David Rees (Y Cynhyrfwr)
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The Reverend David Rees (November 18, 1801- March 31, 1869) was a Welsh Congregational minister of Capel Als chapel Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, and an editor of a radical Welsh language Nonconformist periodical titled Y Diwygiwr [The Reformer]. He was best known for his nickname ‘Y Cynhyrfwr’ [The Agitator], his firm political views, and his opposition to the relationship between the Established Church and the state.
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[edit] Early life
Rees was born and raised on the Gelli Lwyd farm in the parish of Tre-lech, Carmarthenshire. Whilst a child he worked on his family’s farm as well as spending some time with the local blacksmith, as an apprentice.
Rees did not have any formal education as a child but was instructed at the Sunday school and participated in the Christian worship that took place regularly at his home with his family.
In 1818 he became a member of Tre-lech Congregationalist church under the ministry of the Hyper-Calvinist Morgan Jones, and in 1822 with the aim of becoming a preacher, he enlisted as a student in a school in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire and later moved on to another school in Carmarthen.
Rees started preaching in 1823 at the age of 22 and after spending some time at a school in Newtown, Montgomeryshire, in 1825 he joined the Congregationalist academy, also in Newtown. Rees studied at the academy for four years and became familiar with some of the most notable Welsh Congregationalists of his time. One of these was the young Samuel Roberts, Llanbrynmair (S.R.) who was later to become a Congregational minister and editor of the radical Welsh publication Cronicl y Cymdeithasau Crefyddol [Chronicle of Religious Societies].
[edit] Personal life
Rees married Sarah Roberts, the daughter of a successful shop owner who was a deacon with the Baptists, in 1832 and had five children Bernard, Elizabeth, John Calvin, Luther and Frederick (the latter two drowned in a tragic accident when they were in their early teens.) His wife Sarah also died in 1857, and Rees re-married in 1858, Mrs Phillips a widow from Carmarthen becoming his second wife.
[edit] Ministry
After spending four years at the academy in Newtown, Rees became the minister of Capel Als in 1829 and remained their minister until his death in 1869.
As well as leading many campaigns to renovate and enlarge the chapel, Rees also had a big influence in establishing four other Congregationalist chapels in the vicinity; Park English Chapel, Capel y Bryn, Capel y Doc and Siloa.
At the start of Rees’ ministry it is said that the church had around 250 members. This had increased to 589 by 1850 even though many members had left to form the churches mentioned above.
By Rees’ own account in the 1851 Religious Census, the chapel was nearly always full for the Sunday night service, with the numbers present calculated to be around 850 most Sundays.
[edit] Y Diwygiwr
Rees established the Diwygiwr in 1835 as a direct result of the disapproval of the Congregationalist ministers towards the increasingly conservative nature of the Efangylydd (another publication that was geared towards the Congregationalists of south Wales and which was edited by David Owen (Brutus) who was later to become Rees’ arch-rival.)
Through his editing of Y Diwygiwr, Rees lucidly disseminated the principles of Nonconformity and his nickname was developed from a quote in which he paraphrased Daniel O’Connell’s famous 'Agitate! Agitate! Agitate!' quote by writing 'Cynhyrfer! Cynhyrfer! Cynhyrfer!'
Y Diwygiwr developed in the thirty years of his editorship into an influential Nonconformist instrument in the battle against the alleged injustices felt by the Nonconformists, and was used to openly encourage them to stand up for their rights against the oppressive power possessed by the combination of state and church. In addition to promulgating Nonconformist principles, the Diwygiwr also voice its support to such movements as The Rebecca Riots, The Chartists, The Liberation Society and the Anti Corn Law League (but not always advocating the methods used by them, especially the most violent.)
Rees also rose to prominence because of the long-standing feud between him and David Owen (Brutus) who edited the church’s Welsh publication Yr Haul. In the literary exchanges between them, Brutus’ satirical and vitriolic attacks on both Rees personally and Nonconformity in general were answered by an unequivocal and clear defence and a passionate argument in favour of the Nonconformists’ Christian and political principles which were imbedded in Rees’ ideology.
[edit] Bibliography
- Y Diwygiwr (1835-1865)
- Iorwerth Jones, David Rees y Cynhyrfwr (Swansea, 1971)
- T. Davies, Bywyd ac Ysgrifeniadau y Diweddar Barch. D. Rees, Llanelli, (Llanelli, 1871)
- R.T. Jenkins (ed.) Dictionary of Welsh Biography down to 1940 (London, 1959)
