R. J. Berwyn

Richard Jones Berwyn (October 1837 – 25 December 1917) was an early Welsh colonist in Patagonia.

Early life Richard Jones was born in October 1837 in Glyndyfrdwy, Wales. In 1852, he began his studies at the Borough Road Teacher Training College in London. He then sailed for New York, where he was asked by Michael D. Jones to join the Welsh people in forming the colony of Patagonia. He accepted the offer and returned to Wales to prepare for that trip. He died on Christmas Day 1917.

During his time at 'the Colony', Berwyn promoted the use of the recently conceived decimal numeral system for use in the Welsh language. The decimal system was conceived by an accountant in the Colony to make the business of accounting simpler. The decimal system was later, in the 1940s, promoted in Welsh language schools in Wales and has been taught ever since. The original vigesimal system is, however, still an integral part of the language.