Dafi Davies, of Ffrydiau Gwynion

As you leave Penboyr Church and look to your left towards Rhos Llangeler and Seiloh Church and Chapel, you can see the small farm of Ffrydiau Gwynion down in the hollow, near the source of the River Bargod.

Many years ago, S4C broadcast a series called DIHIROD DYFED, or “The Villains of Dyfed”. One programme told the story of the murder of ESTHER DAVIES, wife of John Davies of Blaenduad. Their farmhouse stood not far from the Garreg Hir, on the road between Rhos Llangeler and Pencader, high in the countryside above Cwmduad. Esther, who came from Gwastod, Llangeler, had gone to work as a maid at Ffrydiau Gwynion. She was an attractive young woman of 18, hardworking and a faithful member of Saron Chapel. The two brothers at Ffrydiau Gwynion, Dafi and John, both took a keen interest in her. In time, John married Esther, and they moved to farm at Blaenduad.

On the wild, wet and windy night of Thursday 4 November 1869, someone fired through the window of the dairy at Blaenduad, killing Esther.

To cut a long story short, the other brother, Dafi Davies of Ffrydiau Gwynion, was accused of her murder. However, after the court proceedings, it could not be proved that he had fired the shot, and he was acquitted. No one else was charged.
Esther is buried in Llangeler churchyard. The full story appears in J. Towyn Jones’s book "Ar Lwybr Llofrudd", in which Towyn writes: “We cannot help believing that the murderer’s remains lie in this burial ground”—meaning Penboyr churchyard.
Towyn told me that, more than a century later, flowers were still being placed on Esther’s grave at Llangeler every Palm Sunday. He also told me that, in Dafi’s old age, a candle was always kept burning through the night at Ffrydiau Gwynion.
Eira Evans of Llandysul, a descendant of Dafi Davies’s sister, attended the afternoon.

The Williams Family of Ffatri’r Dyffryn and Llysderi

ELINOR, the eldest child of John and Elizabeth Lewis of Llwynbedw, married SAMUEL WILLIAMS. They built FFATRI’R DYFFRYN in 1871 and were undoubtedly among the leading early pioneers of the woollen industry. Ffatri’r Dyffryn was the first mill to bring the entire process of producing woollen cloth together, from start to finish. They installed TWO WATERWHEELS, arranged so that water falling from the first turned the second beneath it, doubling the power available to the mill. It was during this period that the family built their fine home, LLYSDERI.

Samuel and Elinor’s daughter ANN later married JOHN LEWIS of Meiros Hall, bringing together two enterprising families in the woollen industry of Dre-fach Felindre. Their eldest son, SAMUEL DAVID LEWIS, went on to run Ffatri’r Dyffryn. His daughter married another SAMUEL WILLIAMS. The couple lived in Middlesbrough, selling cloth produced by the mill, before returning to run Ffatri’r Dyffryn themselves.

After their return, however, Samuel Williams died at the age of just 35. The Lewis family of Meiros Hall refused to allow his widow—Ken Howell’s grandmother—to run the mill. Was a woman running a mill considered unacceptable at the time? The widow and her three children, Jonnie Williams, Samuel Williams—later of Gwastod, Penboyr—and Elinor, Ken Howell’s mother, had to move in with their relatives by marriage at Penlanfawr. This led to a deep rift between the Lewis family of Meiros Hall and the Williams family of Penlanfawr. Their descendants, Ken Howell on the Williams side and Robin Exton on the Lewis side, are now good friends.

See the full family history on this website.

William Daniel Davies 1838 -1900

William Daniel Davies appears in the Dictionary of Welsh Biography—a distinction in itself!

The entry describes him as a bookseller, born on 15 June 1838 in a cottage called Llety, Penboyr, now known as Llety Clud, almost opposite Penboyr Church Hall. He grew up at Bwlchclawdd and was a faithful member of Closygraig Chapel. In 1862, he moved to the Rhondda to work in the coal mines and began preaching with the Calvinistic Methodists.

In 1868, he emigrated to the United States, settling in Hyde Park, near Scranton, Pennsylvania. He joined other Welsh people in America in publishing the Welsh-language newspaper Baner America, to which he contributed articles.
He visited Wales in 1874 and, after returning to America, wrote about his journey in newspapers there. For many years, he travelled around America as a correspondent for Y Drych. He gave Bibles to young men and women at the church in Hyde Park. From the age of 17, he regularly donated a tenth of his earnings to good causes, and he supplied thousands of essays and books to Welsh organisations in the United States.
Well known as a public lecturer, he was on a lecture tour in Wales when he died at Brymbo, Wrexham, on 27 March 1900, aged 61.

