John Williams (1626 or 1927 – 28 March 1673) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

nonconformist preacher and doctor. He was said to be the first to introduce non-conformism to his home county of

Caernarfonshire Caernarfonshire (; , ), previously spelled Caernarvonshire or Carnarvonshire, was one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was located in the north-west of Wales. Geography The county ...

, and it was also said that he could be heard when he was preaching for a distance of a quarter of a mile.

Life

Williams was born on the

Llŷn peninsula The Llŷn Peninsula ( or , ) is a peninsula in Gwynedd, Wales, with an area of about , and a population of at least 20,000. It extends into the Irish Sea, and its southern coast is the northern boundary of the Tremadog Bay inlet of Cardigan Ba ...

, in the parish of

Llanbedrog Llanbedrog is a village and community on the Llŷn peninsula of Gwynedd in Wales. It is situated on the south side of the peninsula on the A499 between Pwllheli and Abersoch. Formerly in the county of Caernarfonshire, it had a population of ...

, north-west

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. His father (a member of the minor

gentry Gentry (from Old French , from ) are "well-born, genteel and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past. ''Gentry'', in its widest connotation, refers to people of good social position connected to Landed property, landed es ...

) was William Jones, with Williams obtaining a

patronymic A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (more specifically an avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. It is the male equivalent of a matronymic. Patronymics are used, b ...

surname according to Welsh practice at that time. At the age of 20, in 1647, he

matriculated 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 ...

Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship ...

, and studied medicine. Thereafter, his movements until 1662 are uncertain: whilst it is known that he was a

Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...

and took up preaching, the possibility that he was the "John Williams" who was the vicar of Llanbeblig from 1651 cannot be verified on the surviving information. Historians, however, differ on whether Williams was a chaplain in the army during some of this period. Williams figured in a history of the

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

revival in Wales, published in 1820 and based upon oral testimony. He was said to be the first preacher to introduce non-conformity to Caernarfonshire, and it was also said that he could be heard preaching for a distance of a quarter of a mile. In 1662, he was arrested for his preaching in Caernarfonshire, leaving for London after his release, where he became the chaplain of a Puritan noble in

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

. In the following year, he was accused of writing a treasonable letter (which spoke of the sufferings of the non-conformists and hoped that God would arm those fearing him, which was perhaps intended metaphorically rather than literally) and a warrant was issued in Caernarfonshire for his arrest. He gave himself up to the authorities in London, and was acquitted after spending 10 weeks in prison. He then returned to Caernarfonshire and worked as a physician, with his house being registered as a non-conformist meeting-house in 1672. Henry Maurice rebuked him twice in 1672 for not preaching enough and "neglecting the work of the Lord", but Williams defended himself. He died on 28 March 1673, and was buried in

Llangian Llangian () is a small village and former civil parish on the Llŷn Peninsula in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. It is located north west of Abersoch, in the community of Llanengan. The parish was abolished in 1934 and divided between Llanengan ...

, with his tombstone referring in its Latin epigraph to his dual role as minister and doctor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, John 1620s births 1673 deaths Welsh Protestant ministers and clergy 17th-century Welsh medical doctors Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford 17th-century Christian clergy People from Llanbedrog