Nanney-Wynn Family History



Nanney-Wynn Family History

by William Nanney-Wynn Garton-Jones

I have often been asked to provide some sort of family history so that visitors can more easily understand how the house and family fitted into the local area, so I have done some homework and here is an abridged version of the history that I have put together. I have also built up a large but inevitably incomplete computer based family tree to complement the hand built version in the dining room (if you can fill any gaps, please let me know). A partial printout can be seen on the top floor. In addition, I have included in this book a number of letters and documents which I have typed for easy reading (I have the originals), so that you can get a more complete picture of the life and times of those who owned the house. Finally, I have gathered together and framed as pictures around the house artifacts, documents and photographs which I believe you will find interesting. Most of these are original, so please treat them with care. Their condition and location is monitored carefully.

The name “Nanney-Wynn” first appeared around 1750 with William Nanney-Wynn (whose portrait you can see in the dining room). He was the son of Robert Wynn of Maesyneuadd and Lowry Nanney of Maesypandy and Llanfendigaid. Both the Wynns and the Nanneys were influential local families. Since neither suffered from having patronymic surnames such as Jones or Davies, they were able to trace their roots with ease.

The Wynns of Maesyneuadd could trace their descent back through Osborn FitzJohn (or Fitzgerald & living in Wales in 1108) who was known by the Welsh as “Osborn Wyddel” (“Wyddel” is the Welsh for “Irishman” and was corrupted to “Wynn”) to the Fitzgeralds of Southern Ireland to the Geraldines of Normandy and finally to the Gherardini of Northern Italy.

The Nanneys were named after the place they came from: Nannau near Llanfachreth above Dolgellau. They descended from the same family that produced the Princes of North Wales and the English Tudor Kings and ultimately could trace their roots to Cunedda, Duke of Britain in 450 AD who was probably of Roman descent. If you look in the Phone Book, you may well still find local Tudors or perhaps “Tewdwrs” as their name is spelt in Wales. The Nanneys were related to both Llewellyn Fawr (The Great) and that famous Welsh rebel, mentioned in William Shakespeare’s “Henry IV Part II”, Owain Glyndwr (“Glendower” is Shakespeare’s spelling). There is an interesting story about their linear ancestor, Howel Sele of Nannau, who was the cousin of Owain Glyndwr. Howel pretended to support Owain but in fact was a committed opponent. He invited Owain to come hunting at Nannau. During the hunt he attempted to kill Owain, but the tables were turned and he himself was killed by Owain and his body thrust into a hollow oak tree. During the last century, the oak tree was hit by lightning exposing Howel’s skeleton. A picture of this “Blasted Oak” is in the drawing room.

William had already inherited his father’s estates at Maesyneuadd (now a very good Country Hotel near Harlech) when his Uncle John Nanney died without children and left the estates of Maesypandy and Llanfendigaid to his sister Lowry who was William’s mother. This John Nanney was the one responsible for the extensive renovations carried out at Llanfendigaid ending in 1746 and whose initials you can see above the date in the front right bedroom of the top floor. Lowry died soon afterwards and William stood to inherit Maesypandy and Llanfendigaid, but it was a condition of John Nanney’s Will that whoever inherited these estates had to change their name to “Nanney”. Being a practical chap, William wasted no time in changing his name from William Wynn to William Nanney and duly inherited the estates. However, he was already married and had a number of children some of whom retained the name of Wynn and others (notably the second John Nanney who was responsible for building the stable block at Llanfendigaid) used the name of Nanney. William found that the confusion of being called “Wynn” by his family and those at Maesyneuadd and “Nanney” by those at Maesypandy and Llanfendigaid was too much and started to use the name “Nanney-Wynn” as did some of his children some of the time. During his life he also used the names “Wynn-Nanney”, “Wynne-Nanney”, “Nanney-Wynne” and “Wynne”, so identifying him and his children correctly can be tricky for us now!

William had produced 3 sons and 4 daughters with his wife Elizabeth (whose portrait you can see in the house). Two of the daughters died unmarried and one, Lowry, had a son Robert Chambre Vaughan, of whom more later. Robert Nanney-Wynn, William’s eldest son, went off to India to serve with the East India Company under Lord Clive. You can see some of his commissions, two signed by Lord Clive himself, in the hall. John, the second son, stayed at home and became a Reverend. You can see his portrait in the TV room. William, the youngest son, went off the fight in the Peninsular Wars where he was severely wounded (you can see the account of his operation and the grape shot they removed on the front staircase). Having recovered, he went on to become Governor of Sandown Fort in the Isle of Wight and stood for Parliament twice (you can see one of his personalised bottles and an election poster with the local rebuff on the front staircase).

There appears to have been considerable skullduggery over the inheritance of the estates and John and William schemed to prevent Robert Nanney-Wynn inheriting on the grounds that his children (Simon Hart & Sarah) were illegitimate. The full story is elsewhere in this book. Meanwhile, Robert Chambre Vaughan had persuaded his uncle John Nanney, who wanted his nephew to inherit the estates, to provide a large marriage settlement for him in order to persuade a wealthy and beautiful girl to marry him on condition that after the marriage had taken place Robert would not force his uncle John to pay up. However, Robert subsequently took John to court successfully to make him pay up and John then disinherited him. (The box which contained these marriage settlements can be seen in the dining room).

