John Fraunceis - Created Gwyn of Forde Abbey 1780 
John Fraunceis was born in 1728 and his baptism took place on May 13th, 1729 in Combe Florey, Somerset. John Fraunceis' father was William Fraunceis and his mother was Joanna Whitlock. His paternal grandparents were William Fraunceis and Phillippa Prowse. He had a sister named Ann. He was the younger of the two children. He died at the age of 61 on October 3rd, 1789. The funeral took place on October 8th, 1789. He was buried on October 8th, 1789 in Combe Florey, Somerset.General Notes
John Fraunceis of Combe Florey inherited the Gwyn estate lands in Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Glamorgan after his kinsman Francis Gwyn & his wife Frances died childless.
On 10 January 1761 he married Jane Towell, daughter of Edward Towell Esq. of Stogumber.
They had 2 children:
- John Fraunceis
- Joanna-Phillippa Fraunceis
After Jane's death on 4 February 1763 (about 1 month after the birth of her daughter Joanna-Phillippa), he married Sarah Escott in 1764 and by her had 3 children:
- James-Escott Fraunceis, died at Oxford aged 19
- William Fraunceis, born 27 April 1774, and married Miss Brereton. They had 2 children who both died young. William died on 2 November 1815.
- Margaretta-Marie Fraunceis, who married John Fitzgerald, the Knight of Glin, of Glin Castle, Ireland. She died in 1802??. They had a son who succeeded to his father's title of Knight of Glyn.
Frances Gwyn died 1 July 1780. On 31 July 1780 John Fraunceis assumed the surname Gwyn by royal licence.
John Fraunceis Gwyn of Combe Florey, a wealthy landowner in West England, had several seats including Forde Abbey.
According to a memorial plaque in the chapel at Forde Abbey, in 1780 he assumed the name of Gwyn, according to the terms of the will of his deceased kinsman Francis Gwynn of Ford Abbey and Llansanor, so as to ensure continuance of the name of Gwynn.
He became proprietor of Forde Abbey from 1780 until his death in 1789.
From the website: http://www.somerset.gov.uk/archives/dservea/
Repository Somerset Record Office
Level Item
RefNo DD\BR\la/3
Title - Winsham deed.
Description - Sale by Sir Thomas Miller, Southampton, bt, executor of Frances Gwyn, widow, and executrix of Francis Gwyn, both of Ford Abbey, Devon, to John Francis Gwyn of Combe Florey, Esq., of land in manor of Winsham called Ameran Mead, and lands in Llandaff, formerly of the Cathedral Recites earlier leases from 1738 and contains room by room inventory of goods in Ford Abbey.
Date 1781
He was succeeded at Forde Abbey by John Fraunceis (or Francis) Gwyn Esq. - the last male descendant.
There are also clear records from Glin Castle of his daughter Margaretta Maria Fraunceis Gwyn of Forde Abbey, who married Colonel John FitzGerald, Knight of Glin, Ireland.
There were also old Gwyn family lands in Llansannor, Glamorgan, Wales in records dating from the 1500's up to 1846.
In addition the memorial plaque to the last male heir at Forde Abbey (his son John Fraunceis Gwyn) talks about descent from a long line who flourished in Devon, Somerset and Cornwall.
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Individual Additional Information
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Associated external link media/ind00176.htm
Details of John Fraunceis' family with Jane Towill
Details of John Fraunceis' family with Sarah Escott
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