Join us between 11am and 12pm on 24 May 2025 for a fascinating talk about former Bishop Thirlwall at Carmarthenshire Museum by Frances Knight and Christopher Cunliffe. The talk will commemorate the 150th anniversary of this famous figure's death and will introduce a small temporary exhibition about his life and work.

About Bishop Thirlwall

For thirty-four years the Bishop's Palace (now Carmarthenshire Museum) was the home of one of the most interesting personalities in Victorian Britain. 

Connop Thirwall (1797-1875) was bishop of St Davids between 1840 and 1874. Not only did he preside over the second largest diocese in the Church of England, which included Wales at the time; he was a scholar with a European-wide reputation as a classicist and historian.

As a member of the House of Lords, he played a prominent part in national life, looked to as a wise and prescient commentator on the affairs of church and state. On his frequent visits to London, he mixed with the leading figures of the day and won their respect.

As a gifted linguist, he was one of the first English bishops in Wales to learn Welsh in order to preach and take services: his advocacy for the Welsh language and culture was recognised by his induction into the Gorsedd of the Bards at the National Eisteddfod.

Nor did he neglect Welsh institutions. As well as building or repairing numerous churches and schools, he was instrumental in the founding of what was to become Trinity College, Carmarthen, and took a leading part in the restoration of St Davids Cathedral. 

All this activity was anchored by his life in Abergwili. It was here that he spent up to sixteen hours a day in the study overflowing with books and papers, which he called ‘Chaos’. As well as coping with the relentless pressure of the correspondence and administration which was the lot of an assiduous diocesan bishop, he managed to find the time to complete his eight-volume History of Greece and to write the eleven triennial Visitation Charges which stand as an important commentary on the life of the Victorian Church. It was here, too, that candidates for ordination gathered under his supervision for a retreat before the ordination service itself, often held in the parish church next door.   

Yet there was also time for relaxation and enjoyment. Many guests made the long journey here. Particularly welcome were his nephew’s children when they stayed, especially at Christmas, drawing their austere great-uncle out of himself as he tried his best to entertain them. And there were more local friends, with whom he could walk round the gardens and talk on all sorts of subjects.

Especially important towards the end of his life was his friendship with Elizabeth Johnes of Dolaucothi: his letters to her were published posthumously. Above all, the animals needed to be cared for. Always a lover of both cats and dogs, Abergwili provided space for a larger menagerie and an important fixed point in any day was four o’clock in the afternoon, when the bishop would venture out to feed his geese and ducks, whatever the weather. 

This year, which marks the 150th anniversary of Thirlwall’s death, provides an opportunity to reflect on his life and work, and to introduce him to those unaware of his contribution to the history of Carmarthenshire.