As a young man around 1820 he was engaged as a labourer building Thomas Telford's road from London to Holyhead (now known as the A5), and was heard by his fellow workers preaching on religious matters as he walked to work.
As a young man in the early 19th century, around 1820, he worked as a laborer building Thomas Telford's road from London to Holyhead (now known as the A5). His coworkers occasionally heard him deliver sermons on religious topics while walking to his work each day.