Tom Beynon (1886 – 10 February 1961) was a Welsh

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

minister, author and historian.

Life

Tom Beynon was born to William and Elizabeth Beynon and grew up in

Mynydd-y-Garreg Mynydd-y-Garreg or Mynyddygarreg ("The mountain of the stone") is a village in the county of Carmarthenshire, West Wales. It borders the historic town of Kidwelly. Governance Mynydd-y-Garreg is in the Kidwelly community and shares with it a mayor ...

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire ( cy, Sir Gaerfyrddin; or informally ') is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known as ...

. After completing local schooling in 1903, he began work in the

Pontyberem Pontyberem () is a village and community situated in the Gwendraeth Valley halfway between Carmarthen and Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, Wales. As of the 2001 Census, the population was recorded as 2,829, reducing to 2,768 at the 2011 Census. The ...

area, where he attended the local Soar Church and began preaching. Soon after he entered training at the Old College School,

Carmarthen Carmarthen (, RP: ; cy, Caerfyrddin , "Merlin's fort" or "Sea-town fort") is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community in Wales, lying on the River Towy. north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. The population was 14,185 in 2011, ...

, then took further training at

Newcastle Emlyn Newcastle Emlyn ( cy, Castellnewydd Emlyn) is a town on the River Teifi, straddling the counties of Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire in West Wales. It is also a community entirely within Carmarthenshire, bordered by those of Llangeler and Cenarth ...

Grammar School and

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 ...

Theological College, and was ordained a pastor of the Tabernacle of

Blaengwynfi Blaengwynfi is a village in the Afan Valley, in the Neath Port Talbot area of South Wales. It is in the community of Gwynfi and Croeserw, Location It is a part of the Upper Afan Valley. It used to be a coal mining village, and is directly below ...

Glamorgan , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Motto ...

, in 1916. He went on to serve at and

Gosen Gosen may refer to: *Gosen, Niigata, Japan *Gosen-Neu Zittau, Brandenburg, Germany * Gosen (Company), a Japanese manufacturer of sporting equipment *Gosen Wakashū, an ancient Japanese poetry anthology *Land of Goshen, an area in Biblical Egypt Se ...

near

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 ...

(1933–1951).

Writings

Beynon was an enthusiastic historian of Calvinistic Methodism in Wales. His writings appeared in ''Y Drysorfa'', ''

Y Goleuad ''Y Goleuad'' (established in 1869) was a liberal weekly Welsh language newspaper distributed to Welsh Calvinistic Methodist groups throughout Wales and to the Methodist Welsh speakers of Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, and London. Its content gen ...

'', ''

Y Traethodydd ''Y Traethodydd'' (''The Essayist'') is a quarterly cultural magazine published in the Welsh language covering historical, literary and theological topics. It is the oldest magazine in Wales and the oldest magazine in the Welsh language still in p ...

'', and in local papers such as the '' Llanelly Mercury'' and the '' Welsh Gazette''. His essays were issued in collections: ''Golud a Mawl Dyffryn Tywi'' (1936), ''Gwrid ar Orwel ym Morgannwg'' (1938), ''Treftadaeth y Cenfu a Maes Gwenllian'' (1941), ''Cwmsêl a Chefn Sidan'' (1946), and ''Allt Cunedda, Llechdwnni a Mwdlwscwm'' (1955). He also edited and contributed to the ''Journal of the Calvinistic Methodist History Society'' between 1933 and 1947. Tom Beynon died at his home in

Penparcau Penparcau is a village and electoral ward in Ceredigion, Wales, situated to the south of Aberystwyth. The village has the largest number of Welsh language speakers (1095) in the Aberystwyth town area, covering an area from the sea to the Rheidol ...

, Aberystwyth, in February 1961 and was buried in

References

Welsh Presbyterian ministers 20th-century Welsh historians 1961 deaths People from Carmarthenshire 1886 births {{reli-bio-stub