The main beneficiaries of this argument were the children of Robert who should have inherited anyway. After John Nanney’s death the estates went to his son John Nanney (who built the stable block at Llanfendigaid) who died without children. William Wynn, who had illegally appropriated part of the estates was subsequently sued successfully by the son John Nanney for not only their return but also all the rental income William had received. Fortunately for him, William died before the court proceedings had been completed and it was left to his executors to pay up. Becuase both William Wynn and the young John Nanney died without children, the estates were inherited by Simon Hart Wynn, the eldest son of Robert Nanney-Wynn, who should have had them all along anyway.

Simon Hart Wynn died without children and left the estates to his sister Sarah Nanney-Wynn who had, in the meantime, married David Kirkby of Brecon and Dorset (Sarah was responsible for building the orignal porch on the front of Llanfendigaid - In one of the photos you can clearly see the plaque. When the porch was renovated, the plaque was removed and can be seen opposite the back door in the cabinet). They had eight children, only two of whom I shall mention here: the eldest William Wynn Kirkby and my great great grandfather, whose portrait in a red coat hangs in the TV room, David Edward Kirkby. David married Annie Casement (portrait & photos displayed in the house) and had ten children. My Great Grandfather Edward William Kirkby, whose portrait is displayed in the TV room, was the eldest. He served in the South African War and was severely wounded spending the remainder of his life in a wheelchair. A memorial to him and those who fought with him can be seen in the Square in Tywyn. He changed his name by deed poll in 1925 to “Nanney-Wynn” after acquiring Llanfendigaid (see below).

William went to Australia, had children and eventually his grandson William inherited all the estates. But by now, in the 1920s, things had become extremely tough economically and all the estates had to be sold. William appointed his cousin Edward William Kirkby to oversee the sale and he bought the Llanfendigaid estate himself for £2950.

His only son Edward Roger Nanney-Wynn (portrait with wife is displayed in the TV room) served with the Royal Signals in WWII and retired to Llanfendigaid with his wife Marjorie where he died in 1982. Marjorie still lives in Aberdovey (Jan 1998). They had three children, Mary, Alice and Victoria. Mary, my mother, died in 1983 of cancer and since her death was certain at the time of my Grandfather’s death in 1982, the Llanfendigaid estate passed to me, William Nanney-Wynn Garton-Jones.

Of course, many other families have married into the Nanney-Wynns over the years bringing paintings and other things with them. You will see evidence of this in the many additional portraits, most of which can be linked to the computer generated family tree.

Llanfendigaid

The Llanfendigaid Estate now only consists of one farm of approximately 300 acres combining Tyddyn Meurig and Llanfendigaid which farms sheep and some cattle. The farm is tenanted by Dafydd Roberts and you may well see him or his son John around during your stay.

“Llanfendigaid” roughly translates as “Parish of the Blessed” (and it may amuse you to know that while the nearby “Tonfannau” translates poetically as “Sound of the waves”, “Tywyn” translates as the rather nondescript “Town”). It came into the Nanney family about 1660 when John Nanney married Elizabeth Anwyl whose father John had married the only daughter of Hugh ap John ap Hugh, the first recorded owner of Llanfendigaid circa 1600. (“ap” is the Welsh for “son of”). From this we know that somebody called “Hugh” probably owned Llanfendigaid in about 1540. The earliest known mention of Llanfendigaid is in manuscripts dating from 1241 and a photocopy of this is included at the back of this document. The house in those days was probably little more than a block house consisting of the first two floors of the front of the house. Extensive renovations were carried out by a later John Nanney in 1745/6 and the existing front was shaped with panelling and staircase dating from this period. The rear and stable block was added by a still later John Nanney in 1836. Mr & Mrs Kelly’s cottage was converted about 1900 for the chauffeur and the Ty-fendigaid (“Cottage of the Blessed”) conversion was completed by me in 1995.

A number of other well known local houses are associated with the family, some of which I know and some of which can be seen.

Maesyneuadd

Near Harlech, this has been turned into an excellent Country House Hotel - worth a visit if you can afford it.

Nannau

Near Llanfachreth above Dolgellau, this large Georgian pile, which replaced the original building, having spent many years on the verge of collapse, has now been bought and is being completely restored by distant cousins.

Ynysymaengwyn

A wonderful Palladian mansion which used to stand on the road between Tywyn and Bryncrug, it was burnt by the Army and knocked down by the local council in the 1950s. The ruins of the stable block can still be seen around the caravan park that replaced it.

Dolaugwyn

Just outside Bryncrug on the road to Talyllyn, it is supposed to be one of the best preserved Elizabethan houses in Wales. Since it was built, no owner has had enough money to change it! It can be visited by appointment, I believe.

Cors-y-gedol

A lovely house, I’m told, although I’ve not been there.

Peniarth

A wonderful Georgian pile owned by the Williams-Wynne family and located in the valley beneath the Bird Rock. It has recently undergone a complete restoration.

Maesypandy near Talyllyn

Parc

Hengwrt near Dolgellau

I don’t know any of these houses.

Because I work full time in London with Cap Gemini, the computer services group, I am unable to live here at present (although I hope to one day) and now therefore offer you the opportunity to enjoy this house and countryside as I always do when I’m here. I hope you do enjoy it, and if you have any ideas or suggestions that would help to make your stay more enjoyable, please do tell me or the Kellys. While I can’t promise to comply with your request, I always consider them all carefully.

I have divided the remainder of this book into three sections: the first deals with the story of Robert Nanney-Wynn in India and includes transcripts of letters; the second deals with the later Kirkbys followed by a dissertation on portraiture in North Wales and a list of pictures in Llanfendigaid; the third section contains transcripts of a number of documents and letters in date order from 1785 to 1874.

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