WILLIAMS, JOHN CEULANYDD (Ceulanydd; 1847? - 1899), Baptist minister, poet, and writer

Born at Tal-y-bont, Cardiganshire. He started life as a weaver at his home, and was subsequently employed in the lead mines of the district, but he was induced by his mother-church to preach, and early in 1868, after a course of education, first at Towyn and afterwards at the 'Graig House Academy' (Swansea); he was admitted to Llangollen Baptist College. He was ordained at Denbigh 16 January 1871, and moved to Amlwch (1875?), Tal-y-sarn, Caernarvon (1879), Tabernacle, Merthyr Tydfil (1880), and finally, in 1882, to Salem and Caersalem, Maes-teg, where he died 11 September 1899. He married, during his ministry at Denbigh, Ann Jones, daughter of David Jones, a deacon of the church; they had nine children.

Ceulanydd is remembered solely for his literary works. He published (1) biographies of Robert Foulkes, Denbigh, and John Palmer, Amlwch, under the title of Y Ddau Foneddwr (n.d.); (2) a critical essay on the poetry of Ceiriog, under the title Athrylith Ceiriog Hughes (1892?); and (3) a lecture on Welsh hymnology delivered at the annual meetings of the Welsh Baptist Union at Cardigan in 1888. But his main interest was poetry. He was a member of the Gorsedd of Bards, a frequent adjudicator at the national eisteddfod, and won several of the principal prizes of his day, e.g. in the chair competition at the Pontypridd national eisteddfod (1893) on the subject of 'Pwlpud Cymru' (later published, n.d.), and at the Llandudno eisteddfod (1888) on 'Ac yr oedd hi yn nos' (published 1888), and the Australian eisteddfod (1893) on 'C. H. Spurgeon' (published 1893).

Author

• Benjamin George Owens

Sources

• Seren Cymru, 22 and 29 September 1899
• Y Greal sef Cylchgrawn Misol at wasanaeth y Bedyddwyr, 1899, 277
• Y Geninen, 1900, 40 (D), 181, 254
• Trafodion Cymdeithas Hanes Bedyddwyr Cymru, 1951
• Baptist Handbook, 1900
• The Baptist Union of Wales Handbook and Diary, 1900
• T. R. Roberts, Eminent Welshmen: a short biographical dictionary of Welshmen... from the earliest times to the present (1908)
• H. Blackwell, NLW MSS 9251-9277A: A Dictionary of Welsh Biography
• Hanes y Bedyddwyr yn Nghymru, iv, 335-7 (gives date of birth as 1851)
• Notable Welshmen (1700–1900) (1908), 465

Additional Links

• Wikidata: Q28361511

Published date: 1959

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