author
Samuel Roberts
1800–1885
A lively Welsh minister and reformer, he wrote under the initials “S.R.” and used his pen to argue for social change. His work ranged from politics and economics to journalism, and his life even included an ambitious attempt to build a Welsh colony in Tennessee.
1 Audiobook
Gwaith Samuel Roberts
by Samuel Roberts
About the author
Born in Llanbrynmair on March 6, 1800, Samuel Roberts became known in Wales simply as “S.R.” He was an Independent minister, but he was also widely read as a political and economic writer whose interests reached well beyond the pulpit.
Roberts was deeply involved in public debate. He founded the Welsh-language journal Y Cronicl in 1843 and used it to support radical causes and reform. His writing helped make him a distinctive voice in 19th-century Welsh life, combining religious conviction with strong views on politics, society, and everyday practical issues.
In 1857, he traveled to Tennessee in hopes of establishing a Welsh settlement there. The plan was disrupted by the American Civil War, and he eventually returned to Wales. He died on September 24, 1885, remembered as a minister, editor, and energetic advocate for change.