William Williams Pantycelyn

Biography

William Williams Pantycelyn (1717 – 11 January 1791), also known as Williams Pantycelyn and Pantycelyn, is generally acknowledged as Wales' most famous hymn writer. He was also one of the key leaders of the 18th century Welsh Methodist revival, along with Daniel Rowland and Howell Harris. As a poet and prose writer he is today considered to be one of Wales' greatest writers. The son of John Williams, a small farmer at Pantycelyn ("holly hollow"), his mother's name was Dorothy. His father died in 1742. The farm is located 4 miles from Llandovery in West Wales. As a boy he attended a non-conformist church (Welsh usage: chapel) at Cefnarthen. Later the family identified with the Calvinist doctrines and moved church. Later, after his conversion, Williams was a painstaking upholder of traditional Reformation doctrine in its Calvinist form and gave stern warnings against Arminianism, Arianism, Socinianism, Sandelmanism and other deviations (ref.p.7 G. T. Hughes).. Welsh poet and hymn writer