LUMLEY, RICHARD (1810 - 1884), Calvinistic Methodist minister

Born 23 October 1810, at Aberystwyth, eldest of the eleven children of Edward Lumley, builder. He was educated in the well-known school kept by John Evans (1796 - 1861) in that town, and afterwards in the little grammar school at Llanfihangel-genau'r-glyn - in both, Lewis Edwards was his fellow-pupil and the two became intimate friends. He began to preach in 1829 and opened a (not too successful) school in 1829; in 1831 he had rather better luck with a school at Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire; but in 1833 he followed his friend Lewis Edwards as pastor at Laugharne and was ordained in 1836. In 1839 he removed to Builth, where he married his first wife (they had six children), he took on her draper's shop, and throve there, at Llandovery (1846-8), and especially at Swansea (1848-61), despite his constant preaching -journeys. But a move (1861) to Cardiff brought him heavy losses. In September 1866 he took charge of the C.M. church at Seacombe, and remained there till his death 23 July 1884; he was buried at Swansea. He was regarded as one of his connexion's most brilliant preachers, though he had none of the Welsh ' hwyl,' and paid scant heed to systematic theology. Outside the pulpit he was not popular. He could not suffer fools; he was regarded as haughty and short-tempered; he kept people at arm's length; and his wit was scathing. As moderator (1874-5) of the C.M. General Assembly he was not happy, and it is significant that he never reached the chair (at that time regarded as of higher prestige) of either of the two C.M. Associations.

Author

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

Sources

• Griffith Ellis in Y Geninen, March 1898, 1-9
• Bywyd a Llythyrau y Diweddar Barch. Lewis Edwards, M.A., D.D. (Liverpool 1901)

Additional Links

• Wikidata: Q20734292

Published date: 1959

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