WILLIAMS
,
DAVID
(
1717
-
1792
),
Methodist exhorter, afterwards Independent minister
;
b. at
Is-coed
,
Llandyfaelog, Carms.
, son of
William
Dafydd
.
Richard William
Dafydd
(q.v.)
, the
exhorter
, was his brother. As a young man he came to
Glamorgan
to work for
Christopher
Bassett
,
junior
(q.v.)
of
Aberthaw
, and began to
exhort in the Methodist societies
c
. 1742
. It is not certain whether he was the
David
Williams
who was appointed a ‘
private exhorter
’ at the
Watford Association
,
1743
, but it is known that he subsequently
preached
a great deal in
North Wales
. ‘
He was a kindly man
,’ says
John
Evans
of
Bala
, ‘
and the freshness of the dew was on his sermons
’;
Robert
Jones
of
Rhos-lan
adds that he was an able
theologian
. He went to live at
Llyswyrny
(‘
Lisworney
’) village, near
Cowbridge
, where he was
in charge of the small local societies
and where he m.
Elizabeth
, daughter of
Evan
Prichard
of
Collennau
. On the advice of
Daniel
Rowland
, it is said, he was ordained
minister
at
Aberthyn
, in the same manner as
Morgan John
Lewis
(q.v.)
and
Thomas
William
(q.v.)
. That was probably during the
Methodist Disruption
(
1750-62
). For all that, he maintained his connection with the
Methodists
, attended their Associations and societies, and
preached
to them regularly. At
Aberthyn
he was troubled in turn by
Antinomianism
,
Sandemanianism
, and
Sabellianism
. He d.
5 May 1792
aged 75, and was the first to be buried by
David
Jones
of
Llan-gan
(
1736
-
1810
) (q.v.)
in the
Salem
,
Pen-coed
, burial ground.
Bibliography:
-
Y Drysorfa
, ii, 134;
-
Robert Jones (Rhoslan)
,
Drych yr
AmseroeddY Llenor
(Rhoslan) , 1820; another ed. [1841]; 's ed. in , xv–xvi, 1898.
There is now a new edition ed.
(University of Wales Press, 1958)
,
1820
, 174;
-
H. Bevan
,
Ychydig hanes neu goffadwriaeth am amryw
bethau neillduol a gymmerasant le ymhlith corph y
Methodistiaid Calfinaidd yn ac o'u dechreuad, sef oddiar yr
amser y daeth Mr. Howel Harries i bregethu yn ei droion
cyntaf i amryw barthau o Sir Forganwg a'i chyffiniau pethau
na buont yn argraffedig o'r blaen, eithr wedi eu clywed o
eneuau yr hen bobl ag oedd yn fyw yn yr amser hyny, ac wedi
eu hysgrifenu er mwyn eu cadw mewn coffadwriaeth, ar
ddymuniad rhai Brodyr
, Swansea, 1838
,
1838
, 7, 22;
-
E. Morgan
,
Home Light, or, Brief memoirs and letters of
the Rev. R. Bassett, Vicar of Colwinstone, and E. Bassett,
Esq., Glamorganshire
, 1860
, 70;
-
Methodistiaeth Cymru
, 1851–6
, iii, 20;
-
Hanes Eglwysi Annibynnol Cymru
, ii, 227;
-
Y Tadau Methodistaidd
, 1895
, i, 232-3.
Author:
Rev. Gomer Morgan Roberts, M.A., (1904-93), Pont-rhyd-y-fen / St
Dogmael's / Llandybïe
