Name: Benjamin Meredith

Author: Nansi Ceridwen Jones

Born in 1700 at Llanwenarth, Monmouthshire, the son of William Meredith who was a prominent member and preacher at the Baptist church, Llanwenarth. He was baptized at the age of 17 and began to preach in 1720. About 1730 he was invited to take charge of the Independent church at Llanbryn-mair, and after serving there for some time he was ordained in 1733, but in the following year, he was asked to resign because of his unorthodox views. He was the last Baptist minister at Llanbryn-mair; he seems to have been a popular preacher, for the congregation increased during his short ministry. He returned to Llanwenarth but there was disagreement within the church concerning the doctrine of the Trinity, and in 1748 he was dismissed together with a few other members. He preached to his followers in a place near the chapel and later, when his health deteriorated, in his own home. His translation into Welsh of John Bunyan’s Jerusalem Sinner Saved was published in 1721, with a second edition in 1765. He died in December 1749.