn]’, as Tories disdainfully referred to him, had won over the young Tory squire William Griffith*, and a year later Griffith became knight of the shire while Wynn returned himself for the Boroughs, largely by means of some spectacular mass admissions of freemen in corporations under his or his allies’ control. He made no discernible impact in his first Parliament, being classed as a Whig in two lists of the Members re-elected in 1715, although in the Worsley list (possibly on account of his local agreement with Griffith) he was classed as a Whig who would often vote with the Tories. After a long career as a Household official to George II, Wynn died on 13 Apr. 1749 and was buried at Llandwrog, Caernarvonshire.1

Ref Volumes: 1690-1715

Author: D. W. Hayton

Notes

  • 1. CSP Dom. 1700–2, p. 256; Boyer, Anne Annals, v. 330; Trans. Caern. Hist. Soc. xix. 42–46; UCNW, Baron Hill mss 6772, [–] to 4th Visct. Bulkeley (Richard*), 23 Oct. 1712.