LLMOWEN AND ITS RADICAL
TRADITION
David Barnes,November 2005 The openingof the first Arminian chapel in Wales at Llwynrhydowen n 1733
initiateda radicaltradition in this apparentlyunlikely rural settingthat hascontinued to have
nationalreverberations. The seffingappears an unlikely one at first glance.The chapel is
situatedon the bankof the Clettwr Fawr, a tributary of the Teifi that hereforms the county
border between Cardiganshire,in which county Llwynrhydowen is situated, and
Camarthenshire.From this causegrew the Unitarian "Black Spot", a uniquecommunity of
rural Unitarians in the Teifi valley in the vicinity of Larnpeter. Most of the other
congregationswith which fiB was to shareits religious life were situatedin "o--unity wban locationssuch as Birmingham,where Joseph Priestley, discoverer of oxygen,had his
Unitarianmeeting house and his scientific apparatusdeskoyed by a Cturch and King mob
in 1791.1Unitarianism stands at the end of the steadymarch towards rational Christianity
that causedso muchupheaval in the religiouslife of this period, as Arminians evolvedinto
Ariansand on into Unitarians.'A, ErasmusDaffiinwas clmicallyto observe,Unitarianism
was"a featherbedon which to catcha fallins Christian."3
The term "Black Spotu (Y Smotyn Du) derives from a hostile Methodist
historiography.This small area of some twenty squffe miles proved impenetrableto
successiveCalvinistic Methodist revivals that had their epicentrea few miles to the north,
for no Unitarianchapel in the "plack Spot" lies more than twenty miles from Llangeitho.
EmrysBowen has described the areaas "tlre Arian triangle",with its apexat Mydroilyn qnd tR.B. Rose,"The Priestley Riots of1791", Pastand Present, 18 (1960), pp. 68-88-
? - Arminianisrq:Arminius (1560-1609) was a Dutchtheologian who opposedthe Calvinistdoctrine of predestination. Arianism:Arius was a fourth-centurypresbyter from Alexandriawho deniedthat Christ rtfr Cbfiltbstantialwith God. Holdersof thesedoctrines are known bv the namesof thesetheoloeians.
" A. Desmondand J. Moorc,Darwin: the life of a tormentedevolutionist Q,ondon, 1991), p. 5.
Jt its baseextending from NewcastleEmlyn to Llanybydder.a
R. T. Jenkinshas described Carmarthen Academy as "the fountain-headof Unitarianism
in Wales".sFor overa centuryfrom the passingof the TolerationAct in 1689to the repeal
of the Test and CorporationActs in 1827, civil and religious liberly continued to be
withheldfrom anywho deniedthe doctrineof the Trinity. Additionally, the BlasphemyAct
(1698)made the professionof Unitarianisma criminal acturrtil it was repealedin 1813,
twenty-twoyears after the formationof the UnitarianSociety in 1791. Yet a progressive,
rational Christianityflourished in the schoolsand academieswhich hained men for the
nonconformistminis@, *{.1: an advancedcurriculum was dispensed,including modem
languagesand the npw science,which contrastedmarkedly with the moribund state of
educationprovided by the exclusivelyAnglican collegesof Oxford and Cambridge.In 1760
referencewas made, in connectionwith the academyat Carmarthen,to-
an Apparatus of Instrumentssent down from London such as an Air-pump,
Telescope,Microscope, Quadrant &c. Mr Howell of Binningham has made a
presentof a Theodolet[sic], as I think it is called. So that the pupils have much
greateradvantage for Improvementthan ever.6
CarmarthenAcademy opened in L704under PrincipalThomas Perrot (d. 1733),funded
by the Presbyterianand CongregationalBoard in London.T R. T. Jenkins discountsthe
tadition that Anninianismtook hold of the academyas a consequenceof Perrofsteaching,
o E.G.Bowen, "The Teifi Valleyas a ReligiousFrontier", Ceredigion,Vil,l {1972),pp.l-13. 5 J.E. Lloyd(ed..),A History of Carmarthenshire,tr (Carditr, 1939),p.246. 6 G.p.Evans, Iloyd Letters1754-94 (Aberyshvyth, 190S).
' D.E.Davies, HoffDdysgedigNyth (Aberlawe,1976),p. 17.
3
Jt arguing that the removal of the academyto Radnorshire in 1733 for a decadewas more the
result of his failure to maintain discipline than his unorthodox theology.
A student of Perro! Jenkin Jones (1700?-42), returned home &om the academy to
Llanwenog where he was invited to share the pastorate of the Independent chapel of
Pantycreuddynwith James Lewis. Ordained n 1726, he rapidly grew urcomfortable with
the orthodox Calvinism of Lewis once he had adopted Arminian views at Carmarthen.
