Richard Jones of Wern and his reading

Ongoing provenance work in the special collections at Aberystwyth University Library has recently unearthed a number of books from the collection of Richard Jones of Wern (1772-1833), a prominent Calvinistic Methodist preacher in North Wales. This collection, previously unrecorded, provides some insight into the breadth of reading of a relatively unknown figure who was nonetheless prominent in Calvinist theological discussions on the atonement in 1814/5, and also shows something of the second hand book trade in rural Wales at this time. Some of the items he owned or accessed may appear surprising to us because of their modern day rarity.

Richard Jones was born into a farming family at Coed Cae Du, Brynengan, Gwynedd, in c1772[1]. He received basic education at schools in the area run by Robert Jones of Rhoslan, John Roberts and Evan Richardson, but declined the opportunity to train as a
lawyer and joined his father working as a farm hand at age fourteen.  However, he seems to have shown a keen intellectual enthusiasm for historical and literary matters and attended poetry classes with David Thomas, Dafydd ddu Eryri. He began preaching in 1794 and became prominent in the Welsh Calvinist Connexion. In 1805 he married Frances Poole of Egryn[2] and they had three children, Griffith born in 1810, and two daughters, Margaret and Catherine, born in 1813. Jones took a prominent role in disputes with John Elias in 1814 and 1815 on the atonement, supporting the moderation of Thomas Jones, and preventing church dogma from falling into extremes[3]. He was ordained in 1816 and moved to Clynnog and thence to Wern, Llanfrothen, where he spent the rest of his life, in 1819. Frances died in 1824 and Richard in February 1833. They are both commemorated in a tomb in Llanfrothen churchyard, close to the northeast corner of the church. The tomb gives prominent mention to Richard’s role in the church – “thirty five years a faithful minister of the gospel in the Calvinistick Methodists Connexion, a learned divine and eminent for his talents in poetry”.  There seems some small irony in this prominent epitaph given the later 1888 dispute over the Llanfrothen burial case concerning nonconformist burial rights in the Anglican churchyard, which brought Lloyd George to prominence at the end of the century[4].
 

Richard is not regarded as the most effective preacher of his time but always attracted a large audience and resisted the more conservative views of some of his contemporaries. His main work, Drych y Dadleuwr, 1829, reproved the religious dogma and disputes of the day. He supported  the Sunday School movement, and also composed catechisms and hymns[5], and there was a post mortem commentary on Moses, published in 1838. Although he has only received limited attention from formal biographers there is a splendid portrait by Hugh Jones in the National Library of Wales[6].

After Richard’s death some of his book collection went to his son Griffith, who farmed near Tywyn, and was a steward at Bethlehem chapel in Bryncrug[7]. These books then passed to the new University at Aberystwyth at the end of the 19th century. Some of the larger folio volumes received a donation label marking Griffith Jones gift at the start of the 20th century but half were not so marked, and none of the volumes are noted in the catalogue as having any connection with Richard Jones. A couple of the volumes, Grotius on baptism and Ussher, appear not to have been catalogued until 1979, but that was often the case with old theological volumes which were left languishing for years in forgotten library store cupboards.   

Although Richard did not make extensive annotation in his books he seems to have been regular in his habit of noting ownership and date of acquisition of the volumes. In several he also notes place of acquisition. Several of the books seem to have been acquired in 1798 or 1799, in the early days of his preaching, and reflect the expected interest and taste of a serious Calvinistic Methodist. For example the three collected volumes of the writings of William Perkins, a late Elizabethan scholar of Christ’s College, Cambridge, were standard library fare for 17th century puritan readers and for many years sold almost as many copies as the works of Calvin[8]. Richard acquired the first two of these books in 1798 at Machynlleth, the third is dated 1799, though that may just have been an oversight on his part. However, it does seem that the volumes came from several sources since they each have different prior owners. Clearly Richard was travelling quite extensively in 1798 since other books have dated purchase notes for Shrewsbury, Ruthin and Liverpool. Perhaps he was already undertaking varied preaching engagements in North Wales and the Marches by this stage. Another 1798 acquisition, John Quick’s Synodicon in Gallia Reformata of 1692, shows that he was still based in his home at Coed Cae Du. This book is unusual in providing the only biblical quotation, from psalm 76, alongside his ownership signature and a short Welsh quotation.  

