Gellionnen Chapel facts for kids
Gellionnen Chapel is a special church building for Unitarians near Pontardawe, in South Wales, United Kingdom. It was first built in 1692 by Protestants who had different beliefs from the main church. Later, in the late 1700s, it became a Unitarian chapel. It is part of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches, which is the main group for Unitarians in Britain. Gellionnen Chapel is the oldest chapel of its kind in the Swansea Valley. It is also one of the oldest chapels still standing in the area and is a very important historic building, known as a Grade II* listed building.
Contents
The Chapel's Long History
Early Beginnings: Before 1692
Close to where Gellionnen Chapel stands today, there was once an old Celtic church called Llan Eithrim. This church was near an ancient well, Fynnon Wen, which was important for religious reasons. A Saxon Bishop named Herewald officially opened Llan Eithrim in 1060 AD. A Welsh priest named Gwidyr was in charge of this church. People believe Llan Eithrim was destroyed during a big religious change called the Reformation.
A special stone tablet, called the Gellionnen Stone, survived from the old Llan Eithrim church. This stone was built into the wall of Gellionnen Chapel. The Gellionnen Stone is very old, from around 900 AD. In 1965, the people who went to the chapel gave this stone to Swansea Museum so more people could see it.
In the 1650s, Protestant preachers who had different ideas visited this area. They spoke at local farms. One of them was likely Jenkin Jones, a minister and a soldier from Oliver Cromwell's army during the English Civil War. In 1662, Reverend Robert Thomas was asked to leave Cadoxton Church. He then started a group at Gellionnen, meeting in people's homes and farms at first.
The 1600s and 1700s: Building and Changes
The First Years of the Chapel
Gellionnen Chapel was first built in 1692 by Protestant dissenters. They had been meeting in local houses and farms on Gellionnen Mountain. The land for the chapel was given by Bussy Mansell. He was a landowner, a Member of Parliament, and also fought in the English Civil War. Gellionnen was one of five chapels started by Reverend Robert Thomas after he left the Church of England. The other chapels were Maesyrhaf, Mynyddbach, Cwmllynfell, and Blaengwrach. Blaengwrach also later became a Unitarian chapel.
In the late 1690s and early 1700s, Reverend Lewis Davies started a Sunday School at Gellionnen Chapel. This school lasted for about forty years. His co-minister from 1701, Llewellyn Bevan, had more traditional views but believed in democracy. From 1712 to 1742, the minister was Roger Howell, a blacksmith known for knowing a lot about the Bible. Howell helped the chapel move towards new ways of thinking about faith. In 1715, Gellionnen and its sister chapel, Gwynfe Chapel, had about 550 people attending. Howell's replacement, Joseph Simmonds, ran a school in Llansamlet, Swansea. A famous preacher and thinker named Richard Price went to school there.
In the 1740s and 1750s, new ideas about faith, including Unitarianism, began to grow among the people at Gellionnen.
Josiah Rees and Iolo Morganwg's Influence
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In 1764, Reverend Josiah Rees became the minister at Gellionnen Chapel. He led the chapel as it became Unitarian and helped rebuild it in 1801–02. Josiah was the son of Reverend Owen Rees, another minister. Josiah was a forward-thinking person.
Around 1785, Josiah Rees opened a school. He was also the editor of the second Welsh language magazine, Trysorfa Gwybodaeth. He was a respected scholar and wrote many small books about his faith. He worked with Iolo Morganwg and Tomos Glyn Cothi. Rees studied and copied rare Welsh writings, building a large library at his home. Because of Rees, the Gellionnen congregation became more open to new ideas. In 1802, the Welsh Unitarian Society was started at a meeting in Gellionnen Chapel. Iolo Morganwg was there. That same year, the chapel reopened after being rebuilt. Josiah Rees traveled to London to raise money for the chapel. He passed away shortly after returning from one of these trips in 1804.
Because Gellionnen became Unitarian, some people left and built Baran Chapel in 1805. However, Gellionnen still attracted people from places like Swansea, Neath, and Cwmllynfell.
Josiah Rees's son, Dr Thomas Rees, became minister from 1805 to 1806. Thomas Rees wrote a history of Unitarianism and was an important Unitarian minister in London. His brother, Owen Rees, helped start the publishing company Longman.
Reverend Thomas Morgan (1737–1813) lived with the Rees family and is buried at Gellionnen Chapel. He is thought to have been one of the first to use a cowpox vaccine to fight smallpox in hundreds of local children. This was even before the famous Edward Jenner. Inside the chapel, there is a memorial to Thomas Morgan, which people say was carved by Iolo Morganwg.
The 1800s: Growth and Changes
After Thomas Rees left, David Oliver was the minister from 1806 to 1814. During this time, there was some disagreement among the people. Other religious groups tried to take control of Gellionnen. After some strong discussions, the Unitarian group won and kept the chapel.
