GRIFFITHS
,
EVAN
(
Ieuan Ebblig
,
1795
-
1873
),
Independent minister
;
b.
18 Jan. 1795
at
Gellibeblig
, near
Bridgend, Glam.
, the youngest of seven children. His father d. when he was only three years old, and owing to the poverty of the family he enjoyed few educational advantages. At 21 years of age he started
preaching
and attended for about a year a school kept by the minister of his chapel,
W.
Jones
of
Brynmenyn
. Later he went for two years to a school at
Newport, Mon.
, kept by
Jenkin
Lewis
(q.v.)
. At the end of this period he was recommended by his teacher to
lady
Diana
Barham
(q.v.)
as a suitable person to take charge of two
Independent
churches,
Pilton Green
and
Park Mill
, in
Gower
. He commenced his ministry
3 May 1822
. He resigned his pastorate,
4 Aug. 1828
, and removed to
Swansea
to work on the translation of
Mathew
Henry
's
Commentary
into
Welsh
, and when the
printer
,
J. A.
Williams
, became bankrupt in
1830
,
Griffiths
purchased the
business and undertook both the
translation
and
publication
of the last three volumes. Vol. II appeared in
1831
and the remaining two by
1835
. Other publications from his press include a children's monthly,
Y Rhosyn
Oct. 1832-Dec. 1833
, and
Y Drysorfa Gynnulleidfaol
,
Jan. 1843-Dec. 1845
. Though he ceased to have charge of a church, he continued
preaching
regularly on Sundays. Besides his translation of
Mathew
Henry
he published over forty translations and original works, including translations into
Welsh
of
Finney
's
Lectures
(
1839
) and
Sermons
(
1841
),
Burder
's
Eastern Customs
(
1837
),
Brook
's
Mute Christian
(
1830
),
J. A.
James
's
Church Member's Guide
, and
Doddridge
's
Rise and Progress …
He also published a
Welsh-English dictionary
(
1847
). Some of his manuscripts, consisting mainly of sermon notes, are preserved in the
National Library of Wales
(
N.L.W. MSS. 28, 176, 177, 275
). He m.
26 May 1829
,
Mrs.
Mary
Jones
, who predeceased him. He d.
31 Aug. 1873
and was buried at
Sketty
.
Bibliography:
-
Oxford Dictionary of National
Biography
;
-
Hanes Eglwysi Annibynnol Cymru
, iv, 467-8;
-
Ifano Jones
,
A history of printing and printers in Wales
to 1810, and of successive and related printers to
1923.
, 1925
, 187;
-
J. H. Davies
, ed.,
Catalogue of Additional Manuscripts in the
National Library of Wales
;
-
Cardiff Free Libraries, Catalogue of Printed
Literature in the Welsh Department
, 1898
.
Author:
Walter Thomas Morgan (1912-90), Aberystwyth
