BOWEN
family,
Llwyn-gwair, Pembs.
The members of this family trace their descent up to
Gwynfardd Dyfed
(
c.
1038
). The first to adopt the family surname was probably
EVAN
BOWEN
,
Pentre Evan
. Many members served as
high sheriffs
; throughout they have played their part in public affairs.
JAMES
BOWEN
,
sheriff
in
1622
, was at
Llwyn-gwair
when
Lewys
Dwnn
(q.v.)
made his ‘visitation’ of
Pembrokeshire
in
1591
.
James
m.
Elenor
, daughter of
John
Griffith
, son of
Sir
William
Griffith
,
Penrhyn, Caerns.
Thomas
Nicholas
gives some details of the pedigree of the family in his
Annals of the…County Families of Wales
,
1872
, see also similar works on ancient families of
Wales
, etc.
GEORGE
BOWEN
(
1722
-
1810
) comes into the pages of
Methodist
history because of his friendship with
John
Wesley
,
David
Jones
(
Llan-gan
)
, and others. He was the eldest son of
James
Bowen
and
Alice
, daughter of
Robert
Rowe
and m.
Easter
, daughter of
William
Thomas
,
Pentowyn, Carms.
, and they had six sons and six daughters.
Anne
, one of the daughters, became the wife of the
Rev.
David
Griffiths
,
Nevern
(q.v.)
.
Llwyn-gwair
served as a stepping stone for
John
Wesley
on his journeyings to and from
Ireland
(see
Wesley
,
Diaries
), whilst
David
Jones
(
Llan-gan
)
performed many missions in
London
on behalf of
George
Bowen
—
arranging financial matters
and making inquiries about suitable schools to which
Bowen
's children might be sent. He was
high sheriff of Pembrokeshire
in
1803
.
Bowen
played his part in the
gathering together of troops
to be used against the
French
who landed at
Fishguard
(
1797
). He was a good
landlord
;
Richard
Fenton
and others state that it was on
Llwyn-gwair estate
that marl was first used in
north Pembrokeshire
in order to improve the land.
Bowen
urged his tenants to
gather seaweed
; it is reported that he used some machine wherewith to grind bones to be mixed
with marl and seaweed. He d.
16 June 1810
and was buried at
Nevern
.
JAMES
BOWEN
(
1828
-
1905
) was
sheriff
in
1862
and represented the county in
Parliament
for some years. His eldest son,
Sir
GEORGE
BOWEN
(
1858
-
1940
), m.
Florence
, only daughter of
Frederick
Corbyn
,
army surgeon
in
India
; he was educated at
Cheltenham
and
Magdalen College
,
Oxford
; was prominent in the public life of
Pembrokeshire
—
sheriff
in
1914
,
chairman of the county council
in
1927
, etc.; and was created
K.B.E.
after the
war of 1914-18
, his services to agriculture, amongst others, having been very valuable. Like some of his predecessors at
Llwyn-gwair
he was closely associated with the affairs of the
marcher lordship of Cemais
; he was also a
member of the Governing Body
of the
Church in Wales
. He d.
3 July 1940
and was buried at
Nevern
.
Bibliography:
- Llwyn-gwair muniments in N.L.W.;
-
The journal of the Rev. John Wesley enlarged
from original mss., with notes from unpublished diaries,
annotations, maps, and illustrations. Standard ed
,
1938
;
-
The Times
,
5 July 1940
;
-
D. J. Williams
,
Storïau'r Tir Glas
, Aberystwyth,
1936
;
-
[
W. R. Williams
,
The History of the Parliamentary
Representation of Wales
, 1895
].
Author:
Rev. Rhys Lewis Griffiths, B.D., (1914-84), Caerleon
