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Hanes Eglwysi Annibynnol Cymru.

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(History of the Welsh Independent Churches)

By Thomas Rees & John Thomas; 4 volumes(published 1871+)

 

 Here are the ( Welsh) extracts from this book; contributed by Darris G Williams

Extracted  by Gareth Hicks from the CD published by Archive CD Books (Dec 2007) 8)

 


Providence

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(Vol 3, p 562-3 )

 

"Dechreuwyd achos Annibynol Providence, Llangadog, er's tua haner can' mlynedd, trwy offerynoliaeth Mr. William Good, yr hwn oedd wrth ei alwedigaeth yn Dirfesurydd (Land Surveyor), ac yn bregethwr achlysurol. Yn gymaint a'i fod yn preswylio yn Llangadog, meddyliodd am ddechreu achos Annibynol yn y lle, yr hyn a wnaeth trwy ddechreu cynal cyfarfodydd mewn Bragdy perthynol i'r Plough Inn. Yn dra buan aeth y Bragdy yn rhy fychan, a chanfyddwyd yr angenrheidrwydd am le eangach i gynal y cyfarfodydd, a chafwyd hen Ysgubor yn y Backway. Yn y cyfamser ffurfiwyd yno eglwys o dri o aelodau gan y diweddar Mr. D. Davies, Sardis, yr hwn a barhaodd i ofalu am danynt am ychydig amser, yn cael ei gynorthwyo gan y diweddar Mr. Daniel Jones, Hermon y pryd hwnw, pryd y torodd diwygiad allan, ac y derbyniwyd tua thri-ugain i gymundeb yr eglwys fechan yn y lle. Gwnaed un o'r enw John Williams, gwehydd, yn ddiacon i'r eglwys tuag adeg ei ffurfiad, ac efe yn unig a wasanaethodd y swydd yn ystod y rhan fwyaf o'r amser y bu yr eglwys yn yr ysgubor. Ni bu Mr. Davies a Mr. Jones yn alluog i ofalu am yr eglwys yn yr ysgubor ond am amser byr, oblegid fod ganddynt ddigon o waith mewn lleoedd eraill; yn ngwyneb hyny cymerodd y diweddar Mr. W. Williams, Tabernacl, Llandilo, ei gofal, ac nid anghofir byth y gwaith a wnaed trwyddo ef yn y lle. Aeth yr ysgubor yn rhy fychan i gynwys y gynnulleidfa, fel y penderfynwyd ymofyn tir er adeiladu capel. Cafwyd addewid am dir yn agos i'r ysgubor lle yr addolid, a dechreuwyd cludo cerig at adeiladu, ond trwy ryw anffawd neu gilydd methwyd cael y lle, fel yr aeth holl drafferth cludo y cerig yn ofer. Teimlai yr eglwys yn lled ddigalon yn ngwyneb hyny, eithr gofalodd Duw am ei achos trwy osod yn nghalon hen foneddiges o'r enw Mrs. Elizabeth Jones, Glansawdde, Llangadog, i roddi tir at adeiladu y capel presenol, yr hwn, yn ddigon naturiol, oherwydd yr amgylchiadau a nodwyd, a elwir PROVIDENCE (Rhagluniaeth).   Adeiladwyd y capel yn y flwyddyn 1840, a chofir gyda theimladau tra gorfoleddus gan rai ydynt heddyw yn fyw am y cyfarfodydd gweddi effeithiol a gafwyd yn yr hen ysgubor i ofyn am wyneb yr Arglwydd gyda ei bobl yn y capel pan fyddai yn barod. Yn gymaint a bod gwaith gweinidogaethol Mr. Williams mewn lleoedd ereill yn gofyn ei holl amser, bu raid iddo yntau roddi yr eglwys yma i fyny. Rhoddwyd galwad yn ddioed i Mr. John Williams, Brownhill, a myfyriwr ar y pryd yn Athrofa Ffrwdyfal. Urddwyd ef Awst 6ed, 1841. Ar yr achlysur pregethwyd ar Natur Egwlys gan Mr. D. Rees, Llanelli; holwyd y gofyniadu gan Mr. D. Jones, Gwynfe; dyrchafwyd yr urdd-weddi gan Mr. W. Williams, Llandilo; pregethwyd i'r gweinidog gan Mr. D. Davies, Pantteg; ac i'r eglwys gan Mr. D. Williams, Llanwrtyd. Bu Mr. Williams yma yn barchus a defnyddiol iawn hyd ddiwedd y flwyddyn 1851, pryd y symudodd i Gastell-newydd Emlyn. Yn mhen ychydig fisoedd wedi ei ymadawiad ef rhoddwyd galwad i ddyn ieuangc o'r enw John Bevan, aelod o Maesteg, Morganwg, ac urddwyd ef Awst 6ed, 1852, a llafuriodd yn y lle am naw mlynedd. Yn ganlynol i'w ymadawiad ef rhoddodd yr eglwys, yn 1861, alwad i Mr. E. A. Jones, Ynysgau, Merthyr, a llafuriodd yntau yn y lle yn dra diwyd a llwyddianus am yspaid wyth mlynedd, yna symudodd i Dolgellau, Merionydd. Yn mhen tua blwyddyn wedi ymadawiad Mr. Jones, sef ar yr 28ain o fis Chwefror, 1870, rhoddodd yr eglwys alwad i Mr. John Hughes, Aber, Brycheiniog, a dechreuodd yntau ei weinidogaeth yn y lle Ebrill 24ain, 1870, ac yma y mae yn bresenol. Saif y capel tua dau cant o latheni o dref Llangadog, ar ochr y ffordd i Gwynfe a'r Mynnydd Du. Nid oes un cyfnewidiad neillduol wedi cael ei wneyd ynddo er pan ei hadeiladwyd, gyda yr eithriad o fod pump o seti newydd wedi cael eu gwneyd ynddo er's tua blwyddyn, ond teimlir, yn ol arwyddion pethau yn bresenol, y bydd yn rhaid helaethu ychydig arno yn dra buan. Y mae chwyldroadau amser wedi effeithio yn fawr ar yr eglwys yn y Providence, megis ar eglwysi yn gyffredinol, oblegid nid oes ond wyth aelod o'i mewn yn bresenol ag oedd yn aelodau o honi pan yn y Backway, er hyny y mae yr achos wedi ac yn parhau i fyned rhagddo. Rhifa yr eglwys yn bresenol yn agos i wyth-ugain o aelodau, amryw o ba rai a dderbyniwyd yn ddiweddar.   Nid ydym yn gwybod ond am ddau a godwyd yma i bregethu, sef David A. Griffith, yr hwn a addysgwyd yn Aberhonddu, ac sydd yn awr yn weinidog yn Nhroedrhiwdalar; a John Edwards, yr hwn hefyd a addysgwyd yn Aberhonddu, ac a urddwyd yn Blaenafon, sir Fynwy. "

