JONES
,
NATHANIEL (CYNHAFAL)
, (
1832
-
1905
),
Calvinistic Methodist minister, and poet
;
b. in the district of
Gellifor
,
Llangynhafal, Denbs.
,
19 April 1832
. At an early age he moved to
Mold
, to work as a
tailor
in the shop of
Angel
Jones
, where
Daniel
Owen
(q.v.)
was his fellow-worker for a short time. In
1855
he moved to
Holywell
as
travelling salesman
in the employment of
P. M.
Evans
(q.v.)
,
publisher
. He began to
preach
in
1859
, and for a short time attended a private school at
Holywell
, before proceeding to
Bala C.M. College
, where he remained for four years. In
1864
he accepted a call from the church at
Adwy'r Clawdd
, and, in
1865
, he took charge of the
C.M. Church
at
Penrhyndeudraeth
. He moved to
Llanidloes
in
1875
and was there for eighteen years. He was
moderator
of the
North Wales C.M. Association
in
1892
, and
edited
Y Drysorfa
from
1893 to 1897
. In
1892
, he lived at
Rhyl
without pastoral charge, but from
1895 to 1902
he held the pastorate of
Engedi church
,
Colwyn Bay
. After retiring, he lived at
Abergele
, and at
Blaenau Ffestiniog
, where he d.
14 Dec. 1905
; he was buried at
Abergele
. As a
poet
he was often successful at eisteddfodau, and more than once he was placed second in the chief competitions at the national eisteddfod.
Cynhafal
and
Robert
Davies
(
Gwyneddon
, q.v.)
edited
Charles o'r Bala
,
1859
, a
Welsh
fortnightly magazine for the use of
Sunday schools
. He published several volumes of his poems —
Fy Awenydd
,
1859
,
Elias y Thesbiad
,
1869
,
Y Messiah
,
1895
,
Y Bibl
,
1895
,
Charles o'r Bala
,
1898
, and he and
Richard
Mills
wrote a
Welsh
biography,
Buchdraeth y Parch. John Mills
,
1881
. His chief literary accomplishment was the editing of the works of
William
Williams
of
Pantycelyn
,
Gweithiau Williams, Pantycelyn
2 vols.,
1887-91
, to which he contributed a life of the
author
, with critical essays and explanatory notes on all the separate works.
Bibliography:
-
Y Drysorfa
,
Jan. 1898, Feb. 1906
;
-
Y Geninen
(Gŵyl Dewi),
1906
Author:
Idwal Lewis, Aberystwyth
Corrections and additions:
