Llanwenog Contents

Llanwenog chapels

For further details of this project see Cardiganshire Chapels Database

Compiled by Gareth Hicks (April 2007)

Sources

NB.  Not all available data was necessarily used from sources - and sources 1 & 4 have been combined as similar

• 1.  The Chapels Recording Project in Wales (RCAHMW)
• 2.   The Religious census of 1851 : A Calendar of the returns relating to Wales, Vol 1, South Wales., byJones, I.G. & Williams, D.      UWP,   Cardiff, 1976
• 3.   Nonconformist Registers of Wales published by the National Library of Wales in 1994.
• 4.   The Parish Churches and Nonconformist Chapels of Wales: Their Records and where to Find them, Vol. One, Cardigan - Carmarthen - Pembroke, by Rawlins, B.J. (1987).
• 5.  Kelly's Directory, South Wales 1910 -  the Archive Cd Books Cd
• 6.  Kelly's Directory, South Wales 1895 -  the Archive Cd Books Cd
• 7.  My Ancestors were Congregationalists in England and Wales, by D J H Clifford, SOG, 1992.
• 8.  Death and Burial indexes available for purchase from Cardiganshire Family History Society
• 9. Online Commercial & Residential Directories as appropriate to a particular parish - apart from what may already be on Genuki, see also the Historical Directories site

 Other sources

• Dyfed FHS  - Photographs of chapels (may also be other data there)
• Archives Network Wales
• Lewis 1833 on Genuki  (Samuel Lewis's A Topographical Dictionary of Wales 1833 )

Baptist

Independent

Miscellaneous

Brynteg Independent chapel, Abertegan

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(Vol 4, p 208-209)

"Saif y capel hwn yn rhan orllewinol plwyf Llanwenog. Er's llai na deugain mlynedd yn ol yr oedd y plwyf hwn yn amddifad o addoldy Ymneillduol, ac oherwydd hyny mewn cyflwr digrefydd ac anfoesol. Treulid y Sabboth yn gyffredin i ddwyn yn mlaen gampau llygredig, yn neillduol "cicio'r bêl droed." Ar y Nadolig yr oedd "match cicio'r bêl" yn cymeryd lle rhwng gwyr y plwyf a gwyr y Blaenau, pryd y ceid cynnulliad lluosog, oddeutu tair mil, meddir, o drigolion y plwyf a'r ardaloedd cyfagos. O dosturi at gyflwr truenus y trigolion gwnaed cynyg i godi ysgol Sabbothol yn mhentref Rhuddlan, ond oherwydd ymddygiad anfad a gwrthwynebus y trigolion, gorfodwyd ei rhoddi i fyny. Yn 1834, symudodd Mr. John Jones a'i deulu o Blaenborthyn, yn mhlwyf Llandysul, i fyw i Blaenbronfain, yn mhlwyf Llanwenog, a daeth ei frawd-yn-nghyfraith, Mr. John Griffiths, a'i deulu, i fyw yn ei le yn Blaenborthyn. Yr oedd y ddau deulu yn perthyn i eglwys Pencadair. Yr oedd Mr. David Griffiths a'i deulu, Llanfechan, a Mr. David George, gwas Major Evans, Dolaubach, hefyd yn perthyn i Rydybont. Cynygiasant gadw ysgol yn amaethdai Bro Gwenog ar gylch, a llwyddasant tu hwnt i bob disgwyliad. Cawsant lawer o gymorth gan rai o aelodau y Methodistiaid Calfinaidd yn nghapel Waunifor. Pan gasglodd yr ysgol nerth, penderfynwyd codi addoldy. Cafwyd tir at hyny, a chladdfa eang, gan Major Evans, ar dir Abertegan, ar les o 200 o flynyddau am 10s. y flwyddyn. Cafwyd pob caredigrwydd gan amaethwyr yr ardal. Agorwyd y capel yn 1838, a'r Nadolig cyntaf cynaliwyd cyfarfod ysgolion Sabbothol Noni, Rhydybont, a Brynteg ynddo, er mwyn dybenu "y match cicio'r bel," yr hyn a wnaed yn llwyr, ac am byth wrth bob tebyg.   Ffufiwyd yma eglwys, ac am y pedair blynedd cyntaf gofelid am yr achos gan Meistri S. Griffiths, Horeb; M. Rees, Pencadair; J. Lewis, Rhydybont; D. Davies, Llanbedr, ac E, Williams, Penycae. Bu y ddau olaf yn cadw ysgol yn Brynteg, bob un am auaf yn olynol. Yn 1842, ymunodd Brynteg a Rhydybont a Chapel Noni i fod dan weinidogaeth "Jones, Llangollen," ond darfyddodd Mr. Jones a gweinidogaethu yn Brynteg flynyddoedd cyn iddo ymadael a'r ddwy eglwys arall. Yn 1852, ymynodd Brynteg a'r ddwy eglwys uchod i roddi galwad i Mr. Henry Jones, Saron, ac yn 1862, i Mr. D. Williams, Glynedd. Talwyd dyled adeiladu y capel yn bur fuan, ond yn ddiweddar y mae wedi ei adnewyddu a'i brydferthu. Mae golwg gysurus iawn ar yr achos dan weinidogaeth fywiog ac effeithiol Mr. Williams.  

Yr unig bregethwr a gyfodwyd yma yw Mr. John Bowen Jones, B.A., Penybont-ar-ogwy, a mab Mr. John Jones, Blaenborthyn, un o gychwynwyr yr achos yma. "

 Translation by Gareth Hicks

"This chapel stands in the western portion of Llanwenog parish. Although less than forty years ago this parish was devoid of Dissenting places of worship, and for that reason was in an irreligious and immoral state. They treated the Sabboth as commonplace to carry on immoral activities, in particular "kicking a football".  At Christmas time a "football match" took place between the men of this parish and the men from Blaenau, when they had a large gathering, about three thousand, say, of the  inhabitants from the parish and neighbourhood. Taking pity on the lamentable state of the inhabitants it was proposed to raise a Sunday school in the village of Rhuddlan, but because of the atrocious and adverse attitude of the inhabitants, they were obliged to give it up.
In 1834, Mr John Jones and his family from Blaenborthyn, in Llandysul parish,  moved to live in Blaenbronfain, in Llanwenog parish, and his brother-in-law, Mr John Griffiths, and his family, came to live in his place in Blaenborthyn. The two families were connected  to the church in Pencadair. Mr David Griffiths, and family, (from) Llanfechan, and Mr David George, a servant of Major Evans, Dolaubach, were also connected to (the church at ) Rhydybont. They tried to keep a school in the farmhouses of the Vale of Gwenog and district, and succeeded beyond all expectation. They received much assistance from some of the Calvinistic Methodists of the Waunifor chapel. As the school grew in strength, they decided to build a place of worship. They acquired land for this, and a spacious graveyard, from Major Evans, on Abertegan land, with a 200 year lease for 10s a year. They received every kindness from the farmers of the district. The chapel was opened in 1838, on the first Christmas they held a meeting of the Sunday schools of Noni, Rhydybont, together with Brynteg, to end the "football match", and this they did completely, and for ever by all accounts. They established a church, and for the first four years the cause was cared for by Messrs S. Griffiths, Horeb; M. Rees, Pencadair; J. Lewis, Rhydybont; D. Davies, Llanbedr, and E, Williams, Penycae. The latter two kept a school in Brynteg, alternating for successive winters. In 1842, Brynteg, Rhydybont and Capel Noni opted to be under the ministry of "Jones, Llangollen", but Mr Jones ceased his ministry in Brynteg years before he left the other two churches. In 1852, Brynteg and the two churches mentioned above decided to give a call to Mr Henry Jones, Saron, and in 1862, to Mr D Williams, Glynedd. They repaid the debt for the building of the chapel very quickly, but lately have renovated and refreshed  it. There is a very comfortable look about the cause under Mr Williams' lively and effective ministry.

The only preacher raised here is Mr John Bowen Jones, B.A., Penybont-ar-ogwy, a son of Mr John Jones, Blaenborthyn, one of the founders of this cause."

 

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[Gareth Hicks: 12 Feb 2008 ]

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