\^ n JOURNAL SUPPLEMENT, No. 6. JOHN AP JOHN, AND EARLY RECORDS OF FRIENDS IN WALES. Compiled by WILLIAM GREGORY NORRIS. Edited fof the FRIENDS' HISTORICAL SOQETY By NORMAN PENNEY. LONDON : Headley Brothers, 14, Bishopsgate Without, E.C PHILADELPHIA: NEW YORK s Herman Newman, JOJO Arch St. David S. Taber, 5J Fifth Avenue. 1907. HEADLEY BROTHERS, PRINTERS, LONDON ; AND ASHPORDj KENT. f dz\ Id \' , to ConUnte* Chapter I. Early Years of John ap John - - - - i Chapter II. Allusions to John ap John in Friends' Literature : — i. The Journal of George Fox - - 6 ii. The Writings of John Burnyeat- - lo iii. Besse's Sufferings of the Quakers - ii iv. The Journal of Richard Davies - - 13 V. The Minutes of the Quarterly Meet ing FOR Merionethshire, etc. - - 19 vi. The Journal of John Gratton - - 20 vii. Letters of Thomas Holme - - - 21 Chapter III. The Descendants of John ap John - - - 25 dBddenda. The Yearly Me'eting for Wales - - - 29 Visits of William Edmondson to Wales - 32 Visits of Thomas Story to Wales - - - 32 The Pant 33 Emigration to Pennsylvania - - - 35 PONT-Y-MoEL - - - - - 36 Index -- -- ---39 ^ttmttdtxom. Burial Ground, Pontymoile - Frontispiece Signature of John ap John ----- 5 Document written by John ap John - - - 6 Signature of Thomas Holme - - - - 22 Arms of Beadles of the Pant - - - - 34 The Pant - - - - - 34 Plan of the Burial Ground at Pont-y-Moel 37 D.^Friends' Reference Library, Devonshire House, Bishopsgate, London, E.C. i='.P.r.="The First Publishers of Truth," published by the Friends' Historical Society. I. (Batffg ^eate of ^opn ap ^o^n* Amongst the numerous persons who were influenced by the preaching of the earliest associates of George Fox, and who at once engaged actively as Ministers in the " service of Truth," was John ap John, resident near Wrexham in Wales, who soon acquired local influ ence and prominence. Partly from the dif&culty of tracing his ancestry and connections under the manner of continuing names then adopted in Welsh families, it is now scarcely possible to collect particulars which can be relied upon as to his parents and his birth ; and only the barest facts of his travels and labours have been preserved. It is just possible to frame a biographical outline from collecting together in consecutive order the accounts which are given in Well-known Journals, and in some few other notices which have^been preserved ; but anything beyond these that would have made us acquainted with his individual character, his life and pursuits at his home, and his influence among his neighbours, is now lost to us. Even the usual Testimony after his decease is not preserved ; and the intention of the Meeting for Sufferings, as referred to later, to collect details of his labours and ministry appears to have been left incomplete. John ap John's residence was at Trevdr, a hamlet in the extensive parish of Llangollen, much nearer to Ruabon than to Wrexham. Situated on the mountain side, the village commands a magnificent view of woodland and enclosures of cultivated land, over the Valley of the Dee, and large parts of Cheshire and Shrop shire. The immediate locality was then probably chiefly pasture ; now it is largely occupied with brick works and 2 JOHN AP JOHN. coHiery plant. The house which is supposed to have been his paternal home is known as " Plas Eva " or " Plas Evan," near to the Sun Inn, and close to the road from Llangollen to Ruabon. It has undergone many altera tions, but parts of the old structure remain. Adjacent to it was a small field, an enclosed portion of which was called " the Quakers' Graveyard." But in excavating for the Chester canal, which passes by it, the earth was thrown upon the old graves and gravestones, and the appearance of the surface is changed. The little property remained in the occupation, and most probably in the possession of John ap John, until after the decease of his wife, and possibly it was only on his own removal from the place that it passed into other ownership. With the hope of ascertaining whether entries existed in the registers of the parish of Llangollen which could be identified as relating to his parents or their children, permission to examine the records was obtained by Alfred N. Palmer, of Wrexham, the most careful of all local historians. The result was not quite disappointing, but the entries are brief, and the name is common. There are entries of the baptism of " John ap John de Trevor Issa," and of " Maria, veh John ap John " ; another reads, "Anne, veh John ap John de Trevor, baptizata est secundo die . . .' 1632." It may be assumed that these entries relate to our friend, and to two sisters ; the abbreviated Welsh term veh impl57ing verch or daughter, and the name of the father being the same as that of the son. It appears probable, therefore, that John ap John was born between 1625 and 1630, at Trevor Issa. In Cheshire and Denbighshire and in the adjoining counties of Merionethshire and Montgomeryshire, the Puritan party had increased throughout the reign of King James I. In the early years of King Charles I., its leaders in Cheshire had formed a scheme for the purchase of Church property which had fallen into private hands so that lecturers of Puritan belief might be provided, but it attracted the notice of Archbishop Laud and was by him arbitrarily suppressed. The party had many ad herents in and around Wrexham. Its denominational ' The name of the month is illegible. EARLY YEARS. 3 character was largely Presbyterian, but after a time it became more decidedly Independent. When the political strife of the time became definite, the Parliamentary cause obtained strong support among these freeholders and gentry in this part of North Wales. The chief among them was Sir Thomas My ddleton, of Chirk, Maj or- General for the Parliament. There were several others of lesser note, but of considerable influence around Wrexham ; and among these were eight or nine who were Commissioners under the Act of 1649/50 for " the better Propagation and Preaching of the Gospel in Wales." Most probably the social influences at work among the residents around his home connected John ap John from childhood with the Independent society and inclined him to the Parliamentary party. He may have been sent for part of his education to school in Wrexham, and perhaps have come under religious feeling as a result of the preaching of Walter Cradock, who was, in 1635, the Curate of the parish church. Walter Cradock, who was regarded then as attached to Puritan doctrines, and who, after he had been required in consequence to withdraw from the curacy, remained in the neighbourhood, greatly influenced the spiritual life of Nonconformists around the town. It is quite probable that when, as George Fox inci dentally records, John ap John " was at one time a Minister " at Beaumaris, his residence and position there may have been as chaplain with part of the ParUa mentary army which, in 1646-48, after a period of siege, finally dispossessed the Royalists of the castle and town of Beaumaris, and subdued the whole island of Anglesey. The ParUamentary commanders were Sir Thomas Myddleton, Col. Myddleton, and Col. S. ThelwaU, indicat ing that the regiments were largely composed of men from the border counties. One or two others from Wrexham are known " to have served the ParUament at Bewmarres." It is a Uttle curious that, in the latter years of the Protectorate, the Governor of Beaumaris was Robert Owen, of Dolserau, near Dolgelly, who, with his wife, joined the Friends in 1660, and a few years afterwards emigrated to Pennsylvania. 