JONES, THOMAS (1819 - 1882), Independent minister

Born at Rhayader, Radnorshire, 17 July 1819, son of John Jones (died 1829), a commercial traveller. He was apprenticed with a flannel manufacturer at Llanwrtyd, but in 1831 became a collier at Bryn-mawr, and later (1839) at Llanelly,Carmarthenshire. He began preaching with the Calvinistic Methodists, but joined the Independents in 1841. After some schooling at Llanelly and at Rhyd-y-bont, he was in 1844 ordained pastor of Capel-y-bryn, Llanelly, removing subsequently to Tabor (Llanwrda) with Hermon (1845) and thence to Libanus, Morriston (1850), where he won great repute as preacher and lecturer. In September 1858 he moved to Albany (Frederick Street) church in London, and later (1861) to Bedford chapel, Oakley Square, where the poet Browning was one of his congregation. Loss of health led to his leaving London at the end of 1869; from 1870 till 1877 he was pastor of Walter Road church, Swansea; from 1877 till 1880, of Collins Street, Melbourne - having gone to Australia for his health's sake; and from 1881 till his death he was again pastor (but with an assistant) at Walter Road. He was chairman of the Congregational Union of England and Wales in 1871-2. He died 24 June 1882. He had from time to time published poems in Welsh; a volume of his sermons, The Divine Order, was published in 1884, with a preface by Browning and a biographical introduction.

His three sons Sir David Brynmor Jones, John Viriamu Jones and Leifchild Stratten Jones (later Leif-Jones)

Author

• Emeritus Professor Robert Thomas Jenkins, (1881 - 1969)

Sources

• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
• Hanes Eglwysi Annibynnol Cymru, v, 111-20 (full and interesting)

Further Reading

• Wikipedia Article: Thomas Jones

Additional Links

• VIAF: 132641909
• Wikidata: Q18672561

Published date: 1959

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