Notes about John Williams, Hymn Writer, Blaen Pennal, Central Wales

by - Hugh Reekie - Ottawa Canada  - go to his home page

The purpose of this page is to pull together information about the name John Williams.
          

On web page http://www.dyfedfhs.org.uk/welshbio.htm  with title:

Dictionary of Welsh Biography, 1959

This dictionary contains some 5,000 entries on the careers and accomplishments of notable Welsh persons who have distinguished themselves, locally and nationally, providing a representative potrait of Welsh society and history up to the 20th century. It does not include any who were still living in 1940. A copy is available at most County Reference Libraries in the UK but may not include those who already have an entry in the Dictionary of National Biography, a copy of which is available in most libraries. This index is of those whose birth county and year have been established in Dyfed and therefore does not include any from the 180 articles on significant families.

is an entry:  Biography - Williams, John (1728-1806) hymn writer, Blaen Pennal, CGN

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John Williams was involved in the following hymns:

The Saviour to Glory is Gone
Rwy'n tyn-nu at och-or y d–wr - sung to te melody Golan-rhondda

and Un-numbered: Host of wonders will come at break of day
Bydd myrdd o ryfeddodau ar doriad bore wawr
Daw dydd o brysur bwyso ar grefydd cyn bo hir

in one reference he is titled

John Williams (Sain Tathan) - (1728-1806)

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This MAY be same John Williams as noted below:

on web page: - http://www.llgc.org.uk/lp/lp0213.htm

Page Title: - BOOKS PERIODICAL AND NEWSPAPERS - (19TH CENTURY WALES) - Magazines

The nineteenth century has frequently been described as the golden age of publishing in Wales, and the most productive period in the history of Welsh literature. The extensive output of the Welsh press throughout the century is all the more noteworthy bearing in mind the lack of educational facilities and the economic circumstances of the time; its extent is demonstrated by the variety of periodicals and newspapers published.

The Cambrian Archaeological Association was established in 1846 by Harry Longueville Jones and John Williams ('Ab Ithel'), with the aim of studying and preserving Welsh antiquities. Archaeologia Cambrenisis had been launched the same year, and was adopted as the Association's journal. It continues to appear and contains valuable information relating to the manuscripts, history and archaeology of Wales. Harry Longueville Jones and John Williams co-edited the journal for some time but fierce controversy grew between them as the former was a scientific scholar and the latter a romantic. As a result in 1854 John Williams established his own publication, The Cambrian journal containing articles on linguistics, local geography and the history of literature, but its publication came to an end in 1864 soon after the editor's death.

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also worthy of investigation is the web page:

http://www.leigh.org/genealogy/biographies/edmundleigh.htm

with reference to William Leigh, and a John Williams . . .

REVEREND EDMUND LEIGH (1736-1819)

With the Reverend Edmund Leigh, etc etc etc - (part of text ). . . .

The Dictionary of Welsh Biography (p. 542) summarizes Edmund's modest clerical career. We don't know where he attended school and studied to become a clergyman. He was a schoolteacher in Penrydd in Pembrokeshire in 1760, at the time he was ordained deacon and licensed as curate of Henllan Amgoed, Carms., but the church registers for those two parishes and the relevant years are not extant or give no information on Edmund (Films no.105200 and 105144). Though he was an orphan he had an extended family, and three clergymen relatives in the counties of Carmarthen, Cardigan, and Pembroke testified to the Bishop of St David's about his "religious sober and Industrious Life," according to the research of Edmund's descendant Derek Williams. etc tec

Rev. Edmund's Reputation and Historical Place

Fortunately, we can learn about Rev. Edmund from his contemporaries who wrote of him and praised him very highly. Their anecdotes, documents of his activity, his known letters, and finally a long poem about him after his death draw the picture of an energetic, conscientious, broad-minded, and much beloved pastor and father. As a result we can feel that we know him more personally than any other figure in our ancestry.

Several anecdotes were preserved and published in Welsh in Transactions of the Calvinistic Methodist Historical Society, XXIII (1938).

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see also: - http://members.ozemail.com.au/~yonkers/Llanelly.htm

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see also a GENUKI page about Calvinistic Methodism: and - a John Williams - -

http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/CMN/Llanarthney/Lloyd.html

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See also John Williams - Ab Ithel

http://www.llgc.org.uk/lc/lcc0082.htm#35

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One of the best-known Welsh hymn writers was a William Williams (1717-1791) of Pant-y-Celyn near Lampeter

an extract from - Some Carmarthen Personalities....

William Williams, Pantycelyn, reputed to be the greatest of all Welsh hymn writers, as well as poet and preacher, was born at Cefncoed Llanfair-ar-y-bryn, Llandovery, in 1717. Originally intgending to enter the medical profession, he experienced religious conversion on hearing Howel Harris preaching in Talgarth churchyard. In 1740 he became a deacon in the Established Church and until 1743 served as a curate at Llanwrtyd and Abergwesyn. Influenced by the growing Welsh Calvinistic Methodist revival, he became associated with evangelist Daniel Rowland and preached to congregations throughout the Principality. His most famous hymn is Guide me, O Thou Great Jehovah. He also wrote many books and pamphlets. He died on 11th January 1791 at Pantycelyn, his farmhouse family home near Llandovery, and was buried at Llanfair-ar-y-bryn Church.

taken from:

http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/read/CARMARTHENSHIRE-FHS/2002-01/1011212336

with thanks to RootsWeb.com and Pauline James" <paulinejames -at - btinternet.com>
- Subject: [CmnFHS] William Williams Pantycelyn - 16 Jan 2002

Also, see the bio at http://www.christian-bookshop.co.uk/free/biogs/pcelyn1.htm

and another at: http://www.hadley.org.uk/family-tree/william-williams.htm

of interest - http://www.hadley.org.uk/family-tree/jeffreys_williams_gameson-family-tree-1a.htm

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This page has URL:http://members.allstream.net/~max-com/williams.john.hymns.html