Translation by Maureen Saycell (Jan 2008)

"The Independent cause at Providence, Llangadog, began about fifty years ago, instrumental in this was Mr William Good, whose profession was that of land surveyor, and an occasional preacher. Because he lived in Llangadog, he thought to set up an independent cause here, this he did by holding services in a brewery belonging to the Plough Inn. Quite soon the brewery became too small, and the necessity of finding somewhere larger to hold services was essential, an old barn in the Backway was found. In the mean time a church was formed with three members by the late Mr D. Davies, Sardis, who minister to them for a short time, helped by the late Mr Daniel Jones, Hermon, at the time when there was a religious revival, and about sixty were accepted into communion at the small church here. One by the name of John Williams, a weaver, was made a deacon for the church around the time of it's formation, and he was the only one who held the post for most of the time that the church remained in the barn. Neither Mr Davies nor Mr Jones were able to continue caring for the church in the barn in the long term, because they had enough work in other places. In the face of this Mr W. Williams, Tabernacl, Llandeilo took on the care, and the work achieved by him will not be forgotten. The barn became too small to accommodate the congregation, and it was decided to look for some land to build a chapel. Some land was promised near the barn where they currently worshipped, and a start was made on carrying stone ready to build, but because of some mishap or other they did not get the land, and all the effort of carting the stones was wasted. The church was very disheartened in the face of this, but God took care of their cause and moved the heart of an old lady named Mrs Elizabeth Jones, Glansawdde, Llangadog, to give the land to build the current chapel, this naturally, because of the circumstances mentioned was named Providence (Rhagluniaeth). The chapel was built in 1840, and the glorious memories of those who are still alive of the effective prayer meetings held in the barn asking the Lord to show his face to the people when the new chapel was ready for worship. In as much as the ministerial commitments of Mr Williams in other areas needed all his time , he too had to give up this church.. A call was quickly sent to Mr John Williams, Brownhill, a student at Ffrwdvale Academy.  He was ordained on August 6th, 1841.On this occasion a sermon on the nature of a church was given by Mr. D. Rees, Llanelli; the questions were put by Mr. D. Jones, Gwynfe; the ordination prayer by Mr. W. Williams, Llandilo; a sermon for the minister was given by Mr. D. Davies, Pantteg; and for the church by Mr. D. Williams, Llanwrtyd. Mr Williams remained here well respected and industrious until the end of 1851, when he moved to Newcastle Emlyn. A few months after he left a call was sent to a young man named John Bevan, a member of Maesteg, Glamorgan, and he was ordained on August 6th, 1852, who worked here for nine years. Following his departure, in 1861, the church sent a call to Mr E. A. Jones, Ynysgau, Merthyr, he worked here successfully for eight years, then moved on to Dolgellau, Meirionethshire. About a year after Mr Jones left, on February 28th, 1870, the church sent a call to Mr John Hughes, Aber, Breconshire, and he began his ministry here on April 24th, 1870, and is still here. The chapel stands about two hundred yards from the town of Llangadog, beside the road to Gwynfe and the Black Mountains. There have not been any major changes made since it was built, except for five new seats being installed about a year ago, but as things look at present, some expansion will be needed soon. The passage of time has had a great effect on the church at Providence, as on churches in general, because there are only eight of the original members from Backway are still here, despite that the cause continues to move forward. The current church has a hundred and sixty members,  many of whom have recently been confirmed. We know of only two who became preachers from here:-

  • David A. Griffith,  who was educated at Brecon and is now the minister in Troedrhiwdalar
  • John Edwards, He was also educated in Brecon, and was ordained at Blaenafon, Monmouthshire"

 


Bethlehem

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(Vol 3, p 563-566)

