the following article was originally published on the bbc.co.uk website. the articles published here in its original welsh language, together with an english translation made for the website by angharad spooner.
ENGLISH TRANSLATIONOn the last Sunday in 2002 Capel - Tan was dissolved after over two hundred you years of worshipThe unpleasant task fell on the hands of Reverend T Evans Morgan pastor of Salem in canton Cardiff President of the South Wales Presbyterianism. The assembly came together, some coming from far away, with living memory of the old prosperous times.There was over a 100 members during the time of the second world war but now this number had declined to 13. Miss Jean Thomas, Miss P. Vida Morgan, Mrs C. Buck, Mrs Beryl E. Davies, Mrs M. Holtam, Mrs Mary Williams, Mr D. Jenkyn Davies, Mrs Gwennie John, Mr Dewi Bonner, Mrs Myfanwy Hunt, Miss Betty Prosser, Miss Marion Llewelyn and Mrs Ivy Priddle. but when Mrs Priddle sadly died on the 6th of January the brought the congregation numbers down to 12.The first Methodist service its self was in 1770 in the gentility farm house in collenna, which is to the north of the village of Tonyrefail, after Mr and Mrs Evan Pritchard of collenna, after going to listen at the side of Llanbad church, at the top of the Rhiw mountain which faces Llanharan, the ruins of which are still there today, to the powerful preaching’s open aired.Traditionally it was important back then to celebrate the day of the patient saint and there was a celebration on the following Sunday after saint David’s day. It was a day to celebrate with high spirits, with dancing , drinking, gambling and celebrating the coming spring time. This didn’t sit very well with reverend Dafydd Jones who was appointed vicar at Llangan in 1767. Dafydd Jones was a powerful preacher and was determined to change the standard of morality and religion he was one of the early groups of Methodists to reform and revive the church from with in.A large congregation came to hear his preaching’s open aired and quickly came to condemn the traditional way of celebrating Saint David’s day. They held yearly services for saint David’s day at the Collenna farm for thirty years. There came to the farm a very famous preacher of the time to the like the preacher Dafydd Jones. Peter Williams Cearfyrddin and prominent hymnist William Williams Pantycelyn who wrote a mourning hymn for Susannah Pritchard one of the girls of Collenna. There was a special pulpit being used at the farm.Unfortunately that pulpit disappeared and no body knows to where. The building of the first Methodist chapel in 1791 on land given by the Collenna family on lease for 999 years. Forty years after the completion of the building, a second chapel was built behind the old building. It opened with a celebration on the 10th of May 1936. In 1857 a vestry was built to support the schooling board until 1870. A third chapel was built in 1863 again behind the second building, which is the present day chapel and the chapel was named Capel Y Ton. This chapel was built by volunteers and cost £1300 and the arrears were paid by 1880. In 1893 the chapels house of vicarage was built and a vestry extension costing £1100
Cau Capel y Ton Ionawr 2003 Ar Sul olaf y flwyddyn 2002 datgorfforwyd Capel Y Ton ar ôl dros ddwy ganrif o addoli.Roedd y gorchwyl amhleserus yn llaw Llywydd Henaduriaeth Dwyrain Morgannwg Y Parchedig T. Evan Morgan, Bugail Salem, Canton Caerdydd. Daeth cynulleidfa niferus ynghyd, rhai wedi dod o bell a oedd ganddynt gof byw am yr hen amser llewyrchus a fu. Roedd yno dros 100 o aelodau adeg yr ail ryfel byd a rhain wedi gostwng i l3 o aelodau, Miss Jean Thomas, Miss P. Vida Morgan, Mrs C. Buck, Mrs Beryl E.Davies, Mrs M. Holtam, Mrs Mary Williams, Mr D. Jenkyn Davies, Mrs Gwennie John, Mr Dewi Bonner, Mrs Myfanwy Hunt, Miss Betty Prosser, Miss Marion Llewelyn a Mrs Ivy Priddle. Mae marwolaeth Mrs Priddle ar y 6ed o Ionawr yn gwneud y rhif erbyn hyn yn 12. Cafodd y gwasanaeth cyntaf Methodistaidd ei gynnal yn 1770 yn ffermdy bonedd Collenna sydd ir gogledd i bentref Tonyrefail, ar ôl i Mr a Mrs Evan Prichard Collenna fynd i wrando ar bregethu grymus gwyr agored yn ymyl Capel Llanbad sydd ar ben mynydd y Rhiw yn wynebu ar Llanharan. Mae'r adfeilion yn dal yno. Yn draddodiadol roedd dathlu Gwyl Mabsant yn bwysig iawn yn y cyfnod hynny, roedd yr wyl ar y Sul yn dilyn Gwyl Ddewi. Dirywiodd y dathlu'n derfysglyd gan y dawnsio ac yfed a gamblo wrth ddathlu dyfodiad y gwanwyn. Doedd hyn ddim wrth fodd y Parchedig Dafydd Jones a oedd wedi ei benodi yn Ficer Llangan yn 1767. Roedd Dafydd Jones yn bregethwr grymus ac yn benderfynol o newid safon moesoldeb a chrefydd, roedd yn un o'r grwp cynnar Methodistaidd i ddiwygio ac adfywio'r Eglwys oddi mewn. Daeth tyrfa fawr i wrando ar ei bregethu awyr agored ag yn fuan iawn try'r wyl Mabsant yn yr hyn roedd yn ei gondemnio yn Gymanfa Ganu. Bu'n cynnal gwasanaethau blynyddol yno am ddeng mlynedd ar hugain.Daeth pregethwyr enwog iawn y cyfnod i gynnal gwasanaethau yn ffermdy Collenna fel y Parchedigion Dafydd Jones Llangan. Peter Williams Caerfyrddin ar emynwr amlwg William Williams Pantycelyn a ysgrifennodd alar gân i Susanah Prichard un o ferched Collenna. Roedd yno bulpud arbennig yn cael ei ddefnyddio. Diflannodd hwnnw ac nis gwyr neb i ble.Adeiladwyd y capel Methodistaidd cyntaf yn 1791 ar dir a roddwyd gan deulu Collenna ar les am 999 o flynyddoedd. Deugain o flynyddoedd yn ddiweddarach adeiladwyd yr ail gapel tu ôl ir hen adeilad. Agorwyd gyda dathliadau ar y 10fed ar lleg o fis Mai 1836. Yn y flwyddyn 1857 adeiladwyd y festri a defnyddiwyd y festri i gynnal Bwrdd Ysgol hyd at 1870. Adeiladwyd y trydydd capel yn 1863 y tu ôl eto ir ail, a hwn felly yw'r capel presennol a alwyd yn Capel Ar Y Ton. Cafodd y capel hwn ei adeiladu gan wirfoddolwyr a chostiodd £1300 a thalwyd y ddyled erbyn 1880. Yn 1893 adeiladwyd y ty capel a helaethu'r festri am gost o £1100.