4 JOHN AP JOHN. Morgan Lloyd, whose parents lived at Cynfael near DolgeUy, where he was born about 1619, attributed the change in the current of his views, and his early religious experiences, to the influence of Walter Cradock, and it may be that the course of the early Ufe of Morgan Lloyd was foUowed in measure by John ap John, with some degree of personal association and friendship. Morgan Lloyd desired to be a minister. After the commencement of the Civil War he was engaged for a time as chaplain to some part of the Parliamentary forces in England, and was with them at Gloucester and other places ; and the esteem which he then gained led to his appointment as minister at Wrexham. Morgan Lloyd must have returned to Wrexham about 1645 ; and when the change under the authority of Parliament was made in so many parishes whereby a Presbyterian or an Independent minister took the place of a Church clergyman, he was appointed to take charge of the parish of Wrexham. He was an earnest and elo quent preacher, and he published several religious works which were much approved by the Welsh generaUy. Some of his reUgious views nearly approached to the teaching of George Fox, and in a considerable degree incUned him towards the foUowers of George Fox. He objected to tithes and to the use of many current designations and phrases. He did not, however, associate himself with Friends, but remained a decided Indepen dent, both as minister of Wrexham up to 1657, when he resigned his post, and as a member of the Independent congregation to the time of his decease at the age of forty, in 1659. Philip Henry was invited then to take the posi tion of vicar ; and he was succeeded by Ambrose Mostyn, a Presbyterian, who fiUed the office until 1661, when the clergyman who had been removed at the beginning of the ParUamentary strife was restored to the bene fice. The absence of information which surrounds the particulars of his birth extends also to the marriage of John ap John. It has been conjectured that his wife was Catherine, one of the daughters of John Trevor of Trevor HaJl and Valle Crucis Abbey. It has also been MARRIAGE. 5 stated that she was a daughter of Roger ap John,^ of Ruabon. Whether any relationship existed between Roger ap John and John ap John it is not possible now to discover ; but in 1685 the name of Roger ap John appears as one of the representatives with John ap John to the Yearly Meeting for Wales, held at Garthgynvor. His marriage must have taken place about 1660, although his religious labours and absences from home were con tinuous about those years. So far as is known, a daughter, who was born in 1665 and was named Phoebe, was the only child. FACSIMILE OF SIGNATURE. The above signature is reproduced from a paper written by John ap John, in -which he refers to 1653, as the year in which his " understanding was opned." He adds, " In my Jvgment J have byn perswaeded vnto the Establishment & setehnent thereof, &, as ocasion served, both in Words & pracdises, J denied y" paement of tithys, & becos of ye same Denial, i cam to sifier y« loss of com, hay, lams, peegs, yievs [? ewes], kids, & mvch thretnings with pikyls and other waes " (D. Gibson Bequest MSS. ii., 33). ' In Blome's Fanatick History, 1660, p. 108, there is a charge against Friends in North Wales, about Wrexham, of extraordinary behaviour in their religious meetings : — " About October, 1653, certain Quakers came into North Wales about Wrexham to gain Proselytes at their meet ings ; after long silence, sometimes one, sometimes more fell into great and dreadfull shakings, with swellings in their bodies, sending out skreekings and bowlings," etc. Richard Hubberthome and James Nayler, in their reply to Blome, quote the following, " Answer ; this Charge is altogether false, and not a word of truth in it, as we who live in North-wales, and have been constant at them meetings do testifie. " John ap John. " Roger ap John." 2. ^titYibB' Biitttainxt. i. " ZH Journae of (George 5ox." John ap John is first mentioned by George Fox, in the following weU known passage, which suggests so many points in which precise details would be full of interest : — 3 While Friends abode in the northern parts, a priest of Wrexham in Wales whose name was Morgan Floyd, having heard reports conceming us, sent two of his congregation into the North to inquire concerning us, to try us ; and bring him an account of us. But when those Triers came down amongst us, the power of the Lord overcame them, and they were both convinced of the Truth. So they stayed some time with us and then returned to Wales, where, afterweirds, one of them departed from his convincement ; but the other, whose name was John ap John, abode in the troth and received a. part in the ministry, in which he continued faithful. The following beautifully expressed reminiscences of this important epoch give valuable details of the visit to George Fox : — The 21 day of the 5 month, 1673. This tim 20 years Agooe was y= tim that J John Ap John was At Swart Moore with Gorge |foox, in Lankashire. Y' was y« jfvrst tim y* J soa Go Jifox. Now in this 20 years i have Reseved mvche & don bvt lityl ; & it was thee, O Lord, y* was my hvphwldar all this 20 years. 3 Journal, 1891, vol. i. p. 188 ; see also vol. i. pp. 361, 368, 372-381, vol. ii. p. 92. N- -i It'"!" '/-^ ¦ J )|...> / Itl^.'lJ* ""/'' '"/A,.//...h^'-''h.(' ^.^'^ ''-X'T'I ¦ ',.v--.?' ¦ ^ H ,;A.'''^' "^tI /•--\ X! I, A*, ^1 t !¦'¦' If ^^H H V"« "<>'"|fe 'y. H i.« •;.¦ u>\ \ i t ¦ Hi.v.'ii '¦j.'.'.Sll ¦» ^ H.... -' .*<, Mwr r--^.~ ''"¦'¦"^.'¦' 1 ¦^ t .-.'i::? ;a.. i.. . --i^" H —,--¦. ' ¦]¦:"¦' t- • • . .. H. .>.-'¦> ^...( . ^H ^H K- 1 ' > 1 '¦ ' t ¦" > ^^¦' ¦ ^ _ UOCUMEXT WRITTEN BY JOHX AP JOHX. (See p. 6.) VISIT TO SWARTHMORE. 7 J never Lost y* jTeeling of thy powar since then in swart more J Reseved it & jTelt it ; & i blive i nevr shall lose it if i waet for it & fear thee, & if thy jfeare be bebiff or my Ei. This jfeare will keepe me jfrorn ofending agenst thee, y« god of my liff. Y= 9 of ye 6 Month, 1673, were thes things seriosly Considred & pondred vpon, how y* lord hath byn Deling with me & many more this 20 years, & vpwardes. my Evning meditasions affor Soonn seting John ap John and his companion may have also met, at the same time, with John Camm, John Audland, Thomas Holme, and others, who soon afterwards came down to the West of England, most earnest and persistent in their exertions to disseminate their views of the Truth. That John ap John should have been one of the visitors to the north indicates the confidence reposed in him by Morgan Lloyd, and the regard in which he was held by the congregation at Wrexham. No account is preserved of the reception of their reports on their return, or of their immediate separation from the Independent Church membership. At a subsequent period, Morgan Lloyd remonstrated with Richard Baxter upon some of his controversial writings with regard to Friends. There are no acrimonious passages in Morgan Lloyd's writings, nor are there any notices of personal intercourse with John ap John or other Friends. In 1657, George Fox, after travelling through the West of England, came to Bristol, whence he " passed into Wales." He does not mention a companion until, at Brecknock, " where we set up our Horses at an Inn," there went with him Thomas Holme (who in 1656 had been imprisoned with others at Chester), and John ap John, " who was moved of the Lord to speak in the streets." Then foUowed considerable excitement and a great tumult, and, on the next day, a large meeting, where, amongst others, was present Walter Jenkins, from Pontypool, who, with Peter Price, of Radnorshire (both Justices at that time), had been present at the meeting 8 JOHN AP JOHN. at Whetstone, in Leicestershire, in 1655, at which the wife and the marshal of Colonel Hacker were convinced. They went to Pontymoile (an adjacent hamlet), where was held a large meeting, and came forward to Shrewsbury, where they had a great meeting, visiting Friends all over the counties in their Meetings until they reached William Gandy's, in Cheshire. Then, apparently, George Fox and his party returned through Montgomeryshire into Radnorshire, where, at a large gathering, came John ap John, whom George Fox desired to go to the people, and, if " he had anything upon him," to speak to the people in Welsh, and thereby gather them. Afterwards George Fox addressed the gathering for almost three hours. George Fox then went to Leominster, where he had a remarkable discussion with Independent and other ministers, many hundreds of people being gathered ; and he afterwards traveUed on into Wales. At Tenby, a Justice invited him to his house, and on " First day " a meeting was held. John ap John was then with George Fox, and at the meeting, but " left it and went to the steeple house ; and the Governor cast him into prison." The next day, George Fox appealed to the Mayor, and had a sharp debate with the Governor, who at the close invited him to dine, and afterwards set his friend at liberty. They travelled further in Pembroke shire, and at Haverfordwest they had a great meeting " where all was quiet." At a " great market town " in another county, they had difficulty in getting accommodation. John ap John " went and spoke through the Town," and after a while again did so, when excitement arose, and John ap John was immediately arrested. George Fox immediately remonstrated, and, in