"Mae y capel hwn mewn llanerch brydferth yn mhlwyf Llangadog. Amddifadrwydd yr ardal o freintiau crefyddol a dueddodd rai personau duwiol i gadw cyfarfodydd er dechreu achos yn y lle. Bu cyfarfodydd yn cael eu cynal mewn gwahanol fanau yn yr ardal, megis Bankyfedwen, Ysguborytwyn, a Phenyfforest; buwyd yn addoli yn y lle olaf am tuadwy flynedd cyn adeiladu y capel. Yn yr adeg hon daeth pregethwr i fyw i'r ardal o Drewyddel; ei enw oedd Daniel Morris, ei waith oedd rhwymo llyfrau. Dywed Mr. Williams, Troedrhiwdalar, mai pregethwr call iawn oedd, ond nad oedd yn ddoniol. Symudodd i'r America mewn teimlad siomedig am na chawsai wahoddiad i fod weinidog. Yn y flwyddyn 1800 adeiladwyd capel yn y fan lle saif yr un presenol. Y personau a fu yn mlaenllaw mewn dechreu achos ac adeiladu capel oeddyntWilliam Davies, Penybanc; John Jones Plasnewydd; a David Jones, Coedshon, aelodau yn hen eglwys barchus Gwynfe. Yr oedd Mr. John Jones, Plasnewydd, yn ymneillduwr egwyddorol ac yn grefyddwr gwresog a chydwybodol, a chafodd y pleser o weled llawer o'i blant yn rhodio yn ffyrdd yr Arglwydd, y rhai a fuont enwog yn eu dydd, megis David Jones, Coedshon, wedi hyny Beilillwyd; Mrs. Morgans, Llangadog; Mrs. Lewis, Pencrug; Mrs Rees, Brynchwith; a Mrs. Jones, Glantywi, &c. Gadawodd Mr. John Jones, Plasnewydd, yn ei ewyllys 2p. yn flynyddol at yr achos yn Bethlehem; a'i fab, Mr. David Jones, 1p. yn flynyddol. Y gweinidog cyntaf a fu yn Bethlehem oedd Mr. David Davies, Sardis, un o bregethwyr mwyaf poblogaidd Cymru yn ei ddydd. Cynyddodd yr eglwys a'r gynnulleidfa yn fawr o dan ei weinidogaeth ddoniol ac effeithiol, fel yr aeth yr hen gapel yn rhy fach, ac ail-adeiladwyd ef yn 1834. Bu yn llafurio yma o ddechreu yr achos hyd ddydd ei farwolaeth Chwefror 2il, 1838, ac ni fu un anghydfod rhyngddo a'r eglwys drwy flynyddau maith ei weinidogaeth. Wedi marwolaeth Mr. Davis rhoddwyd galwad i Mr. David Williams Blaenllynant i fod yn olynydd iddo. Yr oedd ef yn bregethwr achlysurol yn Bethlehem yn amser Mr. Davies, a dangosodd yr eglwys a'r gynnulleidfa ddoethineb mawr yn eu dewisiad o hono. Urddwyd ef Hydref 31ain, 1838. Gweinyddwyd gan Meistri D. Rees, Llanelli; W. Davies, Llanymddyfri; D. Jones, Gwynfe; E. Jones, Crugybar; ac eraill. Byr iawn fu ei yrfa weinidogaethol, ond cafodd y maes yn addfed i'r cynhauaf, a bwriodd ei gryman i fewn a medodd yn llwyddianus. Mae ei enw mewn coffadwriaeth barchus yn y lle. Bu farw Medi 25ain, 1842. Yn mhen blwyddyn wedi claddu Mr. Williams rhoddodd yr eglwys alwad i Mr. Josuah Thomas, Adulam, Merthyr Tydfil, a chydsyniodd yntau i'w derbyn. Bu yma chwe' blynedd, ac yna ymadawodd i