Radnorshire Quakers and

The Great Revival of 1904

Martin Williams

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2
 Radnorshire Quakers and the Welsh Revival of 1904

2004 sees the centenary of one of the most remarkable events in 20th century
Welsh history: the Great Revival of 1904. I hope in this talk to say something
about the Revival itself, and its social consequences. I shall then turn my
attention to the antecedents of the Revival, in particular, the considerable role
played by Quakers from Llandrindod Wells in providing the catalyst, as it were,
for this phenomenon, and then something of the local reaction to it.

At the outset, though, let me declare a personal interest. My grandfather on my

mother's side (Sidney George Reeves Hamblin) was intensely involved in the
1904 Revival - it completely changed his life. He used to talk about it - how I now
wish I had listened more attentively! - describing it as a "mystical" experience,
and a period when he, and countless others, were "out of time". He lived in
Rhiwbina near Cardiff at the time, and was studying to become a solicitor. As a
result of the Revival, he became a life-long preacher (his denominational
allegiance settled on Wesleyanism), a pacifist and a Conscientious Objector in
the First World War, and a passionate student of the Bible (he always preferred
the J.B. Phillips translation). I would like to dedicate this talk and paper to him.

What Was It?

Wales has been called "The Land of Revivals". Certainly, it has been no stranger
to them: Karen Lowe, possibly pedantically, records no
less than 16 between 1620 and 1879, with 1904 as the
17th; and probably largest, on a par with one in 1859.
(Lowe, "Carriers of the Fire", 2004). Mid Wales certainly
experienced the previous revival in 1879, as evidenced
by the work of Quaker missionary and teacher Yardley
Warner at the Pales. The Warners were inspired to set
up tent meetings at Penybont, which led directly to a re-
vitalising of the Pales Meeting, then at a low ebb, as
well as Monthly Meeting itself - more on the Warner's
role later.

But 1904 was the "Great" Revival. Over 100,000 people

were added to church and chapel registers, increasing
the percentage of the population associated with
specific churches or chapels to over 50%.
Contemporary accounts tell a story that nowadays
seems hard to credit, in terms of change of lifestyle for
tens of thousands of people, of all walks of life. So how did this
Yardley Warner
all come about?

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Most accounts of the Revival begin with Evan Roberts. A highly charismatic ex-
miner, he was from an early age an idealistic youth. From early 'teens, he
became increasingly involved with Chapel life - he was a Calvinistic Methodist -
and eventually - despite lack of "book learning" - he decided to enter the ministry.
His home patch was Moriah Chapel, Loughor, near Swansea. Greatly influenced
by a variety of preachers in 1903 and 1904 who were convinced that another
Revival was imminent, there was something unique
in his preaching style that caught the imagination of
his congregation - especially the young. He spoke
almost exclusively in Welsh, but was not a "fluent"
speaker; slow, almost reluctant, he often
emphasised that he did not know what he was
about to say - a point that caused some controversy
but which endeared him to Quakers, with our
emphasis on spontaneity and guidance by the Spirit.

So, the autumn of 1904 saw a sudden, dramatic rise

in enthusiasm for his preaching. This was greatly
strengthened by his association with a group of passionately devout young
women from a nearby chapel: the combination was a stunning one, though not
without its shocking aspects. Chapel meetings rapidly became all-night affairs,
and soon attracted media attention. The Western Mail, especially, quickly picked
up on the phenomenon (first
reporting it on 10th November
1904) and undoubtedly assisted
in the spread of the movement.
Roberts was soon in great
demand - at his peak, he was
delivering forty sermons a week -
and the Revival spread rapidly
from its rural South Wales
origins, across Wales, affecting
the rest of Britain and many other
parts of the world. Roberts
himself, however, did not travel that widely - he never preached in Cardiff, for
instance - though numerous other preachers rapidly joined the throng. Reputedly,
his last ever Revival meeting was in Anglesey, though his last public appearance
was, as we shall see, here in Llandrindod Wells.

In considering this revival, we should bear in mind the national context: the
aftermath of a deeply unpopular Boer War, with Britain cast as the villain,
occupying a foreign country for thinly-veiled economic reasons - hmmm!!! - but
an air of economic and technological optimism, even supremacy; an imminent
General Election which would see the Liberals change the face of British politics
and social life for ever - not least thanks to Welshman Lloyd George, a follower of

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Evan Roberts - and not forgetting the imperialist paranoia that led eventually to
the First World War.

Was it a newspaper revival? As Vietnam was the first televised war, the 1904
Revival was the first mass-media covered revival - the Western Mail is still one of
the principal sources for first-hand reporting of the event, and its role was
undoubtedly significant and probably extended the duration of the revival - more
than eighteen months, far longer than most.

