JONES, JOHN (1650 - 1727), dean of Bangor, educationist, and antiquary

Born at Plas Gwyn, Pentraeth, Anglesey, 2 June 1650, son of Rowland Jones and Margaret, daughter of John Williams of Chwaen Issa, Llantrisant, Anglesey. His brother's grandchild married Paul Panton, the antiquary. Educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated M.A., 1668, and later B.D. and D.D., 1689, he took holy orders and was preferred in 1672 to Rhoscolyn and its chapelries of Llanfair-yn-Neubwll and Llanfihangel-yn-Nhywyn. In 1673 he was collated treasurer of Bangor cathedral and also to Llandecwyn and Llanfihangel-y-traethau; he received Llandegfan in 1683 and Aber in 1684. Bishop Humphrey Humphreys, in 1689, persuaded him to accept the deanery of Bangor, to which Gyffin, Llanfihangel Ysgeifiog, and Llanffinan were annexed. Other preferments were the prebend of Llanfair (St Asaph diocese) in 1696 and Llanllechid in 1699.

A correspondent of the S.P.C.K., he was the pioneer in North Wales of Welsh charity-schools, which he founded and endowed in the parishes with which he was connected and where the Church catechism and other subjects were taught in Welsh. He caused Welsh literature to be distributed among his parishioners and assisted in the formation of parochial and diocesan libraries. In reply to his bishop's visitation questions he supplied information on the endowments and educational facilities of Friars School, Bangor. Browne Willis, in his Survey of Bangor cathedral, acknowledges the help received from the dean, who was a skilled antiquary. His will contained generous bequests for the religious education of poor children in specified parishes; at least nine schools are known to have been endowed by him. He died, according to his tombstone, 27 October 1727; his will (dated 10 March 1719) was proved on 29 November 1727.

Author

• Reverend Canon Evan Gilbert Wright, (1903)

Sources

• Browne Willis, A survey of the cathedral church of Bangor; and the edifices belonging to it … (1721), 70, 129-30, 157
• Barber and Lewis, The history of Friars School, Bangor (1901), 38-44, 46, 160-3, 173, 176-7
• David Jones, Life and times of Griffith Jones, sometime rector of Llanddowror (London 1902), 36, 57-8
• Edmund McClure, ed., A Chapter in English Church History; S.P.C.K. Minutes and [Abstracts of] Correspondence, 1698–1704 (London 1888), 276, 287, 292
• Plas Gwyn Manuscripts at the National Library of Wales, 80, 84, 85
• Thomas Shankland in Seren Gomer, 1902 (272, 300, 306), 1903 (138, 145, 149, 161), 1904 (17, 22-3)
• Thomas Shankland in The Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion, 1904-5, 111, 138, 143, 157-64, 167, 180, 182, 193, 216

Additional Links

• Wikidata: Q20733492

Published date: 1959

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