Hello Aidan Perhaps the answer lies not with the Rev William Williams but rather the pressures placed upon him, either by the community or to someone he owed his living to. My gran used to tell me of two spinsters who ruled the little village she lived in with a rod of iron. Ensuring that the sabbath was observed. Gareth Because not all clerical minds will ever think in exactly the same way - either then or today! :-) I had a quick look to try to ascertain the background of the clergyman in question (Rev William Williams, Rector of Llanddyvnan with Llanfair-mathafarn-eithaf from 1844 onwards), but couldn't find much - Crockford 1865 suggests that he wasn't a graduate of any particular university, nor are any previous parishes mentioned. AJ