William Jones (Welsh radical)
Encyclopedia
William Jones was a Welsh
antiquary, poet, scholar and radical
. Jones was an ardent supporter of both the American
and French Revolution
s, and through his strong support of the Jacobin
cause he became known as 'the rural Voltaire
' or 'Welsh Voltaire'. Despite his support for revolutionary causes, he never advocated an uprising within his own country, he instead led a campaign to encourage his countrymen to emigrate to the United States. Jones held strong anti-English
feelings, which led to one contemporary to describe him as "the hottest arsed" Welshman he had ever known.
in Wales and Shrewsbury
in England, though he also farmed at 'Dol Hywel' in Llangadfan
in Montgomeryshire. Jones, despite his later preaching of the glory of emigration
, lived his whole life at Llangadfan. He was christened at Llangadfan parish church on 18 June 1726, and the only formal education he received was at one of Griffith Jones'
schools that existed for a time in the neighbourhood. He was mainly self-educated, and being raised as a Welsh
speaker, he learnt English as a second language. His written English was said to be good, though he spoke it with difficulty. He also learnt Latin
, and translated works by Horace
and Ovid
into Welsh. As well as the classics, Jones promoted the ideas of the French
philosopher Voltaire in Welsh; and in the view of David Barnes in his book The Companion Guide to Wales this 'succeeded in influencing the political development of his country'.
He was married to Ann, and they had a son and two daughters. His wife suffered terribly from pains of the body and was confined to bed for the last 15 years of her life.
, and with other contemporary men of letters, and began collecting and recording local folk songs and country dances for Edward Jones (Bardd y Brenin), the King's Bard. Jones spent much time conversing with the elderly members of the community as well as researching manuscripts and printed collections which provided Edward Jones with valuable material for his printed volumes. He describes many of the dances as having 'sharp twists and turns rendering them fiendishly difficult to perform well', and stated that they were probably 'too fatiguing for the bodies
and minds of the present generation, and requiring much skill and activity in the performance'.
He also collected Welsh poetry and made notes on their metre
for Owain Myfyr. Jones also began to research and collect the genealogies of the old Welsh families. His descriptions of the parishes of Llangadfan, Llanerfyl and Garth-beibio were published by Gwallter Mechain in a 1796 issue of the Cambrian Register.
provided an irresistible draw to those seeking a Welsh claim to lands in America. The belief existed that Madog, son of Owain Gwynedd, had travelled to North America in the 12th century and had planted a colony whose descendants, the Madogwys (Padoucas), still spoke the Welsh language. This myth was extremely attractive to Jones, and the publication of John Williams' 1791 work An Enquiry into the Truth of the Tradition, Concerning the Discovery of America, by Prince Madog ab Owen Gwynedd, about the Year, 1170 sent the members of the Gwyneddigion Society into a frenzy of excitement. Jones took these ideas a step further, claiming that Madog, or some of his followers, had travelled further south and discovered Mexico and Peru. Stating that 'Mango Capae' (Manco Cápac
), the legendary first Sapa Inca was a descendant or Madog himself, claiming that 'Mango Capae' was an easy transition to 'Madog ap'.
, whose writings he described as 'foolish fictions'. Jones was especially vitriolic towards his English and Scottish
contemporaries who he believed 'through prejudice or ignorance, seldom do us justice in their records'. He held particular disdain towards Lord Lyttelton
, William Robertson
and Tobias Smollett
who he felt were hostile to the Welsh princes and failed to acknowledge the suffering of the Welsh prior to the Tudor period. He acknowledged his own temper and confessed that his bore malice against the descendents of the Saxons
, refusing to trace the ancestry of English nobles because he believed most of them were descended from a variety of 'bastards, thieves and robbers'. His nationalist feelings were appreciated by many of his countrymen, and was admiringly described by one of his contemporaries as "the hottest arsed Welshman" he had ever known.
Jones also tried to gain a separate identity for Wales, and as an antidote to the likes of God save the King and Rule, Britannia!
