The ancient church in Llanycil, Bala,
which the British and Foreign Bible
Society wants to convert into a
heritage centre [photo: BFBS/Philip
Poole WR412/10 WAL07DJ-9]
ENGLAND & WALES — The British and Foreign Bible Society has bought a disused but historically significant church in Bala, Wales, with the idea of turning it into a heritage centre. The church, at Llanycil, on the outskirts of Bala, is linked to major figures of the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Welsh revivals and has important historical associations for the Bible Society. Bala is a small but lively market town that is much visited by tourist visitors to Mid- and North Wales. It is next to a lake in the Snowdonia National Park which has been officially designated as ‘an area of outstanding natural beauty’.
Mary Jones
It was to Bala that Mary Jones, at the age of 15, walked the 26 miles from Llanfihangel-y- Pennant in 1800 to get a Bible from Rev Thomas Charles (see page 20). Her marathon highlighted the need for Bibles among Welsh people generally and contributed to the founding of the Bible Society in 1804. The church at Llanycil was declared redundant by the Church in Wales in 2003 and put up for sale. News of its acquisition by the Bible Society has been well received by local residents, who, prior to the purchase, had been making their own efforts to safeguard the building’s future. Other figures associated with Bala include John Evans, Elizabeth (‘Betsi’) Cadwaladr and Hywel Harris. The significance of Llanycil dates back to well before the eighteenth century, however, as the church stands on a site where Celtic Christians worshipped as long ago as the sixth century. This means that as a place of worship, it predates the existence of the modern Welsh language itself, which came into being in the seventh century. Philip Poole, Deputy Chief Executive of the Bible Society, said that provided the Society was able to obtain the necessary developments grants, it would turn the church into a summer visitor centre which would tell the story of Mary Jones and her part in the founding of the Bible Society, impart information about the history and associations of the Llanycil church, and tell visitors stories about the work of the Society today. “During the rest of the year,” he said, “a member of staff from the visitor centre will probably go out into the schools and churches in North Wales, telling the story and trying to build up Bible Society work – and to re-invigorate the churches – in the region.” He said that a recent structural survey had shown that the church building needed some repair work but was in “a reasonable condition”. The Society was due to show the local people its plans for the building at a meeting at the end of April.
(WR 412/10 - 06.07)[2 photos]
The church in Llanycil, Bala, stands on a site where Christians have
worshipped since the sixth century [photo: BFBS/Philip Poole WR412/10
WAL07DJ-9]
Thomas Charles (1755 – 1814) was one of the most prominent leaders of the Methodist movement in Wales. As well as living in Bala – he was married in the church at Llanycil and is buried in the graveyard there – he was an active member of the ‘Clapham Sect’. This Londonbased group of evangelical Christian social reformers included many leaders of society – notably William Wilberforce – and worked for the abolition of the slave trade, the improvement of prison conditions and other social reforms. Spending some time in London each year, Charles used to attend the meetings of the Religious Tract Society and the London Missionary Society. He was also a key figure in the founding of the British and Foreign Bible Society, being, according to Philip Poole, Deputy Chief Executive of BFBS, “the link between the need perceived of Welsh people for the Bible and those in London who were in a position to respond to it.” Shortly after the founding of the Bible Society he became the editor of the Society’s first Welsh Bible edition. A statue of him stands in Bala.
John Evans (1723-1817), a contemporary of Thomas Charles, belonged to a family that took the lead in establishing the Calvinistic Methodist cause in Wales. He had a close relationship with foremost Welshmen in religious, poetic and literary matters. Thomas Charles entrusted him with reports to take with him to America. He lived in Bala and is buried in the graveyard of the church there. Elizabeth (‘Betsi’) Cadwaladr was born in Bala and became a nurse who undertook heroic work in caring for British soldiers wounded in the Crimean War (1853-56).
Hywel Harris (1714 – 1773) was a Methodist who was one of two main leaders of the Welsh Methodist Revival in the eighteenth century.