Griffiths, William, 1788-1861.

Person

Griffiths, William, 1788-1861.

The Rev. William Griffiths (1788-1861) was a Calvinistic Methodist minister. He was born at Blaenbrwynen, Clydau, Pembrokeshire, son of Thomas and Mary Griffiths. In 1807 he was forced to enlist in the militia and was influenced by the Methodists whom he later joined. In 1817, at the request of Diana, Lady Barham, he was sent as a missionary to the English-speaking community of Gower, Glamorgan. He was ordained at the Association meeting at Llangeitho, 1824, and later founded a number of churches. He was the father of Methodism in Gower, and is known as the 'Apostle of Gower'. He died at Burry Green, Gower, Glamorgan, in 1861. He had married Alicia Graciana Jones in 1826, and had a son, also called William Griffiths, who became a chemist in Aberaeron, Cardiganshire. Miss A. G. Jones (d. 1974) was the great grand-daughter of the Rev. William Griffiths.