ROBERTS
,
EMMANUEL BERWYN
(
1869
-
1951
),
minister (Meth.)
;
b.
31 July 1869
in
Y Nant
,
Rhewl
, in the parish of
Llantysilio
,
Llangollen, Denbs.
, one of the eleven children of
Morris
and
Jemima
Roberts
. The family moved to
Carrog
, where
Emmanuel
was an
apprentice shoemaker
, but his mother died when he was 12 and the impoverished family left for
Penygroes
, where he and his father found work in
Coedmadog
,
clearing rubble in a clay pit
. There, he began to
preach
, and he went to assist the
Welsh Wesleyan minister
in
Hanley, Staffs.
, and
worked in the steelworks and the coal mine
there. In
1891
he went to the
Corwen
circuit as a
lay-agent
, living in
Tŷ Nant
, and then to a similar post in
Dinas Mawddwy
. In
1893
, he went to
Richmond College
, and from there as a
probationer-minister
to
Pen-y-cae
,
Ebbw Vale
, in
1895
, and to
Treharris
in
1896
. In
1897
, he was appointed
assistant
to the
Revd.
John
Evans
,
Eglwys-Bach
,
Pontypridd
, (
DWB
, 245)
and it was he who insisted on giving him the middle name ‘
Berwyn
’, because he thought that no-one should be called ‘
Emmanuel
’. From that time, he was always known by his new name. When
John
Evans
died, he went to
Pont-rhyd-y-groes
, and in
1899
, he was ordained in the
first Conference of the Wesleyans
in
Machynlleth
. He went to
Corris
in
1900
, and there m.
Annie
Roberts
, adopted daughter of
David
and
Ellen
Roberts
,
Waterloo House
,
Caernarfon
. They had four children, 2 girls, who married
Wesleyan ministers
, and two sons, who became local
preachers
.
He served twelve circuits; he was
secretary
to the
Second Province of North Wales
from
1914 to 1933
,
Chairman of the Province
from
1933 to 1936
, and
President
of the
Welsh
Cymanfa
in
1930
. He came to early eminence as an
expositor
, and that was the chief characteristic of his preaching. His
Commentary on Ephesians
was published in
1902
, that on the
Epistles of Peter
in
1904
, and two volumes on the
Gospel according to St. John
in
1931
. He d. in
Colwyn Bay
on
26 Jan. 1951
.
Bibliography:
-
Information supplied by his son,
Selyf Roberts
.
Author:
Gwilym Richard Tilsley, (1911-97), Prestatyn