, set about composing a national anthem for Wales. The song he hoped would be sung at meetings and societies across the country. The anthem, sung to the refrain, 'Ac unwn lawen ganiad ar doriad teg y dydd' ('And join in joyful song at the fair break of dawn'), was designed to commemorate 'our viscitudes (sic) of Fortune'. Jones made great play of the treachery and pillage wrought by the Romans
, the 'treacherous' Vortigern
, 'that tyrant' Edward I
and 'the usurper' Henry IV
. It is believed that this is the first attempt to produce a national anthem for Wales in Modern history. As well as an anthem, Jones also advocated a national library and a national eisteddfod, all to stiffen the pride of his countrymen.
Although Jones' nationalism was fuelled by what he saw as an English oppression, he was also acutely aware of the social and economic changes that were affecting the country, which he felt boded ill for the smaller farmer. Since the 1770s, long term leases that once lasted generations, were being replaced by annual tenancies which allowed land owners to change rent levels from year to year. As early as December 1786 he had written to his landlord, Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn
rebuking him for employing agents who were 'destitute of the principles of justice [and] moral honesty' and comparing Sir Watkin unfavourably to his father. By the 1790s Jones held a belief that the landed elite, through the use of unscrupulous agents, had forfeited the rights to expect the unquestioning obedience of their tenants, and that the traditional code of conduct had been violated. In writings reminiscent of his hero Voltaire, he declared that society was composed of 'Shearers' and 'Feeders', 'Oppressors' and 'Slaves'. As an open supporter of the American Revolution
and later the French Revolution
, the British government viewed Jones as a dissident. Orders were made to open and examine his mail, and government spies were ordered to keep him under watch.
His views on a broken society, under what he described as William Pitt's
'reign of terror' led him to advocate that broken Welsh tenant farmers should leave Britain and emigrate to the United States. At the Llanrwst
eisteddfod in June 1791 Jones distributed copies of an address, titled 'To all Indigenous Cambro-Britons', calling for tenant farmers and impoverished craftsmen to pack their bags, quit Wales and sail to the 'Promised Land' of North America. When Jones heard, in 1792, that Sir William Johnstone Pulteney
, had purchased large tracts of land in New York State, he wrote to him expressing his desire to see the creation of a Welsh colony on this estate. Jones though did not endear himself to Sir William, referring to the 'insatiable avarice of the landowners', calling them 'Egyptian taskmasters'. Sir William's response was very negative, he countered that the farmers of Britain lived in the most 'bounteous country in the world' and that if they improved their cultivation methods and became more industrious, then they would prosper. Undeterred Jones then contacted Thomas Pinckney
, the American ambassador in London, asking him to lend support in a plan to establish a joint-stock company to survey suitable land in Kentucky
and Pennsylvania
where a large number of Welsh settlers could establish a new state, whose affairs would be conducted in the Welsh language. Pinckney rebuffed the idea.
Despite Jones' desires to see a Welsh colony in America, he himself never emigrated, illness and poverty preventing him from travelling. Neither did his dream of a Welsh colony come to fruition, though his idea of an independent Welsh homeland in America was an important influence on Edward Bebb and Eziekel Hughes, two of the foremost Welsh emigrants who settled in Ohio in the 1790s.
. He circulated advertisements which proclaimed his ability for healing not only scrofula but also 'Fistulous and running ulcers, the Fistula Lachrymalis and other disorders of the eyes, glandulous tumours, aedematous and dropsical swellings, white swellings of the joints, rheumatick, fixt and wandering Pains'. He had planned to publish a book of household remedies; however, these plans, and his career as a healer, were cut short by the Medicine Duties Act of 1785, which obliged him to apply for a licence to operate as a doctor.
In his later life Jones was a sorry figure. The lease on Dolhywel had expired, his rent had trebled, and his long-suffering daughter left home to get married. The local absentee rector, Matthew Worthington, believing Jones to be a volatile radical, reportedly did all in his power to turn the locals against him. Jones died in 1795 at the age of 69. He was buried, on his own insisting, in unconsecrated ground within Llangadfan parish church.
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
antiquary, poet, scholar and radical
Radicalism (historical)
The term Radical was used during the late 18th century for proponents of the Radical Movement. It later became a general pejorative term for those favoring or seeking political reforms which include dramatic changes to the social order...