Gellionnen became fully Unitarian during the time of Reverend John James (1815–1864). Reverend James came to Gellionnen because Iolo Morganwg wanted the chapel to be a strong center for Unitarianism. During his long time as minister, Reverend James ran a famous boarding school at his home. He also translated important religious books into Welsh. Reverend James was close to Iolo Morganwg and they wrote many letters to each other. People say that because he knew ancient Greek, Reverend James was once asked to speak to Greek sailors whose ship had crashed.
In 1873, the chapel was fully updated and repaired. The stone roof tiles came from Bettws church. The floor was replaced, and the old stone slabs were moved outside. At the same time, the land the chapel was on was bought by the people who attended. Like Reverend John James, Reverend Evans ran a school at his home. John Evans was followed by W. J. Davies (1887–1889), who was an author and a chemist. He started an orchestra and choir at the chapel. Davies later left Gellionnen. He was followed by J. Fisher Jones (1889–1892). In 1894, Gellionnen's sister chapel, the Graig Chapel, opened nearby. In 1895, a thousand people gathered on the mountain for a summer festival to raise money. The chapel's brass band performed there.
The 1900s: Community Life and Challenges
In the 20th century, Gellionnen Chapel was a busy place for religious, social, and cultural activities. T. J. Jenkins was the minister from 1895 to 1905. He was a popular preacher. Alfa Richards (1906–1910) followed him. Reverend Richards was a poet and preacher who attracted many people to the chapels and wrote beautiful hymns. Many young men from the chapel served and died during the First World War. The minister at that time was D. G. Rees, who served from 1912 to 1930. Rees wrote letters to the men fighting in the war, organized soup kitchens, and raised money. He visited Palestine and gave talks about it when he returned.
The Graig Chapel was known for having one of the best organs in the area. In 1925, they installed a pipe-organ that cost £1,179, but it was quickly paid for by the community. During the Great Depression, unemployed local men volunteered to clean and decorate Gellionnen and Graig chapels between 1921 and 1926. In the years between the two World Wars, Gellionnen and Graig chapels had an orchestra, choir, drama groups, concerts, and many social events. During the Second World War, the minister was Reverend J. D. Jones (1932–1948). He later became the Principal of a college.
In the early 1950s, R. I. Pritchard was Gellionnen's minister. He published a book of hymns called Salmau'r Mynydd, which were written by the people in the chapel. Reverend Pritchard encouraged the chapel's youth movement. After the war, Reverend Pritchard arranged visits between young people from the chapel and young Germans.
Reverend D. Elwyn Davies was minister from 1957 until 1988/89. He was famous for writing hymns. Reverend Davies was the editor of the Welsh Unitarian newspaper, Yr Ymofynnydd. During his time as minister, Gellionnen was repaired and decorated twice. The Gellionnen Stone was also moved to Swansea Museum.
Gellionnen Chapel Today
Today, Gellionnen Chapel holds services every Sunday. The chapel is part of the Unitarian movement. This movement is open-minded and welcomes everyone. It encourages people to think for themselves, believes in equality for all, and uses rational thought. Unitarians do not have a list of things they must believe. Instead, they think everyone has the right to decide their own beliefs.
According to the chapel's website, they aim to create a loving and caring religious community. In this community, they:
- Value all people for who they are.
- Encourage freedom of thought and speech.
- Support people in exploring their spiritual side.
- Create joyful worship services.
- Support fairness, freedom, honesty, and peace.
Because of these goals, they try to make the most of life, be democratic in how they run things, celebrate life, and respect people with different beliefs.
The chapel attracts many people for its yearly Summer Folk Festival, the Plygain service on Christmas Eve, and the Mari Llwyd service in the New Year.
In 2008, the chapel was broken into and damaged. However, it was fully repaired after people worked hard to raise money. The chapel was noted in 2016 for being a welcoming place for all people, including holding special ceremonies for couples.
List of Ministers
The ministers who have served Gellionnen Chapel include:
- Robert Thomas (1692)
- Lewis Davies (1692–1712)
- Llewellyn Bevan (around 1700–1724)
- Roger Howell (1712–1742)
- Joseph Simmonds (1724–1758)
- Josiah Rees (1764–1804)
- Thomas Rees (1805–06)
- David Oliver (1806–1814)
- John James (1815–1864)
- John Evans (1862–1885)
- W. J. Davies (1887–1889)
- J. Fisher Jones (1889–1892)
- T. J. Jenkins (1895–1905)
- Alfa Richards (1906–1910)
- D. J. Rees (1912–1930)
- J. D. Jones (1932–1948)
- R. I. Pritchard (1949–1953)
- D. Elwyn Davies (1957–1988/89)
- Eirion Phillips (around 1985–2005)
