Griffith Jones was a minister of the
Church of EnglandThe Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
famous for his work in organising circulating schools in
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. His name is usually associated with that of
LlanddowrorLlanddowror is a small, historic, relatively unspoilt village 2 miles from the town of St. Clears in Carmarthenshire in West Wales.- History & Amenities :...
,
CarmarthenshireCarmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
.
Jones was born in 1683 or 1684 at
PenboyrPenboyr is a hamlet in the county of Carmarthenshire in west Wales consisting of a number of houses, smallholdings, farms and a church.-About:...
,
CarmarthenshireCarmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
, and christened on May 1 1684. He was educated at
CarmarthenCarmarthen is a community in, and the county town of, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is sited on the River Towy north of its mouth at Carmarthen Bay. In 2001, the population was 14,648....
Grammar School. He was ordained in 1708 and appointed rector of Llanddowror in 1716. He remained there for the rest of his life.
Jones was an enthusiastic member of the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge, and in 1731 he started circulating schools in Carmarthenshire in order to teach people to read. The schools were held in one location for about three months before moving (or 'circulating') to another place. The language of instruction in these schools was the language of the people,
WelshWelsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
. The idea was met with enthusiasm and by his death, in 1761, it is estimated that over 200,000 people had learnt to read in schools organised by Jones throughout
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
Jones taught people to read that they might know those things that were necessary for their salvation – the
curriculumSee also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
at his schools consisted only in the study of the
BibleThe Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
and the
CatechismA catechism , i.e. to indoctrinate) is a summary or exposition of doctrine, traditionally used in Christian religious teaching from New Testament times to the present...
of the
Church of EnglandThe Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. But in doing so he created a country with a
literateLiteracy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
population with a deep knowledge of the Christian scriptures. This in turn is believed by many to have played a key role in making the people of Wales ready to accept
MethodismMethodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
.
Jones is often thought of as the forerunner of Methodist ideas in Wales. He was a powerful preacher and he would preach in the open air, as later the Methodists would do, and bring upon himself the censure of bishops for preaching at irregular meetings. He lent his critical support to the
Methodist revivalThe Welsh Methodist revival was an evangelical revival that revitalised Christianity in Wales during the 18th century. Methodist preachers such as Griffith Jones, William Williams and Howell Harris were such powerful speakers that they converted thousands of people back to the church...
, and was associated with the early leaders.
Daniel RowlandDaniel Rowland —sometimes spelt as Rowlands—was one of the foremost leaders of the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist revival along with Howell Harris and William Williams. For most of his life he served as curate in the parishes of Nantcwnlle and Llangeitho, Ceredigion...
was converted through his preaching.
His work was sponsored by the wealthy philanthropist
Bridget BevanBridget Bevan , also known as Madam Bevan, was a Welsh educationalist and public benefactor...
, who continued to manage and support the schools after Griffith's death.
Sources
- Davies, Gwyn (2002), A light in the land: Christianity in Wales, 200–2000. Bridgend: Bryntirion Press. ISBN 1-85049-181-X
- Walker, David (Ed.) (1976), A history of the Church in Wales. Penarth: Published for the Historical Society of the Church in Wales by Church in Wales Publications.
- Cavenagh F.A, Professor of Education, University of Swansea, 1930. "The Life and Work of Griffith Jones of Llanddowror". Published at Cardiff, University of Wales Press Board, 1930.
See also
- Julian Maunoir
Julien Maunoir , was a French-born Jesuit priest known as the "Apostle of Brittany". He was beatified in 1951 by Pope Pius XII and is commemorated by the Roman Catholic Church on 29 January and 2 July....
leader in the 17th century BretonThe Bretons are an ethnic group located in the region of Brittany in France. They trace much of their heritage to groups of Brythonic speakers who emigrated from southwestern Great Britain in waves from the 3rd to 6th century into the Armorican peninsula, subsequently named Brittany after them.The...
revival.