. Jones was an ardent supporter of both the American
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
and French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
s, and through his strong support of the Jacobin
Jacobin (politics)
A Jacobin , in the context of the French Revolution, was a member of the Jacobin Club, a revolutionary far-left political movement. The Jacobin Club was the most famous political club of the French Revolution. So called from the Dominican convent where they originally met, in the Rue St. Jacques ,...
cause he became known as 'the rural Voltaire
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
' or 'Welsh Voltaire'. Despite his support for revolutionary causes, he never advocated an uprising within his own country, he instead led a campaign to encourage his countrymen to emigrate to the United States. Jones held strong anti-English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
feelings, which led to one contemporary to describe him as "the hottest arsed" Welshman he had ever known.
Early history
Jones was born in 1726 to William Sion Dafydd and his second wife Catherine. His father was a guard on the coach that ran between MachynllethMachynlleth
Machynlleth is a market town in Powys, Wales. It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads.Machynlleth was the seat of Owain Glyndŵr's Welsh Parliament in 1404, and as such claims to be the "ancient capital of Wales". However, it has never held any official...
in Wales and Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
in England, though he also farmed at 'Dol Hywel' in Llangadfan
Llangadfan
Llangadfan is a small village in Powys, east central Wales, based in the community of Banwy. The village lies on the A458 between Foel and Llanerfyl, from Llanwddyn. Dyfnant Forest is located nearby...
in Montgomeryshire. Jones, despite his later preaching of the glory of emigration
Emigration
Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
, lived his whole life at Llangadfan. He was christened at Llangadfan parish church on 18 June 1726, and the only formal education he received was at one of Griffith Jones'
Griffith Jones (Llanddowror)
Griffith Jones was a minister of the Church of England famous for his work in organising circulating schools in Wales. His name is usually associated with that of Llanddowror, Carmarthenshire....
schools that existed for a time in the neighbourhood. He was mainly self-educated, and being raised as a Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
speaker, he learnt English as a second language. His written English was said to be good, though he spoke it with difficulty. He also learnt Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, and translated works by Horace
Horace
Quintus Horatius Flaccus , known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus.-Life:...
and Ovid
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...
into Welsh. As well as the classics, Jones promoted the ideas of the French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
philosopher Voltaire in Welsh; and in the view of David Barnes in his book The Companion Guide to Wales this 'succeeded in influencing the political development of his country'.
He was married to Ann, and they had a son and two daughters. His wife suffered terribly from pains of the body and was confined to bed for the last 15 years of her life.
Antiquary
Jones began to correspond with the Gwyneddigion SocietyGwyneddigion Society
The Gwyneddigion Society is a literary and cultural society founded in London, England by Welsh scholars to further and preserve knowledge of their home country.-History:...
, and with other contemporary men of letters, and began collecting and recording local folk songs and country dances for Edward Jones (Bardd y Brenin), the King's Bard. Jones spent much time conversing with the elderly members of the community as well as researching manuscripts and printed collections which provided Edward Jones with valuable material for his printed volumes. He describes many of the dances as having 'sharp twists and turns rendering them fiendishly difficult to perform well', and stated that they were probably 'too fatiguing for the bodies
and minds of the present generation, and requiring much skill and activity in the performance'.
He also collected Welsh poetry and made notes on their metre
Meter (poetry)
In poetry, metre is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse or lines in verse. Many traditional verse forms prescribe a specific verse metre, or a certain set of metres alternating in a particular order. The study of metres and forms of versification is known as prosody...
for Owain Myfyr. Jones also began to research and collect the genealogies of the old Welsh families. His descriptions of the parishes of Llangadfan, Llanerfyl and Garth-beibio were published by Gwallter Mechain in a 1796 issue of the Cambrian Register.
Madog ab Owain Gwynedd
In Welsh literary circles during the 18th century, the myth of Madog ab Owain GwyneddMadoc
Madoc or Madog ab Owain Gwynedd was, according to folklore, a Welsh prince who sailed to America in 1170, over three hundred years before Christopher Columbus's voyage in 1492. According to the story, he was a son of Owain Gwynedd who took to the sea to flee internecine violence at home...
provided an irresistible draw to those seeking a Welsh claim to lands in America. The belief existed that Madog, son of Owain Gwynedd, had travelled to North America in the 12th century and had planted a colony whose descendants, the Madogwys (Padoucas), still spoke the Welsh language. This myth was extremely attractive to Jones, and the publication of John Williams' 1791 work An Enquiry into the Truth of the Tradition, Concerning the Discovery of America, by Prince Madog ab Owen Gwynedd, about the Year, 1170 sent the members of the Gwyneddigion Society into a frenzy of excitement. Jones took these ideas a step further, claiming that Madog, or some of his followers, had travelled further south and discovered Mexico and Peru. Stating that 'Mango Capae' (Manco Cápac
Manco Capac
Manco Cápac was the legendary first Sapa Inca of the Kingdom of Cusco and a figure of Inca mythology. There are several versions of his origin story, which connect him to the foundation of Cusco.- Inti legend :In one myth, Manco Cápac was a son of the sun god Inti and Mama Quilla, and brother of...