Soon he was conducting his own servies at Wemhir, near Alltyrodyn. A financially
advantageousmarriage to the heiress of Pantydefaid coincided with the building of the first
Arminian chapel in Walesat_Llwynrhydowen (Llandysul, 1733) in 1733.8 Jenkin Jones
made a lasting impression on his locality, drawing a number of local dissenting
congregations into his Arminian orbit, including members of the Baptist congregation at
Aberduar who formed the nucleus of Alltyblacca (Llanwenog, 1740).e In 1729 Jones
published Cyfrrf Cywir o'r Pechod Gwreiddiol (Ihe Correct Account of Original Sin),
which was countered in the following year by James Lewis's Cyfrif Cywiraf o'r Pechod
Gwreiddiol (Ihe Most Correct Account of Original Sin). On his death rn 1742, the
membershipat Llwynrhydowen was estimatedat fow hundred.lO
Successive congregations at Lammas Street (Heol Awst) Independent Chapel
(Carmarthen, 1726) which was attached to Carmarthen Academy, appear to have been
*illittg to accept the increasingly freethinking theology of their pastors, the Academy's
principals. When the Academy moved briefly to Swansean 1784 the congregation chose
RichardLloyd (1784-91), son of Jenkin Jones'ssuccessor at Llwynrhydowen, David Lloyd,
as their pastor. Lammas Street was not entirely cut off from Calvinist influence, however,
t Evans,Lloyd Leners, p. n. n JenkinJones was the greal-uncleof the architectFrank Lloyd Wright. to Evans,Lloyd Lexers,p. xiri.
Jt for underDavid Peter,who arrivedn 1792,the chapelretumed to orthodoxy.ll David
Lloyd'sgnndson (1805-63), who bore the sameniune, after an educationat Carmarthen
Academy and Glasgow University, succeededPeter as principal at Carmarthen. His
congregationworshipped at the Wesleyanchapel from 1834 urtil he opened the new
Unitarianchapel at Parcy Velvet (Carmarthen,1841) in 1849.
The Arminian movementbegan to make headwayin the 1740s. The only properly
Arrrrinianschism, that is, onethat did not progressinto Arianism,was at Cefirarthen,where
the Calvinistparty secededin 1740,building Pentretygwyn(Llanfairarybryn, 1749) on land
given them by William t*]:Tt Pantycelyn. The Arminian remnant at Cefrrarthen
witheredby 1760,and in 1772 Cefirarthenand Penhetygwynwere united as a Calvinist
Independentchurch.
At LlwynrhydowenJenkin Jones was succeededby his eighteen-year-oldnephew David
Lloyd (1724-79).The ordination of this youngman, who claimeddescent from the Lords of
Castellhywel,which was postponeduntil he attainedhis majority, athacteda number of
distinguisheddissenting ministers, althougb Philip Pugh, Cilgwyn, excusedhimself from
witressing "the rising sun" as he did not shareLloyd's Arminianism.l2 Lloyd's powerfirl
preaching- his summersennons at Alltyblaccacould be heardat Penca:regchurch one and
a half miles awaywhen he furnedto facethe openwindow - was to consolidatethe work of
his predecerro..t' Lloyd had beeneducated at schoolskept by JohnEvans in Llanwenog,
and by the Arminian Samuel Thomas in Carmarthen,who subsequent$ re-opened
CarirtrythenAcademy rn l743,wherehe tutoredDavid Williamsthe Deist in the 1750s.14
Lloyd r#ttrrred from Carmarthento reside at Brynllefrith and under his leadershipthe
I I Lloyd (ed.), Carmarthenshire, U, pp. 245-9. t'Evans, Lloyd Leners, p.n. t'Ibid., p. xix. to David Williams,Incidents in My Own Life (Sussex,1980), p. 65.
,t Arminian party grew in numbers in the locality with a chapel opening at Penrhiw (Llangeler,
fi71)1s on the Carmarthenshireborder at Drefach formed from the.Independentsof Saron
(Llangeler, 1756).16 Christmas Evans the Baptis! who later turned his back on 17 Arminianism, once worshipped here. Lloyd built on the foundations laid by Daniel
Gronow at Bethany (Ciliau, 1755), drawing this Independent congregation into the
Arminian fold. The Calvinists together with some members of the Independent
congregation at Mydroilyn (Llanafih, 1753) seceded n 1760 to establish Tynygwndwn
(Llanfrhangel Ystad, 1733).