consequence, John ap John was brought down, "guarded with halberts," to be put out of the Town. At another " great Town," John ap John declared the truth through the streets, without opposi tion arising ; and, subsequently, as their journey con tinued, John ap John preached in this manner at Dol geUy, and at Carnarvon, and at Beaumaris. At this last place, " there being a garrison," John ap John was im prisoned for a short time, and George Fox was threatened ; but after remonstrances from him, John ap John was set TRAVELS WITH GEORGE FOX. g at Uberty. Afterwards, George Fox remonstrated with some of the authorities, probably ofiicers in the Parlia mentary army. Their journey thence was attended with annoyances and difficulties ; at last they got to a place " within six miles of Wrexham, . . . where that day we met with many Friends," and the " Lord's everlasting power was over aU." This place would probably be Ruabon, near to John ap John's house at Trevor, and to Catherine Davies's, at Rhuddallt, but there is no indica tion of either. The next day they went into Wrexham, and afterwards George Fox went on to Chester. At Wrexham he met with many persons who were parishion ers of Morgan Lloyd, but found most of them very unsympathetic ; and no reference is made to any former association with John ap John, or to the occurrences in 1653. In these travels in South Wales there seems to have been less desire on the part of the magistrates to imprison vin dictively, than to imprison and send away for the purpose of preserving the peace. It may be that John ap John had been known to some when connected with the Independents. George Fox again, in 1668, visited South Wales. He was at Richard Hanbury's, at Pontypool, and, accom panied by him part of the way, went over the hills to Swansea, and returned to Cardiff and Newport, where they met several Friends. At Shipton, supposed to be intended for Chepstow, John ap John being with him, they anticipated some detention by the military, but they walked down the hill into the town, leading their horses, and, it being market-day, they " met several Friends," who wished them to remain, but they de clined to stay there, and went on into the Forest of Dean. No mention is made of the return homeward of John ap John ; George Fox does not mention the name of any companion in his journey through Somerset shire and the southern counties up to Kent, engaged in settling Monthly Meetings in each county. It is scarcely likely that John ap John went far with him. There is no subsequent mention of John ap John in The Journal of George Fox. 10 JOHN AP JOHN. it. ''ZU (?^rttm00 of 3o0n (gfurnjeae." John Burnyeat, returning from America in 1667, landed at MUford Haven. He at that time visited the Meetings in South Wales, returning to them in 1668, and also in 1669, when he passed on into North Wales, and to Shrewsbury and Cheshire. After his second visit to America, he came from London to Shrewsbury, and on as far as Wrexham, " visiting the Churches of Christ." From Wrexham, he took with him John ap John, who accompanied him towards South Wales and through Merionethshire into Pembrokeshire ; then, returning, they came into Monmouthshire, where they parted, he going forward to Bristol and John ap John returning home — apparently in 1675. John Burnyeat made a similar journey in 1676, coming from Cheshire to John ap John's home near to Wrexham. They went to a Quarterly Meeting at Charles Lloyd's at Dolobran, and thence through Merionethshire down to Pembrokeshire and into Monmouthshire. John went with his friend to the Ferry, stayed to see him take boat, probably to cross the Severn into Gloucestershire, and then returned. In passing through Montgomeryshire they held a meeting at Machynlleth; but John Burnyeat does not remark further upon it. In Besse's Sufferings, however, and in Richard Davies's Journal, particulars are given of the seizure of the horses, with their saddles and bridles, of John Burnyeat and Thomas Ellis, under a warrant from Justice Pugh, of Mathafarn, by a bailiff and con stable upon the action of an informer, who had tem porarily and without any warrant seized all the horses of Friends who were present at a meeting at Machynlleth. John Burnyeat's horse died very soon after seizure, and Thomas ElUs's whilst in the care of the informer, " who also suffered great loss by distemper among his cattle." Thomas EUis immediately secured the intervention of Richard Davies, of Welshpool, twenty-two mUes distant, who hastened to lay the case before Lord Powis, " who was very sorry." It was arranged that Richard Davies should try to secure the help of a " friendly, neighbouring Justice " to expostulate with Pugh, He was wiUing to IMPRISONMENT AT SWANSEA. ii do so ; and the threatened fines were, in consequence, stopped. iii Q^e«f0e'0 " ^ttff^jringe of t^t Ottafter0." From the above accounts there is no indication that John ap John had previously visited South Wales as a Quaker Minister, or that there was a disposition to treat him harshly for engaging in discussions likely to cause disturbances. Yet Besse's Sufferings supplies other information : — * The earliest Instance of this People's Suffering ia Wales is that of John Ap John, who, being in the Steeple House at Swanrey, after the Preacher was ended asked him, " whether he was a Minister of Christ ? " This question gave great Ofience not only to the Priest but also to another then present who discovered his Wrath by instantly seizing John by the Collar and dehvering him to a Constable who confined him that night in a. close dark Prison. Next day he was brought before the Magistrates, whom the Priests laboured to incense against him, requiring in their fierce zeal, " to have him whipped that the Devil might come out of him," and as often as he attempted to speak, one or other would strike him and stop his mouth with their hands. At length he was sent to prison by the following Mittimus : — To the Keeper of the Common Goal for the County of Glamorgan, or his Deputy at CardiS. Whereas it hath been proved by Oath before me that John Ap John of Denbighshire hath misbehaved himself contrEiry to the Laws, and Security being therefore by me required for his personal appearance at the next Great Sessions hath obstinately refused the same. These are therefore, in the name of his Highness the Lord Protector, to charge and require you forthwith to receive into your Custody the body of the said John Ap John, and him safely in your Goal to keep and retain until he shall give good Security for his appearance at the first Great Sessions, and in the meantime to be of good Behaviour towards his Highness and all good People of this Nation. And hereof fail not, as you will answer the Contrary at your Peril. Dated at Swanzey under my Hand and Seal the 8th day of October, Robert Dawkins. Besse remarks, " This Mittimus expresses no particular cause for the imprisonment, but palliates an unjust pro ceeding under colour of a general charge of misbehaviour, though the matter of fact was in no wise criminal, nor Uable to the penalty of any law." The necessity on the 4 Vol. I. p. 73S, also pp. 736, 737, 741, 745. 12 JOHN AP JOHN. part of the authorities to preserve the peace, after aU the difficulties which the ParUamentary party had overcome in South Wales, cannot however be disregarded. Besse mentions John ap John in 1655, and subse quently as " of near Wrexham," and in 1661 refers to ten Friends " met in their own hired house at Wrexham." In 1668, two residents iii Wrexham were presented at the General Sessions at Ruthin " for being present at Conventicles," and others, from the neighbourhood of Ruabon, were presented at the preceding Sessions as " Quakers." Among these were John ap John of Trevor, Catherine Edwards of Trevor, Roger ap Shone of Pen-y- clawdd, and Thomas ap Pugh of Chirk. Later on, in 1670, an information was laid against various persons " present at a seditious Conventicle held on the 12th of June " at the house of John ap John of Trevor. They were fined in all, £20 15s., of which two-thirds was paid to the informer, who was a Justice of the Peace and a not distant neighbour, John Robinson, of Gwersyllt. Again, in 1658 (but clearly there is some confusion in the dates, if there be not in the narratives), John Ap John, for preaching to the People in the town of Swanzey, was several times turned out of that Town by order of the Magistrates. At length, for his public opposition to Evan Grif&n, one of their Priests, he was haled out of the Steeple House by the hair of his head by one Roberts, a preacher, and being brought before a Justice was struck by Morris Bedwell, Priest of Swanzey, and afterward by the said Justice was committed to Goal, where he lay twenty weeks, and then was discharged without any legal trial. In the same year, John ap John was taken from a meeting at Cardiff, by command of Henry Griffith, commonly called Captain Griffith, and brought before him,.; but he, having no power to imprison, sent some soldiers with him to one of the bailiffs of the town, who, being unwilling to meddle in the affair, absented himself. The soldiers then applied to the other baUiff, who was not forward to act therein. Nevertheless, through much importunity of the priests, the said baiUfls were persuaded, the next day, to send John ap John to prison, together with Francis Gawler, John Mayo, and Toby Hodge, who had been at the same meeting. They were continued a few days in prison, and then SPEAKING IN CHURCHES. 