MOSTYN family of Mostyn Hall, Flintshire

According to the History of the Family of Mostyn of Mostyn, 1925, compiled by the 3rd baron Mostyn and T. Allen Glenn, the land upon which the present Mostyn Hall stands 'was acquired about five centuries ago by the marriage of IEUAN FYCHAN (died 1457), of Pengwern, Llangollen (and Tre Castell, Anglesey), with ANGHARAD daughter and heiress of HYWEL (or Howel), son of TUDUR AP ITHEL FYCHAN, and, according to NLW MS 1557C , widow of Edward Stanley.' For how long this land had belonged to Hywel's ancestors the authors do not know, but they surmise that it formed part of the territory of Hywel's ancestor, Edwin of Tegeingl (see under Owain ab Edwin). In 1301 ITHEL FYCHAN did homage and fealty to prince Edward, as earl of Chester, for his Flintshire estates. ' Hywel and his descendants, for the most part, held the lordship of Mostyn by lease until Sir Roger Mostyn (below) in the year 1631 secured possession of it in perpetuity.' The Pengwern (Denbighshire) estate, the birthplace of Ieuan Fychan, was the original home of this family; it has since been alienated. Gloddaeth, Caernarfonshire, came to the family shortly before 1460 through the marriage of HYWEL AP IEUAN FYCHAN (of Mostyn and Pengwern) with Margaret, heiress of Madog Gloddaeth (high sheriff of Caernarvonshire, 1325/6), and, as will be seen, Bodysgallen, in Caernarvonshire, was also a Mostyn house.

Full details of the earlier generations are given in the History. Ieuan, fourth son of Iorwerth Ddu (of the Pengwern family), entered the church and, as John Trevor II, was elected bishop of St Asaph, 1395.

IEUAN FYCHAN AP IEUAN AB ADDA (of Pengwern and Mostyn) the husband of Angharad, was, according to the bard Guto'r Glyn, (see Phillipps MS. 2160 in the Cardiff Public Library; see also NLW MS 3027E , i.e., NLW MS 3027E ), a bard and a harpist; on the maternal side he was second-cousin to Edmund, earl of Richmond, and Jasper Tudor, earl of Pembroke. In 1415 he was an esquire in the retinue of Thomas Fitzalan, earl of Arundel and Surrey and lord of Chirk. Ieuan's son, HYWEL AP IEUAN, followed the fortunes of the house of Lancaster; his kinsman, Jasper Tudor, sought refuge at Mostyn in 1464. Hywel's wife was Margaret, daughter and heiress of Gloddaeth.

Their son, RICHARD AP HYWEL, inherited Gloddaeth and Tre'r Garnedd by right of his mother. He presided at the first Caerwys eisteddfod (1523); with him were Sir William Griffith and Sir Roger Salusbury (of Lleweni) and they were assisted by the bards Gruffydd ap Ieuan ap Llywelyn Fychan and Tudur Aled. Thomas Pennant, (Hist. of Whiteford. …) described a visit paid to Mostyn by Henry of Richmond (Henry VII). Richard ap Hywel, who fought for Henry at Bosworth and had for some time before his death been sinecure rector of Whitford, Flintshire, died at Mostyn on 7 February 1539/40.

Richard ap Hywel, by his wife Catherine, daughter of Thomas Salusbury, the elder, of Lleweni, was the father of Thomas (Mostyn), Hugh (died young), Peter (Peyrs, Piers), ancestor of the Mostyn family of Talacre, and four daughters, of whom Janet became the wife of Gruffydd ap Ieuan ap Llywelyn Fychan.

THOMAS MOSTYN (died 1558),

eldest son of Richard ap Hywel, was the first to be known by what became henceforth the family surname (see NLW MS 1560C ). Like his ancestors, Thomas Mostyn was a patron of the bards (Peniarth MS 100 ; Cardiff MS. 64).

His eldest son, WILLIAM MOSTYN, served under William Herbert, earl of Pembroke, at the time of Wyatt's Rebellion. He was returned to Parliament for Flintshire 2 March 1553/4, and again in November of that year (1554). He was high sheriff of Flintshire three times and of Caernarvonshire (1566-7). On 8 May 1572 he was again returned as Member of Parliament for Flintshire and he was the member when he died in 1576. He was one of the commissioners named by queen Elizabeth for holding the second Caerwys eisteddfod (1568); in the commission it is set forth that 'William Mostyn esquior and his auncestors have had the gyfte and bestowing of the Sylver harpe appertayning to the Cheff of that facultie.' He died 19 September 1576.

His eldest son by his first wife (Margaret, daughter of Robert Powel of Whittington) was THOMAS MOSTYN (1535? - 1618), afterwards Sir Thomas Mostyn. He was appointed to the shrievalty of Anglesey (twice), Flintshire (twice), and Caernarvonshire (once); he was also Custos Rotulorum of Caernarvonshire. For further details of his career (he was, e.g., a member of the Council of the Marches, 1603-18) see the History … and Calendar of Wynn (of Gwydir) Papers, etc. He is thought to have made extensive additions to Gloddaeth; it is known that he collected a large library.

