BREESE
,
JOHN
(
1789
-
1842
),
Independent minister
;
b. at
Llanbrynmair
,
Sept. 1789
. In his younger days he was almost entirely dependent on the
Sunday school
for his education. At the age of 20 he was admitted a full member of the church in the
Old Chapel
, then under the ministry of
John
Roberts
(
1767
-
1834
) (q.v.)
, and when he was 24 he was invited to start
preaching
. His friends helped him to go to a school in
Shrewsbury
, after which he was admitted to the
Academy
under
George
Lewis
(q.v.)
, which had just moved from
Wrexham
to
Llanfyllin
. While there his ability as a
preacher
attracted attention, and in
1817
he was called to be
minister
of the church in
Edmund Street
,
Liverpool
, shortly afterwards moving to the
Tabernacle
,
Great Crosshall Street
. Here he worked hard for seventeen years to develop the
Welsh Independent connexion
in the city, and on many occasions walked to and from
Manchester
to minister to the church at that place. He became famous throughout the length and breadth of
Wales
as a
preacher
— so much so that, during this period, he and
William
Williams
(
1781
-
1840
) (q.v.)
were the
preachers
mostly in demand at preaching assemblies. In
1835
he moved to
Carmarthen
to take charge of the church in
Lammas Street
, but shortly afterwards his health began to fail and he d.
8 Aug. 1842
. He was buried in
Lammas Street
burial ground.
He was above all a
doctrinal preacher
, and his congregations sometimes had difficulty in following him, but so striking was his delivery that he rarely failed to captivate them. An article written by him can be found in the volume entitled
Galwad Ddifrifol
(A Serious Call), better known as ‘
Y Llyfr Glas
’ (The Blue Book), published by
John
Roberts
of
Llanbrynmair
(
supra
), advocating the ‘
New System
.’ The antiquary
Edward
Breese
(q.v.)
was his son.
Bibliography:
-
R. Williams
,
Montgomeryshire Worthies
, second ed.,
1894
, 12-3;
-
J. Dyfnallt Owen
,
Hanes Eglwys Heol Awst, Caerfyrddin
,
1926
, 53-60;
-
Hanes Eglwysi Annibynnol Cymru
, iii, 435-8.
Author:
Rev. Richard Griffith Owen, M.A., (1890-1973), Bangor