13 released without being brought to any trial. Francis Gawler relates,' without date, but of these years, " Again John ap John was by the Constables of Swanzey turned forth several times, and still returned, bearing Wit- nesse against them." The practice of speaking in churches and in public places after the authorised preacher had concluded was an admitted custom, if not allowed by the law, during the period from 1648 to 1660. But how often it roused fierce resentment and led to sad imprisonments and harsh usage the records of the Society abundantly testify. Many churches were occupied by Presbyterian and Independent ministers, and the Common Prayer and a Liturgy were not then used. The Directory for Public Worship, prefaced by the Assembly of Divines convened by Parliament, contained general directions regarding public prayer and worship. The Parliament, in 1645, enacted that all ministers should read it to their con gregations, and should cease to use the Book of Common Prayer, under penalties. Then probably the churches were used more freely for meetings or disputations ; and often there was no expressed objection, if not actual permission, to the preaching not only of Quakers but of Baptists and Independents. But this practice very much ceased after 1660. iv. ''ZU 3otttrnaf of ^k^M^ ©aviee." The biographical account of " that ancient Servant of the Lord," Richard Davies, of Cloddiau Cochion, near Welshpool, has been printed several times. The parti culars which it gives of the Friends in Montgomeryshire and North Wales cannot well be condensed, but the references in it to circumstances connected with John ap John must be noticed. Richard Davies was born at Welshpool in 1635. His parents were members of the Church of England ; but he, becoming religiously inclined, attach'ed himself to the Independents under Vavasor Powell, and was diUgent with his associates in searching 5 In A Record of Some Persecutions . . . South Wales, 1659. 14 JOHN AP JOHN. and reading the Scriptures. About 1650 he was appren ticed to an Independent, a felt maker, in Llanfair. In 1656 he had heard of the Quakers ; and in the next year there came to his master's house " a poor Man in a mean habit," Morgan Evan, of South Wales, who had met with Quakers and was convinced of the Truth. Richard Davies took his Bible to dispute with him, and accom panied him some distance on his way, when the con versation led Richard Davies to pray that he might build on the same rock ; and, after a second visit from the same poor man, he became convinced, and known as a Quaker. Then followed a period of much trial and disquietude with his friends and his parents, and on one occasion, on going with his father to church, he spoke " but a little while " to the congregation, and was placed for a day in prison. Shortly afterwards, hearing that there were Quakers in Shrewsbury, eighteen miles off, he obtained leave to go so far at the time called Christmas in 1657. He was very kindly received at the house of John Millington, " where many Friends resorted," and was also on the first day of the week at the meeting at William Paine's at the Wyle Cop, which was a very impressive occasion to him. Information was given that John ap John was come to the town, and was to have a meeting there. He stayed that meeting, and there heard the first Friend that was called a Quaker preach in a meeting ; " and when I heard him, I thought he spoke as one having authority and not as the Scribes ; his words were so sound and piercing." In 1658 Richard Davies went to London, where he earned the appreciation of Friends, and in 1659 he married there, and soon after wards returned to Welshpool. On the restoration of King Charles II. in 1660, great poUtical changes occurred ; the justices and ministers of the Protectorate were displaced, and other justices and the clergy came again into office. Many of Crom- weU's officers were imprisoned ; and many persons attached themselves to Friends. Among these latter were Charles Lloyd, of Dolobran, who had been a Justice ; Edward Evans, of Welshpool, who was convinced in Pool Gaol by some remarks of Vavasor PoweU, then a feUow prisoner from some poUtical cause ; Owen TRAVELS WITH RICHARD DAVIES. 15 Lewis, of Tyddyn-y-Gareg,« a .former Justice, who had been convinced by Thomas Briggs ; Robert Owen, of Dolserau, near Dolgelly, also a Justice ; Owen Hum phrey, of Llwyngwril, and his father and brothers; and, shortly after, Thomas Lloyd, who, with many more, were " gathered to the Lord," " continuing faithful, and keeping meetings at their houses." A Meeting was settled at Penllyn, near Bala, and there were many convincements among the Independents around Mach ynlleth. At Welshpool, Thomas Ellis,^ an Independent deacon, and known to Vavasor Powell, was convinced. He was afterwards the companion of John Burnyeat and Richard Davies, and removed later to Pennsylvania. In 1664, Richard Davies, although nominally a pris oner, obtained leave to go to Shrewsbury ; he went thence through Worcestershire and Gloucestershire to Bristol, and then through South Wales homeward. At Cardigan he found Thomas Ellis was in prison with some other Friends, and after exerting himself to obtain his release they continued holding meetings thereabout. In 1668 there came to Cloddiau Cochion, near to Welshpool, which had then become Richard Davies's home, John ap John, and James Adamson,^ a north country Friend. The magistrates of Welshpool broke up the meeting, and took the principal Friends prisoners. John ap John continued with the party until Richard Davies, probably having made some arrangement with the officer, " told him he should be prisoner no longer. He staid a little while with us, and then went homewards." About the year 1669, " my Ancient, well-beloved, and dear companion, John ap John and I " (as Richard Davies records) took a journey to South Wales to visit Friends in those parts. Richard Davies says : — We declared the word of the Lord both in Welsh and English. My Friend, John Ap John, was very sound and intelligible in the Welsh language. He deserved the right hand of fellowship for he was my elder, and the first Friend that I heard declare in a meeting in the English tongue : and though he was not perfect in that language yet he had the tongue of the leamed to such who were spiritual. " There is an illustration of Tyddyn-y-Gareg Meeting House in The Friend (Lond.), vol. 37 (1897), p. 199. ' For Thomas ElUs and James Adamson, see F.P.T. i6 JOHN AP JOHN. In Radnorshire they were joined by Roger Prichard, of Almeley, who accompanied them into Monmouthshire ; and before they parted, they arranged to visit him and to hold meetings at his home. They visited Cardiff, staying with John and EUzabeth Mayo, who had been feUow sufferers with John ap John in former years, and went on to Swansea and into Pembrokeshire. Richard Davies remarks, " John ap John suffered great persecution at Cardiff, and in other parts of that country, before I was convinced. I suppose he might be prisoner there in 1653 or 1654." There is no intimation that on this visit they met with opposition or iil-treatment. In 1675, there was severe persecution of Friends in Merionethshire, particularly around Penllyn and Bala, and Richard Davies and Charles Lloyd of Dolobran were concerned to visit some of them, and to intercede with some of the magistrates. " From thence," writes R. Davies, " we went to John ap John's, at Wrexham, and visited Friends there, and then came