Hanes Eglwysi Annibynnol Cymru.

(History of the Welsh Independent Churches)

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

From the CD published by Archive CD Books

The umbrella project for WALES is detailed  on this Genuki page where there is a contents listing for each county/section and data on what has been extracted/translated already.
This is the complete Merionethshire section of Volume 1, in Welsh -  any existing translations will be itemised on the above page.
This extraction is as it is in the book, chapel names and page numbers act as separators.
Pages are in groups of 14, each group will be on a separate page of Genuki.
Footnotes remain at the bottom of pages
Extraction by Gareth Hicks (April 2008)

MERIONETHSHIRE section (Vol 1, pages 400 - 518)

Chapels below;

Proof read by Yvonne John (May 2008)

• BALA (with translation)
• TYNYBONT (with translation)
• LLANUWCHLLYN  (with translation)

Pages 400 - 413

400

BALA

(Llanycil parish)

Mae yn ymddangos mai dyma yr achos hynaf yn sir Feirionydd y gellir ei ddilyn yn ddigoll hyd ein dyddiau ni. Nid oes sicrwydd pwy a bregethodd yma gyntaf, ond y mae yn ymddangos yn lled sicr fod Mr. Morgan Llwyd o Wynedd, wedi pregethu yma wrth fyned i neu ddychwelyd o Wrecsam, i'w gartref yn Nghynfal, Maentwrog. Bu Mr. M. Llwyd farw yn Mehefin, 1659, ac os pregethodd ef yn y Bala, fel y mae pob tebygolrwydd ddarfod iddo wneyd, rhaid fod Ymneillduaeth wedi cychwyn yma yn foreu. Pan y sefydlodd Mr. Hugh Owen yn nhreftadaeth ei henafiaid yn Mronyclydwr, yn fuan wedi cyhoeddiad Deddf Unffurfiaeth, dechreuodd ei ymweliadau trimisol a ryw haner dwsin o leoedd yn sir Drefaldwyn, a thua yr un nifer o leoedd yn sir Feirionydd; ac yr oedd y Bala yn un o honynt. Parhaodd i ddyfod yma yn gyson er holl rym yr erledigaethau, a phregethai pa le bynag y rhoddid iddo ddrws agored, hyd nes y rhoddwyd terfyn ar ei fywyd llafurus, yn y flwyddyn 1699. Dilynwyd Mr. Owen gan Mr. Edward Kenrick, yr hwn a briododd ei ferch, ac a aeth i fyw i Fronyclydwr. Ymwelai Mr. Kenrick a'r lleoedd lle yr ymwelai ei dad-yn-nghyfraith a hwy, gan wneyd ei oreu i lenwi yr adwy oedd angau wedi ei wneyd. Urddwyd ef Awst 17eg, 1702, gan Meistri James Owen, Mathew Henry, ac eraill, a mwynhaodd. y gangen yn y Bala ran o'i weinidogaeth.* Nid oedd Mr. Kenrick yn meddu ar dalentau a chymwysderau gwenidogaethol ei dad-yn-nghyfraith, ond bu yn nodedig o ffyddlon, ac ni bu ei lafur yn gwbl ddilwydd. Wedi urddo Mr.

* MSS Josiah Thompson, Ysw.

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Thomas Baddy yn Ninbych, yn 1693, deuai ef yn fisol i'r Bala. Dywedir y byddai yn nyddiau byrion y gauaf yn cadw y moddion ar hyd y dydd, a rhag ofn cynddaredd yr erlidwyr, elai i gysgu i le o'r enw Bodweni, rai milldiroedd o'r dref.* Mewn tai anedd yr arferent ymgynnull, a chan amlaf mewn ty a elwid y Store-house, wrth gefn Plasyndre. Pan ddaeth Mr. John Evans - hen bregethwr parchus gyda'r Methodistiaid - i'r Bala, yn 1742, at un Edward Williams, Gwehydd, un o hen Ymneillduwyr y Bala, y daeth i weithio, a llefara yn uchel am grefydd ei feistr - yr arferai addoli Duw yn ei deulu hwyr a boreu. Merch Morris ap Robert, un o hen aelodau yr Eglwys Ymneillduol yn y Bala, oedd Margaret, gwraig John Evans, wedi hyny. Saer coed wrth ei alwedigaeth oedd Morris ap Robert, ac yr oedd yn fardd o gryn enwogrwydd. Ceir nifer o'i ganiadau yn Mlodeugerdd Cymru ; a chyfansoddodd gywydd i Lyn Tegid, yn yr hwn y cyffelyba donau'r llyn i dragwyddoldeb.+ Nid oedd yr hen brydydd ond isel ei amgylchiadau, a byddai yn aml yn dywyll arno am angenrheidiau bywyd. Dywedir ei fod un boreu heb damaid o fwyd yn y ty, na modd i'w gael, ac yr oedd yr hen wraig wedi disgyn yn isel iawn ei meddwl ; ond dywedai ef wrthi wrth gychwyn allan o'i dy i'w waith, " O paid ti a gofidio, fe ddaw." Ond nid oedd ei wraig yn gweled yr un sail i'w ffydd bwyso arni i gredu y deuai. Ond erbyn fod Morris ap Robert wedi dychwelyd yr hwyr, dyma yr hen wraig yn y drws yn ei gyfarch yn llawen, gan waeddi, "fe ddaeth, fe ddaeth." "Fe ddaeth pwy ?" meddai yntau, heb gofio, mewn munyd, at ba beth y cyfeiriai. "Ond yr angel - fe ddaeth ar gefn ceffyl gwyn, ac a roddodd i mi gini ;" ac ni fynai hi ei hargyhoeddi nad yr Arglwydd a anfonasai ei angel a'r ymwared prydlawn yma iddi. Erbyn holi, cafodd yr hen brydydd allan mai Mr. Lewis Morris, o Fon, oedd wedi galw heibio, yr hwn oedd ar y pryd yn golygu y Tolldy yn Aberteifi, ac wedi clywed, ond odid, am galedi yr hen fardd. Un o'r hen Ymneillduwyr a feddyliodd gyntaf am gael oedfa yn Tynant yn agos i'r Rhiwlas, i wrthweithio dylanwad y noson ganu, fel ei gelwid, yn yr hon y dywedir fod Mr. Jenkin Morgan wedi pregethu dan arddeliad neillduol. Yr oedd Mr. Jenkin Morgan yn aelod yn Watford, gerllaw Caerdydd. Aeth i gadw un o ysgolion cylchredol Madam Bevan, o dan arolygiad Mr. Griffith Jones, Llanddowror ; pregethodd lawer o fan i fan y Gogledd, nes yr urddwyd ef yn Rhosymeirch, lle y llafuriodd am ugain mlynedd. Ond am yr oedfa y cyfeiriasom ati, dyma fel yr adroddir ei hanes gan Mr. John Evans, Bala. Yr oedd noswaith ganu, neu noswaith lawen yn cael ei chynal bob nos Sadwrn yn ysgubor Tynant. Gofidiai un o'r hen Ymneillduwyr yn fawr oblegid dylanwad drwg y fath lygredigaeth, a gwnaeth gais at wr y ty am genad i Mr. Jenkin Morgan gael pregethu yn y ty, ar yr un pryd ag y byddai y bobl ieuaingc yn yr ysgubor yn canu ac yn dawnsio. Cafwyd cenad, ac aeth Mr. Jenkin Morgan a'r hen Ymneillduwr tuag yno, ond yr oeddy bobl ieuaingc yno yn barod yn yr ysgubor, ac yn benderfynol i wneyd noson o honi, er llwyr foddi a dyrysu swn yr addoli. Ond rywfodd, nid oedd dim hwyl ar y chwareu y noson hono fel arfer, a daeth i feddwl un o honynt am fyned i'r ty, yr hwn oedd o dan yr un tô a'r ysgubor, i weled pa hwyl oedd ar bethau yno, ac erbyn hyny yr oedd y pregethwr wrthi a'i holl egni, a'i Dduw yn ei gynorthwyo yn amlwg iawn. Wrth weled y cyntaf yn aros

*Llyfr Eglwys y Bala . + Llyfryddiaeth y Cymry. Tu dal. 674.

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yn y ty heb ddychwelyd, aeth eraill i weled pa beth oedd yn myned yn mlaen, ond swynwyd hwythau hefyd gan y pregethwr. Yn mhen ychydig, aeth eraill drachefn, ond nid oedd neb a âi yn dychwelyd, ac yr oeddynt wedi myned o un i un o'r diwedd nes nad oedd neb ar ol ond y telynwr ; ac wrth weled hyny, barnodd hwnw mai cystal fuasai iddo yntau fyned hefyd, ac felly fu, a darfu am noson lawen yn ysgubor Tynant o hyny allan. Dychwelai llawer adref o'r oedfa dan lefain am drugaredd i'w heneidiau, a dywedai John Evans yr adwaenai efe bump o bersonau y rhai a ddangosasant arwyddion amlwg eu bod wedi eu hargyhoeddi i fywyd yn yr oedfa hono.* Wedi dechreu pregethu yn Weirglawdd-y-gilfach, arferai Ymneillduwyr y Bala gyrchu yno i addoli, canys dywed John Evans iddo ef fyned yno gydag Edward Williams, ei feistr, a'i fod yn synu wrth glywed y pregethwr yn gallu myned trwy yr holl wasanaeth heb un llyfr. Nid oes genym sicrwydd pwy a bregethai yn benaf i'r gynnulleidfa yn y Bala wedi marwolaeth Mr. Baddy, yn 1729 - a Mr. Kenrick, yn 1742, ond cawn fod Mr. Jervice, Llanfyllin, a Mr. Lewis Rees, Llanbrynmair, yn ymweled yn aml a hwy, ac mae yn debyg fod gweinidogion Llanuwchllyn yn gofalu am y lle, o leiaf, y mae agos yn sicr fod Mr. Evan Williams yn gofalu am y gangen fechan yma o'i sefydliad yn Llanuwchllyn, yn 1759, hyd ei ymadawiad yn 1765. Yr oedd yr eglwys yn Llanuwchllyn erbyn hyn wedi dyfod yn llawer cryfach na'r eglwys yn y Bala; ac edrychid ar yr olaf fel cangen o'r flaenaf, a mynych y cyrchid o'r Bala i Lanuwchllyn, gan fod yno le cyfleus wedi ei godi i addoli. Yn y flwyddyn 1770, ymsefydlodd Mr. Daniel Gronow yn weinidog ar yr eglwys yma, a thrwy ei lafur ef yn benaf y codwyd y capel. Trosglwyddwyd y tir iddo ef trwy weithred, dyddiedig Mawrth 22ain, 1774 ; ac yn ei enw ef yr oedd hyd nes y trosglwyddwyd ef i ymddiriedolwyr, yn 1779. Yr oedd y capel wedi ei adeiladu rywbryd rhwng 1774 a 1779, ond nid oedd wedi ei wneyd drosodd yn feddiant i'r eglwys. Gallwn gasglu fod tipyn o gamddealldwriaeth wedi bod rhwng yr eglwys a Mr. Gronow, gyda golwg ar drosglwyddiad y capel, oblegid mewn llythyr sydd yn awr ger ein bron oddiwrth eglwys y Bala at reolwyr y Trysorfwrdd Cynnulleidfaol, dywedir mai y rheswm na buasent yn gwneyd cais yn gynt am gynorthwy ydoedd, " nad oedd y capel wedi ei roddi i fyny yn briodol gan en diweddar weinidog, Mr. Gronow." Ymddengys Mr. Gronow ymadael yr un flwyddyn ag y gwnaed y capel drosodd yn feddiant i'r eglwys, oblegid yn Hydref, 1779, daeth Mr. Evan Williams yma o Benybontarogwy. Yr oedd Mr. Williams wedi bod yn gofalu am yr eglwys yma flynyddau cyn hyny mewn cysylltiad a Llanuwchllyn, a dychwelodd yma yr amser a nodir uched. Dywed Benjamin Chidlaw, dicaon, a Robert Owen, Ellis Roberts, John Evans, ac Ellis Jones, henuriaid, gyda saith eraill o aelodau yr eglwys, wrth wneyd apeliad am gynorthwy y Bwrdd Cynnulleidfaol, " ei fod nid yn unig yn llafurus, ond hefyd yn llwyddianus iawn, a bod crefydd wedi ennill tir yn fawr trwy ei sefydliad yn y lle," ac ychwanegent mai 24p. y flwyddyn, oedd y cwbl a allent wneyd er ei gynhaliaeth. Bu Mr. Williams yma yn gymeradwy hyd ei farwolaeth, yr hyn a gymerodd le ryw bryd yn y flwyddyn 1786, canys Mawrth 9fed, y flwyddyn hono, ydyw y bedyddiad olaf a gofrestrodd yn llyfr yr eglwys. Derbyniodd Mr. William Thomas, Hanover, alwad gan

*Drysorfa Ysbrydol. Cyf I. Tu dal 30 a 31.

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yr eglwys yma, a dechreuodd ei weinidogaeth yn Mai, 1787. Bu yma yn llafurio am ddwy-flynedd-ar-hugain. Nid ydym mewn cyfle i wybod dim am sefyllfa fewnol yr eglwys yn nhymor ei weinidogaeth. Mewn llythyr at y Trysorfwrdd Cynnulleidfaol, yn 1797, dywed Mr. Thomas mai pedwar ugain oedd nifer y cymunwyr, a bod mwy na'u haner yn rhy dlawd i allu cyfranu dim at ei gynhaliaeth. Yn ol cofrestiad y bedyddiadau, Ionawr, 1809, yw y cofnodiad olaf o'i eiddo, a bu farw yn mis Mai y flwyddyn hono. Cyfododd anghydfod rhwng Mr. Thomas a rhan o'r eglwys tua'r flwyddyn 1800, yr hwn a derfynodd mewn ymraniad. Aeth plaid allan, a buont am rai blynyddoedd yn addoli ar wahan, mewn tý a elwid y Cross-keys. Mae yn anhawdd dweyd yn bendant beth oedd gwir achos y cweryl, a dichon i gydgyfarfyddiad o wahanol bethau ei achosi. Ymddengys ddarfod i Mr. Thomas brynu y tir gwag oedd rhwng y capel a'r heol, ac adeiladu tai arno. Yr oedd pump yn y lle, o'r hwn y byddai y cymydogion yn cael dwfr, a symudodd Mr. Thomas hwnw o'i le er mwyn ei gyfleustra ei hun, a thynodd wg llawer trwy hyny, oblegid cyhuddid ef o sathru ar hawliau ei gymydogion. O gylch yr un amser bu farw un Robert Jones, Coedyfoel, yr hwn oedd yn wr hynaws a charedig i'r achos, er nad oedd yn aelod eglwysig; ac y mae yn debyg i Mr. Thomas ddyweyd yn ei gladdedigaeth y gallasai ei fod yn ddyn duwiol er nad oedd yn proffesu crefydd. Anfoddlonodd llawer o'r aelodau yn fawr wrtho am gyhoeddi y fath syniad, a thrwy nad oedd pethau yn rhy gysurus o'r blaen, aethant rhagddynt waethwaeth. Tueddir ni hefyd i feddwl fod Mr. Thomas yn ddyn o ysbryd anhyblyg, ac heb feddu y dawn angenrheidiol I drin dynion yn y ffordd oreu. Gwelsom yn nglyn a'i hanes yn Hanover, sir  Fynwy, i weinidogion dyeithr fod yno fwy nag unwaith yn ceisio heddychu rhwng yr eglwys ag yntau, yn nhymor byr ei arosiad yn y lle hwnw. Pa fodd bynag, torodd rhwygiad allan, ac yr ydym yn cael fod Dr. Lewis, Llanuwchllyn, ac amryw eraill o brif weinidogion y Gogledd yn cynorthwyo y blaid oedd wedi ymneillduo, fel y mae yn rhaid eu bod hwy yn tybio nad oedd Mr. Thomas yn ddifai yn yr amgylchiadau. Dilynwyd Mr. Thomas, gan Mr. John Lewis, myfyriwr o athrofa Gwrecsam. Yr ydym yma yn cyfarfod a gradd o anhawsder i gysoni y gwahanol adroddiadau a'r cofnodion sydd genym. Crybwyllasom eisioes mai yn Mai, 1809, y bu farw Mr. Thomas. Yn ol yr hyn a ddywedir gan y diweddar Mr. Cadwaladr Jones, Dolgellau, yn Nghofiant Mr. John Lewis, yr hwn a gyhoeddwyd ganddo yn yr Annibynwr, am 1862, tu dal. 245, urddwyd Mr. Lewis yn y Bala, yn y flwyddyn 1807, ac yr oedd Dr. Lewis, Llanuwchllyn ; Meistri J. Griffith, Caernarfon ; W. Hughes, Dinas; J. Roberts, Llanbrynmair; W. Jones, Trawsfynydd ; Jenkin Lewis, Wrecsam, a B. Jones, Pwllheli, yn cymeryd rhan yn y gwasanaeth. Nid yw Mr. Jones yn gwbl sicr am y ddau olaf, er y tybiai eu bod yn bresenol. Yr oedd Mr. Jones mewn cyfle i wybod yn gywir amser yr urddiad, canys yr oedd efe a Mr. John Lewis wedi eu magu yn yr un ardal, ac erbyn hyn yr oedd Mr. Jones wedi dechreu pregethu ei hun. Yn ol hyn, yr oedd Mr. Lewis wedi ei urddo ddwy flynedd cyn marwolaeth Mr. Thomas. Mae genym brawf arall fod Mr. Lewis wedi ei urddo cyn marwolaeth Mr. Thomas, canys yr ydym yn cael yn llyfr eglwys y Bala, dan law Mr. Lewis ei hun, gofrestriad bedydd a weinyddodd Ionawr 13eg, 1809, ac yr ydym yn cael cofrestriad o fedyddiad gan Mr. Thomas, ar ol y dyddiad yma. Y mae yn sicr gan hyny fod Mr. Thomas a Mr. Lewis yn weinidogion yn y Bala yr

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un pryd, dros ryw gymaiut. Coffeir yn arbenig mai Mr. Lewis a fu yn foddion i gyfanu y rhwyg, ac yr oedd un hen frawd ffraeth yn y lle yn arfer dweyd, " mai adfer heddwch i'r eglwys oedd yr unig beth, gwerth son am dano, wnaeth John Lewis yn ei oes." Yr ydym ni yn gogwyddo i feddwl i Mr. John Lewis gael ei urddo yn weinidog blaid oedd allan. Fel y gwelsom, yr oedd cydymdeimlad Dr. Lewis a hwy, ac yr oedd hyny yn ei gwneyd yn bur naturiol i Mr. John Lewis, yr hwn oedd yn ddysgybl ffyddlon i'r Doctor, ymsefydlu yn eu plith; ac fel yr oedd iechyd Mr. Thomas yn gwaelu, a Mr. John Lewis yn nodedig am ei bwyll a'i fedr i hwylio yn mlaen rhwng pleidiau rhanedig, llwyddodd i gyfanu y rhwyg ac adfer heddwch, a dychwelodd ef a'i bobl i'r capel cyn marwolaeth Mr. Thomas, fel yr ymddengys, a llwyddodd trwy ddoethineb i lywodraethu yn foddhaol i'r ddwy blaid unedig. Yn y flwyddyn 1813, ailadeiladwyd y capel, yr hwn a dynwyd i lawr yn ddiweddar. Bu Mr. Lewis yn Llundain yn casglu at y capel, a llwyddodd i gasglu 100p. Anfonodd masnachwr o'r Bala ato i ofyn iddo, gan ei fod yn Llundain, i dalu swm o arian drosto, yr arbedasai hyny ef i anfon arian i fyny, ac y telid ef yn ol ar ei ddychweliad. Gan wybod ei fod yn fasnachwr cyfrifol, gwnaeth Mr. Lewis yn ol ei gais, ond erbyn ei ddychweliad cafodd fod y masnachwr wedi tori, a swm mawr o'r arian a gasglwyd trwy lafur caled, oblegid hyny, wedi eu colli. Tua'r flwyddyn 1823, o herwydd fod rhyw gamddealldwriaeth rhyngddo a'i ail wraig, yr hyn a brofai yn anffafriol i'w weinidogaeth, rhoddodd Mr. Lewis i fyny ofal yr eglwys yn y Bala, a symudodd i fyw at ei ferch i Hafod-yr-haidd, Llanuwchllyn, lle y bu dros weddill ei oes.

Yn nechreu y flwyddyn 1824, derbyniodd Mr. John Ridge, Penygroes, alwad gan yr eglwys yma, a chydsyniodd a hi, a bu yn boblogaidd a pharchus gan bob enwad yn y dref a'r amgylchoedd, hyd nes y symudodd i Cendl, sir Fynwy, yn niwedd y flwyddyn 1829. Wedi bod am dymor heb weinidog, yn niwedd y flwyddyn 1831, rhoddwyd galwad i Mr. Richard Jones, myfyriwr o athrofa y Drefnewydd; ac urddwyd ef Mai 3ydd a'r 4ydd, 1832. Ar yr achlysur pregethwyd ar natur eglwys gan Mr. M. Jones, Llanuwchllyn ; holwyd y gofyniadau gan Mr. C. Jones, Dolgellau ; dyrchafwyd yr urdd-weddi gan Mr. J. Roberts, Capel-garmon ; pregethwyd i'r gweinidog gan Mr. T. Lewis, Llanfairmuallt, ac i'r eglwys gan Mr. W. Williams, Wern. Gweinyddwyd hefyd yn y gwahanol gyfarfodydd gan Meistri J. Williams, Dinas ; R. Rowlands, Henryd ; T. Jones, Llangollen ; E. Davies, Trawsfynydd ; T. Ellis, Llangwm; H. Pugh, Llandrillo ; E. Davies, Llanrwst ; Ll. Samuel, Bethesda ; W. Morris, Llanfyllin; D. Price, Penybontfawr; S. Roberts, Llanbrynmair ; J. Jones, Llanidloes ; T. Morgan, Trallwm, a J. Davies, Llanfair.* Ychydig gyda thair blynedd y bu Mr. Jones yma, canys ymadawodd cyn diwedd y flwyddyn 1835. Curodd tymestloedd cryfion ar yr achos yn y cyfnod yma, ond er " ei fwrw i lawr ni lwyr ddifethwyd ef," ac ni chaniataodd yr Arglwydd i'r rhai a geisient ei einioes i gael eu hewyllys arno. Bu yr eglwys am rai blynyddoedd ar ol hyny heb weinidog sefydlog, ond oblegid fod yr Athrofa Ogleddol wedi ei sefydlu yn y Bala, dan ofal Mr. Michael Jones, Llanuwchllyn ; penderfynodd Mr. Jones roddi yr eglwys yn Llanuwchllyn, lle y llafuriasai am wyth mlynedd-ar-hugain, i fyny, a

*Dysgedydd, Mai, 1832.

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derbyniodd alwad gan yr eglwys yn y Bala, a llafuriodd yma mewn cysylltiad a'r eglwysi eraill dan ei ofal, hyd nes y rhoddodd angau derfyn ar ei holl lafur, Hydref 27ain, 1853. Nid oedd Mr. Jones yn gallu bod yma ond dau Sabboth o bob mis, a phregethai y myfyrwyr ar y Sabbothau eraill. Yn niwedd 1854, rhoddwyd galwad i Mr. Michael Daniel Jones, Bwlchnewydd, (mab y diweddar weinidog,) i fod yn weinidog yma. Yr oedd Pwyllgor yr athrofa hefyd wedi ei ddewis i fod yn olynydd ei dad fel athraw. Bu gofal yr eglwys ar Mr. Jones am fwy na phedair blynedd, ond oblegid fod maes ei lafur mor eang, rhoddodd yr eglwysi yn y Bala a Thy'nybont i fyny, gan eu hanog i edrych am ryw un cymwys i fwrw golwg drostynt, a dewiswyd Mr. John Peter, un o aeladau yr eglwys yn y Bala, ac a ddechreuodd bregethu ynddi, ac a addysgwyd yn yr athrofa. Urddwyd ef Mawrth 30ain, 1859. Ar yr achlysur pregethwyd ar natur eglwys gan Mr. R. Ellis, Brithdir ; holwyd y gofyniadau gan Mr. J. Jones, Abermaw; gweddiodd Mr. M. D. Jones, Bala ; pregethodd Mr. C. Jones, Dolgellau, i'r gweinidog, a Mr. D. Roberts, Caernarfon, i'r eglwys ; a chymerwyd rhan yn ngwaith y dydd gan nifer luosog o weinidogion eraill. Bu adfywiad pur rymus ar grefydd yn y wlad yn fuan wedi sefydliad Mr. Peter yn weinidog yma, a chwanegwyd llawer at rifedi yr eglwys hon.

Dewiswyd Mr. Peter yn fuan gan y Pwyllgor yn gydathraw yn yr athrofa, yr hon swydd a lenwir ganddo hyd yr awr hon. Yr oedd yr hen gapel, yr hwn a adeiladesid yn y flwyddyn 1813, wedi myned yn adfeiliedig, heblaw ei fod yn gwbl anheilwng o'r lle a'r gynnulleidfa, ac yn 1867, penderfynwyd codi capel newydd hardd. Cafwyd tir agos ar gyfer yr hen gapel, mewn man tra chyfleus, ar brydles o gan' mlynedd. Costiodd y capel newydd tua 1200p., ond y mae tua haner y ddyled eisioes wedi ei thalu. Fel y gwelir oddiwrth ei hanes, y mae yr eglwys yma o bryd i bryd wedi myned trwy amgylchiadau helbulus, ac nid aeth drwyddynt heb iddynt adael eu heffeithiau arni. Nid yw ei dylanwad er daioni, wedi bod y peth y dylasai, ac er nad oes dim a fyno y genhedlaeth bresenol a hyny, etto, y maent hwy yn gorfod dyoddef anfantais oddiwrth annoethineb y rhai a fu o'u blaen. Bu yma lawer o bobl yn perthyn i'r achos o bryd i bryd, a choffeir yn barchus am enwau rhai gwragedd rhagorol a fu yma, ond nid ydym wedi cael hysbysiaeth ddigonol yn eu cylch i wneyd cofnodiad o honynt.

