Rev. Timothy Davies was born around 1711 in the parish of Cellan.^[1] He was the son of David Evan of Bailiau, Cellan, and his second wife, Sarah Jones,^[2] daughter of Rev. John Jones of Llwynrhys.^[3] The earliest surviving record of Rev. Davies is the will of his father, which was written in 1715. His father bequeathed him £36, which was to be taken out of the mortgage on Tir Evan ap Evan David Llanvair in the parish of Llanfair Clydogau.^[4]

Rev. Davies was, for over 30 years, a Presbyterian minister of the Cilgwyn Circuit. While he is most associated with Caeronen Chapel in Cellan, he also preached at Abermeurig in Nantcwnlle, Llwynpiod in Llangeitho, and Cilgwyn in Llangybi. It was at Cilgwyn Chapel that he baptised some of the children of Timothy Jacob, my 8x great grandfather.^[5] The Cilgwyn Circuit was extremely significant in the history of Cardiganshire, as it was the first generation of non-conformist chapels that grew out of the congregation at Llwynrhys, Llanbadarn Odwyn, championed by the Rev. John Jones, the founder of nonconformity in Cardiganshire and also Rev. Timothy Davies’ grandfather.

Due to the concentration of Unitarians, Wesleyan Methodists, Baptists, and Independents in this region, Calvinistic Methodist elite referred to it, derisively, as “Y Smotyn Du,” or “The Black Spot.”^[6] The rapid spread and development of nonconformity in this region led to important differences between Cardiganshire and other parts of Wales. Cardiganshire, for example, was home to a large Unitarian community, a denomination which was uncommon throughout the rest of the county.^[7] Nonconformity also impacted county-wide politics, as the nonconformist ministers actively championed Liberalism,^[8] which lead to the election of 12 Liberal MPs between 1865 and 1974, out of a total of 14 election cycles. Non-conformists were also champions of the Welsh language, which they viewed as the language of worship and ministry which explains, in part, the continued high level of bilingualism in the region.^[9]

Rev. Davies’ ministerial work began in 1737, when he was ordained as an assistant to the Rev. Philip Pugh of Cilgwyn Chapel.^[10] This was after many years of education, including time at the Presbyterian Academy under Thomas Perrott,^[11] where he received a classical education and training in English, Latin, and Greek literature, three languages which he continued to read into his old age.^[12]

On June 19, 1740, at the Llangeitho parish church,^[13] Rev. Davies married Mary^[14] Jones of Ty’n Glyn, Llanbadarn Odwyn, his first cousin through his mother’s brother. Together they had six children: Sarah, Jonathan, David, Mary, Evan, and Rachel.^[15] Their son, Evan, also became a minister at Caeronen and Cilgwyn Chapels, and aided in the founding of Cribyn Unitarian Chapel, Llanfihangel Ystrad, alongside Rev. David Davis of Castellhywel, Timothy Jacob’s son. Mary passed away in 1755, a few days after the birth of their youngest child. They had recently moved to Felindre Farm in the nearby parish of Pencarreg, which is where Rev. Davies lived for the rest of his life.

Rev. Davies died on September 28, 1771, which was recorded in his diary by his son, Jonathan.^[16] He was probably buried in the graveyard at Cellan parish church, next to his wife, whose tombstone still survives: “Here lyeth the body of Mary Davies, late of Velindre, who departed this life the 19^th day of July, 1755,^[17] aged 36 years.”^[18] He and his wife birthed a family that went on to expand to hundreds of members within a few generations and their descendants made up a large portion of the class of landowning farmers and large tenant farmers in the Lampeter region. At the time of my writing, Nov. 2024, Rev. Timothy Davies has a total of 40 descendants that were named Timothy after him.

Citations & Footnotes

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[1] 1903. Jones, Rees Jenkin. Teulu Llwynrhys, p. 222. Cymru 25: 221.-223.