Saron, Aberaman. Wedi ymadawiad Mr. Thomas rhoddodd yr eglwys alwad i Mr. David Jones, myfyriwr o Athrofa Aberhonddu, ac urddwyd ef Ionawr 31ain, 1851. Gweinyddwyd ar yr achlysur gan Meistri W. Morgan, Caerfyrddin; D. Jones, Gwynfe; T. Roberts, Llanelli; E. Davies, Aberhonddu; D. Rees, Llanelli, ac eraill. Bu ef yn gweinidogaethu yma am tua naw mlynedd a haner, ac yn llwyddianus iawn yn ei weinidogaeth. Rhoddodd yr eglwys hon i fyny a chymerodd ofal Hermon, ac oddiyno symudodd i'r America. Mae yn Gomer, Ohio, yn weinidog parchus a llwyddianus. Wedi ymadawiad Mr. Jones rhoddwyd galwad i Mr. Jonathan Davies, myfyriwr of Athrofa Caerfyrddin, ond nid oedd ei alwad yn unfrydol; mewn canlyniad bu yn annedwydd iawn yn lle. Aeth i'r Eglwys Sefydledig, lle y mae eto. Wedi ymadawiad Mr. Jonathan Davies rhoddwyd galwad unfrydol i Mr. William R. Davies, myfyriwr o Athrofa Aberhonddu, ac urddwyd ef Tachwedd 7fed, 1863. Ar yr achlysur pregethwyd ar Natur Eglwys gan Mr. W. Roberts, Aberhonddu; holwyd y gofyniadau gan Mr. T. Davies, Llandilo; dyrchafwyd yr urdd-wedi gan Mr. D. Rees, Llanelli; pregethwyd i'r gweinidog gan Mr. T. Davies, Llanelli; ac i'r eglwys gan Mr. W. Morgan, Caerfyrddin. Mae Mr. Davies yn parhau i lafurio yma gyda graddau helaeth o lwyddiant. Yn1872 ail-agorwyd y capel wedi ei gyfnewid yn hollol i'r hyn oedd o'r blaen. Mae heddyw yn un o'r capeli harddaf a thlysaf yn y wlad. Dangosodd yr holl ardal ffyddlondeb a haelioni mawr yn adeiladiad y ty hwn. Yn adeg yr agoriad cyflwynodd Miss Eleanor Lewis, Dolgoy, lestri cymundeb hardd a thra gw rthfawr i'r eglwys. Mae'r ardal hon wedi gweled cyfnewidiadau mawr yn ystod y deng mlynedd diweddaf, drwy fod rhai yn myned i'r gweithfaoedd, rhai teuluoedd pwysig wedi symud i'r America, a rhai o'r dynion goreu wedi meirw, er hyny mae pethau yn myned yn mlaen yn ddymunol. Codwyd y personau canlynol i bregethu yma. David Davies, Penybanc, mab Mr. William Davies. Yr oedd yn Gristion enwog a phregethwr derbyniol. Bu farw Hydref 19eg, 1813, yn 35 oed. Ishmael Thomas. Teithiodd ef lawer. Dyn garw a gwyllt ei ffordd oedd, ond gadawai argraff ar feddwl pawb a'i hadwaenai ei fod yn grefyddwr gonest a chydwybodol. Claddwyd ef yn mynwent Bethlehem, paflwyddyn nis gwyddom. William Rees. Urddwyd ef yn Bethel. William C. Thomas. Cafodd dderbyniad i Athrofa Caerfyrddin, ac aethoddiyno i Athrofa Spring Hill, Birmingham. Gallem enwi llawer o ddynion rhagorol fu gyda'r achos yma, megis Hannah Jones, Tanyrallt; Robert Roberts, Glantywi; W. Thomas, Llwyndu; a Jacki Thomas, ac eraill. Y diaconiaid presenol ydynt Mr. Lewis, Dolgoy; Mr. Morgans, Pengeulan; a Mr. Jones, Glanbrainant. "

