Thomas Thomas (7 September 1804 – 9 January 1877) 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 ...

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 ...

clergyman. He was noted for his parish ministry in

Caernarfon Caernarfon (; ) is a royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales, with a population of 9,852 (with Caeathro). It lies along the A487 road, on the eastern shore of the Menai Strait, opposite the Isle of Anglesey. The city of Bangor is ...

, particularly for his educational work in building schools and helping to found the North Wales Training College.

Life

Thomas Thomas was born on 7 September 1804, the son of John Thomas of

Llanfihangel-y-Creuddyn Llanfihangel-y-Creuddyn () is an ancient parish in the upper division of the hundred of Ilar, Ceredigion, West Wales, 7 miles south east from Aberystwyth, on the road to Rhayader, comprising the chapelry of Eglwys Newydd, or Llanfihangel y Cre ...

. After being educated at Ystrad Meurig, he studied at the University of Oxford,

matriculating Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now. ...

as a member of Jesus College on 29 March 1824 and obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1827. He then spent a year teaching in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

before being ordained deacon by

John Luxmoore John Luxmoore or Luxmore (1766–1830) was an English bishop of three sees. Life The son of John Luxmoore of Okehampton, Devon, he was born there. He was educated at Ottery St. Mary school and at Eton College, going as a scholar in 1775 to King' ...

Bishop of St Asaph The Bishop of St Asaph heads the Church in Wales diocese of St Asaph. The diocese covers the counties of Conwy and Flintshire, Wrexham county borough, the eastern part of Merioneth in Gwynedd and part of northern Powys. The Episcopal seat is loca ...

, on 20 July 1828. He spent three years as a curate in Llanfair Caereinion, during which time he was ordained priest (on 26 July 1829). He then served as the curate of

Ruabon Ruabon ( cy, Rhiwabon ) is a village and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. The name comes from ''Rhiw Fabon'', ''rhiw'' being the Welsh word for "slope" or "hillside" and ''Fabon'' being a mutation from St Mabon, the original church ...

. His longest period of parish ministry was spent as

vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

of Llanbeblig with

; the position carried the name of the older foundation first, although Caernarfon was the larger of the two places. He was appointed to the position by John Bird Sumner,

Bishop of Chester The Bishop of Chester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chester in the Province of York. The diocese extends across most of the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, including the Wirral Peninsula and has its see in the C ...

, on 14 April 1835, and stayed there until 1859. He became known as "Thomas of Caernarfon" and was noted for his pastoral work in a town that suffered from poverty and outbreaks of cholera. He helped to establish schools in Caernarfon and assisted with the foundation of the North Wales Training College, a teacher-training college that later became St Mary's College, Bangor. (The college later merged with the education department of what is now called

Bangor University , former_names = University College of North Wales (1884–1996) University of Wales, Bangor (1996–2007) , image = File:Arms_of_Bangor_University.svg , image_size = 250px , caption = Arms ...

.) In 1859, Thomas was appointed to Ruabon again, this time as vicar, and he spent three years there before moving to Llanrhaeadr-yng-Nghinmeirch,

Denbighshire Denbighshire ( ; cy, Sir Ddinbych; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. Its borders differ from the historic county of the same name. This part of Wales contains the country's oldest known evidence of habitation – Pontnewydd (Bontnewy ...

, in 1862. In 1864 he was appointed a canon of

Bangor Cathedral Bangor Cathedral ( cy, Eglwys Gadeiriol Bangor) is a cathedral in Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales. It is dedicated to its founder, Saint Deiniol. The site of the present building of Bangor Cathedral has been in use as a place of Christian worship since ...

. He died on 9 January 1877 in Llanrhaeadr-yng-Nghinmeirch, and was buried in the cemetery of the church in Llanbeblig. A pulpit in the church was erected in his memory. Thomas was married and had five sons and three daughters. His eldest son,

Thomas Llewellyn Thomas Thomas Llewellyn Thomas (generally known as Llewellyn Thomas) (14 November 1840 – 12 May 1897) was a Wales, Welsh Church of England, Anglican clergyman and scholar of the Welsh language. He wrote poems in English, Latin and Welsh and worked o ...

, was a priest and a noted scholar of the

Welsh language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language family, Celtic language of the Brittonic languages, Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut P ...

. He died in 1897 and was buried in Llanbeblig cemetery, alongside his father.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Thomas 1804 births 1877 deaths 19th-century Welsh Anglican priests Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford