How far would you walk for a Bible?
For most of us today, accessing the Bible requires little more than reaching for a book, opening a website or tapping an app on our phone. But for a 15-year-old girl living in rural Wales more than 200 years ago, owning a Bible of her own meant years of saving followed by a journey of around 26 miles, believed to be on foot.
Her name was Mary Jones, and her determination to own a Bible in her own language became part of a story that would reach far beyond Wales.
A longing to read the Bible
Mary Jones was born in 1784 and grew up near Llanfihangel-y-Pennant, at the foot of Cadair Idris.
Her family had little money and books were precious. Bibles were expensive and Welsh-language copies could be difficult to obtain.
Mary learnt to read and developed a deep desire to have a Bible of her own. According to the story preserved by Bible Society, she began saving and continued for six years until she finally had enough money to buy one.
But there was another problem: where could she get it?
Mary learnt that the Revd Thomas Charles had Welsh Bibles in Bala. And so, in 1800, at the age of 15, she set out on foot.
The journey was around 26 miles.
Tradition remembers Mary making the journey barefoot, an image which has become inseparable from the story. What is firmly established is that Mary travelled on foot from Llanfihangel-y-Pennant to Bala in 1800 seeking a Welsh Bible from Thomas Charles – a journey preserved in records held by the National Library of Wales.
After years of saving and miles of walking, Mary returned home with the Bible she had longed for.
From one journey to something much bigger
Mary’s story did not end when she arrived home.
Thomas Charles was already deeply concerned about the shortage of affordable Welsh Bibles. Mary’s determination became a powerful illustration of a much wider need: there were ordinary people who wanted to read scripture for themselves, in their own language, but simply couldn’t get hold of a Bible.
The need for Welsh Bibles was subsequently raised beyond Wales, and Thomas Charles became one of those involved in the movement which led to the formation of the British and Foreign Bible Society in 1804.
It would be too simple to say that Mary’s walk alone caused the Bible Society to be founded. But her story became closely associated with its beginnings and with a vision that would ultimately extend far beyond Wales: making the Bible available to people in languages they could understand.
More than two centuries later, the Bible Society continues that work.
A particularly Welsh story
There is something else worth noticing about Mary’s story.
She didn’t simply want access to a Bible. She wanted to be able to encounter scripture in her own language.
Welsh Christianity has a long and complex relationship with the Welsh language, and the desire to read scripture contributed to the development of literacy across Wales.
Mary’s story therefore asks us to remember something that can easily be taken for granted: language matters.
Being welcomed is one thing. Being able to participate, understand and encounter faith through your own language is another.
That remains an important question for churches in Wales today.
What might Mary’s story say to us now?
There is an obvious lesson we could take from Mary Jones: admire her determination.
A teenager saved for six years and then walked across the Welsh countryside because she wanted a Bible so much.
But perhaps there is another question hidden within her story, why did she have to work so hard to access it in the first place?
In Mary’s time the barriers included poverty, geography, literacy, language and the availability of books.
The barriers people encounter today may look very different.
Someone may struggle to enter a church building because it isn’t physically accessible. Another person may find language, worship or printed materials difficult to understand. Financial circumstances, disability, neurodivergence, transport, technology or simply being unfamiliar with church can all affect someone’s ability to participate fully in the life of a Christian community.
Mary’s story invites us not only to admire those who overcome barriers, but to notice the barriers themselves.
Who has to make an extra effort to participate in our churches?
Who isn’t able to access what others take for granted?
Whose language are we speaking?
And what could we change to make the path easier?
Removing barriers from the path
More than 200 years after Mary made her journey, people can still walk a route between Llanfihangel-y-Pennant and Bala in memory of her story.
But perhaps the journey Mary Jones leaves to the Church today is a different one.
Her determination helped people recognise that access to the Bible should not depend upon where someone lives, how much money they have or what language they speak.
Today, we can extend that question further.
If someone has to overcome unnecessary barriers to encounter scripture, worship, Christian community or a sense of belonging, should we simply admire their determination to get there?
Or should we ask what we can do to remove the barriers from their path?
Mary Jones walked 26 miles for something many of us can now access in seconds.
Perhaps remembering her journey can help us notice the journeys we are still asking others to make.
Sources and further reading
National Library of Wales: The most important Welsh book and the most famous Welsh woman. An account of Mary’s journey, her circumstances and the surviving Bibles associated with her. https://www.library.wales/about-nlw/press-and-news/press-releases/2021-press-releases/the-most-important-welsh-book-and-the-most-famous-welsh-woman
Bible Society: Mary Jones and her Bible (PDF). A retelling of the story, including Mary’s six years of saving and her journey to Bala. https://www.biblesociety.org.uk/uploads/content/projects/Mary_Jones_Story_2015.pdf
E. Wyn James: Bala and the Bible: Thomas Charles, Ann Griffiths and Mary Jones, Cardiff University. Historical background on Welsh Christianity, literacy, the demand for Bibles and the founding of Bible Society. https://www.anngriffiths.cardiff.ac.uk/bible.html
Bible Society: Its work today. Information about Bible Society’s work in England, Wales and through its international partnerships. https://www.biblesociety.org.uk/, https://www.biblesociety.org.uk/about-us/our-work/bible-society-in-wales
Bible Society: The Mary Jones Walk: A walking guide (2009, PDF). A guide to the commemorative route between Llanfihangel-y-Pennant and Bala. https://www.biblesociety.org.uk/uploads/content/projects/mary_jones_walk_guide.pdf