The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints in Wales

Royle and Cook

The first missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to arrive in Wales were Henry Royle and Frederick Cook. Royle was called as a missionary in 1840; He was a convert to the church and a native of Britain. Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball had briefly preached in Wales during their mission together. The two missionaries arrived on October 16 and began teaching in Overton. They were met with immediate success and had baptisms in the River Dee only two days after their arrival. By the end of the month, they established a branch of 32 members. The two elders were joined by James Burnham in November of that year.

Dan Jones

In 1845 Dan Jones was called as a missionary to Wales. He would become one of the most successful Mormon missionaries to work in the United Kingdom. Arriving January 1845, Jones was assigned to work in Wrexham. By December there were 493 baptized members of the LDS church in Wales. The next year in January, he was made mission president and oversaw missionary work in the country by Wilford Woodruff because Jones knew how to speak, read, and write in Welsh. By the time he left Wales in February 1849 there were 4,645 baptized members and seventy-two branches. In terms of population, one out of every 278 people in Wales at that time was baptized into the LDS Church. When Jones returned from his first mission, he helped a group of Welsh Saints to emigrate to the Salt Lake Valley.

Jones was asked to return to Wales in August 1852. He became a counselor to the mission president and was called to be the president in 1854. He also worked as the editor of Udgorn Seion. During his second mission, opposition to the church had increased, but over 2,000 new members were added to the church by his departure 1856. On his passage home, he again assisted a group of Welsh emigrants to Utah.

Translating church publications

In 1846, Jones had begun to publish a Welsh language periodical for the church entitled Prophwyd y Jubili (Prophet of the Jubilee). It was the first Mormon periodical to be published in a language other than English. He had initiated publishing pamphlets and other magazines in the Welsh language that ultimately led to the publication of a Welsh translation of the Book of Mormon in April 1852 by John Davis.

In 1850 John Davies, who had been appointed to oversee church publications in Wales, announced that he would translate the Doctrine and Covenants. Davies would publish a 16-page signature in every other issue of Ugdorn Seion (Zion's Trumpet), which was the church publication following Prophet of the Jubillee. By August 1851, the 20 signatures were finished printing and were bound and the Welsh Doctrine and Covenants. Davies began translating and publishing the Book of Mormon into Welsh in the same manner. Church members paid a penny per signature that was printed. Initial printing of the book was delayed due to a lack of subscribers; however, the book received enough funding and was printed, the final signature printing on April 17, 1852. These translations of these two books are still used by the church today.

Opposition and decline in membership

Although early missionary efforts had been successful, there was a decline in church membership in the late 1850s. This decline was due, in part, by church members emigrating to the United States after their conversion and a decrease in the number of new converts. Other factors that could have contributed to this decline include the introduction of polygamy into church practice in 1853 and social and political reforms in Wales. Opposition to Latter-day Saint missionary efforts in United Kingdom existed from the earliest missions but intensified in South Wales and the West Midlands in the 1850s, leading to some violent incidents.

Another factor that led to decline in membership was the creation of the Community of Christ (RLDS) in the 1860s. This group was formed from members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) who had been excommunicated. As the RLDS members began to preach their beliefs in Wales, some members and potential converts were led away from the LDS church. Because of the decrease in membership, the last issue of Ugdorn Seion was published in April 1962. This gradual decline continued until the mid-20th century.

Welsh members and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Dan Jones and faithful Welsh members greatly influenced the formation of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Jones helped bring a group of 250 Welsh converts to the United States. Among these faithful church members were many singers who would help form the church's choir. John Parry, one of the members in this group, directed 85 Welsh converts in a special musical number at the October 1849 General Conference. Parry was asked by Brigham Young to form and direct a choir, which later became known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Membership

Table shows LDS membership statistics as of January 1, 2011 for various regions and nations of the UK, along with British Crown Dependencies.

Missions

The nation of Wales does not have its own mission. Instead it is served by two English missions:

Temples

There are no temples in Wales itself. Instead, Welsh members use either of the two English temples.

Notable Welsh Latter-day Saints

Welsh LDS include: