EVANS
,
DAVID CLEDLYN
(
1858
-
1940
),
schoolmaster, geologist, antiquary
;
b. in
Llanwenog, Cards
, in
1858
. At the age of 11 he was
apprenticed to a stonemason
but about five years later he prepared himself for the
teaching
profession. In
1876
he commenced teaching at
Gwernogle, Carms.
, eventually becoming
headmaster
of
St. Clears Council School
(
1889-1923
) after short periods at
Cwrtnewydd
,
Llwynrhydowen
,
Llandysul
,
Trefilan
and
Llanddowror
. He
taught both vocal and instrumental music
, was a
violinist
,
organist
and
choirmaster
,
adjudicated at
eisteddfodau
and was a
gifted antiquarian
and
geologist
. His notable paper on ‘
The Ordovician rocks of western Carmarthenshire
’ which he read before the
Geological Society
was published in
The Quarterly Jnl. of the Geological Soc.
,
1906
. It included a coloured map of the area, several section-diagrams and a two-page list of fossils discovered in the Bala-limestone of
Robeston Wathen
and
Sholeshook
. He later examined the geology of the area from
Brechfa
to
Glog
and
Llanybydder
to
Llangrannog
, and discovered that the stones at
Stonehenge
were identical with those found on the
Prescelly hills
. On his map of the area he was able to delineate the boundary between Ordovician and Silurian rocks and although he did not complete his own account of this work, he allowed this important line of transition to be copied on to the geological survey map. He was elected
Fellow
of the
Geographical Society
and awarded an
M.Sc.
degree by the
University of Wales
in recognition of his work.
His wife d.
c.
1924
; they had five children. He d.
11 June 1940
and was buried in
Bethlehem
cemetery,
St. Clears
.
Bibliography:
-
The Carmarthen Antiquary
,
1941
, 11-20;
-
Carmarthen Journal
,
21 June 1940
, 8.
Author:
Dr Mary Auronwy James, Aberystwyth