home to our families." In the following year, Thomas Lloyd, and others, were subjected to severe penalties for being present at a meeting at Cloddiau Cochion, and Charles Lloyd suf fered heavy distraints in consequence. Lord Herbert was appealed to, and he interposed by discountenancing the informers and their endeavours to obtain penalties. Persecution on various grounds continued in South Wales. Dr. William Lloyd, who was nominated to the Bishopric of St. Asaph in 1681, evinced much kindly feeling, and desired to moderate the arbitrary or extreme legal proceedings which lead to excessive distraints or long imprisonments. Early in the next year, Richard Davies and Charles Lloyd went through Herefordshire and Worcestershire to London before the Yearly Meeting. With the assistance of William Penn and George White head a statement of the imprisonments in Wales and in Bristol was prepared to be submitted to the Lord Chan- ceUor. It was taken by a deputation of three Friends from London, and three from Wales, the latter being Richard Davies, Charles Lloyd, and Thomas Wynne, of Caerwys. The Lord Chancellor intimated that Richard Davies might teU Bishop Lloyd " that there would be Liberty of Conscience in England " ; and to this Richard LETTER FROM GEORGE FOX. 17 Davies replied " that he did believe it would be so in God's time." The Chancellor certainly did not anticipate the course of approaching events, which sent him into exile and removed the King from the throne, and resulted in securing this greatly desired liberty. Information of the imprisonment of Friends at Denbigh in that year was conveyed to George Fox. He wrote to them an epistle of sympathy and encouragement, concluding with foUowing words: — Christ is the same to-day as he was yesterday, a rock and founda- 'tion for your age and generation to build upon. I have written con ceming you (since I heard your letter) to Friends in Cheshire to visit you, understanding that you belong to their Quarterly Meeting, and therefore I desire some Friends of your County to go and lay your suffering condition before their Monthly or Quarterly Meeting. I have written likewise to Richard Davies that some of that side may visit you and see how your condition is. My love is to you in the Lord in whom alone is your support. G. F. London the 27th of the nth month, 1682. It would be interesting to know the circumstances, and the result of this appeal. StiU imprisonments continued. Richard Davies mentions that in 1688 he interceded with Bishop Lloyd on behalf of a prisoner of the same name as himself, Richard Davies, from near Ruabon in Denbighshire, and who, some little time after, was discharged after a consideration of his case by the Bishop's Chancellor, Dr. Wynne. The place of residence of this Richard Davies was Rhuddallt Isaf, in the parish of Ruabon, a hamlet which at one time contained several small freehold properties, but which has entirely disappeared by the gradual removal of the houses and the enclosure of the sites within the park at Wynnstay, until the name and locality are now nearly forgotten. It is distant about six miles from Trevor, the home of John ap John. The owner of one of the properties was Edward ap Randal, descended from the Welsh family of Yale. Catherine, one of his four daughters, became the wife of David ap Edward, of Trevor. Afterwards (perhaps after the decease of her husband) she was known as Catherine Edwards. She became the purchaser of the interests of her sisters in their father's smaU property, and devised 1 8 JOHN AP JOHN. it to her only son, Richard, who modified his name to Davies. Her husband may have been a relative of John ap John, but certainly both husband and wife were among the earUest associates of John ap John in his altered religious views. A Meeting was early settled at Rhuddallt ; which was continued for several years through the lifetime of Richard Davies, and of his sons, Edward Davies and John Davies. About 1724, when changes and reverses had occurred, the Meeting merged into one at Cefn Bychan, in an adjoining township. A Meeting House, built here prior to 1700, can still be identified, although now altered into a dweUing house. About 1745 it passed into the possession of the Bap tists. In 1708, Friends at Wrexham desired to acquire premises of their own; and John James and Hannah Newton, both of Wrexham, and Richard Davies, of Rhuddallt, purchased two recently erected cottages with the gardens belonging to the same. The Meetings at and around Wrexham were associated with Cheshire, and contributions towards fitting up these premises were sent from Frandley, Moriey, and Nantwich, where then existed the principal Meetings in the county. Richard Davies, of Cloddiau Cochion, does not mention John ap John after the year of the meeting at Haverfordwest. Yet in the years 1690 to 1700 the former does not appear to have been absent long from his home ; and it may be assumed that he was travelling about not far from it. In 1702 he went to London with his daughter, Tace Endon, and in 1704 with his grandson, David Endon. In 1705 his wife, Tace, died — " a woman very serviceable to Truth and Friends." In 1706 he was at the Yearly Meeting at Llanidloes and then went to London. In 1707, his last absence from home, he attended the burial of an ancient Friend, Anne Thomas, at Shrewsbury. His active Ufe ended, after a short iUness, on 22nd of First Month, 1707/8 : and on the 25th the inter ment took place in the little graveyard at Cloddiau Cochion, " where was held a solemn Meeting, and several Testimonies were borne in the power and life of Truth." Short notices of Richard Davies were written by George Whitehead, by Rowland Owen of Dolgelly, and by AN APPRENTICESHIP FUND. 19 " Friends and Brethren " of the Quarterly Meeting of Shrop shire and Montgomeryshire. His decease caused a vacancy in the district which no member in it was able to fill. After a few years, Cloddiau Cochion became desolate by the removal of his children, and passed into the hands of strangers. His house was largely rebuilt many years ago, and still looks down a beautiful but very secluded valley. The lines of walling enclosing the Burial Ground are quite apparent, but they give no other separation from the large meadow around. A Wesleyan chapel not far off gives evidence of the religious life still pervading the sequestered locality. t>. ZU QUtnttfee of t^t Ouarfer^ QUeeiing for QUetrionef^0^itr$, dc* In the Minute Book of the Quarterly Meeting for Merionethshire, Montgomeryshire, and Shropshire, com menced under the care of Charles Lloyd, Richard Davies, Thomas Lloyd, Richard Moore, and others, at Dolobran in 1668, there is only one mention of John ap John. Richard Moore, of Shrewsbury, who had accompanied George Fox and Richard Davies on parts of their visits to Wales, and who was a valued Minister, died after a short illness in London in 1668. " It was a great grief to many honest Friends that so many Friends in the ministry should be taken away in the City." He left a son, Mordecai Moore, whom the Quarterly Meeting in 1674 was desirous to care for, and they proposed " to set him out as an Apprentice to a Chirurgeon Barber as being a particular caUing that the lad's genius inclined him to, and if a provision be made not only for his present sub sistence but for the binding of him." Charles Lloyd and Thomas Lloyd were requested " to write to particular Surgeon friends " on his behalf. A subscription was made for his assistance, and he was sent on from Shrews bury to John ap John to be helped forward to Thomas Wynne, of Caerwys in FUntshire, to whom he was after wards bound for seven years. Thomas Lloyd emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1682, and Thomas Wynne accompanied 20 JOHN AP JOHN. him or foUowed in the same year. Very probably Mordecai Moore accompanied one or other of them, as he left England, settled at South River in Maryland, and subsequently married Deborah, a daughter of Thomas Lloyd. In 1687, " in grateful remembrance of Friends' kindness to him when young," he forwarded to the Quar terly Meeting a sum of money towards the cost he had occasioned ; and he maintained some correspondence with Friends in Shrewsbury, as opportunity offered. m. "^^e gournae of 3o^n (Sraf^on." John Gratton, of Monyash, in Derbyshire, gives an account in his Journal, of an occurrence which took place in 1684. Since 1680, he had been in the custody of the keeper or officer of the gaol at Derby, but the officer had given