Missionary Society’ in May 1796. The latter was included in the first volume of ‘Missionary Sermons’ (London, 1796, 8vo), published by the London Missionary Society, of which Jones was an original supporter; a Welsh translation of it appeared in ‘Lleuad yr Oes,’ ii. 87 sqq. He was the author of several popular hymns in Welsh, some of which were published in ‘Y Drysorfa’ for 1862 (pp. 300 sq.)
[J. T. Jones's Geiriadur Bywgraffyddol, i. 650; Foulkes's Enwogion Cymru, pp. 575–9; Hughes's Hanes Methodistiaeth Cymru, pp. 359, 446, 451–4; Cofiant John Jones, Talysarn, pp. 809–13; Life of the Countess of Huntingdon, ii. 118, 501, 504.]
JONES, DAVID (1765–1816), barrister, best known as ‘the Welsh Freeholder’, born in 1765, was the only son of John Jones of Bwlchygwynt, near Llandovery, Carmarthenshire, where his father farmed his own freehold. He was a relative of John Jones (1766?–1827) [q. v.], unitarian critic. He received his early education at Pencader and Abergavenny, and in 1783 entered Homerton College, London, with the view of preparing for the ministry among the Calvinistic dissenters, but, adopting unitarian views, removed to Hackney College. There he became tutor and lecturer in experimental philosophy until, in October 1792, he took charge of the New Meeting congregation at Birmingham, as successor to Dr. Priestley, who had recommended him for the post. During his ministry there he delivered in 1794–5 ‘some admirable courses of lectures on the philosophy of the human mind, as connected with education, the theory of morals, and also on history.’ Turning to the study of the law, he was admitted a student of Lincoln's Inn on 1 May 1795, was called to the bar on 26 June 1800, and practised chiefly as a chancery barrister, but attached himself as well to the Oxford and South Wales circuits. He also became a member of Caius College, Cambridge, graduating B.A. in 1800 and M.A. in 1803. He died in 1816.
Jones made a spirited defence of unitarianism against the attacks of Bishop Samuel Horsley [q. v.] in the following works, written under the name of ‘The Welsh Freeholder:’ 1. ‘A Letter to the [Bishop] on the Charge he lately delivered,’ London, 1790, 8vo, which evoked ‘An Answer … by a Clergyman of the Diocese of St. Davids,’ London, 1750, 8vo; and Jones's rejoinder in 2. ‘The Welsh Freeholder's Vindication of his Letter,’ &c., London, 1791, 8vo. 3. ‘Reasons for Unitarianism, or the Primitive Christian Doctrine,’ London, 1792. 4. ‘The Welsh Freeholder's Farewell Epistles to the Bishop (lately of St. Davids), now of Rochester,’ London, 1794, 8vo.
Jones also published, among other tracts, under his own name: 5. ‘Thoughts on the Riots at Birmingham,’ Bath, 1791, 8vo, being an enlarged reprint of an anonymous letter written by him in the ‘Morning Chronicle,’ and republished without his authority both at Maidstone and Birmingham. 6. ‘The Nature and Duties of the Office of a Minister of Religion,’ Birmingham, 1792, 8vo. ‘The Revolution in France and the Progress of Liberty, considered in connection with our idea of Providence and of the Improvement of Human Affairs’ (see advertisement in ‘The Nature and Duties,’ &c.), announced by Jones in 1816, is not known to have been published.
[Williams's Eminent Welshmen, p. 252; Notes and Queries, 3rd ser. xi. 292, 409; Rutt's Memoirs of Priestley, ii. 176, 177; Wreford's Presbyterian Nonconformity in Birmingham, p. 81; Manuscript Register of Admissions at Lincoln's Inn; Luard's Graduati Cantabr.; Jeremy's Presbyterian Fund, p. 194; extracts from the manuscript Minute Book of the New Meeting, Birmingham, communicated by Herbert New, jun., esq.]
JONES, DAVID (1796–1841), missionary to Madagascar, was born in 1796 near Neuaddlwyd, near Aberayron, Cardiganshire, and was educated at the college of Neuaddlwyd, chiefly by Dr. Phillips, at whose suggestion he and a fellow-pupil, Thomas Bevan, were ordained at Neuaddlwyd in August 1817, as the first protestant missionaries to Madagascar. They were married, and with their wives reached the Mauritius in April 1818, and in August crossed to Madagascar. There they were warmly welcomed by Fisatra, king of Tamatave, who sent his own son, along with ten or twelve other boys, to be educated by them. Bevan, and both his and Jones's wife, soon died, and were buried at Tamatave. Jones thereupon returned to the Mauritius to recruit his health, but after fourteen months resumed his work at Madagascar. In 1821 he married again. In 1822 he was joined by David Griffiths [q. v.] Towards the end of this year Jones and Griffiths settled the orthography of the Malagasy language on the phonetic system, giving each letter one sound, and using the Roman characters. They were helped in their work by David Johns [q. v.], and the natives were soon able to write their own language easily and correctly. The English colonists objected strongly to the phonetic spelling, but the missionaries were resolute, and the king (Radama) gave it his royal authority. By 1824 the number of scholars and religious converts had become
