LEWIS, TITUS (1773 - 1811), Baptist minister

Born 21 February 1773 at Kilgerran, son of Lewis Thomas, minister of Cilfowyr - his mother a sister to D. Evans (1740 - 1790). His father taught him the craft of shoemaking. He was baptised at Blaen-y-waun, began to preach in 1794, and was ordained there in 1798. As he had married (20 November 1800) a woman from Carmarthen who did not like S. Dogmael's, he moved to Carmarthen in 1801 to minister to the Dark Gate church, but he continued to administer communion at Blaen-y-waun. He became well known as a defender of Calvinism, both in his preaching and in his writings. In 1805 he published A Welsh-English Dictionary, Geirlyfr Cymraeg a Saesneg (2nd ed. in 1815). In 1806, with the help of Joseph Harris, there appeared Y Drysorfa Efangylaidd, Lewis using the pseudonyms ' Obadiah ' and ' Gaius ' (according to Thomas Shankland), and Harris the pseudonym ' Adelphos o Abertawe '; only two numbers appeared. His chief work was Hanes … Prydain Fawr, 1810, a volume of 624 pages. Lewis, Christmas Evans, and Joseph Harris agreed together to translate Gill's commentary on the New Testament into Welsh. Lewis was to be the editor and corrector of the proof-sheets, but he died after ' Acts ' was completed, and no more appeared - proof that the greater part of the burden had fallen upon his shoulders. Among other works by him were Holwyddoreg ar holl bynciau crefydd …, Esboniad ar y cyffelybiaethau, 1811 (a translation of a work by Keach); Testament Llogell, with short notes; Llyfr Rhyfeddodau, 1808; Mawl i'r Oen … Pigion o Emynau …, 1810. He died 1 May, 1811.

Author

• Reverend William Joseph Rhys, (1880 - 1967)

Sources

• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
• T. R. Roberts, Eminent Welshmen: a short biographical dictionary of Welshmen... from the earliest times to the present (1908)
• Geirlyfr Bywgraffiadol o Enwogion Cymru (1870)
• Enwogion y Ffydd (1880)
• Seren Gomer, 1825, 1857
• Trafodion Cymdeithas Hanes Bedyddwyr Cymru, 1908-9, 1930, 1942
• Rees, Hanes eglwysi y Bedyddwyr yn Blaenywaun; Gerazim; Penuel; Cemaes; a Tabernacl, Trewyddel, sir Benfro (Llangollen 1899)
• Y Gwyddoniadur Cymreig (1889-96), vi
• Blaen-y-waun church books in N.L.W.
• The Baptist Union of Wales Handbook and Diary, 1937

Further Reading

• Wikipedia Article: Titus Lewis

Additional Links

• VIAF: 315533856
• Wikidata: Q7810316

Published date: 1959

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