EVANS
,
EVAN
(
1773
-
1827
),
Baptist minister
;
b.
3 June 1773
at
Bryn-y-gwdyn
,
Llanarmon, Caerns.
, was baptized by
John
Williams
(
1768
-
1825
) (q.v.)
in
April 1795
, and removed to
Rhos-llannerch-rugog
c.
1797
. He tended at first towards
Sandemanianism
, but soon decided to plough his own furrow, attaching himself to neither of the two factions which at the time divided
North Wales
Baptists
. In
1802
, while working near
Llanfyllin
, he
founded a Baptist cause
in that town; in the same year, he began
preaching
at
Cefn-mawr
(
Ruabon
), and also at
Northop
(the first
Baptist
cause in
Flintshire
); and in
1805
(in which year he was ordained
minister
at
Cefn-mawr
) he visited
Liverpool
and there
founded a Welsh cause
whose adherents still ranked as members at
Cefn-mawr
down to
1810
. In
1815
he revived the
Baptist
cause at
Rhos-llannerch-rugog
. During a visit to
London
(
1817
) to collect funds for his chapel, he decided to become a
milk-vendor
in
London
; in
1819
he was released by the church at
Cefn-mawr
and
founded a Welsh Baptist church
in
London
. It is interesting to note that he joined the
London Cymreigyddion Society
, and indeed was the
speaker
at their commemoration of
John
Jones
(
1766
-
1821
) of
Glan-y-gors
(q.v.)
— his address was printed in
Seren Gomer
,
1821
, 214. There were troubles in his congregation, for some members wished to invite
Daniel
Davies
(
1797
-
1876
) (q.v.)
to be their
pastor
; but the majority remained faithful to
Evans
, who in
1822
built a chapel at
Moorfields
. He d.
2 Feb. 1827
and was buried in
Bunhill Fields
.
Bibliography:
-
Hanes y Bedyddwyr yn Nghymru
,
1893–1907
, iii, 340, iv, 39, 44, 220, 405.
Author:
Emeritus Professor Robert Thomas Jenkins, C.B.E., D.Litt., Ll.D.,
F.S.A., (1881-1969), Bangor
