When the Welsh non-conformist chapels had congregations that filled the pews and most households owned a family bible that was large enough to record the family’s births and deaths on blank pages, the other devotional book with which most chapel-goers were familiar was John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress.
Captain Joseph Francis and his wife Rebecca had this splendid book on their bookshelves in Eryl. It’s weighty enough to need a lectern for its leather binding, gilt decoration, marbled end-papers and large beautifully illustrated print.
“J. R. Kilsby Jones Ap Caledfryn” by Artist Ap Caledfryn (1837–1915) – http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/paintings/reverend-j-r-kilsby-jones-18131889-120219. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons –
The translator, the Minister J R Kilsby Jones, could be a character in the book, judging from this portrait.
Tegfan, Dinas Cross 