P-05-776 To recognize the three hundredth anniversary of Williams Pantycelyn
P-05-776 To recognize the three hundredth anniversary of Williams Pantycelyn
This
petition was submitted by Aled Gwyn Job, having collected 545 signatures online
and 569 on paper – a total of 1,114 signatures.
Text of Petition
We call on the Welsh Government to recognize and
commemorate the three hundredth anniversary of the birth of William Williams,
Pantycelyn this year (1717-2017). We believe that Williams Pantycelyn has laid
the foundations for the modern Wales through all his hymns (over 900), his
various literary works (90), and his tireless mission work for the gospel
through the whole of Wales for 40 years. The Methodist Reformation of the 18th
century, in which Williams played such a key part, led to the establishment of
the first national organization in the history of Wales in 400 years, namely
the Welsh Calvinistic Methodists (1811). That in turn triggered a series of
further educational, social and political reforms which were instrumental in
creating the Modern Wales. Pantycelyn therefore is more than just one of the
major figures of the faith tradition in Wales. He is one of the major figures
of our national story as Welsh people. It is incumbent upon the Welsh
Government to recognize his immense contribution to our nation and we call on
the Government to arrange an appropriate celebration once the members have
returned to Cardiff in September.
Additional
information
We note that the Welsh Government has organized
similar celebrations to mark the contributions of two other prominent Welshmen
recently. Last year, the contribution of the children’s novelist Roald Dahl was
celebrated, and the previous year, the contribution made by the poet Dylan
Thomas. Vast sums of Welsh tax payers’ money was spent on these events.
With this precedent having been set twice recently,
we believe that it would be inexcusable for our national government to refuse
to recognize the contribution of Williams Pantycelyn in the same manner.
With all due respect to Dylan Thomas and Roald Dahl,
and their individual contributions in the appropriate fields - their
contributions to Welsh life cannot be compared with that of the Sweet Songster,
William Williams.
There has been fierce public reaction to the recent
fiasco of "The Iron Ring" and the idea of spending £400,000 to
celebrate the conquest of Wales by Edward I with a piece of art at Flint
Castle. The complaint repeatedly expressed by members of the public was how on
earth the Welsh Government could be so ignorant and insensitive in relation to
Wales’s own history?
The celebration and commemoration of the life and
work of Williams Pantycelyn in an appropriate manner would indicate that the
Welsh Government is sympathetic to our nation’s history.
One idea that we would like you to consider is to
transfer the funding allocated to the Iron Ring and erect a majestic piece of
art in Llandovery to commemorate the Sweet Songster.
The petitioners with Committee Members
Status
This
petition was considered completed by the Petitions Committee at its meeting on 15/05/2018.
It
was first considered by the Petitions Committee on 03/10/2017.
Assembly Constituency and Region
- Arfon
- South
Wales West
Further information
Business type: Petition
Reason considered: Senedd Business;
Status: Complete
First published: 11/09/2017