The History of the Cause

Bethel  Llanwynno

(Full text of the document held under Source Reference S379 "Calvinistic Methodist Archives - Bethel Llanwyno")
 
The following is a translation of a Welsh document held at the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth in a collection of manuscripts entitled “The Calvinistic Methodist Archives” compiled by Mary Davies in 1992 and deposited by the Presbyterian Church of Wales.
NLW Reference: Calvinistic Meth.Arch. 8; MSS EZ3/65-125 Notes relating to churches in the Glamorgan East Presbytery – No.93 Llanwynno, Bethel. The hand-written manuscript appears to have been written by William Gregory, the Minister in 1918, whose name appears at the end of the final chapter with the date 5 February 1918, but it is clear that, for some sections, the author has borrowed from Glanfrrwd's "History of Llanwonno".
 
I am most grateful to Mavis Gibson of Penarth for organising and coordinating the translation of most of the document, and to my brother-in-law Ted Rutkowski of Caerleon, for arranging for the translation of Chapter 4. Mavis, in turn, obtained the generous help of the following translators:
Wynn Roberts of Pentyrch
Marian Griffiths of Maerdy 
Audrey Humphreys of Barry 
Ian Meredith of Treherbert
Hawys Glyn James of Ferndale

To all these kind people, I send my grateful thanks for the part they have played in making this material accessible to all of us.  Ron Davies
  

FORWARD

Bethel Llanwyno is the Calvinistic Methodist Chapel in the ancient village of Ynysybwl. To a stranger the first question is how it got the name Bethel, Llanwyno. Llanwyno is the name of the parish and the cause (ie the chapel) was called Bethel, Llanwyno when there was no other Methodist Chapel in the whole parish. By today, though names have changed a lot, the Methodist cause in the place retains the consecrated name “Bethel, Llanwyno”.

In the first years of the existence of the cause the name was more worthy of it than it is now because at that time the history of each farm and house and cottage in the whole parish was connected with, and as sacred as, the history of the cause in this place.

There is no absolute certainty whether “Bethel” or “Sion” was the name of the first chapel in the place. Whatever, the worshippers of the old chapel in the earliest periods used to cross hill and vale from four corners of the parish to worship God in the old consecrated place. From Glyncoch in the south to Darwonno in the north, from Gilfachrhyd and Abercynon in the east to Blaenhenwysg in the west. We have the story of some, before the Methodists had scarcely a chapel or a school in the Rhondda, also crossing the boundary from the parish of Ystradyfodwg.

It mustn’t be believed because of this that there was an enormous congregation here, because the area was agricultural and the services were held in farmhouses. At first the old chapel did not hold more than 150-200 people.

Llanwyno retained its agricultural character until about 50 years ago, and now, although coal has arrived, the mine was opened about a mile away from the chapel and the village, now called Ynysybwl, was built around the mine.

The original village had to be satisfied with the name “Old Ynysybwl”. Bethel is the only building for religious services in the old village. In spite of this none of the old inhabitants is willing to call it “Bethel, Ynysybwl”, for one thing because of the sacred traditions, and also because there is another Methodist chapel here, and to distinguish between them one is called “Jerusalem, Ynysybwl” and the other “Bethel, Llanwyno”. Whatever changes will come in the future in the neighbourhood in the names of villages and chapels, while the Methodist cause remains here in the old village,it would be extremely disrespectful to call it anything other than “Bethel, Llanwyno”.