He published several books, and a fuller account of his life can be found on the Stori Fawr Dre-fach Felindre website. His brother was John Daniel Davies, who emigrated to Patagonia. The two brothers are buried in the same grave in Penboyr churchyard.

Read his full history on our website.

John Daniel Davies  (John Davies – father of ‘Nel Fach y Bwcs’) 

Eifion Davies, an active member of the Stori Fawr Dre-fach Felindre website group, presented the story of his grandfather. Dyfrig and Elinor, also grandchildren of John Davies, were present.

John Daniel Davies was the son of William and Rachel Davies of Llety’r Llwyndrew, Penboyr. William was known locally as John “Coesbren”—“Wooden Leg”—having lost a leg while serving with the British Army in the East Indies.

JOHN DANIEL DAVIES, also known as “John y Bwcs”, was one of seven children:

ANN - born in 1831, who moved to Breconshire.
SARAH - born in 1833, who moved to the Pontypridd area.
DAFYDD (1835-1854) - who died aged 19.
WILLIAM DANIEL (1838-1900) - who emigrated to Scranton.
JOHN DANIEL (1841-1925) - who emigrated to Patagonia.
MARGARET (1843-1921) - who emigrated to Washington.
JAMES DANIEL (1847-1912 -who emigrated to Florida.

John Daniel grew up at Blaenllain, Llangeler, a small cottage near the Lamb Inn.
He later moved to the Rhondda to work in the coal mines. Unhappy with mining, he eventually established himself as a bookseller, which explains his nickname, “John Davies y Bwcs”—John Davies the Books.
His wife, Hannah, came from the Penrhiwpal area near Rhydlewis. He may have married her before moving to the Rhondda in search of work.
In 1870, John Daniel decided to emigrate to Gaiman in Patagonia with Hannah and their three young children:

William 
John 
Ellen 

On arrival, he was deeply disappointed by the barren land and the shortage of food for his young family. Nevertheless, he overcame his initial despair and lived at Llainlas Farm for more than 30 years.

Another son, Dyfrig, was born to John and Hannah during this period. Tragically, Hannah died in 1881 while giving birth to another child.

Some time later, John Daniel returned briefly to Wales, where he met and married Sarah Hannah, a woman from the Llandrindod area. She died in 1891, following heartbreak and illness.

In 1900, three of John Daniel’s sons left Gaiman:

John to Canada 
William and Dyfrig to Africa.

Because William had been born in Britain, he was required to join the British Army to fight in the Boer War. Around the same time, heavy rain in the Andes caused severe flooding along the River Chubut. The Welsh settlers in Gaiman called the river Camwy, meaning “shining river”. John Daniel’s farm, Llainlas, was almost completely destroyed.

Following this disaster, John Daniel decided to return to Wales with his daughter Ellen, his daughter-in-law Hannah, William’s wife, and her young son, Johnnie. William had gone to South Africa to prepare a home for his young family.

Ellen did not want to return to Wales. She felt strongly that she was Argentine and spoke fluent Spanish; after all, she had spent her whole life in Gaiman.
In 1901, John Daniel, Ellen, Hannah and little Johnnie arrived in Dre-fach Felindre and moved into a house named Camwy, in memory of the valley and the River Chubut.

Their early days at Camwy were difficult. Hannah missed William, while Ellen did not want to live among the inquisitive local people. Then came the devastating news that William, John Daniel’s son and Hannah’s husband, had been killed in the Boer War.

Although John Daniel was by then about 60, he began spending time with a young woman from the village, Sarah Evans. She lived at Llwyndrain, a small cottage near Y Cnwc on the hill between Drefach and Saron.

Sarah became his third wife, and in 1902 my father, Sam, was born. The three lived at Pensarn Cottage, Drefach. John Daniel died in 1925, and Sarah in 1948.

John Daniel Davies’s life had come almost full circle. Born at Llety Llwyndrew, Penboyr, in 1841, he moved to Llangeler as a boy, then to the Rhondda, before emigrating to Patagonia in 1870. He returned to Dre-fach Felindre in 1901 and was buried in Penboyr churchyard in 1925, not far from his birthplace.

Edward (Ted) Crompton

Ted came from the family of Tom and Sarah-Anne Crompton of Penlanganol, Penboyr. He lived at Danffynnon, Cwmpengraig, with his wife, Annie. They were the parents of the distinguished doctor Gareth Crompton. (I regularly visit Gareth at Plas y Dderwen care home in Carmarthen. As I write on 1 June 2025, he is still holding on, confined to bed, although his memory and awareness have now faded.)

Ted’s remarkable and tireless contribution included 40 years as Clerk to Penboyr and Llangeler Community Council—an extraordinary record. He was also a faithful member of Penboyr Church, as is his son Gareth.

B D Rees and his son Gerallt Rees.   

Benjamin Daniel Rees grew up at Nantllin, Penboyr. Everyone knew him as B. D.—I doubt many people even knew his full name!

After earlier periods teaching at Penboyr School, he served as headteacher for 26 years, from 1950 to 1976. B. D. was a member of Soar Chapel, but as Penboyr was a church school, its headteacher was expected to belong to the church. He therefore became a member of Penboyr Church, much to the disappointment of the congregation at Soar.

My mother, known as Mrs Griffiths the Cook, was the school cook for most of his time as headteacher. B. D., a very heavy smoker, would always come to the kitchen at breaktime and after lunch for a cigarette.

His contribution to the community was enormous, particularly his work for Neuadd y Ddraig Goch, both the old hall and the establishment of its replacement. When I wrote the history of the hall, now on the Stori Fawr Dre-fach Felindre website, his contribution stood out. He chaired the committee responsible for establishing the new hall, which opened on 12 September 1964.

This is an extract from what I wrote:
“Reading the minutes of both the old and new halls reveals B. D. Rees’s immense contribution to the life of the hall and the village as a whole. He worked tirelessly and had a considerable influence. It is important to acknowledge this, as he was someone who worked mainly behind the scenes.”

The minutes of 27 January 1972 record his resignation as Treasurer because members were saying that he was being paid, when he was not. He had no further involvement with the hall after that and declined a gift offered in recognition of his work. He lived at Llynfi House, opposite the old hall, where his wife, Nellie, ran a shoe shop.

His son Gerallt became headteacher of a large primary school in Haverfordwest. Throughout his life, he remained a faithful member of Penboyr Church, serving as a churchwarden and a mainstay of the congregation.
 

The Reverend J Towyn Jones 1942 – 2019 (Towyn Lan)

A full account of his life can be found in the “Notable People and Local Residents” section of the Stori Fawr Dre-fach Felindre website.

He was a minister, prolific author, lecturer, storyteller, historian and artist, with many other talents and interests. He served as minister of Heol Awst Chapel, Carmarthen, from 1974 to 2015. His parents are buried nearby, in the row directly in front of his grave. The older grave of the Y Lan family is immediately to the left, beside the path leading to the church.

The following verse appears on Towyn’s gravestone:
 

Mi ges haf a thymor hyfryd
Ddyddiau mywyd ar y llawr,
Fe ymdrechais a defnyddiais
Fy nhalentau ... gorffwys nawr.

In English:
I knew a summer, a lovely season,
In the days of my life on earth.
I strove and used
my talents ... now I rest.
 

Towyn’s daughter, Orinda Roberts, attended and spoke about her father.

Read his full history on our website ‘Stori Fawr Drefach Felindre’

David Emlyn Jones, Pantycelyn

David Emlyn Jones fell in battle near Cambrai, France, on 12 December 1917, aged 27.

His gravestone bears this verse by Symlog:

I ddaear Ffrainc fel deilen grin
Y syrthiodd ef mewn erchyll drin;
Mynegfys serch yw’r garreg hon -
I bwyntio’r cof tu draw i’r don.   (Symlog)           

In English:
Like a withered leaf, he fell
On French soil, amid terrible battle.
This stone is love’s pointing finger,
Directing remembrance across the sea. (Symlog)   
                                                                          

The inscription also commemorates Rebecca Jones, who died on 9 January 1955, aged 74.

David Emlyn and Rebecca Jones of Pantycelyn, Cwmpengraig, had four children: David James, father of Alan Jones, formerly of Pantycelyn; Tom, father of Dilwen and Elgan; Katie, mother of Dewi, Muriel and Bryan Pantygog; and Sam, father of Valence and Winston.

