John Roland Lloyd Thomas (22 February 1908 – 11 April 1984) was an

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

priest and the Principal of

St David's University College University of Wales, Lampeter ( cy, Prifysgol Cymru, Llanbedr Pont Steffan) was a university in Lampeter, Wales. Founded in 1822, and incorporated by royal charter in 1828, it was the oldest degree awarding institution in Wales, with limited d ...

from 1953 to 1975. He was, himself, a graduate of St David's College, gaining a BA from the institution before completing a second BA in Theology at

Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship St ...

. He was the first Lampeter graduate to become Principal of St David's. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

in 1933 and was the

Curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

St John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

from 1932 until 1940 when he became a

Chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

to the Forces. After this he held incumbencies at

Canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ent ...

, and Newport before becoming

Dean of Monmouth Newport Cathedral (Welsh; ''Eglwys Gaderiol Casnewydd''), also known as St Gwynllyw's or St Woolos' Cathedral, is the cathedral of the Diocese of Monmouth within the Church in Wales, and the seat of the Bishop of Monmouth. Its official title is ...

, a post he held from 1952 until 1953. During his years as principal, he led the college into membership of the federal

University of Wales The University of Wales (Welsh language, Welsh: ''Prifysgol Cymru'') is a confederal university based in Cardiff, Wales. Founded by royal charter in 1893 as a federal university with three constituent colleges – Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff � ...

. Previous principals had fought to maintain the college's independence, and the move was not universally popular, but it ultimately proved to be a turning point in the college's history, and saved it from near-certain bankruptcy. He later wrote about these events in a book, ''Moth or Phoenix? St David’s College and the University of Wales and the University Grants Committee'' ().

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...

web site accessed 16 March 2015 The title parodies previous claims that the college was like a moth, burning its wings as it tried to escape the light of the University of Wales. Lloyd Thomas' name lives on at the college in the residential Lloyd Thomas Hall and refectory.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lloyd Thomas, John 20th-century Welsh Anglican priests Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford People associated with the University of Wales, Lampeter Alumni of the University of Wales, Lampeter Deans of Monmouth Principals of St David's College 1908 births 1984 deaths