The Beginning of a New Period: The Methodist Revival
Welcome to series 3 of Yr Hen Iaith! We open this new series by discussion the beginnings of the Methodist Revival in Wales, a movement which would have an immense effect on the Welsh-language literary tradition. We note that the religious movement came to Wales at the exact time when it was beginning a transatlantic movement, with on of its English leaders, George Whitfield, being remembered by some as ‘America’s spiritual father’ (although he was a very bad man in Jerry Hunter’s opinion!).
Extremely significant in the context of, there was an extremely literate aspect to early Welsh Methodism; although none of them went to university, the early leaders – Hywel (or Howell) Harris, Daniel Rowland and William Williams Pantycelyn – all received a very solid education. We know a lot about Howell Harris because he wrote so much – nearly 300 of his diaries have survived as well as many of his personal letters. One of the revival’s early Welsh supporters was Griffith Jones, Llandowror – a man who did much to promote literacy with the establishment of his network of schools. While discussing the practical organization of the early Mahdiists – the ‘seiat’ and the ‘sasiwn’ – we suggest that these religious Networks also created a community of readers and ‘receivers of literature’.