him permission to leave Derby at intervals. He records': — Having obtained leave to go home for some time to see my Wife and Family, it fell out that Robert Meller, of Whitehough in Staffordshire died, who had been an honest Friend in his day, and a noble Standard in Suffering Times ; his wife was also a sincere hearted woman, and his son Jobn a very honest Friend They hearing of my being at home sent and invited me to come to his Burial, and though I was sorry for the Loss of so faithful a Friend yet was I desirous to go to his Burial thinking there would be many People, for he was beloved both by Rich and Poor, and of good Report amongst Men of all sorts. But I being a Prisoner was careful the Gaoler might not be blamed nor tumed out of his Place on my account, for both he and his Wife and Children loved me well and were very kind to me : upon which I waited upon the Ixjrd desiring to know His mind whether I should go or no. Then I felt I might go. He went to the Graveyard, where were " three Public Friends besides, viz., W. F., J. H., and J. J." They all spoke ; and ultimately informations were laid against them. The magistrates imposed fines of £20 each, and ThomEis Hammersley, the Friend of the House, for the grave yard twenty pounds ; in all one hundred pounds, besides other Friends five ShilUngs apiece for Hearers. Yet these then Informers got nothing of that hundred pounds, for Friends went to the Magistrates and they moderated it. . . The deceased Friend was a rich man, and so were his Relations in that County and in Derbyshire. ' Journal of the Life of John Gratton, pp. 95, 105, 109. BURIAL OF ROBERT MELLOR. 21 Endeavours were made to enforce the penalties, "but the Hearts of divers People rose against " the informers. There were attempts to disturb both the gaoler and John Gratton, but these were overruled. Some of the magistrates, one of whom was Sir WiUiam Boothby, at last declined. One of the three Friends indicated by initials is mentioned in the margin, as William Fallow- field. The other two are not named. One may have been Joseph Holt, of Oakham, and the other, John ap John. This is, however, entirely surmise. The burial of Robert MeUor took place on the 19th of Seventh Month, 1684 ; and his widow, EUzabeth Mellor, died at Whitehough on the 26th of Ninth Month, 1695. John Gratton had previously visited Cheshire, and he subsequently did so on two occasions. In 1691 he was at Hawarden and at Wrexham, " and so to Richard Davies' House near Welshpool ; " and " at Charles Lloyd's at Dolobran " ; and afterwards at " Pontymoile and The Pant near Raglan, in Monmouthshire . . . and other places whose names I do not remember now." In 1695 he went again to Shrewsbury and on to the Yearly Meeting at Pontymoile ; and after to the Pant and so over the Passage into Gloucestershire. On neither occasion does he mention the residence of John ap John, to whom, it might be thought, he would be desirous to make a visit. In 1687, Benjamin Bangs, who had settled in Cheshire, residing at Crowlon and afterwards at Stockport, and his wife, traveUed through Leicestershire and Notting hamshire, to Robert Mellor's at the Whitehough in Staffordshire, where they stayed a night. In the morning they passed on to Leek, and so to Macclesfield, and thence home. vii Bctkve of Z^matf l^oPttte. Thomas Holme and Elizabeth Holme, his wife, very frequently corresponded with George Fox and Margaret Fox, reporting their labours, and receiving in return sympathetic advice and general direction. 22 JOHN AP JOHN. The foUowing letter from Thomas Holme is probably addressed to George Fox': — dear brother. my loue in the head is remembred to thee, & my obedence & sub- iection to thee in my head is the same as euer was, god is my witnes. this is to let thee know of my Journey & sarves in Wals. J came out of Chesher About 5 weekes agoe, & J staid to first dayes in radnersher in the mountaus where J had diveres meetings wher many ar Convinced of the truth, of that peopell caled babtis ; many of ther Churches ar broken in peeses. Ther is A great convincement in that part, but the most ar welsh & sume canot vnderstand Englesh. Ther ar 3 who hath the welsh toung, which ar servasable & labores A mong them, which 3 frinds came out of the north of wals ; ther is on who is A Justes of peace Convinced, & is prety faithful! & servaseble in his place. J was 5 nights in his house, & had A great meeting at his hous ; bee dwells in the mountenes in Mvngomerishir. As J pased thorw, J was moued to goe into A castell, & spoke the word of the lord in much Cleames & bouldnes among the soulders & it weis receved by some. After J had been to first dayes in radnersher, J pased into mvnmvth- shir to A town caled Abergine wher I got A meeting that euening in the in wher J looged ; & the next day, being the market day, J was moued to speake in the market. J drew the peopell into A convenent place, & spoke A prety time to them. It cast A sund thoraw the town & county, for not any frind had spoken ther befor. The next day, J met with my wife & Alas birket, at A place wher the[y] had A meeting ; & senc J haue been in thes parts, wher the lord is gathering A peopell in mvnmuthshir & chemorgenshir wher wee labor vp & doun in the work, & sarves of the lord. At this time my wife & Alas birket is in mvnmuthshir ; to Justes of the peas is convinced in that county. The last first day J had A meeting 4 miles from Chipstow, & on the seconday J had on in Chepstow & anouther on the third day & this day being the 4 day J had A meeting 6 mils beyond Cardife at the seea sid, wher ther is A prety peopell. Tomorow J pass to A generall meeting in nvport At A Justes house ; soe that dayly wee labor vp & doun in thy sarves to hom my obedence is. Soe with thee J rist, disiring thee to remember vs thy sarvants, & if any thing thou would with vs, writ to vs, & sure wee shall be obedent ; & what have been Amees in vs, send it into A land of for getfuUnes, wher it may neuer be remembered. Soe J rist thy sarvant, who thee doe prese & valvy & honor more then euer. from Cardife the 27 day 12 month, my wife loue is dear to thee. John ap Jones remenes presener yeat. » From the original in D. (Swarthmore MSS. iv. 347.) LETTERS FROM THOMAS HOLME. 23 It is probable there is a mistake in the year of the date of this letter"; but Besse, in mentioning the detention of Thomas Holme and John Brown at Caerwent in 1658, adds, " This Thomas Holme is said to have been the first preacher among the People caUed Quakers in Wales." Thomas Holme, his wife Elizabeth, Alice Birket, Francis Gawler, Edward Edwards, and others were continuously in South Wales up to 1660, and suffered many detentions or imprisonments, and much rough and brutal treatment, in connection with their ministrations there. There is also preserved among the Swarthmore MSS." another letter from Thomas Holme to George Fox which has a more direct reference to Denbighshire : — ... It was vpon vs to giue freinds in wells [Wales] aviset ; and when wee pased out of Chesher, wee gote A meeting in flintsher and anouther in denbjrsher at Katheren Edwards, which J. Jones is to haue. Then wee pased, being moued their to, into mungumerysheir, wheir wee visited the young freinds in prison at welsh powell. We gote ameeting ore two amonge them ; and they wear refreshed their by. They are A hopfuU peopell, & valiant for truth. Then wee pased through radner & breck- nocke sheir. The Utell fue that was in brecl?nockesheir are in prison, about 6. Then wee pased to munmuthsheir. . . . Thomas Holme. from swanzee in the County of glamorgan, the 1 1 day of the 4 month, 1663. The mention in this letter of Catherine Edwards, no doubt of Trevor and Rhuddallt, is very interesting, and so also is the incidental statement, " which J. Jones is to have," which very possibly refers to John ap John. The name would easily assume the English variation of Jones to a person to whom Welsh was entirely unfamUiar ; as it afterwards did upon the engagement or the marriage of his daughter, who is mentioned in the register as Phoebe Jones. In 1659, Francis Gawler, of Cardiff, published A Record of some Persecutions . . . in South Wales, which relates chiefly to the cruelties befalUng Elizabeth Holme, her companion AUce Birket, and the writer, at Swansea, at Shirenewton, at Newport, and afterwards "> This letter was not dated, as to the year, by the writer, but " 1654 " is inserted in the handwriting of George Fox. He may have mistaken the year, as he did occasionally in other documents dated by him. " D. (Swarthmore MSS. iv. 245.) 