JONES, JOHN (1801 - 1856), Independent minister, and controversialist

Born 10 April 1801 at Tan-yr-ogof near Abergele. He worked as a miner and collier until he went to Llangollen as Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn's clerk. He first came into prominence as a lecturer on temperance, and it was he who was the secretary of the great temperance meeting held at Caernarvon in 1837. In 1839 he moved to Rhosllannerchrugog where he joined the Independents and began to preach. He then came forward as a writer and debater on baptism; on this subject there was a public debate between him and the minister of Rhymney, which came to be known as the ' Great Debate of Rhymney.' In October 1842 he was ordained minister of the churches of Rhyd-y-bont, Capel Nonni, and Bryn-teg, Carmarthenshire. His ministry was a failure for he had no gift for this kind of work. He then started publishing books at Rhyd-y-bont, moving thence to Merthyr Tydfil and later to Mountain Ash, where he carried on the same business; in the latter place he began to build a chapel for his few followers, but in 1854, before it was ready, fled to the U.S.A., leaving them to face the music. He died at Cincinnati 19 November 1856, after a varied and stormy career - a man of undoubted ability but exceedingly unreliable. He could shape a good lyric, and his song ' Deio Bach ' became very well known. Among his works will be found: Y Bedyddiwr, 1842; Adroddiad o'r Ddadl ar Fedydd yn Rhymni rhwng T. G. Jones a J. Jones o Langollen … 1841; Brad y Drôch, 1841; Catecism Bedydd, 1842; Adroddiad Dadl Llantrisant, 1842; Testament yr Ysgol Sabothol, 1849; Y Seren Foreu, 1846.

Daniel Jones, (1811 - 1861), the Mormon, was his brother.

Author

• Reverend Richard Griffith Owen, (1890 - 1973)

Sources

• Cymru (O.M.E.), ii, 6, 86, 136, xl, 287, li, 109
• Hanes Eglwysi Annibynnol Cymru, iii, 548-50

Additional Links

• Wikidata: Q20733502

Published date: 1959

Article Copyright: http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/