EVANS
,
THOMAS
(
1714?
-
1779
),
Independent minister
;
b. at
Mynyddislwyn, Mon.
He was converted by
James
Davies
(d.
1760
) (q.v.)
, joined the church of
Penmain
, began
preaching
, and was at
Haverfordwest Academy
under
Evan
Davies
,
1741-3
. In
1743
, he accepted a call from the ‘
Merionethshire Church
,’ by that time localized at
Llanuwchllyn
, but was not ordained till
19 June 1745
(
Y Cofiadur
,
1923
— from the
Cilgwyn
church book). He lodged at
Tal-ardd
in
Cynllwyd
(where
Howel
Harris
stayed on his first visit to
Llanuwchllyn
, in
1740
), m. a sister of
Thomas
Owen
of
Tal-ardd
, and
kept a good school
there. The chapel at
Rhos-y-fedwen
(the first in
Merioneth
) was built in
1745-6
. In
1756 or 1757
,
Evans
removed to
Denbigh
; the records of his period there are very defective, but he was certainly there in
1762
(
Jeremy
's list of ministers,
N.L.W. MS. 362
), and he probably remained till
1764
, for his predecessor at
Mixenden, Yorks.
, d. in
1763
, From
1764
till his death,
25 May 1779
, ‘aged 65,’
Evans
was at
Mixenden
, living in ‘
The Old Hall
’ and
keeping school
there. He was regarded as an
Arian
. He is believed to have
started the first Sunday school
in
Yorkshire
. In his will, he left an endowment to his old congregation at
Penmain
, for the augmentation of the ministers’ stipend.
Bibliography:
-
Hanes Eglwysi Annibynnol Cymru
, i, 23, 413, iv, 44;
-
R. T. Jenkins
,
Hanes Cynulleidfa Hen Gapel
Llanuwchllyn
, 1937
,
1937
, 82-4;
-
Miall
,
Congregationalism in Yorkshire a chapter of
modern church history
, 1868
, 318.
Author:
Emeritus Professor Robert Thomas Jenkins, C.B.E., D.Litt., Ll.D.,
F.S.A., (1881-1969), Bangor