Translation by Maureen Saycell (Jan 2008)

 "This chapel is in a beautiful glade in the parish of Llangadog. It was the total deprivation of any religion in the area that persuaded some god fearing people to start holding services and to establish a cause here. Meetings were held in different places in the area, such as, Bankyfedwen, Ysguborytwyn, and Penyfforest, in the latter worship continued for about two years before the chapel was built. Around this time a preacher came to live in the area from Trewyddel, his name was Daniel Morris, he was a bookbinder by trade. Mr Williams, Troedrhiwdalar, said he was a very wise preacher, but not witty. He moved to America because he was very disappointed not to have an invitation to be a minister. In 1800 a chapel was built on the current site. The leaders most responsible for establishing the cause and building the chapel were William Davies, Penybanc; John Jones Plasnewydd; and David Jones, Coedshon, members of the old and respected church in Gwynfe. Mr John Jones, Plasnewydd was a principled non-conformist and fervently religious and had the pleasure of seeing many of his children walking in the ways of the Lord, some of them well known in their day, like David Jones, Coedshon, later Beilillwyd; Mrs. Morgans, Llangadog; Mrs. Lewis, Pencrug; Mrs Rees, Brynchwith; and Mrs. Jones, Glantywi, &c. Mr. John Jones, Plasnewydd, willed £2 a year to the cause at Bethlehem, and his son, Mr. David Jones, £1 annually. The first minister at Bethlehem was Mr David Davies, Sardis, one of the most popular preachers in Wales in his day. The church and congregation grew considerably under his witty and effective ministry, so much so that the chapel became too small, and it was re-built in 1834. He worked here from the beginning of the cause until his death on February 2nd,1838, and there was no disagreement between him and the church throughout his long ministry. After Mr Davies' death a call was issued to Mr David Williams, Blaenllynant to be his successor. He had been an occasional preacher at Bethlehem during Mr Davies' time, and the church and congregation showed great wisdom in choosing him. He was ordained on October 31st, 1838. Messrs D. Rees, Llanelli; W. Davies, Llandovery; D. Jones, Gwynfe; E. Jones, Crugybar; and others officiated. His ministerial career was very short, but he found a rich harvest, and brought it home very successfully. He is remembered with respect in the area. He died on September 25th, 1842. A year after Mr Williams was buried the church sent a call to Mr Josuah Thomas, Adulam, Merthyr Tydfil which he accepted. He was here for six years, and then left for Saron, Aberaman. After Mr Thomas left a call was sent to Mr David Jones, a student of Brecon College, and he was ordained on January 31st, 1851. Messrs W. Morgan, Carmarthen; D. Jones, Gwynfe; T. Roberts, Llanelli; E. Davies, Brecon; D. Rees, Llanelli, and others officiated. He was minister here for about nine and a half years, and very successful in his ministry. He left this church and went to care for Hermon, from there he went to America. He is in Gomer, Ohio, and is a respected and successful minister. After Mr Jones departure a call was sent to Mr Jonathan Davies, student of Carmarthen College, but his call was not unanimous, and as a result he was very unsettled here. He went to the Established Church, where he remains. After the departure of Mr Jonathan Davies an unanimous call was sent to Mr William R. Davies, student of Brecon College, he was ordained on November 7th, 1863. A sermon was given by Mr W Roberts, Brecon on the nature of a church, the required questions were asked by Mr T. Davies, Llandeilo, the ordination prayer given by Mr D. Rees, Llanelli, the sermon to the minister was by Mr T. Davies, Llanelli, and the church by Mr W. Morgan, Carmarthen. Mr Davies continues to labour here with varying degrees of success. In 1872 the chapel was reopened after being altered completely from what it was before. It is today one of the prettiest and most beautiful in the country. The whole neighbourhood showed great faith and generosity in the building of this house. Around the time of the opening Miss Eleanor Lewis, Dolgoy, presented some beautiful and very valuable communion dishes to the church. This area has seen some massive changes in the last ten years, some have gone to the mines, some important families have moved to America, and some of the best men have died, despite that things are moving along very pleasantly.

The following were raised to be preachers here:-

  • David Davies, Penybanc, son of Mr. William Davies. He was a well known Christian and an acceptable preacher. He died on October 19th, 1813, at 35 years of age.
  • Ishmael Thomas. He travelled a great deal. He was a coarse man and wild in his ways, but he left a lasting impression on the minds of all who met him for being an honest and fervent preacher. He is buried in the graveyard at Bethlehem, but it is not known which year.
  • William Rees. He was ordained at Bethel.
  • William C. Thomas. He was accepted at Carmarthen College, and from there he went to Spring Hill College, Birmingham.

