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
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