Gellideg Welsh Independent Chapel
The cause at Gellideg was started when a number of members of Bethesda Chapel, amongst them John Roger, Thomas Watkins, Edward Hughes, Rees Price, Thomas Morris, and David Jones started holding Sunday Schools and prayer meetings in local houses.
It soon became apparent that they needed somewhere more practical, so they approached Robert T Crawshay who gave them the land free of charge, and also provided the building materials at low price. He also contributed £5 towards the cost of building a schoolroom.
The Trustees of Bethesda Chapel took responsibility for the schoolroom at Gellideg after its completion in May 1861. The function of the schoolroom was to cater for the religious education of the district. Once the building was erected it could now be used for other activities relating to religious involvement such as Sunday School, mid week Prayer meetings; thus the numbers of people attending the schoolroom increased.
As the congregation grew, the elders at Bethesda Chapel decided that the members that attended Bethesda could now hold their own Sunday services at Gellideg with the help of the officers of the mother church.
Rev R Gwesyn Jones, minister of Bethesda Chapel, ministered to the congregation at Gellideg until he emigrated to America in 1867. When Rev R Gwesyn Jones left, the congregation at Gellideg approached Rev James Evans, minister at Zion, Craig y Fargoed to be their minister. He accepted and was inducted in May 1867. He continued as minister until 1878 when he was forced to retire due to ill health. Since then Gellideg has had no permanent minister.
Following its closure as an Independent Chapel in 1995, Gellideg Chapel was used for a time by the Nation Changers Church, but as of 2012 is once again empty.