We could name many excellent people who have been with the cause here, such as Hannah Jones, Tanyrallt; Robert Roberts, Glantywi; W. Thomas, Llwyndu; and Jacki Thomas, and others. The current Deacons are Mr. Lewis, Dolgoy; Mr. Morgans, Pengeulan; and Mr. Jones, Glanbrainant. "

 


Gibea, Upper Brynaman

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(Vol 2, p320 - listed under Glamorgan as explained below)

"Mae y lle yma yn sir Gaerfyrddin, ond oblegid mai cangen o Gwmllynfell yw yr eglwys, yr ydym yn rhoddi ei hanes yn nglyn a sir Forganwg. Yr oedd yma amryw bobl grefyddol yn yr ardal er yn foreu, a chyrchai rhai o honynt i Gwmaman ac eraill i Gwmllynfell. Gydag agoriad gweithfeydd yn y Gwterfawr, codwyd yma nifer o dai, a daeth amryw ddyeithriaid i'r lle; ac yn 1842, adeiladwyd y capel cyntaf yma. Agorwyd ef Medi 20fed a'r 21ain, 1843, ac ar yr achlysur pregethodd Meistri T. Lloyd, Dinaspowys ; J. Evans, Maendy; D Evans, Cwmwysg; W. Davies, Llanymddyfri ; J. Evans, Capelseion ; D. Rees, Llanelli ; H. Evans, Penbre ; W. Williams, Llandilo ; D. Griffîths, Gastellnedd ; E. Watkins, Canaan ; T. Jenkins, Penygroes, ac H. Herbert, Newton.*

Ffurfiwyd yma eglwys gan Mr. Rhys Pryse, Cwmllynfell, o 56 o aelodau, a neillduwyd Hopkin Herbert, Cwm-nant-ty-moel ; Dafydd Williams, Caeglas, a Dafydd Jones, Bryn, yn ddiaconiaid, ac yr oedd y tri hyn y rhai mwyaf blaenllaw yn nghychwyniad yr achos, ac y mae y ddau flaenaf a enwyd yn aros etto yn fyddlon gyda'r achos.

Cynyddodd yr achos yn raddol, fel erbyn 1850, yr oedd rhifedi yr aelodau yn 240. Yn y flwyddyn 1856, penderfynodd yr eglwys adeiladu capel newydd eangach yn ymyl yr hen, a thrwy garedigrwydd yr ardalwyr yn cario y defnyddiau yn rhad, ni chostiodd ond 610p., er ei fod yn un o'r capeli helaethaf yn yr ardaloedd. Agorwyd ef Mai 31ain, 1857, pryd y pregethodd Meistri D. Williams, Troedrhiwdalar; D. Rees, Llanelli; J. Evans, Capelseion, a T. Davies, Llandilo, a chyn diwedd y flwyddyn 1866, yr oedd yr holl ddyled wedi ei thalu.

Llafuríodd Mr. Pryse yma hyd ddiwedd ei oes, ac ar ol yr hyn a ddywedasom am dano yn nglyn a Chwmllynfell, nid oes raid i ni ychwanegu dim yma.

Yn niwedd y flwyddyn 1869, rhoddodd yr eglwys alwad i Mr. John Morlais Jones, o Wrecsam, a dechreuodd ei weinidogaeth yma yr ail Sabboth o'r Chwefror canlynol. Cynaliwyd cyfarfod ei sefydliad Awst 2il a'r 3ydd, y flwyddyn hono ; ar yr achlysur pregethwyd ar natur eglwys gan Mr. B. Williams, Canaan; gofynwyd arwydd o'r undeb gan y gweinidog a'r eglwys gan Mr. J. Jones, Llanguwg; gweddiodd Mr. J. Ll. Jones, Penyclawdd; pregethwyd i'r gweinidog gan Mr. J. Davies, Cwmaman, ac i'r eglwys gan Mr. W. Jenkins, Pentre; # ac y mae Mr. Jones yn parhau i lafurio yn y lle. Mae wedi derbyn dros ddau gant o aelodau yn ystod y ddwy flynedd y mae wedi bod yma, ac y mae yr eglwys yn awr yn 450 o aelodau, ac y mae yr Ysgol Sabbothol yn flodeuog a llewyrchus, ac y mae cynydd y boblogaeth yn nglyn a'r gweithiau alcam sydd yma yn gwneyd y rhagolygon yn addawus dros ben.

