The first LDS baptisms in the Merthyr area took place in Penydarren in February 1843, when Elder William Henshaw from the United States baptised William Rees Davies, his wife and two children. Davies's home started to be used for 'cottage meetings' and on 25th March 1843 the Penydarren Branch was organised. The Register shows that the first convert of the Branch was William Phillips. Different branches were set up and organised under the 'Merthyr Tydfil conference' with Henshaw as its president. 

In 1845 Dan Jones, originally from Flintshire but returned from the United States to preach the LDS faith as known as the 'Father of the Welsh Mission', arrived at Merthyr. Under his leadership Merthyr Tydfil became the “Mother Branch” of Great Britain with 700 members (Millenial Star, 30 March 1848). Jones returned to Utah in February 1849 with 249 converts. During the cholera epidemic of the same year Elder John Davis wrote to the President of the British Mission, Orson Pratt: “In this town and its neighbourhood we baptise now-a-days as many as we like. The cholera that rages here at present assists us greatly. The Saints are all alive, except when they think the cholera takes hold of them. The meetings are all crowded but not more so than our dwelling where the half-sick Saints gather in crowds. I have visited several Saints with the cholera and succeeded with God to restore many”. 

The congregation continued to use various buildings to meet including the Bute Arms (Horse Street, Dowlais), room adjoining the Mason's Arms (Penydarren), New Inn Room (Penydarren), the Alfred Arms (Georgetown), the Cross Keys Inn (Cross Keys Street) the Cymreigyddion Hall/White Lion Inn Hall (Merthyr). The last buildng and the Railway Inn (High Street, Merthyr) were also used for special conferences. One such conference was held 1st February 1888, when it was stated that there were 588 LDS in the Principality  and the meeting was attended by 150. 

With increased emigration to Utah in the second half of the 19th century and early 20th century, the LDS faith in Merthyr declined and on Sunday, 3 March 1878 Counsellor Edmund Harman reported that the Merthyr Branch was in a “very middling condition”. Some baptisms continued, using pools and rivers in the district. 

The first baptisms of the 20th century seem to have taken place in January 1932, marking the start of a new period of growth: 'Baptism: for the third time this year the unusual scene of baptism by immersion was witnessed by a large crowed of people Saturday. The ceremony took place In the Taf Fawr, under the Railway Viaduct. And was conducted by the elders of the Merthyr Mormon Church (Merthyr express 1932). Meetings were held in homes on Plymouth Street and Fothergill Street, Penyard before moving to a hall on Trevithick Street. 

On 26th July 1937 a small hut-chapel was opened in on Penyard Hill, dedicated by LDS President Herber J Grant, accompanied by Mr. Hugh B. Brown, the new president of the British Mission, and the retiring president Mr J J Cannon.

The current Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was built in 1963 to replace that on Penyard Hill. By 1960 the Penyard Street Chapel had become too small for the 100 or so members of the congregation and some members had started to look around for a new building. A decision had been made to buy the Kirk House of Cyfarthfa Castle when the LDS announced a new major church building scheme in the UK. As the stake centre for south Wales, Merthyr was assigned money for a new, custom built church. A plot of land at the junction of Swansea Road and Cyfarthfa works was bought

The congregation was assigned an apporpriate model and the architect Sir Thomas Bennett of London was appointed (also architect of the London Temple 1958 and the Crawley LDS Church 1964). 80% of the cost was provided by the central church building division, and other 20% provided by the labour of the congregation. The church opened on 25th August 1963, dedicated by the President of the LDS Church and prophet David O Mackay, whose mother, Jennette Evelyn Evans, had been born in Merthyr before emigrating with her parents in 1856. Mackay gifted an electric organ, brought from Utah, to the congregation in memory of his mother.

S Fielding, RCAHMW, February 2024

Eira M Smith, 'Mormonism in Merthyr' in 'Merthyr Tydfil: 1500 Years' Ed. Huw Williams (1980)
'Mormon Conference at Merthyr', Merthyr Telegraph, and General Advertiser for the Iron Districts of South Wales (Friday 06 February 1880)
'A Mormon Baptism at Merthyr: Nocturnal Immersion in the Taff', South Wales Echo (Wednesday 21 September 1887)
'Baptism' Merthyr Express (Saturday 25 June 1932)
'Mormon Church Dedicated' Western Mail (Tuesday 27th July 1937)
'S Wales visit by Mormon Leader' Coventry Evening Telegraph (Monday 19 August 1963)