NICHOLSON, WILLIAM (1844 - 1885), Independent minister

Name: William Nicholson
Date of birth: 1844
Date of death: 1885
Child: William John Nicholson
Gender: Male
Occupation: Independent minister
Area of activity: Religion
Author: Richard Griffith Owen

Born at Holyhead in April 1844. He was educated by his minister, William Griffith (1801 - 1881). In due course, he went to the Normal College, Bangor, to be trained as a school teacher. In 1862, at the end of his course, he became a teacher at Llwydcoed, Aberdare, and began to preach in Horeb chapel. He then moved to Llanengan school in the Llŷn peninsula, received a call to take charge of the Rhos-lan and Llanystymdwy churches, and was ordained, 20 August 1867. He stayed there some two years and then moved to Treflys church, Bethesda. In 1872 he received a call from the celebrated Groes-wen church, Glamorganshire, where he remained until 1876 when he succeeded Gwilym Hiraethog (William Rees) at Grove Street, Liverpool. Here he died, July 1885, at the age of 41, he was buried in Toxteth Park cemetery. Although he only spent eighteen years in the ministry, the freshness of his genius made him one of the most popular preachers in his denomination. ' One rarely heard a preacher with a greater gift for sustaining the interest of his congregation,' says Dr. John Thomas. The prominent part he played in the ' battle of the constitutions ' (see under M. D. Jones) displeased several people in the church; they left and started another church at Kensington in 1878. Nicholson was an excellent writer and poet. In 1381 he published Cennad Hedd, a monthly circulating principally among the Independents, which he continued to edit until his death. In 1876 he published a book entitled Y Dyferion, comprising extracts from his sermons and a number of englynion, cywyddau, and other poems.

Author

Published date: 1959

Article Copyright: http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/

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