24 JOHN AP JOHN. at Haverfordwest. The pages of this Record afford addi tional evidence of the privations to which all the early preachers in South Wales were from time to time sub jected. The decease of Thomas Holme occurred in South Wales in 1665. His widow, Elizabeth Holme, removed to Kendal, and survived him many years." For Elizabeth Holme, see F.P.T. 3. Z^t ®e0cmbanf0 of ^o^n ap ^oh* In 1689, the 8th of Third Month, the marriage of the daughter of John ap John, under the name of Phoebe Jones, with John Mellor, of the Whitehough in Stafford shire, was solemnised at the house of Richard Davies, at Rhuddalt. The entry in the Staffordshire Register describes her as Phoebe Jones, daughter of John ap John. To English speaking persons the name ap John, or ap Shon, would almost naturally slide into Jones. The pages of the Registers bear the records of the close of these laborious lives. In 1694, on the 9th of Eleventh Month, Catherine ap John, wife of John, died at Ruddulph (Rhuddallt), and on the 12th was interred at Trevour (Trevor). Whether John and Catherine ap John had removed their residence from their old home at Trevor to the hamlet of Rhuddallt, or were there at the time as visitors only, must be left to conjecture ; but, most probably, soon after the decease of his wife, John ap John removed from Denbighshire to the home of his daughter at Whitehough. The Whitehough'3 is a Manor House, situated in the parish of Ipstones, and near to the town of Leek and the village of Basford. It is now a large farm house, and still bears the name of Whitehough ; but the present build ing is small compared with the house once suitable for the owner of a considerable estate. It must have been a pleasant retreat for John ap John after the loss of his wife. His decease occurred on the i6th of Ninth Month, 1697. No other particular is given in the Register, but further information is conveyed in the following state 's Pronounced Whitehuff. George Fox had a meeting there in 1663. He was there again in 1678, and wrote thence his letter to Friends in. Staffordshire, of that year. 25 26 JOHN AP JOHN. ment from Staffordshire in answer to Queries from the Meeting for Sufferings : — FROM STAFFORDSHIRE. 1698. QUERIES ? Isi Friends Sufferings ? ANSWERS. Contain'd in a paper hereunto Annexed. 2'' Prisoners ? None. S"" Prisoners Released ? None. 4"" Meeting-houses built ? One at Wolverhampton, about this time to be opened. 5'" New Meetings ? Not one. 6thij Publick Friends deceased this year ? Onely (our Antient Friend) John ap John, who died ye sixteenth of y« ninth, 1697, at ye house of his Sone-in-law, Jo° Miller of Whitehough, and buried at Basford. 7""" Schools set up for yo education of Friends Children ? One at Leek, and good Incouragement given.'* That there is no obituary notice in the records of the Meetings of either Robert MeUor, or of John ap John, cannot now be explained. It may be that both of them, from failing health, had been withdrawn from pubUc service for some time, but this reason does not appear to be quite sufficient. There must have been some direct request adverse to it or else there would have been an ex pression of the regard in which they must have been held, and of thankfulness for their devoted service in the cause of Truth, from one or other of the Quarterly Meet ings within which they resided. In 1712, some years after the decease of John ap John, London Yearly Meeting, 's by Minute, requested " Friends of North and South Wales to collect together ¦t This school was continued for several years, until 17 14 at least, the Monthly Meeting contributing a smaU annual grant to the master, Joseph Davison. '5 London Y.M. Minutes, iv. 293, 360. THE MELLOR FAMILY. 27 such Memorials, Books, and manuscripts as they can find, relating to y^ services and sufferings of our Antient and Faithful Friend, John Ap John, and send them up to ye 2d da5rs Morning Meeting." This Minute was con tinued in 1713. It appears in the Minute Book of North Wales Quarterly Meeting, as ordered at the Meeting held at Shrewsbury on the 28th of Eighth Month, 1713, and it also had attention in Montgomeryshire, as evidenced by a Minute made at Dolobran in Twelfth Month, 1713, but there is no record of any reply to the request. John and Phoebe MeUor, at their home at White hough, evidently were, as were their parents on both sides, interested in the work of Friends. John MeUor was frequently appointed a representative to the Quarterly Meeting, the last occasion being to that held at Stafford on the L4th of Fifth Month, 1715. His decease occurred at Whitehough, on the 3rd of First Month, 1717/18, at the age of 66. Phoebe MeUor died on the 22nd of Eighth Month, 1734, aged 69, at Leek where she then resided. The interments were at Basford. John MeUor bequeathed to Leek Meeting a Legacy of £20, " to be disposed of by Friends of that Monthly Meeting to the use of Poor Friends caUed Quakers." The Executors of the wiU were his friend, Hugh Ford, of Leek, and his Wife, Phoebe MeUor. The children of John and Phoebe MeUor were : — Phoebe, bom i68g, nth of Twelfth Month. Elizabeth, bom 1691, 13th of Ninth Month. Katherine, bom 1694, 2nd of Tenth Month. Robert, bom 1697, 13th of Second Month. Hannah, bom 1699, 27th of Twelfth Month. Robert MeUor succeeded his father in the occupa tion of Whitehough. He married Elizabeth Reyiiolds, daughter of John and Sarah Reynolds, and died at Whitehough on the 20th of Eighth Month, 1737, without descendants. He for several years took part in Society business. Phoebe MeUor, Jun., married WiUiam HolUns, of Moss- leigh, in 1714. Elizabeth MeUor married John Alsop, Jun., of Inges- tre, on the 8th of Eighth Month, 1719, at Leek, and died at Horton HaU near Leek in 1726, without descen- 28 JOHN AP JOHN. dants. John Alsop devised his estate to his brother- in-law, John Hough. Catherine Mellor married John Hough, Jun., of Macclesfield, a relative of Thomas and Ellen Hough, of Sutton, in Cheshire. Hannah MeUor died in 1701, scarcely two years old. HortonHaU is an EUzabethan house bmlt by members of a family of the name of Edge. From this family it passed into the possession of the Alsop family, and after wards, from the marriage of Elizabeth Hough (the daughter of John and Catherine Hough), and Henry Fowler of Stafford, it became the property of their descendants, who are now the only representatives of the Mellors. The Whitehough has also become their property. The family of HoUynes or HoUins had long been the owners of Mossley, or Mosslee, or Mossleigh, a large estate contiguous to Leek. Unlike the families of Alsop and of Hough, it had little connection with Friends. Phoebe HoUins, the only daughter and heiress of William HoUins and Phoebe Mellor, Jun., was born "Oct"^. y* ffourth, in 5^ aft", 1716," in the parish of Ipstones. She married, in 1742, Sir Brooke Boothby of Ashbourne Hall, the fifth Baronet, and died the 5th May, 1788. " Their Son, Sir Brooke Boothby, the sixth Baronet, married Susannah, the daughter and heiress of Robert Bristowe ; and their only child was Penelope Boothby, who died, 1791, Oct. 6, to whose memory was dedicated the exquisite monument in Ashbourne Church," and whose pensive features are so well known in the engravings by S. Cousins after the portrait of her by Sir Joshua Reynolds. ZU ^eare^ (meeting fotr (XOafe0.'* In 1681, Richard Davies obtained the concurrence of London Yearly Meeting to the holding of a Yearly Meeting for Wales at a time to be settled at the Half-yeariy Meeting to be held at Swansea. Richard Davies reported the decision to John ap John, as though he were largely interested in it. Thomas Ellis, who was present at Swansea, wrote in teply to Richard Davies with reference to it. He says. Although I was disappointed in my expectation of seeing thee here at this half year's Meeting, yet thy letter to John ap John, coming so seasonably, did so answer for thee that it was both joy and refreshment to many of us. We had a full meeting of Friends from most parts of Wales; many having come upon the account of the Yearly Meeting, which was concluded to be at Haverfordwest the second day of the week called Easter week for the following year [1682.] Here were E. Edwards, John ap John, W. Players, Francis Lea, Philip Leonard and Richard Walter, who had Testimonies ; and many other Friends besides from other remote parts, all zealous for the Yearly Meeting. We had meetings here the three last days. This Meeting was the first of a series of Yearly Meetings held annually in one or other of the towns in Central Wales and Shropshire, continuing for two or three days, down to the year 1797, and at one time large attended by Ministers and other Friends. It is difficult now to realise how numerous were the Minis ters who, either pretty constantly, or at intervals, felt ¦^ This was the first of the series of annual meetings for worship and religious instruction, which circulated within certain districts of Great Britain, down to about the close of the eighteenth century. They were frequently denominated " Circular Yearly Meetings." They had no legis lative powers. An historical survey of the Yearly Meeting for Wales, from the pen of Frederick J. Gibbins of Neath, together with a complete list of the places where the meetings were held, may be found in The Friend (Lond.), vol. 10 (1870). 