PHILLIPS
,
THOMAS
(
1806
-
1870
),
Calvinistic Methodist minister, and Welsh secretary of the British and Foreign Bible Society
;
b.
15 March 1806
at
Llandovery
. Influenced by the religious revival of
1819
, he began
preaching
in
1821
. He had intended to become a missionary abroad, and had already arranged to be trained at
Cheshunt
, when (in
1825
) he was invited to become a
C.M. missioner
at
Hay
; he remained there for ten years,
preaching
and
keeping school
. Early in
1836
, however, he was appointed by the
Bible Society
to be its
secretary
for
Wales
, and removed to
Hereford
. He was a great success in his new sphere, and was the society's oldest servant at the time of his death; the celebration of its jubilee (
1853
) was placed in his charge. He published in
Welsh
Llyfr y Jubili
(
1854
) and a catechism on Protestantism (which went through several edns.), and in
English
The Welsh Revival
(
1860
). He was a good
organizer
, and took a prominent part in the founding (in
1864
) of the
C.M. General Assembly
, becoming, in
1865
, its second
moderator
. He d. at
Hereford
28 Oct. 1870
. There is a biography in
English
, of which there is a
Welsh
version (
London
,
1871
).
His eldest son,
THOMAS
PHILLIPS
(
1832
-
1900
), was apprenticed to
Thomas
Gee
(q.v.)
, and in
1856
published
Llawiadur i'r iaith Seisonig
; he subsequently
took Anglican orders
(
1859
) and graduated in
1866
; he
kept a school
at
Beckenham
(
Foster
,
Alumni Oxon.
;
Asaph
).
Bibliography:
-
Y Gwyddoniadur Cymreig
, 1889-96
;
-
Cardiff Free Libraries, Catalogue of Printed
Literature in the Welsh Department
, 1898
.
Author:
Emeritus Professor Robert Thomas Jenkins, C.B.E., D.Litt., Ll.D.,
F.S.A., (1881-1969), Bangor
