Welsh Journals

possibly for Rees and Mary Davies. Today it is the church manse. Mr Davies's ministry lasted for forty three years but sadly by its end his sullen manner had reduced the membership to a low ebb. He was a learned, and, probably through his wife, a wealthy man but he had little talent for exercising a harmonious ministry. A perceptive fellow minister and a discerning diarist whose work is still extant, Philip Dafydd of Pen-maen, writes frequently of his lack of tact. Even ministerial colleagues were loth to gather at Llanofer because of his demeanour. In his will he endowed the church bequeathing the chapel and the house and about twenty-three acres as well as the orchard for the use of future ministers. He also insisted that future Llanofer ministers should have pursued an academy education. He left in the care of his 'trusty friend James Jones of Llantilo Pertholey, gent., my library, upon the special trust and confidence to permit the minister and pastor for the time being of the society or congregation that I am now a pastor of to pursue and use the same Rees Davies died in 1767 leaving behind him a greatly weakened church and the episode that followed did nothing to improve matters. Apparently a James Jones imposed himself upon the congregation and on 5 May, 1768 we find that Philip Dafydd attended Llanofer to preach and to administer the communion and strove 'to eject James Jones, who is no better than a stumbling block everywhere; and I believe that he will not find any support here any longer among the people nor among the inhabitants of the district, since his character is so bad'.2 Philip Dafydd also provides information about succeeding ministers one of whom, Mr Evan Lewis, had officiated at the church on a monthly basis during his four years as student at the Abergavenny Academy (which had been moved from Carmarthen and provided a superior education for its students not only in classical and Biblical languages and theology, but also in astronomy and science) but sadly, in November 1773, at the young age of twenty-five, having spent two years as minister at Llanofer, he died. His passing was a great loss to the congregation. Two other ministers who followed were also Academy students: Thomas Davies (1776- 1780) and William Thomas (1782-1787). The latter did not have an untroubled ministry for we find Philip Dafydd in his diary declaring that he and two others visited the church in 1785 'to rectify matters between the minister and the congregation'.3 He adds that an earlier attempt at reconciliation had been made without success. Neither were his efforts efficacious, for soon afterwards the minister departs for Bala in Merioneth. By 1790 the Academy had moved from Abergavenny to Oswestry and from there a student, Mr Emanuel Davies, was invited to become the minister at Llanover where he remained for forty-eight years, from 1790 until is death in 1838. He married the daughter of a long established Dissenting family from Caernarfonshire and nine children were born to them, two of whom were to become ministers. He was loved and respected by his congregation for his unassuming ways and for his