BILLY BRAY
Cornish Miner, Dancing Preacher
© 2008 Chris Wright
Made by Serif
I deliberately omitted this section from the book, as it is incomplete, and stops just as it becomes interesting. It comes from two unnumbered pages early in the Journal, between pages 6 and 7. Billy must have turned over two pages by mistake, leaving two blanks that he filled in later. The story is not continued anywhere in the Journal, but may have been in what seems to be a missing final section. The words since I have been converted indicate that this is an early event remembered by Billy, as he seems to recall that he sometimes felt he looked foolish when telling about his faith after his conversion.
The good brother that translate this journal must mind that these two sides is wrote out of their place, and that they can see by what is before and after.
I do well remember one night that William Buckingham came to our house, since I have been converted, and he asked me to go over to see his brother to a place that was called Lape. I was last core by night and I was that night to the mine, and went to the mine at ten o’clock. I worked till six the next morning.
When William Buckingham asked me to go to see his brother I felt my heart leap within me, and wanted to go over then—if I was not going to mine that night. So I went to work that night and the dear Lord was with me, bless and praise his holy name for ever and ever.
After I came home and had my breakfast I went away over to Lape to see William’s brother Morgan Buckingham. When I came to his house I saw two women, but he was upstairs in the bed. When I saw the women Satan put it in my mind that I would not show myself a fool here, like I had other places, for the Lord had made me a blessing to many.
So I went upstairs and left Satan at the bottom and I found Morgan in the bed and he was very weak. I said unto him, “Morgan, you sent for me so I am told, and now I am come I will tell you the truth. For what the Lord tells me, that I will tell you.” And then I said to him, “Morgan, have you begun to pray yet?”
And he said in a very low voice, “No.”
I said to him, “Do you feel a desire to pray?”
He said in… (end of page)
And that, I thought, was it. A brief note about someone who would surely be unknown today. Then I received an email from Roger Dean in Broomfield, Colorado just outside Denver. With his permission, I am reproducing the relevant contents of several fascinating emails. Morgan’s death in August 1825 ties in with Billy’s conversion in the late autumn of 1823, if we assume that Morgan is terminally ill in the above account.
I noted with interest your recent book on Billy Bray. When I googled Morgan Buckingham
to see what was out there, a link to the book was the first to come up. Morgan Buckingham
and his brother William Buckingham were brothers to my ancestor Abraham Buckingham.
Morgan was baptized in Gwennap on 22 February 1801, and married Susanne Hitchings/Hitchens
in Kenwyn on 9 October 1823. He was buried 17 August 1825 when he was listed as “of
Kenwyn” and was buried in Gwennap. He had twins John and Martha, baptized in Lasse,
Kea Parish on 6 February 1826. He did not live to see his children baptized. In 1841,
his widow Susanne is living in Saveock Water, Kea Parish. In 1871 her daughter Martha
is living in Twelve Heads, Martha having emmigrated to USA about 1872 -
Our Morgan connection is through Martha Morgan, born 20 March 1777 in Mynyddislwyn, Monmouthshire, Wales, who married Thomas Buckingham in Gwennap in 1787. She was the daughter of Richard Morgan and Martha Lewis. Thomas and Martha had Abraham Buckingham, born 1804, who was my great great grandfather.
Morgan's brother William Buckingham died in 1841 and is buried in the St. Cynog churchyard
in Llangynog, Wales, where he was captain of the mine. In 1842 his brother Abraham
took over as Captain of the Mine (South Llangynog Mine) and lived in the big mine
house called Ty-