Codwyd yma amryw bregethwyr yn yr eglwys, heblaw y rhai fagwyd yma, ac a ddechreuodd bregethu mewn eglwysi eraill, ond yr ydym yn lled sicr i'r rhai a ganlyn ddechreu pregethu yn yr eglwys hon.

• William Jones. Addysgwyd ef yn athrofa Wrecsam ; urddwyd ef yn Mhenybontarogwy, lle y daw ei hanes dan ein sylw.
• Samuel Rowlands. Aeth i Loegr, ac ni chlywsom ychwaneg o'i hanes.
• Samuel Evans. Bu yn athrofa Hackney, ac y mae yn awr yn weinidog yn Ironside, yn agos i Wellington. Mab ydyw ef i Mr. Enoc Evans, o'r Bala, hen bregethwr perthynol i'r Methodistiaid.
• Richard Jones. Addysgwyd ef yn athrofa y Drefnewydd; urddwyd ef yn Aberhosan. Symudodd i Ruthin lle y bu farw yn mlodeu ei ddyddiau. Ceir ei hanes ef yn nglyn ag eglwys Ruthin.
• Robert Thomas. Addysgwyd ef yn athrofa y Bala ; urddwyd ef yn Jerusalem, swydd Fflint, a symudodd i Rhosymedre.
• John Peter. Addysgwyd ef yn athrofa y Bala, urddwyd ef, fel y gwelsom, yn weinidog yr eglwys yma, ac y mae yn awr yn athraw clasurol yr athrofa.

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• William Solomon Roberts. Addysgwyd ef yn athrofa Caerfyrddin, ac urddwyd ef yn Fflint.
• Robert Jones. Yn awr yn fyfyriwr yn yr athrofa.

Mae yr eglwys hon yn hawlio William Evans, Stockport; David Jones, Treffynon ; William Thomas, Beaumaris ; Hugh Evan Thomas, Pittsburgh, (Birkenhead gynt,) ac eraill, fel ei phlant, oblegid iddynt gael rhan helaeth o'u haddysg grefyddol ganddi, ond gan mai mewn cysylltiad ag eglwysi eraill yr oeddynt, pan y dechreuasant bregethu, nis gallwn eu rhoddi i mewn yma.

COFNODION BYWGRAPHYDDOL

EDWARD KENRICK. Nid oes genym ond ychydig o'i hanes. Priododd ferch yr hyglod Hugh Owen, Bronyclydwr, ac wedi marw Mr. John Owen, ei frawd-yn-nghyfraith, daeth Bronyclydwr yn feddiant iddo gyda'i wraig. Yr oedd yn ddyn da, ond nid ymddengys ei fod yn meddu ar ddoniau a phoblogrwydd ei dad-yn-nghyfraith a'i frawd-yn-nghyfraith, fel y gwanychodd yr achosion a gasglwyd gan ei ragflaenoriaid gryn lawer yn ei amser ef. Cafodd fyw hyd y flwyddyn 1742, pan y gwelodd adfywiad mawr ar yr achos trwy offerynoliaeth Meistri Lewis Rees a Jenkin Morgan, ac eraill o ddiwygwyr y ddeunawfed ganrif.*

DANIEL GRONOW. Aelod gwreiddiol o'r Mynyddbach, ger Abertawy, ydoedd. Derbyniwyd ef i athrofa Caerfyrddin yn y flwyddyn 1757, a bu yno dair blynedd. Ymddengys mai yn sir Aberteifi yr ymsefydlodd ar ei ymadawiad a'r athrofa, yn rhan o esgobaeth Mr. Phillip Pugh, ac mai yno yr urddwyd ef. Yr oedd cylch gweinidogaeth Mr. Pugh yn eang iawn, ac yn y rhanau o honi o gylch Ciliauaeron a Neuaddlwyd y llafuriodd Mr. Gronow hyd ddiwedd 1769, pan y symudodd i'r Bala. Bu yma yn agos i ddeng mlynedd, a thrwy ei lafur ef y codwyd y capel Annibynol cyntaf yn y dref. Yr oedd ganddo gynnulleidfa gref, ac yr ydym yn cael enwau llawer o bersonau oeddynt yn byw yn mhlwyf Llangwm ar lyfr yr eglwys. Trwy ei lafur ef y sefydlwyd yr achos yn Nhynybont, ac yr oedd ganddo gynnulleidfa yn Llandderfel. Pregethai yn Llanfor y boreu, ac yn y Bala yn y prydnhawn, ac yn Llandderfel yn yr hwyr.+ Yn ol y y cyfrif a anfonwyd gan Mr. Job Orton i Mr. Josiah Thompson, yn 1773, yr oedd y gynnulleidfa yn y Bala yn rhifo 300, Talgarth (Ty'nybont,) 260, a Llandderfel 220. Dichon fod y cyfrif yn uchel, ond cymerai i fewn o bosibl, bawb o'r rhai a ddeuai yn nghyd i'r cyfarfodydd. Bu Mr. Gronow, yn myned unwaith yn y mis, am dymor, i Lanfyllin a'r Pantmawr. Nid oes unrhyw wybodaeth wedi ei adael ar ol i ni am dano fel pregethwr, ond y mae yn eglur iddo fod yn ddefnyddiol a llwyddianus yn y Bala dros y blynyddoedd y bu yma. Wedi ymadael a'r Bala, yr ydym yn ei gael yn Mixendem, yn swydd Caerefrog, a thebygol mai yno y bu farw. Mab iddo ef oedd Joseph Gronow, a addysgwyd yn yr athrofa yn Ngwrecsam, a urddwyd yn Weedon, yn swydd Northampton, yn Ebrill, 1797, ac a fu farw yn dra ieuangc.

EVAN WILLIAMS. Nis gwyddom un o ba le ydoedd, na pha le yr add-

*MSS Mr. Josiah Thompson. + MSS Mr. Josiah Thompson.

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ysgwyd ef. Urddwyd ef yn y Brychgoed, Medi 28ain, 1752. Symudodd i Lanuwchllyn yn 1759, a bu yno hyd 1765, pryd y symudodd i Benybontarogwy. Bu yno bymtheng mlynedd, ac yn 1780, dychwelodd i'r Bala, lle y treuliodd weddill byr ei oes. Bu farw yn 1786, a chladdwyd ef yn Llanuwchllyn, lle yr oedd ei wraig wedi ei chladdu, yn Hydref, 1762, cyn ei symudiad i Benybontarogwy. Cyfansoddwyd " Cerdd o Alarnad" ar ol ei wraig, Mrs. Gwen Williams, gan un William Jones, ac argraffwyd hi yn y Bala gan un John Rowlands.* Derbyniwyd mab iddo, o'r enw David Williams, i athrofa Abergavenny, yn 1775, ac ymsefydlodd yn weinidog yn rhywle yn sir Gaerefrog. Dywedai y diweddar Mr. H. Lloyd, Towyn, rai blynyddau yn ol, wrth Mr. Simon Jones, Bala, iddo, pan yn casglu at gapel y Towyn yn y sir hono, tua'r flwyddyn 1820, weled mab i Mr. Evan Williams yn weinidog yn rhywle yn agos i Hull. Merch i Mr. E. Williams, hefyd, oedd ail wraig Mr. John Roberts, Llangwm, hen weinidog i'r Methodistiaid. Nid oes genym ddim yn ychwaneg o'i hanes, ond gallwn gasglu oddiwrth ei lythyrau ei fod wedi cael addysg dda, ac o olygiadau efengylaidd.

WILLIAM THOMAS. Ganwyd ef yn Awst, 1749. Amaethwyr cyfrifol oedd ei rieni. Yr oedd ei dad yn enedigol o sir Forganwg, a'i fam o sir Gaerfyrddin. Claddodd ei dad cyn ei fod yn ddeuddeg oed, ac ar ol hyny, symudodd ei fam i'w chymydogaeth ei hun, heb fod yn mhell o Lanymddyfri. Derbyniodd Mr. Thomas addysg dda pan yn fachgen, ac aeth i Lundain, lle yr oedd ganddo berthynasau, a chafodd le gyda masnachwr yn Longacre, a bu yno mewn parch ac ymddiried dros rai blynyddoedd. Er ei fod y pryd hwnw o ymarweddiad moesol diargyhoedd, etto, yr oedd yn gwbl ddyeithr i grefydd. Pan tua thair-ar-hugain oed, cafodd glefyd trwm yn Llundain, ac wedi gwella i raddau, aeth adref at ei fam. Eglwyswraig selog oedd ei fam' ond yr oedd adfywiad grymus ar y pryd mewn amryw o gynnulleidfaoedd Ymneillduol, a denwyd Mr. Thomas, o gywreinrwydd, i fyned i Grygybar i wrando Mr. Isaac Price, a bu yr oedfa hono yn oedfa i'w chofio iddo. Newidiwyd holl gynlluniau ei fywyd ar unwaith. Unodd a'r eglwys, ac aeth i Ty'nycoed, Cwmtawe, ac yno fel yr ymddengys y dechruodd bregethu. Aeth i'r athrofa yn Abergavenny, lle yr arhosodd ddwy flynedd. Urddwyd ef yn Hanover, Hydref 2i1, 1782. Nid arhosodd yno ond llai na phum' mlynedd, ac nid rhyw gysurus iawn y bu yno yn yr yspaid hwnw. Symudodd i'r Bala yn 1787, a llafuriodd yno am ddwy-flynedd-ar-hugain. Yr oedd yn ddyn o ddeall cryf, ac ysbryd penderfynol, a chyhuddid ef o fod yn rhy awyddus am y byd. Nis gwyddom a oedd sail i'r fath awgrymau. Yr oedd ei ofal am ei amgylchiadau, a'i ymdrech i gyfieithu a chyhoeddi llyfrau, yn ddigon o achlysur i ryw ddosbarth achwyn felly arno. Bu ganddo ddeg o blant, ac yr oedd yn ofynol wrth gynnildeb mawr i ddarpar cynhaliaeth i deulu mor lluosog. Cyhoeddodd lawer o lyfrau, a gwnaeth yn dda, fel y tybir, ar amryw o honynt. Ond y gwaith mwyaf yr ymgymerodd ag ef oedd, cyfieithu a chyhoeddi Esboniad Dr. Guyse ar y Testament Newydd ; ac oddiwrth hwnw y collodd fwyaf. Yn Nhrefecca byddai yn argraffu ei holl lyfrau, ac yno y dechreuwyd argraffu Esboniad Dr. Guyse. Arferai Mr. Thomas brynu y papur ei hun, a'i anfon i Drefecca i'w weithio. Llawer o drafferth a gafodd gydag argraffwyr

*Llyfryddiaeth y Cymry. Tu dal. 465.

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Trefecca. Byddai yn methu cael y rhanau allan mewn pryd. Anfonai ei fab, John, i Drefecca i ymofyn y rhanau, ac yna cymerai y llangc hwy yn bynau ar gefn caseg fechan, o eiddo ei dad, i'r prif ddosbarthwyr ar hyd y wlad. Ond yn aml iawn, erbyn ei fyned i Drefecca, ni byddai y rhanau yn barod, a byddai raid iddo aros yno am danynt weithiau am wythnosau, yr hyn oedd yn anghyfleustra ac yn golled fawr. Symudodd ef, wedi hir flino, at Mr. John Evans, yn Nghaerfyrddin, i'w argraffu, ac wedi hyny at Mr. R. Saunderson, i'r Bala. Yr oedd wyth rhan heb eu parotoi i'r wasg, pan fu farw Mr. Thomas, a chafodd ei fab gan Mr. Ebenezer Jones, Pontypool, gwblhau y gwaith. Parodd y maith flynyddoedd y bu y rhanau yn dyfod allan golled dirfawr. Yr oedd 1800 o dderbynwyr i'r rhanau cyntaf ; yr oedd cynnulleidfa Henllan, sir Gaerfyrddin, yn derbyn 102, ond cyn y diwedd, nid oedd ond 800 yn myned, fel yr oedd 1000 o gopiau ar hyd y wlad yn anorphenol. Dywedai ei fab i Mr. Thomas golli 300p. yn yr anturiaeth.* Dichon fod y llafur llenyddol yma o eiddo Mr. Thomas yn peri nad oedd yn gallu rhoddi cymaint o'i amser at ei ddyled-swyddau gweinidogaethol ag a ddylasai, yn ol fel y syniai ei ofal; ond gwnaeth, er hyny, wasanaeth dirfawr i'w genhedlaeth. Cafodd ei ran o drallodion teuluol. Gwelodd gladdu y rhan fwyaf o'i blant, a dyrysodd ei wraig yn ei synhwyrau, a daeth i ddiwedd gofidus iawn. Adwaenem ddau o'i blant, sef ei fab John Thomas, yr hwn a fu fyw am flynyddoedd yn Mhenycae, Mynwy, a'i ferch, Mary, gwraig Mr. David Johns, y Cenhadwr llafurus yn Madagascar ; ond y maent hwythau bellach er's blynyddau wedi en casglu at eu pobl. Bu farw Mr. Thomas yn mis Mai, 1809, ym 60 oed, a chladdwyd ef yn neu wrth gapel y Bala, ac y mae etto rai yn fyw sydd yn cofio dydd ei angladd.