However, it was also a musical revival (as had

been predicted.) This reflects a coming together of
many features: the natural Welsh tendency for part
singing, (noted as long ago as the 12th century by
Geraldus Cambrensis), the rise of bonded groups
of men through mining, the publication of "Ieuan
Gwyllts” tune-book, the Eisteddfod, the wider
availability of harmoniums and affordable organs -
and the presence of undoubtedly stunning female
singers. This aspect of the revival was particularly
noted by Francis Younghusband, the British army
hero who had "taken" Tibet, and whose lifelong
devotion to things mystical fired his interest in the
Revival. He wrote:

"a special characteristic of these meetings was the moving effect of the
singing. A small band of young women singers joined Evan Roberts and
were marvelously effective in melting and elevating a meeting. With their
Welsh talent and beautiful voices they would sing the Welsh hymns with
the most thrilling pathos. Instinctively they would choose some hymn
which exactly, by its words and music, expressed the mood of the
moment, and then render it with telling effect.

Chief of these singers was Annie Davies. She was eighteen years of age,
with a strong, intensely spiritual, Madonna-like face, with the voice of a
nightingale, and with religious fervour at
white-heat within her. From the singing of
Annie Davies there flowed an untellable
charm. For besides the beauty in her singing
there was also deep and pure and
passionate love for any and every human
soul and a yearning that he, too, might know
the joys that she had known and attain the
peace that now was hers.

All this it was that came out of her singing.

And her exquisite voice was used for no

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 other purpose than that it might reach the souls of others and thrill them
with divinest joy. For my own part, I have never been so moved by any
singer. The finest opera singers or the best singers in cathedral choirs—
even the singers in the Salzburg Cathedral Festival—have left me cold in
comparison with the singing of Annie Davies at one of these meetings in
Wales, when with “unpremeditated art” and on the urge and inspiration of
the moment she burst forth into some hymn of supplication or
thanksgiving. There, one instantly felt, was a sweet and pure and beautiful
soul yearning to draw one up with her to the loftiest height she could reach
with her song; and all one’s soul went out to her. The greatest artist in
song could do no more. " Francis Younghusband.

Even so, Evans himself would sometimes over-ride the spontaneous singing of
hymns. Revival meetings had no pre-ordained structure; hymns would start when
someone began singing one. But Roberts understood the power of silence, as
well as that of music and speech, and on many recorded instances silenced such
musical initiatives, plunging the meeting back into profound, prayerful silence -
again, a feature that endeared him to Quakers.

Another phenomenon that distinguishes this revival was the profile of the
participants: it was very much a young person's movement, and to a significant
extent, a female movement. Roberts himself was 26, Annie Davies, 18, Annie
May-Rees only 15, most activists in their early twenties or less. "Women
preaching" has been an issue, since the time of St. Paul at least! - here it came
to the fore, not without raised eyebrows and the disapproval of many a chapel
elder. But then, just look at the effects.

The Social Impact of the Revival

It is perhaps the social correlates, rather than the chapel experiences, that strike
us most today. Contemporary accounts speak of chapels being full to overflowing
every night, with services often lasting into the early hours. Shops and
businesses had to give extra time, often at the middle of the day, for prayer
meetings. The effects on "dens of iniquity" were especially
profound: pubs were emptied and many had to close for lack
of trade. Music Halls also suffered, and most bizarrely, at least
one Police Force formally disbanded - asserting a total lack of
crime - and reformed themselves as a choir! Another account
tells of how pit ponies - accustomed to being driven by violent
cursing and swearing - became almost motionless in the face
of new-found compassion and gentle speech.

As a contemporary newspaper account tells it:

"One night so great was the enthusiasm invoked by the young revivalist
that after a sermon lasting two hours the vast congregation remained

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 praying and singing until half-past two o’clock next morning. Shopkeepers
are closing earlier in order to get a place in the chapel, and tin and steel
workers throng the place in their working clothes. The only theme of
conversation among all classes and sects is “Evan Roberts.” Even the
taprooms of the public-houses are given over to discussion on the origin of
the powers possessed by him. "

Or another:

"During my visit to Loughor I found that the “revival” was on everyone’s

tongue, Colliers and tinplaters, shopkeepers and merchants—in fact, all
classes of the community are to be found among the auditors of this fervid
young enthusiast, who declares that the message which he brings to the
people is that which is revealed to him by the Holy Spirit. At the close of
the remarkable service which is described below I had a short interview
with Mr. Roberts. This was at the unearthly hour of 4.30 a.m., after I had
gone through a unique seven hours’ experience." (Western Mail,
November 11, 1904)

By the following year, however, things were even more remarkable:

"Truly God has visited His people in Wales. It is not a question of one
town being awakened, but of the whole Principality being on fire.
Profanity silenced, public-houses deserted, theatres closed, betting books
burned, football teams disbanded, police courts idle, family feuds
pacified, old-standing debts paid, sectarianism and ecclesiasticism
submerged, the family altar re-erected, and Bible study become a passion
("God hath Visited His People" in "Bright Words for Pilgrims
Heavenwards", 1905)

Finally:

"The bars were not the only places to be emptied. Dance halls, theatres
and football matches all saw a dramatic decline in attendance. The courts
and jails were deserted and the police found themselves without any work
to do. Policemen closed their stations and formed choirs to sing at the
Revival meetings. A new unity of purpose was felt across the
denominational divides."
Robi Brad, "Bending the Church to Save the World: The Welsh Revival of
1904".

Lloyd George, soon to be swept to the heights of

reforming power and passion, was a great supporter
of the Welsh Revival and was considerably inspired
by it. He wrote:

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Lloyd George
 “The most important thing to urge in connection with it is that the religious
leaders of Wales should see, in time, that the great forces which have
been aroused into activity should not be wasted in mere outburst of
emotion. Let them in time overhaul their denominational machinery, and
adapt it to the new and greater demand upon its resources which has
been created by this remarkable upheaval, which seems to be rocking
Welsh life like an earthquake.”

Roberts after the Revival - Reaction and Collapse

Nothing lasts for ever, however, and Roberts took the inevitable decline of the
Revival badly. Heedless of the warnings, coming from all quarters, that such an
expanded state of spiritual awareness, or Being generally, could not last, Roberts
seems to have been devastated by the unavoidable bursting - or at least,
deflation - of the bubble. It seems from Press accounts to have been more the
latter, but Roberts' reaction was negative, depressive and reclusive.

His last public appearance of the Revival was at the Llandrindod Wells Keswick
Conference of 1906, directly after which he was spirited away by the Penn-Lewis'
to Leicester. Mrs. Penn-Lewis, in particular, a key figure in the Revival and one of
its most eloquent and readable recorders, had become increasingly important in
his life; according to some accounts, she kept Roberts a virtual imprisoned
recluse in Leicester, estranged from his direct family. Mrs Penn-Lewis is still a
controversial figure in the Revival Movement; some have attributed its ultimate
demise to her, which seems harsh. She was a guest of the Quakers at a meeting
during the Keswick Convention of 1906 and was one of the prime movers behind
establishing the first Welsh Keswick Conference in 1903 - more of that later. Her
view of what was actually happening during revival meetings seems to accord
essentially with the Quaker view (despite being the daughter of a Calvinistic
Methodist).

Despite dropping from public view in Wales - and the Revival effectively ceased
as a result - the Western Mail stayed on the plot, for many years, despatching its
top sleuth "Awstin" in 1913 (the same reporter who had experienced Roberts'
power in 1904) to Leicester to track him down. After much struggle, he secured
an interview, which found him in sound mind but largely uncommunicative. In the
early 1920's he moved to Brighton for a few years. He returned briefly to his
native Loughor in the late '20s before settling in Cardiff, where he retired from
public gaze though still in contact with many revivalists, and still writing poetry
(most of it still unpublished), for the rest of his days. Roberts died in 1951, aged
72, unmarried.

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The Antecedents to the Revival, particularly in Mid Wales

So what lay behind this revival? Why did it happen then, in the way it did? It is
impossible to give a complete answer, of course, but one vitally important
contributing factor was undoubtedly the Keswick Conference held in Llandrindod
in 1903 - it is to this that I should like now to turn.

The Keswick Conferences have been an important aspect of evangelical

Christianity in Britain and across the world. The first was held - at Keswick,
naturally - in 1875. There was one in
Llandrindod earlier this month
(August 2004). The conferences are
week-long, typically feature powerful
evangelical speakers, and stress
what has been called a "crisis"
approach to Christianity: the idea
that salvation comes about through
realising a personal crisis in one's
life, a sudden metanoia, rather than
a continuous process of slow spiritual growth. That such an approach should be
linked with revivalism is scarcely surprising.

What, perhaps, is more surprising is that it should be linked with Quakerism; or

maybe that remark simply reflects current assumptions about Quakerism, in early
21st century Britain. At any rate, two facts are clear: Llandrindod Quakers were
significantly responsible for bringing the Keswick Conference to Wales for the
first time, in 1903 (along with Jesse Penn-Lewis), and that conference itself
sowed the seeds that blossomed into the 1904 revival.

Two Llandrindod names are associated particularly with

the 1903 event: Hercules Phillips and John Owen
Jenkins. Both were Quakers of the evangelical
persuasion and were recorded ministers (a common
Quaker practice of the time which was abolished at the
Quaker Yearly Meeting in 1924, held, coincidently, at
Llandrindod Wells.) John Owen Jenkins, who was one
of the first pupils at the Pales School in the 1860's, was
himself "convinced" via Quaker revival meetings in
Penybont in 1879, conducted by Yardley Warner.
Phillips too was greatly influenced by Yardley Warner,
Hercules Phillips describing him as "A Quaker Saint" and worthy of
comparison with John Woolman (The Wayfarer, March
1942).

John Hayward, in a fascinating article states:

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 "1903 - The First Keswick in Wales at Llandrindod – brought into being by
Jessie Penn-Lewis, Rev J. Rhys Davies and local minister HD Phillips.
Someone returning from the convention said this was the moment to
awaken prayer for Wales, and that a revival would soon be witnessed."
(John Hayward, "Timeline of the Background to 1904-5 Welsh Revival")

He goes on to note that several of the principal characters of the Revival (though
not Evan Roberts himself) were present at the Conference and greatly affected
by it.

In a history of Keswick Conferences in Wales, Geoffrey Fewkes and Oswald

Penry note the role of John Owen Jenkins.

"At the 1902 Convention (Rev. Rhys) Davies is quoted as saying, "This
convention has to go to Llandrindod next year, and in August, for all Wales
is represented at Llandrindod in August. Ministers, teachers and deacons
will be there".

Llandrindod Wells, a spa town, was the holiday center of Wales at that
time. Being at Llandrindod was the quickest way to reach the largest
number at one time. Literally, it was from the heart of the country to the
heart of the nation.

More local to Llandrindod were J O Jenkins of

Llwynmelyn, Penybont who invited the Anglican
revivalist Haslam to hold "Keswick type" meetings, A E
Morgan who became secretary from 1903 until ...
retirement in 1921 and Rev H D Phillips (sic) who acted
as the local secretary." (Geoffrey Fewkes and Oswald
Penry, "Keswick in Wales")

The influence of this first Welsh Keswick Conference was

immense. As R.B. Jones, another key preacher in the revival
notes: John Owen Jenkins

"That (the 1903) Convention had a vital connection with the Revival is
certain, as the story which is here being told will, in part, show: Keswick
had not a little to do with the birth of the Revival...... the influence of
“Keswick”, especially via Llandrindod Wells, is distinctly traceable in the
origins of the Revival." R.B. Jones, Rent Heavens, 1950

"Keswick-style" conferences were started in Cardiganshire shortly after, with a

strong "youth" emphasis. Rev. Rhys Davies and Rev. Seth Joshua - both
attenders at the 1903 Conference - held numerous "missions" that, as Roberts
conceded, paved the way for his own ministry, which was getting into full swing
by Summer 1904.

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As if acknowledging his own indebtedness to Keswick, Evan Roberts visited the
Conference in 1905 and again
in 1906, as ever in Llandrindod.
Interestingly, Mrs. Penn-Lewis
herself addressed a Quaker
Meeting at the 1905
Conference, at the same time
as Roberts was addressing a
crowd elsewhere in
Llandrindod. She spoke on
"Christ as our High Priest" (a
bizarrely un-Quakerly phrase,
subsequently picked up and
used by Hercules Phillips). She clearly Evan Roberts in Llandrindod Wells, with
made an impact at the "crowded" Lloyd George
meeting, as an anonymous write-up
(probably by Hercules) in The Friend notes:

"The address was of a most solemn and heart-tendering

character, and some five or six persons decided for Christ at
the close. Subsequently, for over an hour, Mrs. Penn-Lewis
conducted a kind of impromptu conference on the soul-life.
Many freely stated their difficulties as to guidance, questions
of will, evil thoughts, service and so forth, and valuable help
was given." (The Friend, 1/9/1905, p.572)

The Friend also covered Roberts' contribution to the

Jessie Penn-Lewis Conference, dwelling on his similarity to Quakers. The
article (again anonymous but quite probably from
Hercules, a very regular contributor to The Friend) declares:

"Evan Roberts combines the qualifications of a true Quaker minister with

the true Quaker elder. He exercises prompt oversight of the meeting,
excrescences being checked as they become evident, especially if the
meeting inappropriately commences to sing when he feels it ought to have
a time of silence, or a time of testing, or a prayer. It is refreshing to find a
man who refuses to let a meeting be injured by untimely and indiscreet
expression. In the meetings of Friends, extreme individualism may
become a real stumbling-block to others if not kept under control; and if
self is not subdued under the power of the Spirit, eldership is a genuine
kindness rather than that the flow of a whole meeting should be
disordered by abuse of liberty." (The Friend, 24th August, 1906)

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Ironically, the 1906 Conference was his last public appearance for many years,
as he was by this time burned out - recall the forty sermons a week!. It was
immediately after Llandrindod in 1906 that Mrs. Penn-Lewis took him into a
reclusive retirement in Leicester.

Local Reactions to the Revival

The Revival was "good" for almost all denominations, and most became involved
to a greater or lesser extent. Some Friends, however, seem almost to have
resented the Revival, or at least felt that others had upstaged them. An account
in The Friend in December 1904 quotes a Llandrindod Quaker with experience of
the Revival in the Swansea area (probably Benjamin Elsmere) as saying:

"I felt so grieved that this revelation of the truth having been so made to
our fore-fathers, and they having had such wonderful times in the bringing
of us as a people into existence, we should have been unfaithful to the
trust reposed in us by God. I grieved that now, instead of our young men
and women dedicating themselves to the Lord and His service, He should
have to call this miner, who knew nothing about Friends, to see the truth
as it had been shown us." (The Friend, 30th December 1904, p.864.)

Here in Radnorshire, the figures of John Owen Jenkins and Hercules Phillips
feature prominently. Once again, we see
the "tent meetings", at Penybont and
elsewhere, and prodigiously long
sermons. There is one account of a five-
hour sermon by Jenkins at Cregrina, for
instance. Numbers swelled - one monthly
meeting noted forty new applications for
membership, thirty-eight being from the
Pales.

Such enthusiasm is of course not

sustainable; the impending First World
Revival Meeting at Cregrina
War took a heavy toll on Quaker numbers
and on chapel attendance generally.
There has never been another revival in Wales on anything remotely like the
same scale.

So, is Wales still "the Land of Revivals"? What would a "Revival" look like today?
Evangelical Christianity is not currently the province of Quakers, at least, not in
Britain - so perhaps we are not best suited to answer the question. It is worth
recalling, however, the continuing Quaker legacy, even in the UK (Quakerism
world-wide tends to be far more evangelical than its British counter-part). The
current Quaker "New Foundation", for instance, which is christocentric, Bible-
based and looks directly to Fox for its inspiration, was founded by Joseph

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Pickvance, who became a Quaker in - guess where - Llandrindod Wells, citing
Hercules Phillips as his main personal inspiration.

I should like to end by quoting a letter from Henry Stanley Newman, then editor
of The Friend, to John Owen Jenkins, during the Revival, which I feel contains
sentiments that truly transcend the limitations of time or place, denomination or
outlook:

I was right glad of your message to our Quarterly Meeting, especially was
I glad that you were throwing yourself again into revival work, and enjoying
the reality of the wonderful work of God’s Holy Spirit. Bring this home with
you that the dry bones may live again and that the flame may be re-
kindled again in very many hearts in Radnorshire. Not only is salvation
free, but the work of the Spirit is free and not bound to the apron-strings of
any sect. He is a Free Spirit, to work without respect of persons or names
or denominations, just as much among us as anywhere else. Get low and
keep low, and He will fill the Soul. But we must yield ourselves up to be
filled, and must hold nothing back.

In much brotherly fellowship with yourself and your wife,

Your loving Friend,

Henry Stanley Newman

Martin Williams
August 2004

This paper was first delivered as a talk during the Victorian Festival in
Llandrindod Wells, 23/8/04.

Bibliography

Most important original sources can be found on the comprehensive "Welsh

Revival Library" CD-ROM, from Revival Library, King's Centre, High St., Bishop's
Waltham SO32 1AA, 01489 894734.

Adams, Kevin A Diary of Revival. 2004, CWR.

Evans, Eifion The Welsh Revival of 1904. 1969.
Jones, R.B. Rent Heavens. 1950, Stanley Martins
Lowe, Karen Carriers of the Fire. 2004, Shedhead Productions
Penn-Lewis
Phillips, D.M. Evan Roberts: The Great Welsh Revivalist and his Work.
1906, Marshall Bros.

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The Friend Various dates. Complete back copies of The Friend can be
found at Friends House Library, London and Woodbrooke ,
Birmingham.

Websites

Much of the original material, where published, is now out of copyright and hence
available via the web. The following websites are particularly useful

www.revival-library.org Definitely the web starting point. These are also worth
viewing:

www.welshrevival.com
www.1904-revival.com
www.welshrevival.org
www.keswickinwales.org.uk

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