Wilkes, John Bernard

Arranger & Composer

(b. 1785, d. 1869) was organist at Monkland where A&M’s first editor H W Baker was vicar, in 1861, as acknowledged in the Preface. The Historical Companion to Hymns A&M (1962) says, ‘He was evidently alive when the 1875 edn was published. But it is not certain that he was the John Bernard [Wilkes] (RAM 1842–46) who was organist at Llandaff Cathedral in 1861–65’. The Baptist Hymn Book Companion (1962/7) says that the arranger of MONKLAND died in 1882 and ‘is not to be confused with’ the more famous JBW of Llandaff; Wesley Milgate (1982/85) agrees. But the Llandaff Wilkes (according to Cliff Knight) was b Leominster (which is near Monkland) in 1823, and organist at Merthyr Tydfil 1854–60. No.197.