Howel Gwyn (24 June 1806 – 25 January 1888) of Dyffryn,

Neath Neath (; cy, Castell-nedd) is a market town and community situated in the Neath Port Talbot County Borough, Wales. The town had a population of 50,658 in 2011. The community of the parish of Neath had a population of 19,258 in 2011. Historica ...

, was a British Conservative politician, who represented Penryn and Falmouth (1847–57) and

Brecon Brecon (; cy, Aberhonddu; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the coun ...

(1866–68). Howel-Gwyn-AS

Early life

Gwyn was the son of William Gwyn and Mary Anne Roberts. His mother was the daughter of John Roberts of

Barnstaple Barnstaple ( or ) is a river-port town in North Devon, England, at the River Taw's lowest crossing point before the Bristol Channel. From the 14th century, it was licensed to export wool and won great wealth. Later it imported Irish wool, but ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

. He was educated privately at Neath and at

Swansea Grammar School Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest i ...

Public life

Gwyn participated in the public life of several Welsh counties. He was High Sheriff of Glamorgan in 1837, of

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire ( cy, Sir Gaerfyrddin; or informally ') is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known ...

in 1838 and of Breconshire in 1844. Gwyn successfully contested Penryn and Falmouth at the 1847 General Election and continued to represent the borough until

1857 Events January–March * January 1 – The biggest Estonian newspaper, ''Postimees'', is established by Johann Voldemar Jannsen. * January 7 – The partly French-owned London General Omnibus Company begins operating. * J ...

. He represented Brecon from

1866 Events January–March * January 1 ** Fisk University, a historically black university, is established in Nashville, Tennessee. ** The last issue of the abolitionist magazine ''The Liberator'' is published. * January 6 – Ottoman troo ...

until

1869 Events January–March * January 3 – Abdur Rahman Khan is defeated at Tinah Khan, and exiled from Afghanistan. * January 5 – Scotland's oldest professional football team, Kilmarnock F.C., is founded. * January 20 – E ...

when he was unseated by petition. Having been returned for Brecon in

1868 Events January–March * January 2 – British Expedition to Abyssinia: Robert Napier leads an expedition to free captive British officials and missionaries. * January 3 – The 15-year-old Mutsuhito, Emperor Meiji of Ja ...

it was generally accepted that his supporters had been caught engaged in bribery. The following year, a petition was brought forward to unseat him due to allegations of bribery and illegal activities. Gwyn was largely exonerated personally but the charges were upheld and his election annulled in April 1869. In

1874 Events January–March * January 1 – New York City annexes The Bronx. * January 2 – Ignacio María González becomes head of state of the Dominican Republic for the first time. * January 3 – Third Carlist War &n ...

he unsuccessfully contested the

Brecknock Brecon (; cy, Aberhonddu; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the co ...

constituency against W Fuller Maitland.

Later life and death

Gwyn played a prominent role in the public life of the Borough of Neath and contributed land towards the building of a hall, known as the Gwyn Hall. He died at his home in 1888. The radical Welsh language newspaper, '' Tarian y Gweithiwr'', recalled him as an old-fashioned Conservative who was a staunch defender of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gwyn, Howel 1806 births 1888 deaths Conservative Party (UK) MPs for Welsh constituencies High Sheriffs of Brecknockshire High Sheriffs of Carmarthenshire High Sheriffs of Glamorgan Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Penryn and Falmouth People educated at Bishop Gore School People from Neath UK MPs 1847–1852 UK MPs 1852–1857 UK MPs 1868–1874 Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies