A newspaper black-and-white photograph of Evan Lewis. The photo is dark and indistinct, and fairly poorly reproduced. Evan Lewis as depicted in the Western Mail, 12 April 1928.

Evan Lewis was born at Pentre Capel Farm in the Rhondda Valley on 16 May 1836. He was the son of Llewellyn Lewis, a farm labourer, and his wife Jane Davies. Like many boys in the Valleys, Evan was sent to work in the coal mines from an early age, where he was taught to read and write - initially in Welsh, and later also in English. His wages of £2 per week later enabled him to attend a private school.

After completing his education, Evan returned to the Rhondda and became a railway porter; this is the occupation shown on his marriage certificate in 1865. His first wife was Margaret Jones, a younger sister of Dafydd John, making him a member of my family by marriage. The only details I can find about Margaret’s life prior to her marriage are that she was born in Cilgerran and was a domestic servant at Sidmouth House in Islington. She appears to have been born circa 1840, but like many women in that era, she seems to age less than ten years between censuses: in 1871 she was 34; in 1881, 42; in 1891, 50; and finally in 1901 only 56! In general, ages given earlier in life tend to be more accurate, and the fact that her birth wasn’t registered might point towards it having been before the start of registration in July 1837 - although as registration wasn’t yet compulsory, it isn’t a proof. As the family were non-conformists, there aren’t any surviving baptism records either.

I haven’t been able to find any positive matches for Margaret or her family in the 1841, 1851 or 1861 censuses - indeed the only evidence that confirms her relationship comes in the form of various newspaper articles, in which Evan is described as a brother-in-law of Dafydd John and an uncle to Dafydd’s children, and Evan’s will, in which he mentions various nieces and nephews. This, combined with Margaret’s birthplace being Cilgerran and her marriage certificate giving her father as William Jones, a shoemaker, confirms the relationship. “Jones” and “John” are of course related surnames; while Dafydd and his descendents continued to use the form “John”, his brother William certainly used the surname Jones later in life, and some of his children were given that name from birth - so to find that surname being used by one of Dafydd’s sisters, especially a much younger sister, is not especially surprising.

After their marriage, Evan and Margaret moved to Swansea, and it was here that Evan’s career began to take a more ambitious turn. The post of “resident keeper” at the Royal Institution of South Wales became vacant, and Evan applied for the job and was accepted. His duties required him to be present at the Institution’s library between 10 and 11am, 4 and 6pm, and 9 and 10pm every day, to process books being borrowed and returned. By all accounts Evan was a very effective librarian, and was described in glowing terms in the Institution’s 1868-9 report. He later became sub-curator of the Institution, a post he held until his retirment.

The hours of Evan’s work obliged him to live on the premises, and some rooms were provided for him in the building’s basement. The quality of this accommodation apparently left a lot to be desired: even by the time of his appointment the rooms were described as damp and having poor drainage - but it wasn’t until 1875, by which time the living conditions had been publicly blamed for the death of one of Evan and Margaret’s children, that the Institution finally resolved to build “a small above ground house for the keeper adjoining their premises”. However, the project never came to fruition due to lack of funds, and Evan decided to move house on his own initiative.

Evan and Margaret had three children: all sons, all of whom died young. The first, Idris Evan Lewis, became a teacher at the Higher Grade School and Central Classes in Swansea, and died at home in 1904 aged 36. The second son, John Henry Lewis, was the aforementioned child whose death was put down to the living arrangements at the age of only 4; and the third son, Llewellyn Collwyn Lewis, was secretary to the Technical and Intermediate Schools in Swansea, and drowned while swimming in Langland Bay at the age of only 29.

Margaret would also die relatively young - in 1901 in her early sixties. Three years later, Evan re-married; his new wife, Selina, was the widow of Jenkin Bowen, but had been born Selina Lewis - thus restoring her birth name by her second marriage. Selina does not appear to have had any children from her first marriage, and by the time of her marriage to Evan was beyond child-bearing age. She passed away in 1921 at the age of 74.

Evan was blessed with a long life, eventually passing away in 1928 at the age of 92 - although having survived two wives and all three of his children, he might perhaps not have considered it such a blessing after all. His will distributed various sums to his nieces and nephews, provided for the installation of a stained-glass window in in family’s memory at his church (the Walter Road Congregational Chapel in Swansea; since demolished), and made several bequests to various charities, including the establishment of scholarships at Swansea University in memory of his sons Idris and Llewellyn.

Further notes on Evan and Margaret and their relationship to my other known relatives

[ Profiles | Home ]