Richard demonstrates further linguistic flexibility in his use of Latin ownership marks on occasion.  For example, Grotius, De veritate religonis Christianae, a standard basic theological work for students over two centuries, has “Richardus Johannes eius liber. Anno domini 1798”, while a Plantin Greek testament of 1584, acquired in 1800, has an ownership statement “me jure tenet”. Although Richard’s library concentrates on theological material there is a nod towards the classics in a copy of Vergil, acquired in his Wern, Llanfrothen days.

Books now in Aberystwyth University provide a tantalisingly slight glimpse of Richard’s reading but further evidence of the breadth of his interests is to be found in the referencing of his major published work, Drych y Dadleuwr, from 1829. Here we find reference to books in the Aberystwyth collection like Leigh[9] and Perkins but also to a range of other volumes.  Richard’s poetic enthusiasm is perhaps reflected in his use of a quotation from John Gay’s The Shepherd and the Philosopher on the title page of his book, while we also find a short quote from Pope’s Essay on Man at the end of the preface[10]. These may be regarded as commonplace furniture for an educated man in the 18th century and were readily available in collected editions. However, it is perhaps more surprising to find a quotation in English and Welsh from The Blessed Birthday, a 1634 poem on the subject of Christ’s nativity by the Elizabethan poet Charles Fitzgeffrey[11]. Equally it is astonishing to find footnoted references (albeit with typo error) to Henry Isaacson’s Saturni ephemerides, from 1633[12], an expensive folio  work which will rarely appear in the second hand market today. Richard also makes footnoted references to several major dictionaries and passing reference to significant authors like Bellarmine, Voltaire and Priestley[13]. However, we cannot know whether these merely represent Richard’s general intellectual awareness, loans from other collections, or actual purchases. Although it would be anachronistic to impose present day rarity values on volumes which were more readily available two centuries ago yet we can still see Richard Jones as an eager scholar searching out classic theological works and folio texts in his travels.  

It is possible that more material from Richard’s collection will appear in future years. Library provenance work is still fairly patchy in extent. Large sections of the collections in Welsh research libraries remain relatively untouched, although nothing obvious has been found in the National Library of Wales indexes. Correspondence files and periodical articles may also contribute to our understanding of the intellectual development of this relatively unknown figure from the early days of Calvinistic Methodism.  

Bill Hines - whh@aber.ac.uk
 

[1] Basic biographical information about Jones is available in the Dictionary of Welsh Biography entry produced 1959 by Rev. Richard
Thomas, available online via NLW at http://yba.llgc.org.uk/en/s-JONE-RIC-1771.html . Supplementary information
is available in T. R. Roberts. Dictionary of Eminent Welshmen, 1908, p268/9. 

[2] John Jones. Cofiant y diweddar Barch.Richard Jones, 1834, p.18.

[3] This dispute is summarised in The history of Welsh Calvinistic Methodism, growth and consolidation, edited by John Gwynfor Jones, 2013, p73/4.

[4] The Llanfrothen burial case is summarised in John Grigg, The young Lloyd George, 1973, pp52-54.

[5] John Elias produced an October 1835 preface to Richard Jones Hymnau, published in 1836. This is available in English translation in Edward Morgan, John Elias, life, letters and essays, 1973, pp392-394.  

[6] Image available at https://viewer.library.wales/4703021#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=0&xywh=-993%2C-161%2C4367%2C3206 

[7] See The religious census of 1851: A calendar of the returns relating to Wales. Vol. 11. North Wales. Edited by Ieuan Gwynedd Jones, 1981.  Bryncrug return reproduced at http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/MER/Tywyn 

[8] See entry for William Perkins by Michael Jinkins in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography,2004, at http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/21973 

[9] for example Drych y Dadleuwr, p.100 for Leigh and p.56 for Perkins.

[10] “Where no wants, no wishes can remain; since but to wish more virtue is to gain.” Pope’s Essay on Man, quoted in Drych y Dadleuwr, p.v

[11] “That which he was, he is, yet once was not that which he is; --- and though he took one nature more, yet he is but one Person as before.” Along with Welsh translation quoted in Drych y Dadleuwr, p.129. Biographical information on Charles Fitzgeffrey by Anne Duffin in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 2004, at http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/9544 [12] Cited as Hon. Isaacson’s Cron. p.213. Drych y Dadleuwr, p.169. 

[13] Drych y Dadleuwr, p.64.

[14] “George Bludworth his book. God give him grace herein to look. And if I should chance to go astray I pray good sir guide me the way in Stuart Street. If that you be so kind thearin my master you may find in the Old Artillery Ground there is my master you may find and if any thing you crave then satisfaction you shall have.” 
 

Richard Jones – Wern Library 
Brief author title listing of items in Aberystwyth University library with note of Richard Jones and earlier ownership annotations.

Henry Ainsworth – Annotations upon the five books of Moses. London, John Bellamie, 1627.
“Richard Jones his book, 1802”. Signature repeated beneath. 
Earlier owners “John Chedle his book 1682, George Bludworth his book”. With doggerel verse placing his early 18c(?) ownership inStuart Street, near Old Artillery Ground in Spitalfield[14].

Richard Bentley – Eight sermons preach’d at the honourable Robert Boyle’s lecture, 1692. 6th ed. Cambridge, Fenner, 1735.
“Richard Jones’s book bought at Shrewsbury, June 2nd, 1798”

William Crakelt – Tyronis thesaurus: or Entick’s new Latin-English dictionary. London, Longman, 1796.
“Richardus Johannes eius liber a 1798. Apud Liverpool”. Signature repeated with date 1799.

Hugo Grotius – Baptizatorum puerorum institutio et eucharistia… Oxford, University, 1706.
“Richardus Johannes eius liber. Anno domini 1798”. Earlier owner Johannes Pierce, 1742.

Hugo Grotius – De veritate religionis christianae. Amsterdam, Wetstenium, 1696.
“Richardus Johannes eius liber. anno 1798”. Earlier owner Samson Buck.

Henry Hammond – A paraphrase and annotations upon all the books of the New Testament. 7th ed. London, John
Nicholson, 1702.
Copy imperfect lacking end papers and therefore without signature for Richard Jones. However, listed in old accession file between two
other items from Griffith Jones and therefore likely to be part of same gift.

Edward Leigh – Critica sacra. 3rd ed. London, Abraham Miller and Roger Daniel for Thomas Underhill, 1650.
“Richard Jones’s book”.

Novum Testamentum Graecum. Antwerp, Plantin, 1584.
“Richardus Johannes 1800. Me jure tenet”.

William Perkins – Works. Vol.1. Cambridge, John Legate, 1608.
“Richard Jones’s book. anno 1798, bought at Machynlleth”.
Earlier signatures – “Bishop, his hand, 1659. Harrey Thornton 1779 his book steal not this book, for under lies the oners name” (sic), also other pen trials. Also sig for Jos. Brown.  Henry Gibson. 

William Perkins – Works. Vol. 2. Cambridge, John Legatt, 1617.
“Richard Jones’s book. a 1798, bought at Machynlleth”.
Earlier signatures “Jacobi Golborne 1730, this is Ffrances Booths booke, don Ffrances Booth Johanni Golborne”.

William Perkins – Works. Vol. 3. London, John Haviland for James Boler, 1631.
“Richard Jones’s book. anno 1799”.
Earlier signatures “William Wright his book” (repeated elsewhere with illegible notes),
section on Sermon on the Mount has signature “Peter Hickson’s book, January 1741, 2 shillings”. Section displays use of manicule and marginal annotation e.g “baptism ought to be remembered”.   

John Quick – Synodicon in Gallia Reformata. London, Parkhurst and Robinson, 1692. 2 vols.
“Richard Jones his book – anno 1798 – Coed Cae Du – Eifionydd. Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee; the
remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.” Psalm [76:10] “dy fawl er difawl a dig, Afynni uwchaf unig.”

James Ussher – The judgement of the late archbishop of Armagh…., ed N. Bernard. London, John Crook, 1657.
“Richard Jones’s book 1798. Bought at Ruthyn, August 7”.
Earlier owners John Davies, Robert Davies.

Virgilius Maronis Opera. Ed C. Ruaeus. London, Knapton, 1735.
“Richard Jones, Wern, Llanfrothen”. Earlier owner “John Pierce’s book 1742”.

Other works cited by Richard Jones in Drych y Dadleuwr, 1829

It is possible that he may have borrowed these items from others during composition but they may well have formed part of the Wern library and have subsequently dispersed. First edition details are given here in most cases but it is likely that Jones used later copies for popular items such as the dictionaries.   General reference is made in the text to works by authors such as Bellarmine, Priestley
and Voltaire although without citation to enable identification. Eighteenth century poets such as Gay and Pope are also quoted, although without edition citation and it may be that Jones owned some compilation series rather than original works. There are also frequent references to a number of contemporary Welsh language journals and texts such as Dysgedydd and Galwad Difrifol, but these are
excluded here since it is likely that these would have been readily available to him.

Robert Ainsworth – Latin and English dictionary. London, Rivington 1773.

Nathan Bailey – A universal etymological English dictionary. London, Bell and Darby, 1721

Charles Fitzgeffry – The blessed birthday celebrated in some pious meditations on the angels’ anthem.  Oxford, Lichfield, 1634.

James Harris – Hermes or a philosophical enquiry concerning language and universal grammar. London, Woodfall, 1751.

Henry Isaacson – Saturni ephemerides. Tabula historico-chronologica. London, Bernard Alsop, 1633.

Richard Parr – The life of James Usher, Lord Archbishop of Armagh. London, Nathanael Ranew, 1686.
Suggested as the source for extensive quotation from his letters in Jones book but uncertain

Thomas Richards – Antiquae linguae Britannicae thesaurus: being a British or Welsh-English dictionary. Bristol, Farley,
1753.

Robert Robinson – The history of baptism. London, Couchman and Fry, 1790.

Cornelis Schrevel – Lexicon manual graeco-latine. 15th ed. London, Brown, 1791.

Hermann Witsius – “On the etymology of the word”. Identification of this citation is unclear but refers to a vol.1 so may be Miscellaneorum
sacrorum libri quator. Herborn, Andreae, 1712. 2 vols.

 
Some writings by Richard Jones

Drych y dadleuwr. Bala, Robert Saunderson, 1829.

Cyfaill yr athraw neu, Egwyddorion yr ail. Bala, Robert Saunderson, 1830.

Hymnau a chaniadau ysgrythrol a duwiol o waith. Llanrwst, J.Jones, 1836.

Esponiad cyfeiriadol, beirniadol ac ymarferol ar bum llfyr Moses. Ed by Evan Evans, Nantyglo. Merthyr Tydvil, Josiah
Thomas Jones, 1838.

Also articles in periodicals such as Seren Gomer, Goleaud Cymru and Drysorfa, written under pen name Cymro Gwyllt.

Biographical information on Jones:

Dictionary of Welsh Biography. Entry on Richard Jones by Richard Thomas. National Library of Wales online web page at http://yba.llgc.org.uk/en/s-JONE-RIC-1771.html

John Jones. Cofiant y diweddar barch Richard Jones. Caerlleon, John Parry, 1834

T.R. Roberts. Dictionary of Eminent Welshmen. Cardiff, Educational Publishing Company, 1908

Bill Hines May 2020 wdh@aber.ac.uk