Welsh Calvinistic Methodist burials Bangor area

[hiraeth]

Does anyone know if there was a separate cemetary for this faith in the Bangor area? 

I've just found My 3xgreat grandfather John Roberts' obit in the North Wales Chronicle of January 3, 1843.  It says he was a Member of the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Connexion.  My 3xgreat grandmother Eleanor died in 1851 - her death was in the paper too but it doesn't mention a religion, just that she was his widow.

Any help gratefully received.

Heather

[WelshGen]

Hi Heather, the Glanadda cemetary has at least 3 different denominations of ministers interred there and I don't know of a cemetary in the area that specialises in just one religious organisation.
I'll have a look for your relative in my photos later. I'm hoping to get back to this cemetary to complete the photos tomorrow but the forecast is not good at the moment.

[hiraeth]

Hi WelshGen

Thank you but I've believe you've already checked your Glanadda pics.  See this thread

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,279068.msg1632284.html#msg1632284

Hope I've done that right.  At the time I thought John Roberts was C of E but now thanks to the obit I know more    

Heather

[Gwil]

I read recently that Glanadda didn't open till 1862.

Tan y Fynwent Cemetery opened in 1840 as an overspill of the Cathedral cemetery (which eventually closed in 1855)
Tan y Fynwent cemetery, located over the road from the cathedral near the bus station had burials up to Glanadda opening. Around 1948 the stones were laid flat and a garden created. Prior to this happening it was surveyed (and the Cathedral one) by  Caernarfonshire History Society and two volumes were deposited at Bangor University Archives. MSS 7345-6 refers. 273 graves at the cathedral and around 300 at the Tan y Fynwent.
103 graves laid flat survive at the Cathedral. These have been recorded by David Price and Mathew Lovelock. A copy, from which the above info derives, is at Caernarfon Archives. Hopefully they may appear some time on the Bangor Civic Society site which already has quite a lot of Historiacal items re Bangor.
In the mid 19th century several Bangor residents were buried at Pentir Graveyard. Gwynedd Family History Society have transcribed these MI's.

Gwil

[hiraeth]

Hi Gwil

Thanks for much for that very helpful information.   Can I take advantage of your local knowledge to ask whether a Welsh Calvinist Methodist Chapel building survives in Bangor or the surrounding area?  If so would they have old records of when someone joined the chapel?  Would the convert be re-baptised?  Pardon my questions, but I'm new to non-conformist research and would like to learn more.  Any details or useful links to where to learn more would be much appreciated.

Heather

[Gwil]

Heather

Chapels are fast disappearing by either being demolished or converted.

Problem here as I see it is that we don't know which particular Chapel he was member of. It could be one of many.

See this which explains about what  the Connexion is.
http://www.archivesnetworkwales.info/cgi-bin/anw/search2?coll_id=2802&inst_id=37&term
If you haven't conducted searches on this site before the relevant buttons etc are towards the top of the page. Bangor University can be found in the List of Repositories.

The Methodists have/had a number of books which are extremely useful for geneaologists (never can spell that!). One such series of books were published early 1900s by Hobley about the various Circuits. They contains a history of various Chapels with details of their 'leading members' etc. I'm not a hundred percent if one exists for Bangor but if it does then there will be a copy at least atCaernarfon Archives.

Bangor is on the periphery of my main interests and I don't profess to know the place inside out. I cannot readily bring to mind burial grounds other than those around the Cathedral area,the main Glanadda cemetery and the one by the Crematorium (date of opening ?) That's not to say that there might not be one tucked away behind some Chapel or other.

[WelshGen]

I'm not sure about Calvanistic Methodist but am sure St. John's (top of high Street) and Princes Road (Upper Bangor) were both Methodist Churches

[WelshGen]

I've just remembered Princes Road was a Presbyterian Church. There is a Welsh Calvanistic church in Menai Bridge (down the first right street as you approach the Square from The Menai Bridge)

[hiraeth]

Hi Gwil & WelshGen

Thank you both very much for your help.   I think he must have been buried quite close to Hirael because there was some sort of procession?  This is what the obit says:

"On the 28th ult. after a short illness, age 67, Mr. John Roberts, timber merchant and sawyer, of Hirael, in this city, a consistent Member of the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Connexion.  The immensity of the multitude attending his funeral, bore testimony to his character as a neighbour, a friend and a Christian.  He was an Honorary Member of the Independent Order of Rechabites, the members of which attended the funeral, and formed themselves into a procession, and preceded the body; each member wore a black sash and rosette, and white gloves. "
North Wales Chronicle - January 3, 1843

I have a copy of his will in Welsh which a friend of a friend roughly translated for me.  Apparently he wanted a simple funeral.   He left each of his children and grandchildren a house - a total of seven in all, so the family may have put up a memorial or not  

Heather