Lloyd's influence spreadqg* * far as Cellan, touching the Independent congregation of
Caeronnen,which wa5 closely associatedwith Cilgwyn. Under the ministry of Timothy
Davies (1737-60), who had been at Carmarthen under Perrot, there were visits from Lloyd
which saw the congregationmove into Arninianism, the more orthodox members seceding
to form Ebenezer (Llangybi, 1722).18 In the early years of the nineteenth century the
congregationprogressed into Arianism and on into Unitarianism. The old associatiofl with
Cilgwyn was severed"the more orthodox again seceding to found Capel yr Erw (Cellan,
1811), with Thomas Griffiths (Tau Gimel) (1797?-L871) opening a new chapel in the
Unitariannamein 1846(Cellan, 1846).
Lloyd's classical leaming became legendary in the locality.le He translated a number of
d€votional works into Welsh and in 1768 published a volume of hymns. His bookishness,
dtrd lack of talent for farming at Brynllefrith, drew comment:
15This chapelwas removed to the WelshFolk Museumin 195?. tu D.E,Iones,Hores Pluyfi Llangelera Phenboyrplandysul, 1899), pp. 217-26.
I 7A centennialtree wasplanted in I 938 at EsgairWen in the Cerdin valley, the birthplaceof ChristmasEvans ( I 766- r838). tt D. E. Jones,Llangeler, p.308. tnItwas saidthat he could commit300 linesof Homerto memorvon his wav homefiom school.
Jt He did not know his own cows; always with his head in books. On one occasiorl
when driving to Ciliau Aeron to preach, he gave rein to the horse, and became so
absorbedin reading a book which he had with him, as not to notice that his horse
had made its way back by another road to Brynllefrith.20
The growth of the congregationat Llwynrhydowen wrder Lloyd was considerable,
necessitatingsome open-air preaching. Llwynrhydowenwas enlargedn 1754, and Lloyd
took on assistantsto help with the worh his cousinSamuel Thomas from 1756to 1758,
Daniel Gronow of Ciliau 1760 to 7769, and from 1769 onwardsDavid Davis. tom Castellhywel.His sucgesscpated a stir, his secondwife Laetitiadescribing how:
The whole countrywas in hostility to them, except someof the clergy, and of the
gentry,of the Chwch of England,who, it is well knourn,preceded the Dissentersin
liberality, and who, in that province, were not sorry to see the dark cloud of
fanaticismthatspread over the counbry,dispe11ed.21
Rdesdtrd Thomas, the historians of the Independents,saw David Lloyd's careerin a
light:
His strenuousnessand ability v/ere u{luestionable but he did enorrrous harrn to
Dissentin Wales ... If he was of religious feeling, as we gatherhe was from the
godly tendencyof the bookshe translated,he would surelynot havetaken the world
for advocatingthe views he di4 if he could have foreseenthe misehief they
20 Evats, Lloyd Lexers, p.n
" Ibid, p. loriv.
It entailed.22
David Davis (1745-1827)had been educated at local schools,including that of the Revd.
ThomasLloyd of Penboyr,where he had attendedservices at Penrhiw chapel. Between
1763and 1767 he attendedCarmarthen Academy under the Arian JenkinJenkins (d. 1780),
with ThomasCharles as a fellow student. ln1782 he movedto Castellhywel,where he kept
schoolfor anotherthirty years,gaining a considerablereputation as a schoolmaster. Of
corpulentproportions - few of his neighbourswould allow him to ride their horses - his
progressiveviews weresharedty a distinguishedcircle of friends,including Richard Price,
Edward Williams (IoJo Mgrganwg), John Jones (Jac Glan-y-gors)and Thomas Evans
(Tomos Glyn Cothi), who all visited Davis, attendinghis servicesat Llwynrhydowen.
During the FrenchWars Davis was denouncedto the govemmentas a man to be watched
and an order was issuedfor an inquisition into his proceedings,but thanksto a character
referencefrom a local clerryman- manyyoung men were trainedfor the Anglican ministry
at Castellhywel- he was sparedthe humilation sufferedby his co-religionistTomos Glyn
Cothi.
In 1811Davis appointedan assistantanother John Jones,from the Unitaria4 church in
Aberdare. Following an accusation of immorality, Jones left Llwynrhydowen and
establisheda chapelat Bwlchyfadfa(I-landisiliogogo, 1811), which beganby serving a
mixed dissentingcongregation, but becamesolidly Amrinian following the secessicxlof the
Calviniststo fomr Pisgatr,Talgarreg (Llandisiliogogo, 1821).
Both Lloyd and Davis probablydied as Amrinians. From the 1780sonwards; howerrcr,
their congregationswere advancing into Arianism,that is to saythey were specifically aAt[-
Trinitarianin their views. CharlesLloyd (1766-1829)was twelve when his father David
22lhomas Reesand John Thomas (eds.), Hanes Eglwysi Annibynol Cynru (Liverpool, 1871-5),iv, p. 199.
at