JOHN LEWIS. Ganwyd ef yn Caerhys, plwyf Llanuwchllyn, yn y flwyddyn 1761. Enwau ei rieni oeddynt Lewis a Gainor Jones; ac aeth ef yn Lewis yn ol enw ei dad. Symudodd ei rieni i Hafodyrhaidd, pan nad oedd ef ond plentyn, ac fel John Lewis, Hafodyrhaidd, yr adnabyddid ef drwy ei oes yn y rhan fwyaf o sir Feirionydd. Derbyniwyd ef yn aelod yn hen gapel Llanuwchllyn, gan Mr. Abraham Tibbot, pan nad oedd ond llangc ieuangc, a derbyniwyd amryw yr un pryd ag ef, ond edrychid ar John Lewis yn fwy deallgar na hwynt oll. Priododd yn mhen rhai blynyddoedd ag un Mary Jones, o'r Ddolfach, Llanuwchllyn, a ganwyd iddynt ddwy fetch. Ni bu yn briod ond tua chwe' blynedd, ac yn y tymor hwn y dechreuodd bregethu, ac nid oedd yn meddwl mwy na bod yn bregethwr achlysurol. Wedi claddu ei wraig, anogwyd ef i fyned i'r athrofa i Wrecsam, er ei fod y pryd hwnw yn ddeugain oed. Bu yn yr athrofa bedair blynedd, ac er nas gallesid disgwyl iddo ddyfod yn ysgolhaig gwych, etto, profodd yr addysg a gafodd o help iddo drwy ei oes. Cafodd wahoddiad i Lanfyllin a'r Capel-bach, Penybontfawr, ar brawf, ond nid oedd eglwys Llanfyllin yn unol i roddi galwad iddo. Sefydlodd yn y Bala, ac urddwyd ef yn y flwyddyn 1807, ac ar ol ei urddo yno, bu yn gofalu am Benybontfawr am ddwy flynedd, hyd nes yr urddwyd Mr. Morris Hughes yno. Gwnaeth les mawr yn y Bala, yn enwedig mlynyddoedd cyntaf ei weinidogaeth, pan yr oedd teimladau yr eglwys yn rhanedig. Priododd a gwraig weddw, yr hon a fuasai ddwywaith yn weddw, ac ni bu y briodas yn un gysurus mewn un modd. Mynai hi aros

*Llyfryddiaeth y Cymry. Tu dal 604

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yn y Bala, a barnai yntau mai yn eu hen gartref, yn Hafodyrhaidd, y dylasent fyw, ac aeth pethau mor ddiflas fel yr aeth ef yn rhy ddigalon i bregethu. Rhoddodd y weinidogaeth yn y Bala i fyny, ac aeth i fyw at ei ferch yn Hafodyrhaidd, ond ymwelai a'i wraig yn y Bala yn achlysurol. Cymhellwyd ef i bregethu drachefn, yn mhen amser, yr hyn a wnaeth tra y gallodd, yn mha le bynag y gelwid am ei wasanaeth. Daliwyd ef gan fusgrellni a methiant hen ddyddiau, yr hyn a'i hanalluogodd i fyned allan o'i gymydogaeth, ond cyrchai i'r hen gapel tra y gallodd, hyd ei ddiwedd, a bu farw, Ionawr 23ain, 1850, yn 89 oed.* Dyn byr, crwn, o ran corpholaeth, ydoedd, ac o dymer siriol a charedig. Ni byddai byth mewn brys, a phan y dechreuai aros ar y ffordd i siarad, ni feddyliai am droi pen ar yr ymddyddan. Yr oedd yn deall duwinyddiaeth yn dda, ac anhawdd fuasai ei orchfygu mewn dadl, ond nid oedd erioed wedi dysgu dyweyd ei feddwl yn fyr a chynhwysfawr. Calfiniad cymhedrol ydoedd o ran ei olygiadau duwinyddol, ac yr oedd yn deall y pynciau y dadleuid yn eu cylch y dyddiau hyny yn well na'r rhan fwyaf. Nid oedd dim yn boblogaidd yn ei ddawn, er yr ymadroddai yn rhwydd, ac yr oedd yn wastad yn ddifrifol a digellwair, ond yr oedd yn amddifad o wres ac angerddoldeb. Gwnaeth " waith efengylwr," ac y mae wedi derbyn gwobr " y gwas da a ffyddlon."

MICHAEL JONES. Ganwyd ef yn y flwyddyn 1785, yn agos i Neuaddlwyd, sir Aberteifi. Enwau ei rieni oeddynt Daniel a Mary Jones, ac yr oeddynt ill dau yn nodedig am eu cryfder corphorol a meddyliol. Yn fuan wedi geni Michael Jones, symudodd ei rieni i Ffos-y-bont-bren, ac yno y treuliodd efe y rhan fwyaf o'i ddyddiau boreuol. Er nad oedd ei rieni yn proffesu crefydd, etto, dygasant eu plant i fyny mewn moesoldeb cyffredin, a chyn diwedd eu hoes ymunodd ei dad a'r Wesleyaid, a'i fam a'r Methodistiaid; ond i'r Neuaddlwyd i fwynhau gweinidogaeth Dr. Phillips, y cyrchai Michael Jones. O herwydd fod tyddyn Ffos-y-bont-bren yn rhy fychan i gynal teulu Daniel Jones, trodd Michael Jones allan i wasanaethu, ac ar of bod felly yn gwasanaethu dros ychydig, drwy gynorthwy ei frawd Evan Jones, yr hwn oedd hynach nag ef, ac wedi casglu tipyn o arian, aeth i'r ysgol, a gwnaeth gynydd buan mewn dysgeidiaeth. Derbyniwyd ef yn aelod eglwysig yn y Neuaddlwyd, yn mis Medi, 1807, ac yn fuan anogwyd ef i ddechreu pregethu. Pregethodd ei bregeth gyntaf mewn lle a elwir Penrhiw. Aeth i'r ysgol drachefn at Mr. D. Davies, Castell-howell, ac yr oedd ganddo trwy ei oes feddwl uchel am Mr. Davies, fel athraw. Treuliodd dair blynedd, weithiau yn yr ysgol, a phryd arall yn gweithio, er ennill arian i'w gynal yn yr ysgol; hyd y flwyddyn 1810, pryd y derbyniwyd ef yn fyfyriwr i'r athrofa yn Wrecsam. Rhagorodd ar y rhan fwyaf o'i gydfyfyrwyr fel ysgolhaig, ac fel ysgolhaig cywir a manwl yr hynododd ei hun, yn fwy nag fel pregethwr, er fod ei bregethau, hyd yn nod yn y cyfnod hwnw, yn sylweddol, ac yn cynwys hanfod yr efengyl. Wedi gorphen ei dymor yn yr athrofa, derbyniodd alwad gan hen eglwys barchus Llanuwchllyn, yr hon a adawsid yn amddifad o fugail trwy symudiad Dr. Lewis i gymeryd gofal yr athrofa yn Wrecsam. Urddwyd Mr. Jones Hydref 10fed, 1814, ond er fod yr eglwys yn lluosog a chyfoethog, nid oedd yr hyn a addawent at ei gynhaliaeth ond ychydig. Yn y flwyddyn 1816, priododd a Miss Mary Hughes, merch Mr Edward  

*Gwel ei Gofiant, Annibynwr, 1862, tu dal. 245, gan Mr. C. Jones.

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Hughes, Cwmcarnedd, Llanbrynmair, a bu iddynt bump o blant, dau fab a. thair merch. Claddwyd y mab ieuengaf o flaen ei dad, ond y mae y tair merch a'r mab hynaf - Mr. M. D. Jones, athraw yr athrofa yn y Bala  - etto yn fyw. Cyfarfyddodd Mr. Jones ag ystormydd blinion yn Llanuwchllyn, ystormydd na chyfarfu yr un gweinidog yn Nghymru erioed a'u chwerwach, a pharhasant yn hir iawn. Dyoddefodd drwyddynt golledion mawrion yn ei amgylchiadau, ac y mae yn rhaid ddarfod iddynt effeithio ar ei gyfansoddiad, er cryfed ydoedd. Nid awn i mewn i'r amgylchiadau hyny yma, gan y deuant i'n ffordd yn nglyn a hanes Llanuwchllyn, a chan fod nodwedd a chymeriad Mr. Jones, yn rhwym o ddyfod dan ein sylw yno, nid rhaid i ni aros llawer ar hyny yma. Cafodd Mr. Jones fyw i weled yr ystorm wedi myned heibio - y rhwyg wedi ei gyfanu  - heddwch wedi ei adfer- a theimladau i raddau dymunol wedi eu heddychu.

Ar sefydliad yr Athrofa Ogleddol, dewiswyd Mr. Jones yn athraw, a sefydlwyd ar y Bala, fel y lle cymhwysaf i'w chynal, a derbyniodd yntau yr apwyntiad. Yn mhen amser, gwelodd Mr. Jones yn angenrheidiol i ddatod ei gysylltiad gweinidogaethol a Llanuwchllyn, lle y bu am wyth-mlynedd-ar-hugain, a symudodd i'r Bala, lle y treuliodd weddill ei oes. Cyflawnodd ddyledswyddau ei swydd fel athraw gyda'r gofal manylaf, ac ni bu neb erioed yn fwy cydwybodol yn cyflawni yr ymddiriedaeth a roddwyd iddo. Dysgai y myfyrwyr yn yr hyn a dybiai yn fwyaf angenrheidiol arnynt, a'r hyn a'u gwnai, ar ol gadael yr athrofa, yn ddefnyddiol yn y weinidogaeth. Arolygai yn fanwl dros eu holl arferion. Dichon y tybiai rhai ef yn rhy lym mewn pethau bychain, ond credai ef fod blysiau a chwantau o bob math i gael eu darostwng dan lywodraeth deall a rheswm. Yr oedd arfer myglys, neu ymwneyd a diodydd meddwol, yn arferion nas gallasai eu harbed, ac edrychai arnynt yn rhy beryglus i gellwair a hwy. Nid oedd profedigaeth iddo ef mewn dim o'r fath, a gallasai yn anad neb ddyweyd gyda Paul, " ni'm dygir i dan awdurdod gan ddim." Yr oedd yn feistr perffaith ar holl flysiau y cnawd, ac nis gallasai oddef gweled dynion ieuaingc oedd a'u gwynebau ar waith cysegredig y weinidogaeth, yn cellwair ag arferion oedd yn peryglu eu dwyn yn gaethion iddynt. Ystyriai ef mai rhan hanfodol o grefydd oedd " croeshoelio y cnawd, ei wyniau, a'i chwantau." Nerth a chywirdeb oeddynt linellau amlycaf ei gymeriad, ac yr oedd mor ffyddlawn i argyhoeddiadau ei gydwybod,  fel nad oedd perygl iddo fradychu yr hyn a gredai oedd wirionedd. Buasai ychydig yn ychwaneg o dynerwch ac ystwythder yn ei wneyd aelod hapusach o gymdeithas ac arbedasai iddo ei hun, drwy hyny, lawer o'i ofidiau, ond yr oedd wedi tybied fod pob cyfrwyddiant felly yn fradychiad ar y gwirionedd, ac yn anffyddlondeb i gydwybod, a'i bwngc mawr ef wastad oedd "ymarfer i gael cydwybod ddirwystr tuag at Dduw a dynion." Dilynodd yr hyn a farnai yn ddyledswydd, hyd yr nod i'w anfantais ei hun, a gwnaeth fwy nag a allasai ei natur, er cryfed oedd, ymgynal dano, rhag i neb gael achlysur i ddyweyd ei fod yn anffyddlon i'r ymddiriedaeth a roddwyd ynddo. Ni dderbyniai ond 30p. y flwyddyn fel athraw yr athrofa, ond gwnai, yr holl waith mor onest a phe talesid iddo 300p. y flwyddyn. Anonestrwydd y cyfrifasai ef dderbyn yr arian, er lleied y swm, heb wneyd y gwaith.

Yr oedd cylch weinidogaeth yn eang, oblegid heblaw y Bala a Thy'nybont, yr oedd Bethel, Llandderfel, a Soar, dan ei ofal, yr hyn yn nghyda'i

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ddyledswyddau fel athraw, oedd yn ormod i'r dyn cryfaf. Teimlai yn achlysurol oddiwrth boen ac anhwyldeb am y ddwy flynedd olaf o'i oes, ond daeth y diwedd yn gynt nag yr oedd neb yn ddisgwyl. Bu farw Hydref 27ain, 1853, yn 68 oed, ac wedi bod yn agos i ddeugain mlynedd yn y weinidogaeth. " Daliodd gyffes ei obaith yn ddisigl hyd y diwedd," a bu farw fel y bu fyw, gan bwyso ar y gwirionedd. Nid oedd gan benillion fawr o ddylanwad arno wrth fyw, ac ni fynai bwyso arnynt wrth farw. Wrth ei weled yn ei boenau olaf yn cael ei arteithio, dywedai Mrs. Jones, "Wel fy anwylyd, y mae yn galed iawn," "nag ydyw," ebe yntau, yn ei ddull pwyllus, " byr ysgafn gystudd, yn odidog ragorol, yn gweithredu tragwyddol bwys gogoniant." Adroddodd Mrs. Jones yn ei glyw, y penill adnabyddus :-

" Ar lan'r Iorddonen ddofn, 'rwyn oedi'n nychlyd, Mewn blys myn'd trwy ac ofn, ei 'stormydd enbyd."