[2] 1715. David Evan. Will dated Mar. 20, 1715, proven Jun. 19, 1716. Welsh Wills 1556-1858. Cellan. Diocese of St. David’s, National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth. http://hdl.handle.net/10107/645413

[3] In his will, he names his wife, Sarah, and his brother-in-law, Jenkin Jones, as tutors to his younger children. Jenkin Jones, of Llwynrhys, bequeaths his nephew, Timothy Davies, all his books in his 1725 will. See: 1725. Jenkin Jones. Will dated May 13, 1725, proven Jul. 20, 1725. Welsh Wills 1556-1858. Cardigan. Diocese of St. David’s, National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth. http://hdl.handle.net/10107/633955

[4] 1715. David Evan. Will dated Mar. 20, 1715, proven Jun. 19, 1716. Welsh Wills 1556-1858. Cellan. Diocese of St. David’s, National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth. http://hdl.handle.net/10107/645413

[5] 1887. SNS [aka Rees Jenkin Jones]. The Rev. David Davis, Castle Howell. Weekly Mail. Jul. 30, 1887, p. 4, col. 6. Digital Images. National Library of Wales. https://newspapers.library.wales/view/3373689/3373693/67/

[6] 2022. Adams, Jonathan. Frank Lloyd Wright: The Architecture of Defiance, p. 9. University of Wales Press: Cardiff. https://books.google.ca/books?id=A6CTEAAAQBAJ&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&dq=Y+smotyn+du&source=gbs_navlinks_s

[7] Sumner, Neil. “The Story of Nonconformity in Wales: Unitarians.” Welsh Religious Buildings Trust. https://welshchapels.wales/nonconformity/unitarian/

[8] 2004. Cragoe, Matthew. Culture, Politics, and National Identity in Wales, 1832–1886. Oxford University Press: Oxford.

[9] 2005. Chambers, Paul, and Andrew Thompson. Coming to Terms with the Past: Religion and Identity in Wales. Social Compass. 52(3): 337-352.

[10] 1905. Evans, George Eyre. Lampeter, p. 79. William Jones: Aberystwyth. https://archive.org/details/lampeter01evangoog/page/n10/mode/2up

[11] 1905. Evans, George Eyre. Lampeter, p. 79. William Jones: Aberystwyth. https://archive.org/details/lampeter01evangoog/page/n10/mode/2up

[12] In his will, Rev. Davies mentions his collection of English, Latin, and Greek books.

1771. Timothy Davies. Will dated Apr. 18, 1771. Proven Oct. 29, 1771. Welsh Wills 1556-1858. Pencarreg. Diocese of St. David’s, National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth. http://hdl.handle.net/10107/92659

[13] 1913. Davies, J. H. “Cardiganshire Freeholders in 1760.” West Wales Historical Records. 3(1912-1913): 73-116. https://ia802205.us.archive.org/4/items/westwaleshistori03hist/westwaleshistori03hist.pdf. See page 114. The Llangeitho register and bishops’ transcripts for this time period have been lost to history.

[14] Many sources, incorrectly, say that Rev. Davies’ wife was named Sarah. However, if we take her death date from Rev. Davies’ diary and corroborate it with her tombstone, allowing for a variance of 1 day in the exact date, it shows that her name was Mary.

[15] 1905. Evans, George Eyre. Lampeter, p. 80. William Jones: Aberystwyth. https://archive.org/details/lampeter01evangoog/page/n10/mode/2up

[16] 1888. “Byrgofion am Enwogion Cymreig: Timothy Davies,” p, 134. Yr Ymofynydd. 6(June): 132-135.

[17] While the tombstone inscription claims Mary died on the 19^th, George Eyre Evans claims that she died the 20^th according to an excerpt from Rev. Davies’ diary. See Lampeter, p. 80.

[18] 2021. Cardiganshire Family History Society. Plwyf Cellan Parish, Ceredigion: Monumental Inscriptions at All Saint’s Church, Caeronnen & Erw Chapels, Cellan War Memorial as at 2002, p. 3.