EVANS
,
WILLIAM
(
1800
-
1880
),
hymnist
;
b.
1 Oct. 1800
, fourth son of
Thomas
Evans
(
1756
-
1837
) of
Pen-y-feidr
,
Trefgarn, Pembs.
, and his wife,
Sarah
(
Bevan
)
; the father, an
elder
of
Woodstock C.M. church
, had, in his youth, acted as guide to
Williams
of
Pantycelyn
on his journeys in
Pembrokeshire
.
William
Evans
had but three weeks’ schooling. He became a member of
Hall C.M. church
c.
1820-1
, and was later an
elder
there; he was most
active in Sunday-school work
and in
fostering congregational music
— he
held singing-schools
at
Fishguard
,
Trefîn
, and
S. Davids
. He was also a
hymnist
, and one of his hymns still holds its place in some of our hymnals. On
11 April 1826
he m.
Margaret
(d.
1879
), only daughter of
William
Meyler
, of
Ford
, and took up his residence at
Ford
. In
1851
he bought a holding at
Ambleston
, and in
1857
gave up his occupation (he was a
butcher
) and retired to
Ambleston
(
Treamlod
), the place generally associated with his name. As
Ambleston
is about two miles from
Woodstock chapel
,
Evans
built a house in the village for religious meetings — after his death, a chapel was built there. He d.
2 April 1880
, and was buried with his wife in
Ford chapel
graveyard; he had had two sons and seven daughters.
Sources:
-
Y Cylchgrawn
, xxi, no. 233, pp. 252, 268, 308, 414;
-
Y Goleuad
,
24 Dec. 1881
;
-
Y Drysorfa
,
Jan. 1882
;
-
information from the
Rev. Richard Williams
, of Woodstock.
Author:
Dr Enid Pierce Roberts, M.A., D.Litt., Bangor
