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itinerant preachers who visited Tyle Coch.
It is stated also that the old mill “Melin yr Home,” Gelligaled
was a place licensed to hold religious services in, during the
period that the Act of Toleration was in force. According to
the late Rev. Rufus Williams, author of “Ystradiana”, Tyle Coch
and Melin yr Home were connected with the Congregationalists.
The Rev. Henry Davies commenced his ministry with the
Congregationalists at Blaengwrach, Neath Valley in 1718 when
he was but 22 years old. He was in the habit of frequently visit-
ing the Rhondda Valley and of preaching at various places
here and we have evidence of visiting Tyle Coch at regular
intervals from the year 1738. He founded the congregational
church at Cymmer (Rhondda), the oldest Nonconformist church
in the Rhondda Valley and was its first minister.
About the year 1750 a young named John Thomas, a
native of Myddfai, Carmarthenshire visited this parish when
on a preaching tour. He was then a young man about
20 years of age. He came here from Ystradfellte where he had
been preaching. He published an account of his tour in
Seren Gomer for 1829 from which we call the following.
“Another time, by the church at Ystrad in the
County of Glamorgan where there was a fayre and many
had gathered together I stood up near the wall of the
churchyard; then the dancers and the ball-players left
their work and came to the other side of the wall to listen
- fiddlers and all. Then the clergyman, who was in
the churchyard with them, having lost his comrades,
called to the fiddlers “If you expect to be paid go to your
work; and you, who is preaching, move away from the
church-yard, the consecrated ground”. Then I moved to
the other side of the road and stood in a heap where
I
spoke. I am witness to them and the people by the command
of the clergyman, having gone back to dance and he
with them as far as I know. I sent a messenger to him