<>#8FIRE WITHIN AND WITHOUT @4Of the many Welsh religious revivals, that of 1905 was unique. For at its heart was the preacher Mrs Mary Jones who, as KEVIN McCLURE describes, could summon up miraculous lights over the welsh contryside.@7 @7PROBABLY THE MOST remarkable series of phenomena ever reported in Wales were the mysterious Egryn lights. Yet few people today (even among those interested in paranormal happenings) have heard of them or of their apparent inspiration, the visionary preacher Mrs Mary Jones. The background to the appearance of inexplicable lights seen around Mrs Jones was the Welsh Methodist revival of 1905, which was led by the young evangelist, Evan Roberts. Wales had long been the home of such intense and emotional revivals, involving large numbers of converts who experienced drastic, if temporary, changes in their way of live as a result. By September 1904, when the latest revival began, a traditional pattern was already well- established. Since the Great Revival of 1859 - when a staggering 110,000 converts were claimed - there had been important local revivals in 1866, 1871, 1882 - 83, 1887, 1892 and 1893. A study of the 1905 revival describes the 'mystic doctrine of salvation by personal experience, in which realization of sin led to an emotional crisis which convinced them (the converts) that they had been saved.' Preachers denounced sinners from the pullpit, cajoled and promised the glories of heaven for those who repented. Packed services ran for hours at a time. But this particular revival quickly showed unusual features. Evan Roberts based his personal 'testimony' on his alleged visions from angels and from Christ himself. Methodism is not a faith that takes kindly to mysticism or other 'Popish' traits and Roberts was severely criticised for his emphasis on personal revelation of this literal kind. Perhaps this censure explains partly why few chose to remember the revival in later years; after all, claims of visitations from holy persona are not uncommon in Catholic centres such as Lourdes in France or Fatima in Portugal. The good Methodists of Merionethshire had no taste for pilgrimages and shrines. Yet the controversial activites of Evan Roberts paled into relative insignificance beside the wonders that came to be associated with Mrs Mary Jones, a 35-year-old farmer's wife from Egryn, a hamlet between Barmouth and Harlech in Merionethshire (now Gwynedd). Experiences such as Evan Roberts's visions are often subjective, only experienced by one person. Consequently it is hard to prove whether or not they really happened. But Mary Jones did more - she inspired phenomena that others could see. She experienced visions, found herself surrounded by moving lights, received messages from 'The Saviour in bodily form'. She firmly believed herself to have been chosen to be 'the accepted medium for the spreading of the Revival throughout Merionethshire.' These experiences led her to commence a nightly mission in her local chapel and soon others also began to witness lights, to see @7visions - and they were converted. The first of many independent reports comes from the Cambrian news of 13 January 1905. Reporting her successful conversion work, it mentions that until recently the lights she has claimed to have seen had been regarded 'as one of her own inspiring thoughts', but that they have now been seen by others. Last week Mrs. Jones attended a meeting at Pensarn, where hundreds of people congregated. The chapel can be seen from the railway and as a train, driven by a Machynlleth man, was passing, a strange light was seen shooting out of ten different directions, and then coming together with a loud clap. 'Never do I wish to see anything like it again', said the driver in relating his experience. Both he and his mate saw the light. Clearly Mrs Jones and her lights were by now well-known along the Cambrian coast, and the appearance of independent testimony attracted several journalists from respectable newspapers to the little Islawrffordd farmhouse that lies between the sea and Tal-y-bont halt on the railway. Once there, they attempted to establish the background of this seemingly ordinary woman. They found that, like so many others who are the centre of psychic or paranormal phenomena, she had been far from happy in her childhood and adolescence. Orphaned at an early age, she was cared for by her sister. Then her sister died too, and Mary lost her lifelong faith in God. But during the first stirrings of the revival in South Wales she underwent a dramatic, though solitary, @7conversion experience and returned to regular attendance at the Egryn chapel. Gradually she became more involved; then her visions began, and she decided to start her own daily meetings at the tiny chapel. She told Beriah Evans, a Caernarvon journalist, of her experiences at this time, and accounts appeared in the Manchester Guardian and the Barmouth advertiser: The first night's mission was marked by the appearance for the first time of Mrs. Jones' 'Star' and 'Lights'. The star was heralded by a luminous arch, of the character of the 'Aurona Borealis', one end resting on the sea, the other on the hill-top - a distance of well over a mile (1.6 kilometres) - bathing the little chapel in a flood of soft effulgence. The star soon after disappeared, its light flooding the chapel itself. In the same articles, Evans wrote of the apparent 'intelligence' of the star or lights, which seemed to respond to both individuals and situations. The star has seemed to rest above particular houses, whose roofs are thrown out in bold relief amid the surrounding darkness. When this occurs in the Egryn district a convert or converts invariably turn up at the next meeting from that particular house...It (the star) glows placidly on the roof of the chapel where her service is held, and when it does so the spiritual character of the meeting is very marked. The Reverend Elvet Lewis, writing for the Christian British Weekly, records @7similar events of lights appearing over the houses of those who were to be converted. He stated that a Wesleyan minister in Barmouth could confirm them and, therefore, everyone else should take the reports seriously. As the journalists arrived, many of them became witnesses to the lights, and were able to publish the names and addresses of other responsible witnesses. Perhaps because he was a local man, Beriah Evans was the first into print. On 9 February 1905 this account appeared in the Daily News: After tea, we had two miles (3 kilometres) walk to the chapel. Besides myself, there were present the Rev. Llewelyn Morgan, Harlech, the Rev. Roder Williams, Dyffryn, and one other - Mrs. Jones came in dressed for her journey. Going outside, she immediately returned, remarking: 'We cannot start yet, the Light has not come.' Five minutes later she went out, returning promptly to say: 'Now we can go, the light has come.' The announcement was received with a perceptible tremor by the only unbelieving member of our company. We had just passed the level-crossing of the Cambrian railway when Mrs. Jones directed our attention to the southern sky. While she spoke, between us and the hills, apparently two miles (3 kilometres) away, there suddenly flashed forth an enormous luminous star, an intensely brilliant white light, emitting from its whole circumference dazzling sparklets like flashing rays from a diamond. 'It may be the head light of a train?' suggested our doubting @7Thomas. 'No,' was Mrs. Jones's reply; 'it is too high for that.' As though in corroboration, the star made a sudden jump towards the mountains, returning almost immediately to its old position, and then rushing at an immense speed straight for us. Then came the unmistakeable rumbling of the train approaching from the direction of Barmouth. 'I thought it was the train,' came with a sigh of relief from our unbeliever. False hope! 'No, was Mrs. Jones's confident contradiction. 'The train light has yet to come.' And a second light, very different in character from the first, became perceptible some distance below the star, both obviously rushing towards us. As the train drew near the 'star' disappeared. With a rush and a roar the train was past. But before our Thomas's sigh of thanks at the disappearance of the star was well out, the...star reappeared nearer, and if possible more brilliant than ever. Then it vanished... 'Wait', said Mrs. Jones. In a moment, high up on the hillside, quite two miles (3 kilometres) away from where the 'star' had been a moment previously, a 'Light' again flashed out, illuminating the heather as if bathed in brilliant sunshine. Again it vanished - only again to reappear a mile (1.6 kilometres) further north, evidently circling the valley, and in the direction for which we @7were bound. And Mary Jones's lights were to assume many different forms and elude rational explanation for some time to come. end.