Thomas Charles Edwards
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Thomas Charles Edwards (22 September 183722 March 1900) 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 ...
minister, writer and academic who was the first Principal of the
University College of Wales, Aberystwyth , mottoeng = A world without knowledge is no world at all , established = 1872 (as ''The University College of Wales'') , former_names = University of Wales, Aberystwyth , type = Public , endowment = ...
.


Life

Thomas Charles Edwards was born at
Llanycil Llanycil is a community in the county of Gwynedd, Wales, near Bala, and is 99.9 miles (160.7 km) from Cardiff and 176.2 miles (283.6 km) from London. In 2011 the population of Llanycil was 416 with 80.4% of them able to speak Welsh. Th ...
, Bala, Merionethshire, on 22 September 1837. Edwards was the son of
Lewis Edwards Lewis Edwards (27 October 1809 – 19 July 1887) was a Welsh educator and Nonconformist minister. Life He was born in Pen-llwyn, Ceredigion, Wales, the eldest son of Lewis and Margaret Edward. He was educated at Aberystwyth and at Llangeitho. ...
, founder of the Bala Theological College. His mother was a granddaughter of
Thomas Charles Thomas Charles (14 October 17555 October 1814) was a Welsh Calvinistic Methodist clergyman of considerable importance in the history of modern Wales. Early life Charles was born of humble parentage at Longmoor, in the parish of Llanfihangel Abe ...
, the organiser of Welsh Calvinistic Methodism. He was educated at his father's college in Bala, at
St Alban Hall, Oxford St Alban Hall, sometimes known as St Alban's Hall or Stubbins, was one of the medieval halls of the University of Oxford, and one of the longest-surviving. It was established in the 13th century, acquired by neighbouring Merton College in the ...
and at
Lincoln College, Oxford Lincoln College (formally, The College of the Blessed Mary and All Saints, Lincoln) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford, situated on Turl Street in central Oxford. Lincoln was founded in 1427 by Richard Fleming, the ...
. At Oxford he was deeply influenced by Mark Pattison and
Benjamin Jowett Benjamin Jowett (, modern variant ; 15 April 1817 – 1 October 1893) was an English tutor and administrative reformer in the University of Oxford, a theologian, an Anglican cleric, and a translator of Plato and Thucydides. He was Master of Bal ...
, and kept in touch with them for the rest of their lives. He began preaching with the
Presbyterian Church of Wales The Presbyterian Church of Wales ( cy, Eglwys Bresbyteraidd Cymru), also known as Calvinistic Methodist Church (), is a denomination of Protestant Christianity in Wales. History The church was born out of the Welsh Methodist revival and the ...
in 1856, and his resolve to become a minister was deepened by the revival of 1858–1859. In 1867 he became minister of the Windsor Street chapel 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 ...
, and later of the Catherine Street chapel in the same city. He was accounted one of the leading
preacher A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach components such as a ...
s of his generation. In 1872 the new university 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 ...
was founded, and Edwards was appointed as the first principal. The college was opened with a staff of three professors and twenty-five students in October 1872, and for some years its career was chequered enough. Edwards, however, proved a skilful manager, and his hold on the affection of the Welsh people enabled him to raise the college to a high level of efficiency. When it was destroyed by fire in 1885 he collected £25,000 to rebuild it; the remainder of the necessary £40,000 being given by the government (£10,000) and by the people of Aberystwyth (£5,000). Edwards resigned from the university post in 1891, partly for health reasons and partly to follow his father as head of the Bala Theological College. He was also
Moderator of the General Assembly The moderator of the General Assembly is the chairperson of a General Assembly, the highest court of a Presbyterian or Reformed church. Kirk sessions and presbyteries may also style the chairperson as moderator. The Oxford Dictionary states th ...
of the Presbyterian Church in 1887. He married Mary Roberts in 1876; they had four children. He was weakened by a stroke in 1894, but continued to work until he died at Bala on 22 March 1900.


Publications

* ''Two editions in 1885. US publication of second edition:'' New York City: A. C. Armstrong & Son (1886) * * * ''Nine editions up to 1904. Also published by:'' New York City: A. C. Armstrong & Son, Toronto: Willard Tract Depository & Bible Depot * * ''(Davis Lecture)'' * ''(About his father)'' He also published individual sermons.


Statue at Aberystwyth University

A statue of Thomas Charles Edwards was unveiled in July 1922 in the forecourt of
University College of Wales, Aberystwyth , mottoeng = A world without knowledge is no world at all , established = 1872 (as ''The University College of Wales'') , former_names = University of Wales, Aberystwyth , type = Public , endowment = ...
. The sculptor was
Goscombe John Sir William Goscombe John (21 February 1860 – 15 December 1952) was a prolific Welsh sculptor known for his many public memorials. As a sculptor, John developed a distinctive style of his own while respecting classical traditions and forms of ...
.


Awards

*Honorary
Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...
,
University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
(1887) *Honorary Doctor of Divinity, University of Wales (1898)


References

Attribution: * *


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Thomas Charles 1837 births 1900 deaths Alumni of Lincoln College, Oxford Vice-Chancellors of Aberystwyth University Welsh Presbyterian ministers 19th-century Presbyterian ministers 19th-century Welsh people