Alan Jones, formerly of Pantycelyn, Cwmpengraig, gave a presentation about his grandfather, David Emlyn Jones.
[A copy of Alan’s presentation is to be added.]
 

Thomas Bryan Davies (Bryan Pantygog)

Bryan grew up at Pantygog, Cwmhiraeth, and became Chief Education Adviser to Dyfed County Council.
He ran the New York, Berlin, Dublin and London marathons, and cycled from Edinburgh to Carmarthen to raise money for Tenovus. He was also one of the founders of Newcastle Emlyn Rugby Club.
On 30 December 1992, he collapsed and died after going out for a run.

On 30 December 2024, his daughter Branwen and other family members walked to the summit of Cadair Idris. The account describes this as 25 years after they had climbed Cadair Idris together before his sudden death.
Alan Jones shared further information about his cousin Bryan Davies.
 

Tommy a Mary Evans (formerly o f Dandinas)

Tommy and Mary were both killed in a car accident near Cynwyl Elfed in 1982.
Their daughter Glenda and their two granddaughters attended the afternoon.

Esau Evans and the Goetre Family 

The Goetre family were highly influential in the Dre-fach Felindre area and faithful members of the church. Esau Evans lived to the age of 100, with his dates recorded here as 1870–1971.

His grandson, Richard Jones, attended with his wife, Marian, and their daughters. Richard also spoke about the contribution of his mother, Sarah Jones.

Sarah Jones and JR Jones 1908 – 1994.

Sarah and J. R. Jones were the parents of Richard Jones, who now lives at Goetre. Sarah came from Y Goetre and had an exceptional musical talent. She taught children and young people to sing and play the piano, accompanied performers at eisteddfodau and concerts, and established local singing groups. In the 1950s, she organised the Velindre Children’s Party, which travelled around giving concerts.

A photograph on page 110 of Canrif o Luniau shows her girls’ singing group, Adar Bargod. Throughout her life, she was organist at Penboyr and St Barnabas churches. She accompanied the Plygain service—the traditional Welsh Christmas carol service—at Penboyr Church for more than 60 years without a break. An extraordinary record.

An account of Sarah Jones’s life appears in the “Notable People and Local Residents” section of the Stori Fawr Dre-fach Felindre website.

Her husband, J. R. Jones, known as Glaniwmor, owned a local building company and ran an ironmonger’s shop opposite their home, Trecoed, in the village.
 

John Evans (John y Gwas) 1877 – 1958

On 20 May 2019, I gave a talk about John y Gwas at the pub named after him in Dre-fach Felindre. I presented a folder telling his story for the pub to keep at the bar, together with a framed account of his funeral from the Carmarthen Journal to display on the wall.

He died on 15 November 1958, when I was 18, so I remember him well. He taught at Aberbanc School for 36 years before marrying for a second time at the age of 60 and taking over the New Shop Inn, also known as the Alsop, in Felindre. Locally, however, the pub was known as John y Gwas.

He was a public figure, an outstanding historian and enthusiastic chronicler, an author, poet, adjudicator and eisteddfod compère. He also represented the area on Carmarthenshire County Council—and much more besides!

I remember attending an Ymryson y Beirdd, a poets’ contest, at Henllan Hall in the summer of 1958, with John y Gwas leading the evening. Dic Jones composed this couplet about him:

Ei wallt neis sydd fel eisin,
Hwn yw’r jawl a rana’r jin.

Its playful meaning is:
His fine hair is like icing;
He’s the devil who hands out the gin.

He always wore a black bowler hat when attending Council meetings in Carmarthen. He also wrote the Carmarthen Journal column Dwy Ochr i’r Teifi—“Both Sides of the Teifi”.

Years later, after his wife Leisa had died, Leslie Baker-Jones of Llainffald, next door to the pub, noticed smoke rising from its back garden. John y Gwas’s collections were about to be burnt. Baker-Jones intervened and arranged for the entire collection to go to the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth. In 2016, I was the first person to open the collection, which filled two large boxes. A list of its contents appears on the Stori Fawr Dre-fach Felindre website, alongside information about John Evans.

He kept a weekly diary from 26 October 1912 until 9 November 1958, just six days before his death. It fills 12 copy books and provides a detailed picture of life in the area. He also wrote a history of Soar Chapel, Penboyr, and accounts of the clergy of Ceredigion.

John Evans was undoubtedly one of the most prominent figures in Dre-fach Felindre’s history. His writings and records are preserved for posterity at the National Library of Wales and on the Stori Fawr Dre-fach Felindre website.

The Llaingof family, Penboyr

Evan Davies of Llaingof was a cultured local character and a gravedigger. His family were faithful members of Penboyr Church.
His son, also Evan Davies, became a priest at Llanrhystud and Llandybie. He was short in stature, which gave rise to many stories. Another son, Emrys, was a schools inspector, while Lisi Ann stayed at home at Llaingof to care for her father.

Morfyn and Eira Jones, Rhydfoyr Isaf.

Morfyn and Eira were the parents of Alan, known locally as “Alan Rhydfoir”. For much of the last century, they played a central role in the flourishing life of the church.
Both were exceptionally active in every aspect of its work. They cared deeply about their fellow members, visiting them when they were ill and in Glangwili Hospital.
Morfyn served as a churchwarden. In his quiet, unassuming way, he was conscientious about the services and buildings, visited members to collect their annual contributions, and helped ensure Penboyr’s successful participation in annual local services and hymn-singing festivals, including Calan Hen, the old New Year celebrations.

The church’s vitality today owes much to their dedication and the firm foundations they laid. Alan and Stella now carry on that work.

James Morgan, Pentrecagal – ‘Iago Geler’

James Morgan was born in 1913 at Newport, opposite Parc Puw, Drefach. He left Penboyr School at 14 and became a farmhand at Penclawdd Uchaf, Rhos Llangeler. He married Margaret Davies of nearby Y Ffrydiau Farm, and they moved to Pentrecagal. Their daughter, Eira Rhiannon, was in the same class as me at both Penboyr School and Llandysul Grammar School.

Jim joined the Army in 1941 and served in North Africa during the Second World War. There are two aspects of his life I would like to recall.
1) Iago Geler, he was a prolific local poet and a winner at local eisteddfodau. This exercise book contains a collection of his work, along with slips marking his winning entries at Seiloh Eisteddfod. We remember him by his bardic name, Iago Geler.
2)  here is a remarkable story from his wartime service in North Africa involving an Italian prisoner of war. Jon Meirion Jones of Pontgarreg has written the full account under the title Diferyn o Ddŵr—“A Drop of Water”.

HERE IS A SUMMARY OF THE STORY.

During the fighting, the Italians were struggling and losing ground. Their troops became scattered, with many killed or wounded. Near Tobruk, Jim Morgan came across a wounded Italian lying in a ditch, weak and close to death in the heat.
Jim, an Army despatch rider, stopped his motorbike and went to help. He lifted the man out of the ditch, gave him some water from his flask, and arranged for him to be taken by lorry to a prisoner-of-war camp.

After the war, Jim returned to Pentrecagal. Some of us will remember him as a Western Welsh bus driver and conductor, in the days of Wil Pelican, Sam Howells, Ifor Bach and others.

Many will also remember the prisoner-of-war camp at Henllan. Towards the end of the war and afterwards, Italian prisoners were taken by lorry to work on local farms. On Fridays, the lorry would sometimes make a discreet, unofficial stop at a pub on the way back, allowing the men a pint after a hard day’s work.

One evening, the lorry stopped at the Pensarnau pub in Pentrecagal. As Antonio, one of the Italians, drank his pint, he noticed a man at the bar. He looked at him for a long time, trying to work out why he seemed familiar.
Eventually, Antonio went over and asked, “Where have I seen you before?” “I know you too!” replied the man at the bar. The man was Jim Morgan. Antonio was the Italian he had lifted, half dead, from the ditch near Tobruk. By an extraordinary coincidence, they had met again at the Pensarnau pub.

Toni Vasami stayed at Blaenachddu Farm with Deio Davies. In time, his family joined him from Italy. His descendants now farm at Rhyd-goch, Bwlchygroes, Llandysul, where they have established a restaurant, an ice-cream business and other ventures.

Jim Morgan and Toni Vasami became close and lasting friends. It is another story of the Good Samaritan. Jon Meirion Jones of Pontgarreg has recorded it in full, and it deserves a place on the Stori Fawr Dre-fach Felindre website.