Rev. William Griffiths Papers,

Rev. William Griffiths's journals, 1816-1855; printed diaries, 1837, 1843-1845, 1850-1851; a 'day book' or diary, 1854-1861, with additional entries at the end by his son; a notebook of autobiographical data upon which his book Gower memories of William Griffiths (Aberaeron, 1957) is based; personal letters, 1825-1849; miscellaneous letters, 1840-1860; printed copies of reports and notices of general meetings of the Glamorgan Banking Co., 1845-1858; sermon notes, 1817-1861; notebooks relating to subscriptions for Bethesda Church, Gower, 1838-1843; translation of Robert Jones, Drych yr Amseroedd; letters, 1851-1882, addressed mainly to William Griffiths [junior] at Aberaeron, and an account book, 1849-1855, relating to his business at Aberaeron; and correspondence of Miss A. G. Jones relating to the Rev. William Griffiths, 1948.

The Rev. William Griffiths (1788-1861) was a Calvinistic Methodist minister. He was born at Blaenbrwynen, Clydau, Pembrokeshire, son of Thomas and Mary Griffiths. In 1807 he was forced to enlist in the militia and was influenced by the Methodists whom he later joined. In 1817, at the request of Diana, Lady Barham, he was sent as a missionary to the English-speaking community of Gower, Glamorgan. He was ordained at the Association meeting at Llangeitho, 1824, and later founded a number of churches. He was the father of Methodism in Gower, and is known as the 'Apostle of Gower'. He died at Burry Green, Gower, Glamorgan, in 1861. He had married Alicia Graciana Jones in 1826, and had a son, also called William Griffiths, who became a chemist in Aberaeron, Cardiganshire. Miss A. G. Jones (d. 1974) was the great grand-daughter of the Rev. William Griffiths.

Arranged into the following: journals and diaries of the Rev. William Griffiths; autobiographical notebook; miscellaneous accounts; sermon notes, portraits of ministers of religion; correspondence; reports of the Glamorgan Banking Co.; miscellaneous letters to Mr W. Griffiths, Aberaeron; accounts of Mr W. Griffiths, Aberaeron; correspondence of Miss Alicia Graeciana Jones; and miscellaneous letters to Mr W. Griffiths, Aberaeron.

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Bequest by Miss A. Gower Jones (great-granddaughter of Rev. William Griffiths), Aberaeron, 1974.

The Rev. William Griffiths (1788-1861) was a Calvinistic Methodist minister. He was born at Blaenbrwynen, Clydau, Pembrokeshire, son of Thomas and Mary Griffiths. In 1807 he was forced to enlist in the militia and was influenced by the Methodists whom he later joined. In 1817, at the request of Diana, Lady Barham, he was sent as a missionary to the English-speaking community of Gower, Glamorgan. He was ordained at the Association meeting at Llangeitho, 1824, and later founded a number of churches. He was the father of Methodism in Gower, and is known as the 'Apostle of Gower'. He died at Burry Green, Gower, Glamorgan, in 1861. He had married Alicia Graciana Jones in 1826, and had a son, also called William Griffiths, who became a chemist in Aberaeron, Cardiganshire. Miss A. G. Jones (d. 1974) was the great grand-daughter of the Rev. William Griffiths.

Title supplied from contents of fonds.

A hard copy of the catalogue is available at the National Library of Wales. The catalogue can be accessed online.

February 2003

Compiled by Seri Crawley for the ANW Project. The following sources were used for the preparation of the description: National Library of Wales, Schedule of the Journals, Diaries and Correspondence of The Rev. William Griffiths; Dictionary of Welsh Biography down to 1940 (London, 1959)

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NLW, Olive Mary Jones Papers, contains correspondence between Augustus John and Alicia Gower Jones.

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