Marmaduke Gwynne

Marmaduke Gwynne (* 1691, Llanafan Fawr , Breconshire ; † 1769) was a descendant of the Gwynne family of Glanbrân near Llandovery and an early and influential Methodist . He married a wealthy woman and employed Theophilus Evans as an Anglican "Private Chaplain". He was converted to Methodism by Howell Harris . He later supported the Methodist movement financially and as legal advisor. His daughter Sarah married Charles Wesley .

Surname

Marmaduke is an Irish - Welsh name meaning: "Successor of St. Maedoc ". Gwynne means: white, beautiful, blessed.

Life

Glanbran, Carmarthenshire. The house was built by Marmaduke's brother Roderick Gwynne.

Garth House. Gwynne's home, where Charles Wesley asked for Sarah (Sally) Gwynne's hand.

Gwynne was born in Llanafan Fawr in Breconshire . Mother (Mary) and father (Howell) both had the family name Gwynne, but were not related. He was baptized on January 1, 1692. He was the eldest of seven children and was named after his maternal grandfather, who had made a fortune in public office. The grandfather had lost his job as an Anglesey judge on allegations of not only being corrupt but also a Jacobite .

Gwynne received his education at Jesus College, Oxford before he was accepted into Gray's Inn in 1711 . It appears that he inherited his interest in law from his grandfather and his interest in religion from his father and from Sackville Gwynne , the squire in Glanbrân near Llandovery .

When Gwynne had set up his own law firm, he returned from London to take on a major inheritance from his grandfather in Garth and Llanelwedd. (His father had died in 1708.) When Gwynne married Sarah Evans of Peterwell at Lampeter , it was a combination of two great fortunes, as Evans brought a dowry of £ 30,000 and her own income of £ 600 annually into the marriage. In 1718 Gwynne became High Sheriff of Radnorshire . In 1726 Sarah, Gwynne's fifth child (of nine) was born.

Gwynne became a good friend of Theophilus Evans and from 1727 he hired Evans as a private chaplain at his residence in Garth.

conversion

It is said that Gwynne was converted to Methodism while attending a meeting of Howell Harris in the role of Investigating Magistrate . He had a copy of the Riot Act with him to dissolve the meeting if it disrupted public order, but first he listened to one of the sermons for an objective judgment. He converted immediately and invited Harris to his home for dinner that evening. When he got home, his wife refused to eat with the stranger, while eleven-year-old Sally (Sarah) was impressed and Theophilus Evans was completely unimpressed and left his previous benefactor within two years. From 1737 on, Gwynne was a regular supporter of Harris.

In 1738, Gwynne Harris offered the use of valuable books in Welsh and, as one of the first Welsh nobles, openly supported the religious revolution. During this time only his daughter supported him in religious matters.

Supporters of the preachers

Harris was arrested in January 1741 when allegations arose that he and his followers had violently disrupted a ceremony (service) and that one of Harris' men had attacked a Justice of the Peace. When the case went to court, Harris turned down a lawyer and Gwynne stood in for him. However, when Harris left the court, he was attacked by a mob who tried to murder him. Gwynne and his brother, Roderick Gwynne von Glanbrân, were able to prevent the lynching . Gwynne's skill and influence averted a jail sentence, but Harris was fined for "behaving in a riotous manner".

Gwynne began to spend more and more time religious and corresponded with Harris. Although his wife was against it, he opened his home to pastoral preachers, including the Reverend Edward Godwin , George Whitefield , Reverend Benjamin Dutton and his wife Ann Dutton . Ann was one of the most influential Baptist writers of her time. Guests also included John and Charles Wesley . The family kept twenty domestic servants to look after the guests, often with ten or more guests.

Gwynne was the only non-preacher to attend the Methodist Conference in Bristol in 1745 . On April 8, 1749, his daughter Sarah married Charles Wesley at Llanllywenfel Parish Church near Garth , Powys . Sarah had met Charles two years earlier and it is said that it was "love at first sight" and a rare happy marriage in the Wesley family. Sarah's mother gave a sixth of her wealth and income into the marriage annually, whereas Charles had to provide a guarantee of a possible income of £ 100 annually from book sales from his brother John Wesley in order to convince Sarah's family.

End of life

Gwynne's enthusiasm for the Wesleys cooled the relationship with Harris noticeably. Gwynne later even withdrew from public support for Methodism, but remained on good terms with the Wesleys and with Howell Harris. Gwynne lived in Ludlow for a few years after 1745, but then returned to Breconshire. He died in 1769 and was buried at Llanlleonfel Parish Church at the Garth estate.

family

Gwynne had six daughters and three sons Howell , Roderick and Marmaduke . The descendants of his second son Marmaduke († 1782) inherited the family fortune and lived in Llanelwedd Hall until the beginning of the 20th century.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ thinkbabynames.com .
2. ↑ thenamemeaning.com .
3. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h} Marmaduke Gwynne ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , llgc.org.uk, accessed September 28, 2013. 
4. ↑ ^{a b c d} The Garth family , Welsh Biography Online, September 28, 2013.
5. ^ ^{A b c} Henry D. Rack: Wesley, Charles (1707–1788) , Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , Oxford University Press, 2004; online ed., May 2012 [1] .
6. ^ Karen O'Dell Bullock, 'Dutton, Anne (1691-1765)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , Oxford University Press, 2004; online ed., 2009 [2] 2013.
7. ^ Marmaduke Gwynne. ( Memento of the original from October 15, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Manchester University Library, September 27th 2013. 

predecessor	Office	successor
John Miles	High Sheriff of Radnorshire 1718	Hugh Powell