Sir Thomas Mostyn's heir was his second son, Sir ROGER MOSTYN (1559/60 - 1642). He was educated at Oxford (matriculated from Brasenose College 8 May 1584) and Lincoln's Inn (1588). He was sheriff of Anglesey, 1589-90, Flintshire, 1608-9, 1626-7, Member of Parliament for Flintshire, 1621-2, and was knighted 23 May 1606. Sir Roger married, 1596/7, Mary (1581 - 1653), eldest daughter of Sir John Wynn of Gwydir. He, therefore, figures somewhat prominently in the Calendar of Wynn Papers - see, e.g., the part which he played in the controversy between his father-in-law and bishop William Morgan, the translator of the Bible into Welsh, over the Llanrwst leases. He appears also to have been the most prominent of the deputy-lieutenant s of Flintshire and served in that office at a time when frequent requests and orders came to that county from the Lord President of the Marches. He died 18 August 1642. His eldest son, Thomas Mostyn (c. 1598 - 1641), died in 1641. Among the other sons of Sir Roger Mostyn were William Mostyn, archdeacon of Bangor, and Richard Mostyn (died 1627), soldier, who saw much service in Ireland, the Low Countries, etc.

Sir THOMAS MOSTYN (died 1641),

of whom there are details in the History and in the Calendar of Wynn Papers, married (1623) Elizabeth, daughter of Sir James Whitelock, chief justice of Chester, and lived after his marriage at Cilcain, Flintshire, spending also much of his time in London; he was knighted in 1623 at the instance of the duke of Buckingham.

His eldest son was Sir ROGER MOSTYN (1623/4 - 1690), knight and baronet. Although he was only 19 years old when the Civil War broke out, he soon became a captain, and, within a few months, colonel, in the Royalist forces. Charles I also appointed him governor of Flint castle and town. For the next few years his personal history is intermixed with his activities as a Royalist officer - for details see the History; J. R. Phillips, Civil War in Wales; Calendar of Wynn Papers; Whitelock, Memorials; and Henry Taylor, ' The Flintshire Militia, with a short biography of Sir Roger Mostyn… its first Colonel,' in Jnl. of the Chester Archaeol. and Hist. Soc., 1891. His grandson estimated that his losses during the Civil War amounted to about £60,000. He was closely associated with the efforts made to restore the monarchy. In 1660 he was named as one of those qualified to be made a knight of the Royal Oak, created a baronet (3 August 1660), and became a deputy-lieutenant for Flintshire. The duke of Beaufort, during his 'Progress' of 1684 as Lord President of Wales, was entertained by Sir Roger at Mostyn and spent Thursday, 24 July ' in viewing the lands and various works and Machines of the Lead & Colemines belonging to Sir Roger Mostyn. … ' (Thomas Dineley, The Beaufort Progress, where there are sketches of Mostyn Hall and of one of the 'machines'). In 1687 queen Mary (of Modena), the consort of James II, induced her husband to make a grant of S. Winifred's Chapel, Holywell, to her; the queen wrote to Sir Roger requesting him to arrange for her wishes in the matter to be carried out. Sir Roger died at Mostyn, 4 October 1690. He had married (1), c. July 1642, Prudence, daughter of Sir Martin Lumley, (2) Mary, eldest daughter of Thomas, viscount Bulkeley, of Baron Hill, Anglesey, and (3), Lumley, eldest daughter of George Coetmor of Coetmor.

His heir, Sir THOMAS MOSTYN (1651 - 1700?), his son by his second wife, went to Christ Church, Oxford (matriculated 15 May 1667). A patron of the fine arts, he collected many of the books in the libraries at Gloddaeth and Mostyn. He was deputy-lieutenant for Caernarvonshire from c. 1673, sheriff of that county 1689, of Anglesey 1691-2, and was returned to Parliament for Caernarvonshire (1673, February 1678/9, August 1679, and 1681). In 1689 he was named as one of the Commissioners of Taxes for Flintshire. He married Bridget, daughter of D'Arcy Savage, of Leighton, Cheshire, by whom he had seven sons and four daughters; among the sons were Roger, his successor, Thomas, Member of Parliament for Flint, and John, educated at Westminster and Christ Church, Oxford. Sir Thomas was on very friendly terms with William Lloyd, bishop of St Asaph (1627 - 1717), one of the 'Seven Bishops,' whom he consulted on the subject of the education of his children. Poems written to him by Welsh bards are preserved in NLW MS 3027E . He has been described as 'a great collector of Welsh MSS. and much inclined to Welsh genealogy.'

