LLOYD
,
DAVID
(
1724
-
1779
),
Arian minister
;
b. at
Coedlannau-fawr
,
Llanwenog, Cards.
His father was descended from
David ap Llewelyn Lloyd
,
lord of Castellhywel, Cards.
, who was of the lineage of the
‘lord’ Rhys
. His mother was
Hester
, sister of
Jenkin
Jones
(
1700?
-
1742
) of
Llwynrhydowen
(q.v.)
. He attended the school kept by
John
Evans
(
1680
-
1741
) of
Llanwenog
. He never went to the
Carmarthen Academy
, but
Thomas
Morgan
(
1720
-
1799
) (q.v.)
says that he was at
Samuel
Thomas
's school at
Carmarthen
when he himself was there in
1743
(
Cofiadur
,
1923
, 10). He is said to have succeeded his uncle at
Llwynrhydowen
(
1742-79
),
Alltyblaca
(
1742-79
),
Pen-rhiw
(
1756-79
), and
Ciliau
(
1769-79
),
but he was not ordained until
1745
. He was an eloquent
preacher
,
wrote poetry
in
Welsh
, was a master of
Latin
,
Greek
, and
Hebrew
, and spoke
French
and
Italian
fluently. Very little of his work has survived in writing apart from his poetry, his letters, and notes on his sermons, which have been preserved in one of
Timothy
Davis
's diaries (
N.L.W. MS. 5496
). One of his letters, dated
29 May 1767
, suggests that he was an
Arian
. He
kept a school
for a short time, but declined an appointment as a tutor at
Carmarthen Academy
. He was twice m. — first in
1752
to his cousin, and secondly in
1759
to
Letitia
Lloyd
of
Llanfechan
, who, like himself, was descended from the
lords of Castellhywel
. He had six children:
Jenny
(from his first wife),
Richard
(
minister
of
Llwynrhydowen
),
John
(father of
David
Lloyd
of
Carmarthen
,
1805
-
1863
, q.v.
),
Margaret
,
Charles
(
1766
-
1829
) (q.v.)
, and
David
, from the second wife.
David
Lloyd
of
Brynllefrith
was in his day the greatest
religious genius
and the greatest influence in the cause of religious freedom in
Cardiganshire
, if not in the whole of
Wales
; in
lord Aberdare
's view (
Ymofynnydd
,
1946
, 83) ‘he was the only
Welshman
who up to that time had won a European reputation.’ He d.
4 Feb. 1779
at the age of 55 and lies in
Llanwenog
churchyard. His works consist of his letters to his brother (
Lloyd Letters
), his edition of
Hymnau a Chaniadau
by
Jenkin
Jones
,
1768
, and his poems printed as
Gwaith Prydyddawl Dafydd Llwyd
,
1785
.
Bibliography:
-
L. E. Lloyd-Theakston
and
J. Davies
,
Some family records & pedigrees of the
Lloyds of Allt yr Odyn, Castell Hywel, Ffos y Bleiddiaid,
Gilfach Wen, Llan Llyr and Waun Ifor
, Oxford,
1912-1913
(Oxford, 1913);
-
G. Eyre Evans
(ed.),
Lloyd Letters (1754–96)
, 1908
,
1908
;
-
D. E. Jones
,
Hanes Plwyfi Llangeler a Phenboyr traethawd
buddugol yn Eisteddfod Drefach-a-Felindre, Awst 18, 1897,
gyda chwanegiadau
, Llandysul, 1899
, 308;
-
W. J. Davies
,
Hanes Plwyf Llandyssul
, 1896
, 183-5;
-
Hanes Eglwysi Annibynnol Cymru
, ii, 19;
-
Enwogion Ceredigion
, 1869
;
-
Monthly Magazine
, 1796–1843
,
July 1812
;
-
Monthly Repository
,
1817, 741
;
-
Yr Ymofynnydd
,
1861 (17), 1885 (116), 1890 (218), 1893 (261
);
-
J. Gwili Jenkins
,
Hanfod Duw a Pherson Crist athrawiaeth y
Drindod a Duwdod Crist, yn bennaf yn ei pherthynas â
Chymru
, Liverpool, 1931
, 178-87.
Author:
Rev. Thomas Oswald Williams, M.A., (1888-1965), Lampeter