"Na,  na, dim ofn - Ysgrythyr, fy anwylyd - Ysgrythyr." Darllenwyd iddo y drydedd Salm ar hugain, a phan ar ganol y geiriau, "Ie pe rhodiwn ar hyd glyn cysgod angau, nid ofnaf niwed," dywedodd yn orfoleddus, " Dyna, dyna, fy anwylyd, dyna graig yn awr," a bu farw gan bwyso ar y graig. Claddwyd ef Hydref 31ain, 1853, yn mynwent Hen Gapel, Llanuwchllyn, ac yr oedd mwy na deg-ar-hugain o weinidogion y gwahanol enwadau, gyda thorf alarus, yn ei ddwyn i'w gladdu, ac yr oedd y galar a amlygid y fath, fel yr oedd yn amlwg i bawb fod "tywysog a gwr mawr yn Israel wedi syrthio."  

Translation by Eleri Rowlands (Dec 2020)

It appears that this is the oldest cause in Merionethshire that can be traced in an unbroken line to the present day. We are not certain who was the first to preach here, but it appears fairly certain that Mr. Morgan Llwyd from Gwynedd, preached here on his way to, or on his return from Wrexham, to his home in Cynfal, Maentwrog. Mr. M. Llwyd died in June,1659, and if he preached in Bala, as, it is quite possible, he did, then Non-conformism must have started here very early on. When Mr. Hugh Owen settled in the area of his ancestors in Bronyclydwr, soon after the Act of Uniformity was published, he started his three-monthly visits to about half a dozen places in Montgomeryshire, and about the same number of places in Merionethshire; and Bala was one of them. He continued coming here regularly despite all the persecution.  He preached wherever he found an open door, until his useful life came to an end, in 1699. Mr. Owen was followed by Mr. Edward Kenrick, who married his daughter, and went to live in Bronyclydwr. Mr. Kenrick visited the places that his father-in-law did, doing his best to fill the gap that the death of Edward had left. He was ordained on August 17th, 1702, by Messrs James Owen, Mathew Henry, and others, and the branch in Bala enjoyed that part of his ministry.* Mr. Kenrick did not have the talents and ministerial qualifications of his father-in-law, but he was very faithful, and his work was successful. After Mr.

* MSS Josiah Thompson, Esq.

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Thomas Baddy was ordained in Denbigh in 1693, he came to Bala monthly. It is said that during the short days of winter he would conduct the services throughout the day, and just in case he faced the fury of persecutors, he slept in a place called Bodweni, some miles from the town.* They used to meet in homes, and often in a house called the Store-house, behind Plasyndre. When Mr. John Evans – a respectable old preacher with the Methodists – came to Bala, in 1742, to visit one Edward Williams, a weaver, one of Bala’s old non-conformists, he came to work, and raised his voice about the religion of his master – he used to worship God with his family, morning and night. Margaret, the daughter of Morris ap Robert, one of the old members of Bala non-conformist church, was later the wife of John Evans. Morris ap Robert who was a carpenter by trade and was a poet of note. Many of his poems are to be found in Blodeugerdd Cymru (the Welsh Poetry Book); and he composed a ‘cywydd’ (a particular metre of poetry) to Llyn Tegid (Bala Lake), in which he likened the waves of the lake to eternity.+ The venerable poet was living under poor circumstances, and it was often very difficult for him to afford the essentials of life. It is said that one morning he had no food in the house, nor a way of obtaining any, and his old lady had become very depressed; but he told her as he was leaving for work, " Oh, don’t you worry, he’ll come." But his wife could not believe that he had. But by the time Morris ap Robert returned that evening, there was the old lady on the doorstep to welcome him joyfully, shouting out, "he came, he came." "Who came?" he said, forgetting, for a minute what she was talking about. "But the angel – he came on the back of a white horse, and gave me a guinea;" and she would not be swayed in her conviction that it was the Lord that had sent his angel and the timely release she felt. After enquiring, the poet found out that Mr. Lewis Morris, from Anglesey, had called. He was, at the time, the manager of the Tollhouse in Aberteifi, and had heard about the old bard’s hardship. The idea of holding services in Tynant, close to Rhiwlas, came from one of the old non-conformists, to counteract the influence of the singing evening, as it was called, in which it was said that Mr. Jenkin Morgan had preached with special conviction. Mr. Jenkin Morgan was a member in Watford, near Cardiff. He kept one of Madam Bevan’s circulating schools, under the wing of Mr. Griffith Jones, Llanddowror; he preached  a great deal moving from place to place in the North, until he was ordained in Rhosymeirch, where he laboured for twenty years. But back to the service that we mentioned, this is how Mr. John Evans, Bala wrote the story. A singing evening, or a Noson Lawen (fun evening) was held every Saturday evening in Tynant barn. One of the old non-conformists worried a lot about the bad influence of such corruption, and he appealed to the householder for advice and asked that Mr. Jenkin Morgan be allowed to preach in the house at the same time as the young people were singing and dancing in the barn. They had permission and Mr. Jenkin Morgan and the old non-conformist went to the barn, but the young people were there already, and they were determined to make a night of it, so that they could completely drown the sound of the worship. But somehow, they didn’t have the same atmosphere as usual in their fun that night, so one of them thought it would be good to go to the house, which was under the same roof as the barn, to see what sort of fun they could have there, and by then the preacher was well into his sermon with all his energy, and his God was very obviously helping him. Realising that the first young man hadn’t returned

*Bala Church Book . + The Welsh Bibliography. Page. 674.

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from the house, others went to see what was happening, but they were lured by the preacher too. After a while, others went but no-one who went returned, and they went to the house one by one until there was no-one left in the barn but the harpist; and when he realised this, he thought he might as well go too, and the Noson Lawen in the barn came to an end forever. Many returned from the service crying for mercy for their souls, and John Evans said he knew five people that were showing obvious signs that they had been convicted to life in that service.* Having started preaching in Weirglawdd-y-Gilfach, the Bala non-conformists went there to worship, John Evans said that he went there with Edward Williams, his master, and he was surprised to hear the preachers going through a whole service without a book. We are not sure who was the main preacher here serving the congregation in Bala after the death of  Mr. Baddy, in 1729 - and Mr. Kenrick, in 1742, but we found Mr. Jervice, Llanfyllin, and Mr. Lewis Rees, Llanbrynmair often visiting them, and apparently the ministers of Llanuwchllyn cared for the place. It is almost certain that Mr. Evan Williams cared for this little branch since it was established in Llanuwchllyn in 1759, until he left in 1765. The church in Llanuwchllyn was, by now, much stronger than the church in Bala; and the latter was considered a branch of the former, and many travelled from Bala to Llanuwchllyn, as they had a comfortable place there in which to worship. In 1770, Mr. Daniel Gronow was installed as minister to this church, and it is mainly through his efforts that the chapel was built. The land was transferred to him by deed, dated on March 22nd, 1774; and it remained in his name until it was transferred to the trustees, in 1779. The chapel was built sometime between 1774 and 1779, but he hadn’t transferred it to the ownership of the church. We understand there had been a misunderstanding between the church and Mr. Gronow, in the matter of the transference, because in a letter which is before us now, which we received from Bala church written to the Congregational Treasury, they say that the reason that they had not requested help earlier was, "that the chapel had not been handed over appropriately by their late minister Mr. Gronow." It appears that Mr. Gronow left in the same year that the chapel was made over to the church, because in October, 1779, Mr. Evan Williams came here from Bridgend. Mr. Williams had been caring for this church for years previously, along with Llanuwchllyn, and he returned here as we noted above. Benjamin Chidlaw, deacon, and Robert Owen, Ellis Roberts, John Evans, and Ellis Jones, elders, with seven others of the members of the church, said as they made an appeal for help from the Congregational Board, " that he wasn’t only hard working, but was also very successful, and that religion had gained ground greatly through his installation in the place," and they added that they could afford only £24. a year, towards his keep. Mr. Williams stayed here with approval until his death, which took place sometime in 1786, because that March 9^th, his last baptism took place and was registered in the church book. Mr. William Thomas, Hanover, accepted a call from

*Spiritual Treasury. Vol 1. Page 30 and 31.

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Thomas Baddy and having been ordained in Denbigh in 1693, he came to Bala monthly. It is said that during the short days of winter he would conduct the services through the day, and just in case of the fury of persecutors, he slept in a place called Bodweni, some miles from the town.* They used to meet in homes, and often in a house called the  Store-house, behind Plasyndre. When Mr. John Evans – a respectable old preacher with the Methodists – he came to Bala, in 1742, to visit one Edward Williams, a weaver, one of Bala’s old non-conformists, he came to work, and he raised his voice about the religion of his master – he used to worship God with his family, morning and night. Margaret, the daughter of Morris ap Robert, one of the old members of Bala non-conformist church, who was later the wife of John Evans. Morris ap Robert was a carpenter by trade, and was a poet of note. Many of his poems are to be found in Blodeugerdd Cymru (the Welsh Poetry Book); and he composed a ‘cywydd’ (a particular metre of poetry) to Llyn Tegid (Bala Lake), in which he likened the waves of the lake to eternity.+ The venerable poet was living under poor circumstances, and it was often very difficult for him to afford the essentials of life. It is said that one morning he had no food in the house, nor a way of obtaining any, and the old lady had become very depressed; but he told her as he was leaving for work, " Oh, don’t you worry, he’ll come." But his wife could not have the belief that he had. But by the time Morris ap Robert returned that evening, there was the old lady on the doorstep to welcome him joyfully, shouting out, "he came, he came." "Who came?" he said, forgetting, for a minute what she was talking about. "But the angel – he came on the back of a white horse, and gave me a guinea;" and she would not be swayed in her conviction that it was the Lord that had sent his angel and the timely release she felt. After enquiring, the poet found out that Mr. Lewis Morris, from Anglesey, had called. He was, at the time, the manager of the Tollhouse in Aberteifi, and had heard about the old bard’s hardship. The idea of holding services in Tynant, close to Rhiwlas, came from one of the old non-conformists, to counteract the influence of the singing evening, as it was called, in which it was said that Mr. Jenkin Morgan had preached with special conviction. Mr. Jenkin Morgan was a member in Watford, near Cardiff. He kept one of Madam Bevan’s circulating schools, under the wing of Mr. Griffith Jones, Llanddowror; he preached a great deal moving from place to place in the North, until he was ordained in Rhosymeirch, where he laboured for twenty years. But back to the service that we mentioned, this is how Mr. John Evans, Bala wrote the story. A singing evening, or a Noson Lawen (fun evening) was held every Saturday evening in Tynant barn. One of the old non-conformists worried a lot about the bad influence of such corruption, and he appealed to the householder for advice and asked that Mr. Jenkin Morgan be allowed to preach in the house at the same time as the young people were singing and dancing in the barn. They had permission and Mr. Jenkin Morgan and the old non-conformist went to the barn, but the young people were there already, and they were determined to make a night of it, so that they could completely drown the sound of the worship. But somehow, they didn’t have the same atmosphere as usual in their fun that night, so one of them thought it would be good to go to the house, which was under the same roof as the barn, to see what sort of fun they could have there, and by then the preacher was well into his sermon with all his energy, and his God was very obviously helping him. Realising that the first young man hadn’t returned

*Bala Church Book . + The Welsh Bibliography. Page. 674.

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from the house, others went to see what was happening, but they were surprised by the preacher too. After a while, others went but no-one who went returned, and they went to the house one by one until there was no-one left in the barn but the harpist; and when he realised this, he thought he might as well go too, and the Noson Lawen in the barn came to an end forever. Many returned from the service crying for mercy for their souls, and John Evans said he knew five people that were showing obvious signs that they had been convicted to life in that service.* Having started praying in Weirglawdd-y-Gilfach, the Bala non-conformists went there to worship, John Evans said that he went there with Edward Williams, his master, and he was surprised to hear the preachers going through a whole service without a book. We are not sure who was the main preacher here serving the congregation in Bala after the death of  Mr. Baddy, in 1729 - and Mr. Kenrick, in 1742, but we found Mr. Jervice, Llanfyllin, and Mr. Lewis Rees, Llanbrynmair, often visiting them, and apparently the ministers of Llanuwchllyn cared for the place, it is almost certain that Mr. Evan Williams cared for this little branch of since it was established in Llanuwchllyn, in 1759, until he left in 1765. The church in Llanuwchllyn was, by now, much stronger than the church in Bala; and the latter was considered as a branch of the former, and many travelled from Bala to Llanuwchllyn, as they had a comfortable place there in which to worship. In 1770, Mr. Daniel Gronow was installed as minister to this church, and it is mainly through his efforts that the chapel was built. The land was transferred to him by deed, dated on March 22nd, 1774; and it remained in his name until it was transferred to the trustees, in 1779. The chapel was built sometime between 1774 and 1779, but he hadn’t wneyd e drosodd in the ownership of the church. We understand there had been a misunderstanding between the church and Mr. Gronow, in the matter of the transference, because in a letter which is before us now, which we received from Bala church written to the Congregational Treasury, they say that the reason that they had not requested help earlier was, "that the chapel had not been handed over appropriately by their late minister Mr. Gronow." It appears that Mr. Gronow left in the same year that the chapel was made over to the church, because in October, 1779, Mr. Evan Williams came here from Bridgend. Mr. Williams had been caring for this church for years previously along with Llanuwchllyn, and he returned here as we noted above. Benjamin Chidlaw, deacon, and Robert Owen, Ellis Roberts, John Evans, and Ellis Jones, elders, with seven others of the members of the church, said as they made an appeal for help from the Congregational Board, " that he wasn’t only hard working, but was also very successful, and that religion had gained ground greatly through his installation in the place," and they added that they could afford only £24. a year, towards his keep. Mr. Williams stayed here with approval until his death, which took place sometime in 1786, because that March 9^th, his last baptism took place and was registered in the church book. Mr. William Thomas, Hanover, accepted a call from

*Spiritual Treasury. Vol I. Page 30 and 31.