Sir Thomas Mostyn's heir was Sir ROGER MOSTYN (1673 - 1734), 3rd baronet. He was educated at Jesus College, Oxford (matriculation 10 February 1689/90). He became Member of Parliament for Flintshire, 1701, and was returned for the county and for Flint Boroughs in 1702, but elected to sit for Chester in that Parliament. In the next Parliament (1705-8) he was returned for Flints, and sat for that county until 1734 (except in 1713 when he sat for the boroughs). His active Parliamentary career - he was a Tory - is described in the family History. He married, 1703, lady Essex Finch, daughter of Daniel, earl of Winchilsea, by whom he had six sons and six daughters. Among the sons were Thomas Mostyn, the heir, John Mostyn, who became a general in the British army, and Savage Mostyn, who became Vice-Admiral of the Blue and Comptroller of the Navy and one of the Lords of the Admiralty : for the careers of the general and of the vice-admiral see the History and D.N.B. He became constable of Flint castle in 1702. George Farquahar's play, The Constant Couple, is dedicated to him. He died 5 May 1734.

The 4th baronet, Sir THOMAS MOSTYN (1704 - 1758),

son of the 3rd baronet and lady Essex Finch, was, like his grandfather, much devoted to literature. Before his marriage to Sarah, daughter of Robert Western, London, he had travelled extensively in Europe, being away from October 1723 until May 1728. By his wife he had four sons and five daughters; one of the daughters, Anne, became (in 1777) the wife of Thomas Pennant, the naturalist and traveller. He was returned to Parliament for Flintshire in 1734, 1747, and 1754. He collected books and MSS. He died 24 March 1758.

His son, Sir ROGER MOSTYN (1734 - 1796), 5th bart., was born 13 November 1734. He followed his father in the representation of the county in Parliament and continued to sit up to the time of his death. He also became lord lieutenant of the county and was one of the vice-presidents of the Welsh Charity School, London. The 5th baronet married (12 May 1766) Margaret, daughter of the Rev. Hugh Wynn, of Bodysgallen and Berth-ddu, by his wife Catherine, sister of William Vaughan of Corsygedol, Meironnydd, and heiress of Robert Wynn, Bodysgallen. Among the issue of the marriage were (1) Elizabeth, who married, 11 February 1794, Sir Edward Pryce Lloyd, bart. of Pengwern, Flintshire, and Bodfach, Montgomeryshire, from whom the present baron Mostyn is descended, (2) Thomas Mostyn, the heir, and (3) Anna Maria, who became the wife (1802) of Sir Robert Williames Vaughan, bart., of Nannau, Meironnydd.

Sir Roger also was interested in the literature and history of Wales; Some Specimens of the Poetry of the Antient Welsh Bards by Evan Evans (Ieuan Fardd) is dedicated to him. He died 26 July 1796

Sir THOMAS MOSTYN (1776 - 1831), 6th bart.,

continued the family tradition in regard to the representation of Flintshire in Parliament. He was sheriff of Caernarvonshire, 1798, and of Merioneth 1799. He was also notable as a sportsman. He died, unmarried, 17 April, 1831, and the baronetcy became extinct, the estates passing, as explained below, to Sir Edward Pryce Lloyd (1768 - 1854) who was created baron Mostyn, 10 September 1831.

The ancestry of the Lloyd family is given in works on the peerage by Burke, Debrett, etc. They had for centuries been associated with Flintshire, Denbighshire, etc. Sir EDWARD LLOYD (1710? - 1795), 1st bart., Secretary for War, was created a baronet 29 August 1778, with remainder to his nephew Bell Lloyd who, however, died on 6 May 1793, i.e., in the lifetime of his uncle. On the death of Sir Edward, the title and the estates passed to his grand-nephew, Sir EDWARD PRYCE LLOYD (1768 - 1854), 2nd bart., son of Bell Lloyd of Pontruffydd (1725 - 1793), whose second son, also Bell Lloyd (of Crogen, Meironnydd), was an enlightened agriculturist. The 2nd baronet married, 1794, Elizabeth, 3rd daughter of Sir Roger Mostyn, 5th bart., and sister and co-heir of Sir Thomas Mostyn, 6th bart., who, as shown above, died unmarried on 17 April 1831, the estates passing to her husband, Sir EDWARD PRYCE LLOYD, who, on 10 September of the same year, was created 1st baron Mostyn of Mostyn. All the Mostyn estates, including Corsygedol in Merioneth, thus passed to the 1st baron Mostyn and this explains why among the Mostyn MSS., which came to N.L.W. in 1918, there are volumes which were formerly associated with Gloddaeth, Corsygedol, Nannau, and other North Wales houses.

The 1st baron Mostyn died 3 April 1854 and was succeeded by his eldest son, EDWARD LLOYD (1795 - 1884), 2nd baron Mostyn, lord lieutenant of Merionethshire. The second baron had assumed, in 1831, the additional surname of Mostyn.

Author

• Sir William Llewelyn Davies, (1887 - 1952)

Sources

• Main sources are given in the text
• Reports on Manuscripts in the Welsh Language (Historical Manuscripts Commission 1898–1910) (by J. Gwenogvryn Evans), I. i, 1898
• Handlist of Manuscripts in the National Library of Wales, i, 261-3
• NLW Archives: NLW MS 4965E

Published date: 1959

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