30 JOHN AP JOHN. it to be their duty to give themselves up to visiting settled Meetings or to holding meetings in country towns and villages ; nor indeed to realise the fatigues, incon veniences, and difficulties which were involved in these journeys, undertaken chiefly on horseback — and only in quite recent times in private vehicles. The Minute or Register Book " of the Yearly Meeting in Wales," still in existence, commences with records going back nearly to the Half-Yearly Meeting held in 1681 at Swansea. Its introduction is this : — Here beginneth an account of the Yearly Meetings in Wales, and as many as we could find of y Epistles thereto appertaining. Note. That y" first Yearly Meets for Wales was kept at Dolgyn, at the house of ElUs Morris, near Dolgelly, in Merionethshire on y' 7"" of ye jrd j{q_ in ye year 1683 — ^where there was a great and glorious Meeting attended with God's Heavenly power and presence. And Friends out of most Counties of Wales and divers Ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ present, and divers worthy and precious testimonies given forth and declared for y* edification and comfort of y followers of the Lamb and true Believers in Jesus Christ. And then likewise true and serious con siderations and care was taken of Friends' conditions and Sufferings throughout the whole dominion of Wales, &c. And divers good Epistles written on the Meeting's behalf, one to the Yearly Meeting att London, and another to Friends att Pennsylvania, &c., &c. Note. A Meeting was kept at Redstone'' in Pembrokeshire on y« jth of 2nd Uo, 1682, wh. was presumed to be an Yearly Meeting for Wales. It was laid before the Meeting conceming the good service of trans lating some Friends' Books into Welsh : and upon consideration it is desired that Thomas EUis take care to acquaint thereof the quarterly Meets of North Wales. The Yearly Meeting in 1683 was directed to be held at Dolgyn in Merionethshire, and in 1684 at Haverford west. At the latter, William Humphreys, of Llanegryn in Merionethshire, undertook to record all Sufferings, etc., in Wales, in a book to be provided for that purpose, a copy thereof to be sent to the Yearly Meeting in London ; and it was referred to the next Yearly Meeting to take care to satisfy WiUiam Humphreys for his pains. The Friends then present were chiefly from Pembrokeshire and Haverfordwest. In 1685, the Meeting was held at Garthgynvor, near DolgeUy, and representatives were present from aU of ¦? Near Narberth. YEARLY MEETING FOR WALES. 31 the Welsh counties except Anglesey. Charles Lloyd and Richard Davies came from Montgomeryshire. Roger ap John, John ap John, and Richard Davies were there from Denbighshire. In 1688, two representatives were appointed to the Yearly Meeting in London. They were Richard Davies for North Wales and James Lewis for South Wales. Two years later the Meeting directed a payment of 40s. to be made to each of the representatives to London towards necessary expenses. Evidently the difficulty of obtaining one or more representatives from each county made itself felt, and the position was frequently taken by the same Friend. John ap John attended at the house of William Awberry, in Brecknockshire, in 1689, and at the house of Lewis Owen, at Garthgynvor, near Dolgelly, in 1692. In 1692/3, on the i8th of First Month, the Meeting was held at his own house at Coed Epionaidd in Denbigh shire, with a large attendance of Denbighshire, Mont gomeryshire, and Merionethshire Friends. In 1695, John ap John and TryaU Rider, from Denbighshire, attended the Meeting held at Tregaron in Radnorshire. The Meeting in 1697 was held at the house of Robert Evans, Mayor of Llanidloes. On the Denbighshire business, Richard Davies and TryaU Ryder were desired to assist and encourage the midweek meet ings at RhuddaUt and Wrexham. The Meeting was held on the 6th and 7th days of the Twelfth Month, and the decease of the venerable John ap John, took place on the i6th of the previous Ninth Month. No reference to this «vent, however, nor to the grounds for the assistance needed by tbe Meetings at Rhuddallt and Wrexham, appears in the record. At the Meeting held at Llanidloes in 1699, the decease of Charies Lloyd, the elder, of Dolobran, is mentioned as having occurred since the last Yeariy Meeting, and directions given " that it should be recorded where it is meet." In 1703, the subject of the Burial Ground and Meeting House at RhuddaUt claimed attention. Richard Davies, of Rhuddallt, was interested in the land, and the Meeting House, apparently, was provided by John ap John. 32 JOHN AP JOHN. " Our friend, WiUiam FaUowfield, is desired to speak to John MeUard about it, to settle the roome for a Burying place, and that if he sees any inconveniency in it he would be pleased to contribute about another place." In 1708, the decease of " Our Ancient Friend, Richard Davies, of Cloddiau Cochion, on y« 22"^ of i Mo., 1707/8," is briefly recorded. (^ieite of (^iStiam ^bmonb0on to (JE)afe0. William Edmondson came from Ireland to Holyhead early in 1697 with Roger Roberts, George Rooke, and John Barcoft. After remaining two days and being met by David Jones, they went to Dolgelly, to the house of Lewis Owen, and then to Dolobran, to the house of Charles Lloyd. In company with several Friends, they attended the Yearly Meeting at Llanidloes, which lasted two days, " for the worship of God and Church affairs." Thence William Edmondson went into Radnorshire and Herefordshire, and returned home. In 1701, 1702, and 1703 he was in Cheshire and North Wales, but apparently on no occasion at Wrexham. (^ieite of Z^omae ^tot^ to (P?afe0. Thomas Story briefly notes in his Journal the places and the persons whom he visited in his several journeys. In 1693, in company with his much esteemed friend, Thomas Wilson, of Cumberland, who was "to me the most able and powerful minister of the word of Life in the age," he was at Worcester, and went on by Bewdley, Stourbridge, New Inn, and Newport, to Coppull and Chester. In 1698, he went from London by Nantwich and Chester, to Aberconway, meeting " with a great shower of Snow, high wind, and loud thunder," of which the inconvenience was soon forgotten " on reaching Conway and joining Wm. Penn and John Everot." In 1717, after his return from his residence in Pennsylvania, he was again at Chester and went thence to the Yearly Meeting at Bristol.'^ He traveUed to Wrexham in company with '*See note 16. THE PAN'T. iSeep.js) In the parish of Llanfihani^cl-Ysteni-LIewern. Reproduced from The History of MonmoulhsUre. by permission of the author. The black and white timber-framed portion on the right is the most ancient part ot the building. That on the left is of small red bricks, built apparently m the early part of the 17th century. The door on the left is to the cellar, and above this is the room in which the Friends met. A SETTLEMENT OF QUAKERS. 33 Sarah Lloyd, the wife of Charles Lloyd, of Dolobran, and her son and daughter. He lodged with his friend, John James, who received him kindly. He had a meeting there, smaU for want of due notice, " and many things opened fuU and large and the People were much satisfied.'' They went on to Dolobran, being twenty-four mUes, the next day ; and after a stay of three or four days Charles Lloyd accompanied him to Montgomery and to Llanidloes. In several subsequent years Thomas Story was at Shrews bury and at Chester on the occasion of the Yearly Meet ings, and in 1735 again at Wrexham. "I had a smaU, open, and free meeting at Wrexham, and that evening went to Ruabon lodging at Jacob Littlemore's." Z^c ^