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this church, and his ministry started in May, 1787. He laboured here for twenty-two years. We are not in a position to know anything about the internal conditions in the church during his ministry. In a letter to the Congregational Treasury, in 1797, Mr. Thomas said that the number who met there was eighty, and more than half were too poor to be able to contribute anything towards the ministry. According to the baptismal registry in, January 1809, it is the last he conducted, and he died in May of that year. A dispute arose between Mr. Thomas and a part of the church around 1800, which ended in a split. A group left, and they worshipped apart for some years, in a house called Cross-keys. It is difficult to say what was the cause of the quarrel, and undoubtedly many different causes could be found. It appears that Mr. Thomas bought the spare land that is found between the chapel and the road, and built houses on it. There were five there. That is where the neighbours would fetch their water, and Mr. Thomas moved that for his own convenience, and he upset many by doing so, because he was accused of trampling on the rights of his neighbours. Around the same time one Robert Jones, Coedyfoel, died. He was a gentle man who was kind to the cause, even though he wasn’t a member of the church; and apparently Mr. Thomas, in his funeral, said that he could have been a godly man even though he didn’t profess a faith. Many members felt dissatisfied that he had announced such an idea, and since feelings were already uncomfortable, things deteriorated. We also feel that Mr. Thomas was an inflexible man, who didn’t possess the gift of dealing with men in the best way. We saw in the history of Hanover, Monmouthshire, when visiting ministers came there more than once to try to bring the peace between the church and him, during his short stay in that place. Anyway, a split broke out, and we understand that Dr. Lewis, Llanuwchllyn, and several other prominent North Wales ministers helped the group that left, so they must have thought that Mr. Thomas wasn’t without fault in the circumstances. Mr. Thomas was followed by Mr. John Lewis, a student from the Wrexham college. Here, we have a degree of difficulty in reconciling the different reports and minutes that we have. We have already mentioned that in May, 1809, Mr. Thomas died. According to Mr. Cadwaladr Jones, Dolgellau, in the biography of Mr. John Lewis, which was published by him in the ‘Annibynwr’, 1862, page. 245, Mr. Lewis was ordained in Bala, in 1807, and Dr. Lewis, Llanuwchllyn; Messrs J. Griffith, Caernarfon; W. Hughes, Dinas; J. Roberts, Llanbrynmair; W. Jones, Trawsfynydd; Jenkin Lewis, Wrexham, and B. Jones, Pwllheli, took part in the service. Mr. Jones is not completely sure of the last two, even though he guesses they were present. Mr. Jones had the opportunity to know the time of the ordination, as he and Mr. John Lewis were brought up in the same area, and by now Mr. Jones himself had started preaching. According to this Mr. Lewis had been ordained two years before the death of Mr. Thomas. We have more proof that Mr. Lewis had been ordained before the death of Mr. Thomas, as we have in Bala church, in the handwriting of Mr. Lewis himself, a registration of the christening at which he officiated on January 13^th, 1809, and we have a registration of a christening by Mr. Thomas, after this date. It is therefore certain that Mr. Thomas and Mr. Lewis were ministers in Bala at the same time

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for a while. We remember especially that Mr. Lewis had a big part to play in restoring the split, and one witty old brother in the place used to say, "that restoring peace in the church was the only thing worth mentioning that John Lewis did in his life." We feel that Mr. John Lewis was ordained as a minister for the outer faction. As we saw, Dr. Lewis’ sympathy was with them, and that made it quite natural for Mr. John Lewis, who was a faithful disciple to the Doctor, to settle amongst them; and as Mr. Thomas’ health was deteriorating, Mr. John Lewis was notable for his calm and his ability to carry on between the sides in the split.  He succeeded in restoring peace and he and his people returned to the chapel before Mr. Thomas’ death, and he succeeded, wisely, in managing the union of the two sides. In 1813, the chapel, which had been demolished recently, was rebuilt. Mr. Lewis went to London to collect towards the chapel, and he succeeded in collecting £100. A merchant from Bala sent him a message, as he was in London, asking him to pay a sum of money on his behalf, since it would save him from sending the money up, and he would pay him back on his return. Knowing he was a responsible merchant, Mr. Lewis, did as he had been asked, but by his return he found that the merchant was bankrupt, and a large sum of the money that was collected through hard labour, was lost as a result. About 1823, as a result of some misunderstanding between him and his second wife, who proved to be very unfavourable to his ministry, Mr. Lewis gave up the care of the church in Bala, and moved to live with his daughter in Hafod-yr-haidd, Llanuwchllyn, where he stayed for the rest of his life.

At the beginning of 1824, Mr. John Ridge, Penygroes, accepted a call from this church, and he was very popular and respected by every denomination in the town and outside the town, until he moved to Cendl, Monmouthshire, at the end of 1829. Having been without a minister for a while, at the end of 1831, a call was given to Mr. Richard Jones, a student from the college in Newtown; and he was ordained on May 3^rd and 4^th, 1832. On the occasion Mr. M. Jones, Llanuwchllyn preached on the nature of church; the questions were asked by Mr. C. Jones, Dolgellau; the ordination prayer was raised by Mr. J. Roberts, Capel-garmon; Mr. T. Lewis, Builth preached to the minister, and Mr. W. Williams, Wern preached to the church. Messrs J. Williams, Dinas; R. Rowlands, Henryd; T. Jones, Llangollen; E. Davies, Trawsfynydd; T. Ellis, Llangwm; H. Pugh, Llandrillo; E. Davies, Llanrwst; Ll. Samuel, Bethesda; W. Morris, Llanfyllin; D. Price, Penybontfawr; S. Roberts, Llanbrynmair; J. Jones, Llanidloes; T. Morgan, Trallwm, and J. Davies, Llanfair also officiated in the various meetings.* Mr. Jones stayed here for just about three years. He left before the end of 1835. Strong storms hit the cause during this time, but even though “it was beaten down it was never completely destroyed” and the Lord never allowed the ones who sought his soul to have their way with it. The church had no settled minister for some years after this, but as the Northern College had been established in Bala, under the care of Mr. Michael Jones, Llanuwchllyn; Mr. Jones decided to give up the church in Llanuwchllyn, where he had been preaching for twenty eight years, and

*Dysgedydd, May, 1832.

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he accepted the call from the church in Bala, and he laboured there along with the other churches under his care, until death put an end to all his work, on October 27^th, 1853. Mr. Jones could attend the church twice a month only, and the students preached here on the other Sundays. At the end of 1854, a call was sent to Mr. Michael Daniel Jones, Bwlchnewydd, (the son of the last minister,) to be a minister here. The college council had also chosen him to be his father’s successor as a teacher. Mr. Jones had the care of the church for more than four years, but as his field of care was so broad, he gave up the care of the churches in Bala and Ty'nybont, while encouraging them to search for someone suitable to watch over them, and  Mr. John Peter, one of the members of the church in Bala was chosen. He started preaching there, and taught in the college. He was ordained on March 30^th, 1859. On the occasion Mr. R. Ellis, Brithdir preached on the nature of the church; the questions were asked by Mr. J. Jones, Barmouth; Mr. M. D. Jones, Bala, prayed; Mr. C. Jones, Dolgellau preached to the minister, and Mr. D. Roberts, Caernarfon, to the church. Many other ministers took part in the work of the day. A fairly powerful revival took place in the country soon after Mr. Peter became the minister here, and a great many were added to the number in this church.

Mr. Peter was soon chosen by the committee to be a teacher in the college, a post he still holds. The old chapel, which was built in 1813, had become a ruin, and was also completely unsuitable for the congregation, and in 1867, a decision was made to build a beautiful, new chapel. A piece of land was obtained quite close to the old chapel in a convenient place on a lease of one hundred years. The new chapel cost about £1200, but half the debt has already been paid. As we saw in its history, this church has from time to time been through troubled circumstances, and it all had an effect on the church. That influence hasn’t always been for good, and although it has nothing to do with this generation yet they have to endure the unwise decisions of those who went before them. Many people belonging to the cause from time to time are remembered very respectfully and there are names of some excellent women but we haven’t been given enough information about them to mention them.

Several preachers were raised in this church apart from those who were brought up here and started preaching in other churches but we are fairly certain that the following started preaching in this church.

• William Jones. He was educated in Wrexham college; and was ordained in Bridgend where we note his history.
• Samuel Rowlands. He went to England but we do not know any more about him.
• Samuel Evans. He went to Hackney college, and he is now a minister in Ironside, close to Wellington. He is the son of Mr. Enoc Evans, from Bala, an old preacher belonging to the Methodists.
• Richard Jones. He was educated in Newtown college; he was ordained in Aberhosan. He moved to Ruthin where he died in the flower of his youth. His history can be seen in the history of the church in Ruthin.
• Robert Thomas. He was educated in Bala college; he was ordained in Jerusalem, Flintshire, and he moved to Rhosymedre.
• John Peter. He was educated in Bala college, and ordained as we saw as the minister of this church and he is now a classics professor in the college.

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• William Solomon Roberts. He was educated in Carmarthen college and ordained in Flint.
• Robert Jones. Now a student in the college.

This church claims William Evans, Stockport; David Jones, Holywell; William Thomas, Beaumaris; Hugh Evan Thomas, Pittsburgh, (formerly Birkenhead,) and others, as its children, since they had the majority of their religious education here, but as they were connected with other churches when they started preaching, we cannot place their history here.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES

EDWARD KENRICK. We have just a short history for him. He married the daughter of the well-known Hugh Owen, Bronyclydwr, and after the death of Mr. John Owen, his brother- in-law, Bronyclydwr came into his and his wife’s ownership. He was a good man, but he doesn’t appear to have had the gifts or popularity of his father-in-law or his brother-in-law, and the causes that his predecessors built up weakened during his time. He lived until 1742, to see a great revival for which Messrs Lewis Rees and Jenkin Morgan and others of the 18^th century revivalists were instrumental.*

DANIEL GRONOW. He was an original member of Mynyddbach chapel, near Swansea. He was accepted in Carmarthen college in 1757, and was there for three years. It appears that he settled in Ceredigion when he left the college, being a part of Mr. Phillip Pugh’s bishopric, and that he was ordained there. Mr. Pugh’s ministerial circuit was very broad, and it was in parts of it around Ciliauaeron and Neuaddlwyd that Mr. Gronow worked until the end of 1769, when he moved to Bala. He stayed here for nearly ten years, and it was through his work that the first Independent chapel was built in the town. He had a large congregation, and we see many names of people who lived in the parish of Llangwm on the church record book. It was through his labour that the cause in Tynybont was established, and he also had a congregation in  Llandderfel. He preached in Llanfor in the morning, and in Bala in the afternoon, and in Llandderfel in the evening.+  According to the account that was sent by Mr. Job Orton to Mr. Josiah Thompson, in 1773, there were 300 people in the congregation in Bala, 260 in Talgarth (Ty'nybont,), and  Llandderfel had 220. The count is undoubtedly high, but they quite possibly included everyone who came to the services. Mr. Gronow, went to Llanfyllin and Pantmawr once a month, for a while. There is no information available to us about him as a preacher, but it is clear that he was useful and successful in Bala over the years he was here. After he left Bala we find him in Mixendem, in Yorkshire, and it is likely that he died there. Joseph Gronow was his son, and he was educated in Wrexham college, and was ordained in Weedon, in Northamptonshire, in April, 1797, and he died when quite young.

EVAN WILLIAMS. We don’t know where he came from nor where he was educated.

*MSS Mr. Josiah Thompson. + MSS Mr. Josiah Thompson.

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Ordained in Broughton, September 28^th, 1752 he moved to Llanuwchllyn in 1759, and stayed there until 1765, when he moved to Bridgend. He stayed there for fifteen years, and in 1780, he returned to Bala, where he spent the rest of his short life. He died in 1786, and was buried in Llanuwchllyn, where his wife was buried. In October, 1762, before his move to Bridgend. A “Song of Grief” was composed by one William Jones to his wife, Mrs. Gwen Williams, and it was published in Bala by one John Rowlands.* A son of his, by the name of David Williams was accepted to the college in Abergavenny, in 1775, and he settled as a minister somewhere in Yorkshire. The late Mr. H. Lloyd, Towyn, told Mr. Simon Jones, Bala, some years ago, that, when he was collecting towards Towyn chapel in that county, around 1820, he saw the son of Mr. Evan Williams who was a minister somewhere close to Hull. The second wife of Mr. John Roberts, Llangwm was the daughter of Mr. E. Williams, the former minister to the Methodists. We don’t have any more information about him, but we can surmise, from his letters that he had had a good education with evangelical views.

WILLIAM THOMAS. He was born in August, 1749. His parents were responsible farmers. His father was born in Glamorganshire, and his mother was from Carmarthenshire. He buried his father before he was twelve years old, and after that his mother moved to her own area, not far from Llandyfri. Mr. Thomas had a good education when he was a boy, and he went to London, where he had relatives, and he got a place with a merchant in Longacre and he stayed there with respect and trust for some years. Even though he was, at that time, of an uncompromising moral demeanour, he was completely devoid of religion. When he was about twenty-three years old, he contracted an illness in London, and having recovered to some extent, he went home to his mother. His mother was a zealous churchgoer but with the powerful revival at that time in several non-conformist congregations, Mr. Thomas was attracted towards Crygybar to listen to Mr. Isaac Price, and that service was one to be remembered for him. All his life plans changed in that moment. He joined the church, and went to Ty'nycoed, in the Swansea Valley. It appears that he started preaching there. He went to the college in Abergavenny, where he stayed for two years. He was ordained in Hanover, October 2^nd, 1782. He stayed there just five years but he wasn’t very content there during that time. He moved to Bala in 1787, and he worked there for twenty-two years. He was an intelligent man and had a determined spirit, and was accused of being too worldly. We do not know if there was any truth in this accusation. His care of his circumstances, and his effort to translate and publish books, was enough for some people to complain about him. He had ten children, and he had to watch his finances in order to keep his large family. He published many books, and he did well, so we understand, with several of them. But the greatest work he undertook was, to translate and publish Dr. Guyse’ Commentary on the New Testament; and it was on that one that he lost the most. He published all his books in Trefecca, and it was there he started ‘Esboniad Dr. Guyse’. Mr. Thomas used to buy the paper himself, and would send it to Trefecca to be treated. He had a great deal of trouble with the publishers in

*Llyfryddiaeth y Cymry (The Bibliography of the Welsh). Page. 465.

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Trefecca. He failed to get the parts out in time. He would send his son, John, to Trefecca to ask for the parts, and the son would take them in piles on the back of a small horse, belonging to his father, and take them to the main distributers around the country. But very often, by the time he went to Trefecca, the parts wouldn’t be ready, and he would have to wait for them, sometimes for weeks, which would be an inconvenience and a great loss. He moved, after getting fed up, to Mr. John Evans, in Carmarthen, for him to print them, and after that to Mr. R. Saunderson, in Bala. There were eight parts that hadn’t been prepared for the press, when Mr. Thomas died, and his son Mr. Ebenezer Jones, Pontypool, completed the work. During the many years of distributing the parts, a great financial loss was experienced. There were 1800 o recipients for the first parts; there was a congregation in Henllan, Carmarthenshire, who received 102, but before the end, just 800 went there, so there were 1000 copies around the country which were unfinished. Mr Thomas’ son said that Mr. Thomas lost £300 on the venture.* Undoubtedly this literary labour on Mr Thomas’ part meant that he couldn’t give as much time to his ministerial duties as he should have done, so his care deteriorated; but he did, despite this, perform a great service to his generation. He had his share of family troubles. He buried most of his children, and his wife became very confused, and he came to a troubled end. We knew two of his children, his son John Thomas, who lived in Penycae, Monmouthshire for many years, and his daughter, Mary, the wife of Mr. David Johns, the hard-working missionary in Madagascar; but they have, by now, died. Mr. Thomas died in May, 1809, at the age of 60 years, and he was buried near the chapel in Bala. There are some still alive who remember the day of his funeral.

JOHN LEWIS. He was born in Caerhys, parish of  Llanuwchllyn, in 1761. His parents were Lewis and Gainor Jones; and he was called Lewis after his father. His parents moved to Hafodyrhaidd, when he was a child, and he was known as John Lewis, Hafodyrhaidd, all his life in most of Merionethshire. He was accepted as a member in Llanuwchllyn old chapel by Mr. Abraham Tibbot, when he was a young man, and several were accepted along with him, but John Lewis was considered more intelligent than them all. Within some years he married one Mary Jones, of Dolfach, Llanuwchllyn, and they had two daughters. He was married only six years and during this time he started preaching, He hadn’t thought of being anything more than a lay preacher. After he buried his wife, he was encouraged to go to Wrexham college, even though he was, at that time, forty years old. He stayed in the college for four years, and, even though he wasn’t expected to be an excellent academic, the education he received proved to be a help to him all his life. He was invited to go to Llanfyllin and Capel-bach, Penybontfawr, on trial, but the church in Llanfyllin wasn’t unanimous about giving him a call. He settled in Bala, and he was ordained in 1807, and after that he cared for Penybontfawr for two years, until Mr. Morris Hughes was ordained there. He did a great deal of good in Bala, especially during the first years of his ministry, when the feelings in the church were split. He married a widow, who had been a widow twice. The marriage was not a successful one at all. She was determined to stay

*Llyfryddiaeth y Cymry. (The Welsh Bibliography) Page 604

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in Bala, and he thought that they should live in his old home, Hafodyrhaidd, but things became so miserable that he was too depressed to preach. He gave up his ministry in Bala, and went to live with his daughter in Hafodyrhaidd, but would visit his wife in Bala occasionally. He was encouraged to preach, after a while, which he did while he could, wherever he was called to serve. He was struck down with an illness and an injury from the old days, which caused him to be unable to leave his community, but he made his way to the old chapel while he was able, until the end, and he died on January 23^rd, 1850, at the age of 89 years.* He was a short, round man, physically, and was  pleasant and kind. He was never in a hurry, and when he stopped to talk to someone at the side of the road, he never would put a stop to the conversation. He understood divinity well, and it wasn’t easy to win against him in any debate, but he never did learn to speak his mind in a concise way. He was a moderate Calvinist in his religious views, and he understood the subject on which he debated in those days better than most. There was nothing popular about his gift, even though he spoke eloquently, and he was always serious and never joked, but he had no warmth or passion. He did the “work of the evangelist" and he has accepted a prize " the good and faithful servant."

MICHAEL JONES. He was born in 1785, close to Neuaddlwyd, Ceredigion. His parents were Daniel and Mary Jones, who were notable for their physical and mental health. Soon after Michael Jones was born, his parents moved to Ffos-y-bont-bren, and it was there that he spent most of his early years. Even though his parents didn’t profess a faith, they brought up their children with common morality, and before the end of their lives his father joined the Wesleyans, and his mother with the Methodists; but Michael Jones went to enjoy the ministry of Dr Phillips in Neuaddlwyd. Because Ffos-y-bont-bren smallholding was too small to hold the family of Daniel Jones, Michael Jones started preaching, and after he’d been preaching for a while, he had made some money and he went to school and made good progress in his education, through the support of his brother Evan Jones, who was older than he. He was accepted as a church member in Neuaddlwyd, in September, 1807, and was soon encouraged to start preaching. He preached his first sermon in a place called Penrhiw. He went to a school again to Mr. D. Davies, Castell-howell, and all his life he had a high opinion of Mr. Davies, as a teacher. He spent three years, sometimes in the school, and other times working to earn money to keep himself in the school; until 1810, when he was accepted as a student in the college in Wrexham. He excelled above his fellow students as an academic, and as an accurate and detailed academic he even surprised himself, even more than as a preacher, even though his sermons, even at that time, were substantial, and included the essentials of the gospel. When he had finished his time in the college, he accepted a call from the respected old church in Llanuwchllyn, which had been left without a shepherd as a result of Dr. Lewis’ move to care for the college in Wrexham. Mr. Jones was ordained on October 10^th , 1814, but even though the church had a multitude of members and was wealthy, the amount promised for his keep was little. In 1816, he married Miss Mary Hughes, the daughter of Mr Edward  

*See his biography, ‘Annibynwr’, 1862, page. 245, by Mr. C. Jones.

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Hughes, Cwmcarnedd, Llanbrynmair, and they had five children, two sons and three daughters. Their youngest son died before his father, but their three daughters and their eldest son - Mr. M. D. Jones, a professor in the college in Bala - are still alive. Mr. Jones met difficult storms in Llanuwchllyn, bitter storms that no minister in Wales would have met before, and they lasted a long time. He suffered great losses in his circumstances as a result of them and that had an effect on his constitution, despite his strength. We won’t mention those circumstances here, as they come our way in the history of Llanuwchllyn, and since Mr. Jones’ character, is wrapped up in our account there, we don’t have to mention it here. Mr. Jones lived to see the storm pass – the split reunited  - peace restored – and feelings to some extent quelled.

When the North College was established, Mr. Jones was chosen as a teacher, and he settled in Bala, as it was considered the most appropriate place to hold it, and he accepted the appointment. Over time, Mr. Jones considered it essential to let his ministerial connection with Llanuwchllyn which had lasted for twenty-eight years come to an end, and he moved to Bala, where he spent the rest of his life. He completed his duty as a professor with true care, and nobody was ever more conscientious in carrying out the trust that had been placed in him. He taught the students what he thought was most essential for them, and he became very useful in the ministry after leaving the college. Undoubtedly some believed he was too strict in the little things, but he thought that cravings and appetites of all kinds could be conquered by the disciplines of intelligence and reasoning. The unpleasant habit of anything to do with alcoholic drinks was something that could not be avoided, and he looked on it as being too dangerous to joke about. Death to him wasn’t anything of the kind, and he could, better than anyone, say as Paul did," I will not be brought under the power of any." He was a perfect master over all the temptations of the flesh, and he could not bear to see young men who had their sights on the holy work of the ministry, playing about with habits that could possibly make them addicted to them. He considered that what was essential in religion was to "crucify the flesh with affections and lusts." It was strength and correctness that were the main parts of his character, and he was so faithful to the principles of his conscience, so that there was no danger of him betraying what he thought was truth. A little more gentleness and flexibility would have made him a happier member of the community and would have saved him from many worries, but he thought that any direction of any kind was a betrayal of that truth, and an unfaithfulness of his conscience, and his greatest subject was always "exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God and toward men." He followed the way he judged fit to be his duty, even to his own disadvantage, and he did more than his nature could cope with, despite his strength, so no-one had a chance to say he was unfaithful to the trust that he had been charged with. He accepted just £30 a year as a teacher in the college, but he did all the work as honestly as if he was paid £300 a year. He considered accepting money without doing the work as dishonesty, even though the sum was so small.

His ministry had a broad circle. Apart from Bala and Ty’nybont, Bethel, Llandderfel, and Soar, were under his care, and all this along with

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his duties as a teacher, which was too much for the strongest man. He also had problems with pain and sickness for the last two years of his life, but the end came sooner than anyone expected. He died on October 27^th, 1853, at the age of 68, having been in the ministry for forty years. "He held fast the profession of his faith without wavering until the end," and he died as he lived, leaning on the truth. Verses didn’t have very much influence on him while he was alive, and he didn’t want to depend on them as he died. Seeing him in his last pains being tortured, Mrs. Jones said, "Well my dear, it is very difficult," "no it’s not," said he, in his measured way, "a short and light affliction, is gloriously excellent, is an everlasting glory." Mrs. Jones quoted in his hearing, the well-known verse :-

" Ar lan'r Iorddonen ddofn, 'rwyn oedi'n nychlyd, Mewn blys myn'd trwy ac ofn, ei 'stormydd enbyd." (“On Jordan’s stormy banks I stand, and cast a wishful eye …. afraid of the desperate storms”)

"No, no, no fears – The scripture my dear – Scriptures," The twenty third Psalm was read to him, and when he was in the midst of the words, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil," he said joyfully, " There, there my dear, there is a rock," and he died leaning on that rock. He was buried on October 31^st, 1853, in the cemetery of Hen Gapel, Llanuwchllyn, and there were more than thirty ministers from different denominations and a grieving throng lead him to the burial, and the grief was such that it was obvious to all that "a prince and a great man (has) fallen this day in Israel."

