(1751-1819)
Alban Thomas Jones Gwynne was a country vicar who inherited two estates and a considerable fortune. He invested his new-found wealth in the development of the small town of Aberaeron in Cardiganshire, mid-Wales, now a popular seaside resort.
[National Trust Images]
Family
Son of Dr Alban Thomas, physician, antiquarian and Welsh literature specialist, Alban was born in Cenarth, near Newcastle Emlyn in Cardiganshire, mid-Wales. After training for the Anglican priesthood, he became vicar of the rural Hampshire parish of Nately Scures. In 1777 he married Martha Acton, daughter of the Rector of St Mary’s, Bentworth. They had four children, three girls and a boy, but Martha died when her son was born, after just six years of marriage. His grandson was John Birt Davies, first coroner of Birmingham.
Fourteen years later Alban married his Welsh cousin, Susannah Jones, heir to the Tyglyn estate in Cardiganshire. Shortly afterwards the couple inherited another nearby property at Monachty, plus a substantial quantity of gold. So they left Hampshire and returned to Wales to set about the development of their lands.
Aberaeron
Their property at Aberaeron included a small harbour that was in a poor state of repair. Alban realised it could be made much more useful and profitable if it was enlarged and properly maintained. This would require an Act of Parliament, so he set about the long process of drawing up a private Bill. The Act was finally passed on 1st August 1807. This gave him permission to rebuild the local harbour, levy tolls and harbour dues, and establish bye-laws and penalties. This development greatly benefited local trade, including fishing, shipbuilding, and coastal imports and exports. Sea captains, fishermen and local tradesmen moved in and the new town of Aberaeron grew and prospered.
Alban’s son, Colonel Gwynne, continued the development of the town after his father’s death. He worked with an architect to develop a master plan and standard designs for the houses. The charming little town, now popular with holiday-makers, is regarded as a model of Georgian town planning.
For more information on this story see: Angela Coulter, A Stream of Lives, Matador Press 2021, available from Troubador Bookshop