David Charles Davies (11 May 182626 September 1891) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

Nonconformist Nonconformity or nonconformism may refer to: Culture and society * Insubordination, the act of willfully disobeying an order of one's superior *Dissent, a sentiment or philosophy of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or entity ** ...

minister.

Life

He was born at

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in ...

, his father being a merchant and a pioneer of Welsh Methodism, and his mother a niece of Thomas Charles of

Bala Bala may refer to: Places India *Bala, India, a village in Allahabad, India * Bala, Ahor, a village in the Jalore district of Rajasthan * Bala, Raebareli, a village in Uttar Pradesh, India Romania * Bala, Mehedinți, a commune in Mehedinţi ...

. He was educated in his native town by a noted schoolmaster, John Evans, at

Bala College Bala-Bangor was a theological seminary belonging to the Welsh Independents ( Undeb yr Annibynwyr Cymraeg), an association of Welsh congregationalists. It was founded in 1841 at Llanuwchllyn, then moved to a permanent location at Bala, Gwyne ...

, and at University College, London, where he graduated B.A. in 1847 and M.A. (in

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

) in 1849. He had already begun to preach, and after an evangelistic tour in

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

supplied the pulpit of the English presbyterian church at Newtown for six months, and settled as pastor of the bilingual church at

Builth Builth Wells (; cy, Llanfair-ym-Muallt) is a market town and community in the county of Powys and historic county of Brecknockshire (Breconshire), mid Wales, lying at the confluence of rivers Wye and Irfon, in the Welsh (or upper) part of ...

in 1851. He returned to this charge after a pastorate at Liverpool (1853–1856), left it again in 1858 for Newtown, and went in May 1859 to the Welsh church at Jewin Crescent, London. Here he remained until 1876, and from that date till 1882, although living at Bangor for reasons of health, had the chief oversight of the church. In 1888 he accepted the principalship of the Calvinistic Methodist College at Trefeca in

Brecknockshire , image_flag= , HQ= Brecon , Government= Brecknockshire County Council (1889-1974) , Origin= Brycheiniog , Status= , Start= 1535 , End= ...

. His work here was successful, but short; he died at Bangor in 1891, and was buried at Aberystwyth. Though Davies stood somewhat apart from the main currents of thought both without and within his church, and was largely unknown to English audiences or readers, he exercised a strong influence on Welsh life and thought in the 19th century. He was a serious student, especially of anti-theistic positions, a good speaker, and a frequent contributor to Welsh theological journals. Several of his articles have been collected and published, the most noteworthy being expositions on the '' First Epistle of John'' (1889), '' Ephesians'' (2 vols., 1896, 1901), '' Psalms'' (1897), '' Romans'' (1902); and ''The Atonement and Intercession of Christ'' (1899, English trans. by D. E. Jenkins, 1901).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, David Charles Welsh Methodist ministers 1826 births 1891 deaths People from Aberystwyth 19th-century Welsh clergy 19th-century Methodists