JONES, NATHANIEL CYNHAFAL, (1832 - 1905), Calvinistic Methodist minister, and poet
Date of birth: 1832
Date of death: 1905
Gender: Male
Occupation: Calvinistic Methodist minister, and poet
Area of activity: Literature and Writing; Poetry; Religion
Author: Idwal Lewis
Born in the district of Gellifor, Llangynhafal, Denbighshire, 19 April 1832. At an early age he moved to Mold, to work as a tailor in the shop of Angel Jones, where Daniel Owen was his fellow-worker for a short time. In 1855 he moved to Holywell as travelling salesman in the employment of P. M. Evans, publisher. He began to preach in 1859, and for a short time attended a private school at Holywell, before proceeding to Bala C.M. College, where he remained for four years. In 1864 he accepted a call from the church at Adwy'r Clawdd, and, in 1865, he took charge of the C.M. Church at Penrhyndeudraeth. He moved to Llanidloes in 1875 and was there for eighteen years. He was moderator of the North Wales C.M. Association in 1892, and edited Y Drysorfa from 1893 to 1897. In 1892, he lived at Rhyl without pastoral charge, but from 1895 to 1902 he held the pastorate of Engedi church, Colwyn Bay. After retiring, he lived at Abergele, and at Blaenau Ffestiniog, where he died 14 December 1905; he was buried at Abergele.
As a poet he was often successful at eisteddfodau, and more than once he was placed second in the chief competitions at the national eisteddfod. Cynhafal and John Davies (Gwyneddon) edited Charles o'r Bala , a Welsh fortnightly magazine for the use of Sunday schools. He published several volumes of his poems - Fy Awenydd, 1859, Elias y Thesbiad, 1869, Y Messiah, 1895, Y Bibl, 1895, Charles o'r Bala, 1898, and he and Richard Mills wrote a Welsh biography, Buchdraeth y Parch. John Mills, 1881. His chief literary accomplishment was the editing of the works of William Williams of Pantycelyn, Gweithiau Williams, Pantycelyn 2 vols., 1887-91, to which he contributed a life of the author, with critical essays and explanatory notes on all the separate works.
Author
- Idwal Lewis
- Y Drysorfa, January 1898, February 1906
- Y Geninen (Gŵyl Dewi), 1906
Sources
- Wikipedia Article: Nathaniel Jones
Further Reading
Published date: 1959
Article Copyright: http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/
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