), the legendary first Sapa Inca was a descendant or Madog himself, claiming that 'Mango Capae' was an easy transition to 'Madog ap'.
Radicalism
Through his research into Welsh history, Jones became more curious about his nation's past, and decided to rescue Welsh historical traditions from the 'condescension of well-meaning antiquarians and blinkered enthusiasts'. His views became more and more radicalised over time; he came to dismiss the early Welsh historians such as Geoffrey of MonmouthGeoffrey of Monmouth
Geoffrey of Monmouth was a cleric and one of the major figures in the development of British historiography and the popularity of tales of King Arthur...
, whose writings he described as 'foolish fictions'. Jones was especially vitriolic towards his English and Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
contemporaries who he believed 'through prejudice or ignorance, seldom do us justice in their records'. He held particular disdain towards Lord Lyttelton
George Lyttelton, 1st Baron Lyttelton
George Lyttelton, 1st Baron Lyttelton PC , known as Sir George Lyttelton, Bt between 1751 and 1756, was a British politician and statesman and a patron of the arts.-Background and education:...
, William Robertson
William Robertson (historian)
William Robertson FRSE FSA was a Scottish historian, minister of religion, and Principal of the University of Edinburgh...
and Tobias Smollett
Tobias Smollett
Tobias George Smollett was a Scottish poet and author. He was best known for his picaresque novels, such as The Adventures of Roderick Random and The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle , which influenced later novelists such as Charles Dickens.-Life:Smollett was born at Dalquhurn, now part of Renton,...
who he felt were hostile to the Welsh princes and failed to acknowledge the suffering of the Welsh prior to the Tudor period. He acknowledged his own temper and confessed that his bore malice against the descendents of the Saxons
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
, refusing to trace the ancestry of English nobles because he believed most of them were descended from a variety of 'bastards, thieves and robbers'. His nationalist feelings were appreciated by many of his countrymen, and was admiringly described by one of his contemporaries as "the hottest arsed Welshman" he had ever known.
Jones also tried to gain a separate identity for Wales, and as an antidote to the likes of God save the King and Rule, Britannia!
Rule, Britannia!
"Rule, Britannia!" is a British patriotic song, originating from the poem "Rule, Britannia" by James Thomson and set to music by Thomas Arne in 1740...
, set about composing a national anthem for Wales. The song he hoped would be sung at meetings and societies across the country. The anthem, sung to the refrain, 'Ac unwn lawen ganiad ar doriad teg y dydd' ('And join in joyful song at the fair break of dawn'), was designed to commemorate 'our viscitudes (sic) of Fortune'. Jones made great play of the treachery and pillage wrought by the Romans
Roman conquest of Britain
The Roman conquest of Britain was a gradual process, beginning effectively in AD 43 under Emperor Claudius, whose general Aulus Plautius served as first governor of Britannia. Great Britain had already frequently been the target of invasions, planned and actual, by forces of the Roman Republic and...
, the 'treacherous' Vortigern
Vortigern
Vortigern , also spelled Vortiger and Vortigen, was a 5th-century warlord in Britain, a leading ruler among the Britons. His existence is considered likely, though information about him is shrouded in legend. He is said to have invited the Saxons to settle in Kent as mercenaries to aid him in...
, 'that tyrant' Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
and 'the usurper' Henry IV
Henry IV of England
Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
. It is believed that this is the first attempt to produce a national anthem for Wales in Modern history. As well as an anthem, Jones also advocated a national library and a national eisteddfod, all to stiffen the pride of his countrymen.
Although Jones' nationalism was fuelled by what he saw as an English oppression, he was also acutely aware of the social and economic changes that were affecting the country, which he felt boded ill for the smaller farmer. Since the 1770s, long term leases that once lasted generations, were being replaced by annual tenancies which allowed land owners to change rent levels from year to year. As early as December 1786 he had written to his landlord, Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn
Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 4th Baronet
Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 4th Baronet was a Welsh politician and patron of the arts.Sir Watkin was the eldest son of the second marriage of his father, Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 3rd Baronet, to Frances Shackerley of Cheshire...
rebuking him for employing agents who were 'destitute of the principles of justice [and] moral honesty' and comparing Sir Watkin unfavourably to his father. By the 1790s Jones held a belief that the landed elite, through the use of unscrupulous agents, had forfeited the rights to expect the unquestioning obedience of their tenants, and that the traditional code of conduct had been violated. In writings reminiscent of his hero Voltaire, he declared that society was composed of 'Shearers' and 'Feeders', 'Oppressors' and 'Slaves'. As an open supporter of the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
and later the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, the British government viewed Jones as a dissident. Orders were made to open and examine his mail, and government spies were ordered to keep him under watch.
His views on a broken society, under what he described as William Pitt's
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger was a British politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He became the youngest Prime Minister in 1783 at the age of 24 . He left office in 1801, but was Prime Minister again from 1804 until his death in 1806...
'reign of terror' led him to advocate that broken Welsh tenant farmers should leave Britain and emigrate to the United States. At the Llanrwst
Llanrwst
Llanrwst is a small town and community on the A470 road and the River Conwy in Conwy County Borough, Wales. It takes its name from the 5th century to 6th century Saint Grwst, and the original parish church in Cae Llan was replaced by the 12th-century church....
eisteddfod in June 1791 Jones distributed copies of an address, titled 'To all Indigenous Cambro-Britons', calling for tenant farmers and impoverished craftsmen to pack their bags, quit Wales and sail to the 'Promised Land' of North America. When Jones heard, in 1792, that Sir William Johnstone Pulteney
William Johnstone Pulteney
Sir William Pulteney, 5th Baronet was an eminent Scottish lawyer, Member of Parliament, and at one time reputedly the wealthiest man in the Kingdom of Great Britain...
, had purchased large tracts of land in New York State, he wrote to him expressing his desire to see the creation of a Welsh colony on this estate. Jones though did not endear himself to Sir William, referring to the 'insatiable avarice of the landowners', calling them 'Egyptian taskmasters'. Sir William's response was very negative, he countered that the farmers of Britain lived in the most 'bounteous country in the world' and that if they improved their cultivation methods and became more industrious, then they would prosper. Undeterred Jones then contacted Thomas Pinckney
Thomas Pinckney
Thomas Pinckney was an early American statesman, diplomat and veteran of both the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.-Early life in the military:...
, the American ambassador in London, asking him to lend support in a plan to establish a joint-stock company to survey suitable land in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
and Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
where a large number of Welsh settlers could establish a new state, whose affairs would be conducted in the Welsh language. Pinckney rebuffed the idea.
Despite Jones' desires to see a Welsh colony in America, he himself never emigrated, illness and poverty preventing him from travelling. Neither did his dream of a Welsh colony come to fruition, though his idea of an independent Welsh homeland in America was an important influence on Edward Bebb and Eziekel Hughes, two of the foremost Welsh emigrants who settled in Ohio in the 1790s.
Later life and health
Jones had long been a herbalist and had succeeded in curing himself of scrofulaScrofula
Tuberculous cervical lymphadenitis refers to a lymphadenitis of the cervical lymph nodes associated with tuberculosis. It was previously known as "scrofula".-The disease:...
. He circulated advertisements which proclaimed his ability for healing not only scrofula but also 'Fistulous and running ulcers, the Fistula Lachrymalis and other disorders of the eyes, glandulous tumours, aedematous and dropsical swellings, white swellings of the joints, rheumatick, fixt and wandering Pains'. He had planned to publish a book of household remedies; however, these plans, and his career as a healer, were cut short by the Medicine Duties Act of 1785, which obliged him to apply for a licence to operate as a doctor.
In his later life Jones was a sorry figure. The lease on Dolhywel had expired, his rent had trebled, and his long-suffering daughter left home to get married. The local absentee rector, Matthew Worthington, believing Jones to be a volatile radical, reportedly did all in his power to turn the locals against him. Jones died in 1795 at the age of 69. He was buried, on his own insisting, in unconsecrated ground within Llangadfan parish church.