Cyfodwyd yma ddau bregethwr, sef Evan Williams, M.A., sydd yn awr yn athraw ysgol ramadegol yn Merthyr Tydfil, a John Jones, yr hwn sydd yn weinidog yn Rhydyceisiaid, sir Gaerfyrddin. Diaconiaid presenol yr ydyw Hopkin Herbert, Dafydd Williams, Owen Williams, a William Dafydd Thomas. "

*Diwygiwr, 1843  Tu dal 323          # Tyst Cymreig, Awst 12fed, 1870

Translation by Maureen Saycell (Jan 2008)

 "This place is in Carmarthenshire, but because the church is a branch of Cwmllynfell, the history is given with Glamorgan. There were many religious people in the area from early on and some of them went to Cwmaman and others to Cwmllynfell. With the opening of the coal works in Gwterfawr, many houses were built and very many people moved into the area, and in 1842, the first chapel was built. It was opened September 20th and 21st,1843. Sermons were given by Messrs T. Lloyd, Dinaspowys ; J. Evans, Maendy; D Evans, Cwmwysg; W. Davies, Llanymddyfri ; J. Evans, Capel Seion ; D. Rees, Llanelli ; H. Evans, Penbre ; W. Williams, Llandilo ; D. Griffîths, Gastellnedd ; E. Watkins, Canaan ; T. Jenkins, Penygroes, and H. Herbert, Newton.*

The church was formed by Mr Rhys Pryse, Cwmllynfell, of 56 members, and Hopkin Herbert, Cwm-nant-ty-moel ; Dafydd Williams, Caeglas, a Dafydd Jones, Bryn, as deacons, these three were the leaders in setting up the cause, and the two first named remain faithful to the cause

The cause grew gradually, so that by 1850, there were 240 members. In 1856, the church decided to build a new larger chapel alongside the old one, and through the generosity of the locals carrying goods cheaply, it only cost £610, despite the fact that it is one of the largest in the area. It was opened on May 31st,1857, when sermons were given by Messrs D. Williams, Troedrhiwdalar; D. Rees, Llanelli; J. Evans, Capel Seion, and T. Davies, Llandilo, and before the end of 1866, the whole debt had been paid.

Mr Pryse remained here to the end of his life, and after what we have said about him in the history of Cwmllynfell, we do not need to add anything further.

At the end of 1869, the church sent a call to Mr John Morlais Jones, Wrexham, he began his ministry on the second Sunday of the following February. His induction service was held on August 2nd and 3rd of that year, on that occasion Mr B Williams, Canaan preached on the nature of the church, Mr J Jones, Llanguwg asked for a sign of union between church and minister. Mr J. Ll. Jones, Penyclawdd said a prayer; a sermon to the minister was given by Mr. J. Davies, Cwmaman, and to the church by Mr. W. Jenkins, Pentre; # Mr. Jones continues to work here. He has confirmed over two hundred new members in the two years that he has been here and the church now has four hundred and fifty members, and the Sunday school is also flourishing, and the increase in the population due to the Alcam Works make the future look very promising.

Two ministers were raised here:-

  • Evan Williams, M.A. who is now a teacher in Merthyr Tydfil Grammar school.
  • John Jones, now the minister of Rhydyceisiaid, Carmarthenshire.

The current Deacons are Hopkin Herbert, Dafydd Williams, Owen Williams, and William Dafydd Thomas. "

 

*Diwygiwr, 1843  Tu dal 323          # Tyst Cymreig, Awst 12fed, 1870

 


[Gareth Hicks - 25 Jan 2008]