A member of the great clan of Gwynne of Glanbrân, near Llandovery, whose mansion, destroyed by fire, now lies in ruin - for the family, see under Gwynne family of Llanelwedd.
According to W. R. Williams (Old Wales , iii, 286-8), he was born c. 1751 - if so, the references to him (in Welsh books) as 'an old gentleman' are rather misleading. He married, in 1772 at Dublin and without his father's knowledge, a daughter of one of the Glanbrân tenants, and accordingly parts of the estate were left (1774) to his younger brother. His wife died in 1787; he re-married in 1793, but died before the birth of a daughter in August 1794.
He was noted as a lover of the harp. Edward Jones (Bardd y Brenin) affirms that Gwynne was one of the finest players of his day upon the triple harp. He was also a patron of harpists - see, e.g. under Wood; it was at Glanbrân that John Richards (1711 - 1789), a famous harp-maker of Llanrwst, died (he was buried at Llanfair-ar-y-bryn, Llandovery). As will be seen from the article Wood, the patronage of the harp at Glanbrân continued well into the 19th century.
Published date: 1959
Article Copyright: http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/
The Dictionary of Welsh Biography is provided by The National Library of Wales and the University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies. It is free to use and does not receive grant support. A donation would help us maintain and improve the site so that we can continue to acknowledge Welsh men and women who have made notable contributions to life in Wales and beyond.
Find out more on our sponsorship page.