TYNYBONT

(Llanfawr parish)

Mae y lle hwn yn nhref-ddegwm Cil Talgarth, o fewn pedair milldir i'r Bala. Ymddengys fod yr achos yma yn hen, a bod y capel wedi ei godi mor foreu, os nad yn foreuach, na chapel y Bala. Fel y crybwyllasom, y mae y cyfrifiad a roddodd Mr. Job Orton i Mr. Josiah Thompson yn gwneyd rhif y rhai a ymgynnullent yma yn 260, er fod yn anhawdd genym gredu eu bod mor lluosog. Mr. Daniel Gronow oedd y gweinidog pan godwyd y capel. Eiddo un Thomas Jones oedd tir Tynybont, ac efe a roddodd le i adeiladu y capel arno. Gwerthwyd tyddyn Tynybont gan Thomas Jones, i Mr. Price, Rhiwlas, a chan nad oedd Thomas Jones wedi trosglwyddo y capel trwy weithred i ymddiriedolwyr, aeth yn eiddo i Mr. Price gyda'r tyddyn. Buwyd yn talu 3p. y flwyddyn o ardreth i Simon Jones, mab y dywededig Thomas Jones, oblegid mai efe oedd tenant Mr. Price yn Nhynybont ; ond oblegid i Simon Jones dori rhyw bren ar y tir, digiodd Mr. Price wrtho, a rhoddodd brydles i'r eglwys ar y capel, a dyna y, pryd y daeth yn feddiant i'r eglwys. Gadawodd Robert Griffith, o'r Garneddlwyd, 2p. at yr achos ei ewyllys, ac o log y rhai hyny y mae Edward Jones, mab-yn-nghyfraith Robert Griffith, yn talu swllt y flwyddyn o gydnabyddiaeth i Mr. Price, Rhiwlas. Nid oedd y capel cyntaf ond un syml a diaddurn iawn ; ond ad-drefnwyd ef tua'r flwyddyn 1857. Tynwyd ymaith yr hen oriel, fel y mae yn awr yn gapel bychan cyfleus. Costiodd y cwbl tua 40p., a thalwyd yr holl ddyled. Mae y lle yma wedi bod o'r dechreuad mewn cysylltiad gweinidogaethol a'r Bala ; ac felly y mae yn parhau. Ni bu yr achos yma erioed yn gryf, ond y mae

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yma ffyddloniaid wedi bod " yn sefyll yn nhy yr Arglwydd y nos." Bu teulu Coedyfoel o gryn swcr i'r achos, a choffeir yn arbenig am Dorothy. Jones, Coedyfoel, fel gwraig ragorol. Yr oedd yn un o'r rhai a gymerai ddyddordeb mawr yn nadleuon duwinyddol dechreuad y ganrif hon, a gwrandawai yn graff ar bob dyn dyeithr a ddenai heibio, er deall beth ydoedd. Daeth Mr. Arthur Jones, o Fangor, (Dr. Jones wedi hyny,) heibio unwaith, ond er gwrando yn astud, methodd hen dduwinyddes Coedyfoel, a gwneyd allan pa beth ydoedd ef, na'r dyn ieuangc a bregethai o'i flaen. Wedi myned i'r ty, gofynai yn bur siomedig, "Wel, ddynion, pa'm bregethwch chi be' ydach chi ?"  " Well i mi bregethu Crist i chwi, na phregethu beth ydwyf fi," ebe Dr. Jones, gyda'r parodrwydd ymadrodd oedd mor nodedig ynddo ; a gwelodd Dorothy Jones nad gwr i wneyd yn hyf arno oedd y pregethwr o Fangor. Codwyd capel bychan tua diwedd y ganrif ddiweddaf, mewn cysylltiad a Thynybont, ar dir Mr. Price, Rhiwlas, yn Tynant, yn Nghwmtirmynach. Ni chafwyd prydles ar y tir, ac yr oedd yn rhaid codi y ty a chorn simdde arno, fel na feddyliai neb wrth fyned heibio nad ty anedd oedd ; ac nid oedd pulpud i gael ei roddi ynddo, oblegid mai yn dy ysgol, ac yn lle i gynal cyfarfodydd achlysurol yn nglyn a Thynybont, y bwriadwyd ef. Ond rhoddwyd pulpud bychan ynddo, ac aeth rhyw rai prysur i Rhiwlas i hysbysu hyny, a'r diwedd fu cloi y lle, a throi yr addolwyr allan.*

Codwyd i bregethu yn yr eglwys hon :-

• Hugh Hughes. Yr hwn a ymfudodd i America.
• David Roberts. Bu yn athrofa y Bala, ac y mae yn awr yn fyfyriwr yn Glasgow.  

Translation by Eleri Rowlands (7(2020)

This place is in the tithe town of Cil Talgarth, four miles from Bala. It appears that this cause is an old one, and that the chapel had been built early if not earlier than Bala chapel. As we mentioned, the census that Mr. Job Orton gave to Mr. Josiah Thompson states the number of people attending here is 260, even though we find it hard to believe that there were so many. Mr. Daniel Gronow was the minister when the chapel was built. Thomas Jones was the owner of the Tynybont land and he gave the land to build the chapel. Tynybont farmstead was sold to Mr. Price, Rhiwlas by Thomas Jones and since Thomas Jones hadn't transferred the chapel legally to the trustees, it became the property of Mr. Price along with the farmstead. The members had to pay £3. a year in rent to  Simon Jones, the son of Thomas Jones, because he was the tenant of Mr. Price in Tynybont, but because Simon Jones cut some trees on the land, Mr. Price resented it, and gave the church a lease on the chapel, and that is when it became church property. Robert Griffith, from Garneddlwyd, left £2. in his will to the cause, and from the interest on that Edward Jones, Robert Griffith's son-in-law, pays one shilling a year in recognition to Mr. Price, Rhiwlas. The first chapel was very simple and very plain, but it was refurbished around 1857. The old gallery was taken away and it is now a convenient little chapel. The whole lot cost about £40. and the whole debt was paid off. From the beginning this place has been linked ministerially with Bala church and so it continues. This cause has never been strong, but the

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faithful have been "those who stand by night in the house of the Lord." The Coedyfoel family have been of great succour to the cause, and we especially remember Dorothy Jones, Coedyfoel, as an excellent woman. She was one of those who took great interest in the theological debates at the beginning of this century and listened carefully to each stranger who came by, in order to understand all. Mr. Arthur Jones, from Bangor, (Dr. Jones later) came by once, but having listened carefully, the old sorceress from Coedyfoel, tried to understand him, and the young man who preached before him. When she went to the house, she asked in disappointment, "Well, gentlemen, why did you preach what you did?"  "I would rather preach Christ to you, than to preach what I am," said Dr. Jones, with the ready phrase that he was noted for and Dorothy Jones realised that he wasn't a man to be bold with, this man from Bangor. A small chapel was built around the end of the last century connected with Tynybont, on Mr. Price, Rhiwlas' land, in Tynant, in Cwmtirmynach. They did not receive a lease on this land and they had to build the house with a chimney, so as not to appear as if it wasn't a dwelling house to anyone passing by. It was not to have a pulpit, because it was meant to be a school, and a place to hold occasional meetings in connection with Tynybont. But a small pulpit was put there, and some busy people went to Rhiwlas to let them know, with the result that the place was locked and the worshippers were thrown out.*

These were raised to preach in this church:-

• Hugh Hughes. He emigrated to America.
• David Roberts. He attended Bala college, and is now a student in Glasgow.

LLANUWCHLLYN

Yn y flwyddyn 1737, yr ydym yn cael Meurig Dafydd, Weirglawdd-y- gilfach, yn y Bala, yn gwrando Mr. Lewis Rees, o Lanbrynmair, pregethu. Nis gwyddom pa beth harweiniodd yno. A oedd yn digwydd bod yn y dref eisioes, ac iddo yn ddamweiniol droi i mewn i wrando beth oedd gan y pregethwr i ddyweyd, ai ynte a aeth efe yno yn ei unswydd, gan ewyllysio clywed y dyn. Nid oes neb a all ateb yr ymholion hyn, a gwaith ofer yw i ninau geisio dyfalu. Beth bynag, yr ydym yn cael Meurig Dafydd yn yr oedfa, ac oedfa nodedig iddo ef ydoedd, canys dygwyd ef ynddi i adnabod ei gyflwr, a'r drefn i'w gadw trwy y Gwaredwr. Ar y diwedd, gwahoddodd Mr. Rees i bregethu i'r Weirglawdd-y-gilfach, a'r hyn y cydsyniodd, ac ar yr amser apwyntiedig, daeth yn ol ei addewid. Yr oedd Meurig Dafydd, fel Cornelius, o'r blaen wedi bod yn ddiwyd yn gwahodd ei gymydogion a'i geraint i'w dy erbyn oedfa, a phan ddaeth Mr. Rees yno, cafodd gynnulleidfa luosog yn ei ddisgwyl. Ond y mae yr olwg arnynt yn ddyeithr iddo. Mae pob un, gwryw a benyw, a'i hosan yn ei law, ac yn brysur yn gwau, yn ol arfer y wlad. Eisteddai Mr. Rees wrth y tân i ddisgwyl amser dechreu, a thaflai ei lygaid ar ei ddarpar wrandawyr yn awr ac eilwaith, er gweled a oedd dim tebyg iddynt i roddi heibio, ond ni welai un arwydd. O'r diwedd, cododd i fyny, ac agorodd y Bibl yn araf, gan ddisgwyl y buasai hyny arwydd iddynt i roddi heibio, ond nid oedd dim yn tycio. Dechreuodd

*Llythyr Mr. J. Peter, Bala.

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ddarllen, a thaflai gil ei lygaid arnynt, ond yr oedd eu dwylaw yn brysur gyda'r gweill. Gwnaeth rai nodiadau, gan dybied y buasai hyny yn galw eu sylw, ond pa faint bynag o sylw a dalai eu llygaid a'u clustiau, ni lonyddai eu dwylaw. Penderfynodd droi at Dduw mewn gweddi, a'r olwg ddiweddaf a gafodd cyn cau ei lygaid oedd, pob un yn ddiwyd yn gwau ei hosan. Ond wedi dechreu gweddio, cafodd nerth gyda Duw, fel yr anghofiodd hwy yn fuan. Deallodd wrth yr ocheneidiau a glywai fod Duw yn wir yn y lle, a phan yr agorodd ei lygaid ar ddiwedd y weddi, gwelai bob hosan a gweill wedi syrthio i'r llawr fel " taenfa rhwydau," a phob gwyneb wedi ei wlychu gan ddagrau. Dyna yr oedfa gyntaf erioed, hyd y mae genym sicrwydd, gan yr Ymneiliduwyr yn mhlwyf Llanuwchllyn. Wedi bod yno drachefn ar Sabboth, ar gais Meurig Dafydd a'r bobl, anogodd Mr. Rees, Meurig Dafydd i gofrestru ei dy i bregethu, fel y byddai yn ddiogel dan nawdd y gyfraith rhag pob ymosodiad. Ond teimlai Meurig Dafydd yn ddigalon i wneyd hyny, rhag na chawsai bregethwr iddo ar ol ei drwyddedu, a dywedai "pe gwyddwn y cawn i bregeth unwaith yn y flwyddyn mi wnawn." Addawodd Mr. Rees y rhoddai fwy na hyny - y deuai yno unwaith bob tri mis. Llonodd Meurig Dafydd yn fawr pan glywodd hyny, a thrwyddedodd ei dy, a chafwyd addoliad rheolaidd yno o hyny allan, a ffurfiwyd yno eglwys yn fuan. Mae Weirglawdd-y-gilfach mewn cwm anghysbell, rhwng Llanuwchllyn a chyfeiriad Dinasmawddwy, yn nghesail Aran Benllyn, ac yma yn benaf y cyfarfyddai y gynnulleidfa, hyd nes yr adeiladwyd y capel. Buwyd yn addoli hefyd yn Nantydeiliau, lle yr oedd un o'r aelodau, o'r enw Dafydd Stephen, yn byw ; ac am ddwy neu dair blynedd cyn codi y capel, addolid yno bob yn ail a Gweirglawdd-y-gilfach. Rhoddwyd galwad gan yr eglwys, pan yn Weirglawdd-y-gilfach, i un Mr. Thomas Evans, i fod yn weinidog. Gwr o'r Deheudir ydoedd. Gelwid ef Mr. Evans, Talardd, oblegid iddo briodi a chwaer Mr. Thomas Owen, Talardd, amaethwr, a thirfeddianwr cyfrifol oedd yn byw yn ymyl Weirglawdd-y-gilfach, ac ymddengys i Mr. Evans fod yn byw ac yn cadw ysgol yn Talardd. Nid oes genym sicrwydd pa bryd y daeth Mr. Evans yma, ond yr oedd yma yn 1744, canys yr oedd y flwyddyn hono yn derbyn arian o drysorfa y Presbyteriaid, a bu yma beth bynag hyd 1757, canys yr ydym yn cael ei enw y flwyddyn hono hefyd, yn derbyn o'r un drysorfa, fel gweinidog Llanuwchllyn. Y mae yn eglur, gan hyny, ei fod ef yma cyn codi y capel, ac mai yn yspaid ei weinidogaeth ef y bu hyny Wedi i'r eglwys gynyddu yn Weirglawdd-y-gllfach, a bod llawer o'r aelodau yn byw i lawr yn ngwaelod y plwyf, penderfynwyd fod yn well cael capel mewn rhyw le canolog, fel y gallai yr holl frawdoliaeth gydymgynnull i fwynhau cymdeithas eu gilydd. Gosodwyd ar Meurig Dafydd, Weirglawdd-y-gilfach, a Thomas Cadwaladr, i fyned at Dafydd Stephen, Nantydeiliau, i geisio lle i'w godi ar ei dir ef. Llwyddasant yn eu hamcan, a chodwyd yno gapel cyfleus i'r gynnulleidfa.* Dyddiad weithred gyntaf ydyw 1745, ond y flwyddyn ganlynol, fel yr ymddengys, y codwyd y capel. Arferai boneddwr o Loegr, Mr. Twanley, gwr duwiol, selog, a haelfrydig o Kidderminster, ymweled a Llanuwchllyn a'r amgylchoedd, ar adeg ffeiriau i brynu anifeiliaid. Wrth weled amddifadrwydd yr ardal o le addoliad, rhoddodd bob cefnogaeth i'r cyfeillion yn y lle i godi capel. Cyfranodd ei hun, a chasglodd oddiar eraill

*Ysgrifiau Rhys Mynwy ; Y Dydd, Awst 28ain, 1868.

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