EVANS, ERNEST (1885 - 1965), county court judge, M.P.

Name: Ernest Evans
Date of birth: 1885
Date of death: 1965
Gender: Male
Occupation: county court judge, M.P.
Area of activity: Law; Politics, Government and Political Movements
Author: Evan David Jones

Born at Aberystwyth, Cardiganshire, 17 May 1885, the son of Evan Evans, Clerk to the Cardiganshire County Council, and Annie Davies. Educated at Llandovery College; University College of Wales, Aberystwyth (c. 1902-05); and Trinity Hall, Cambridge (LL.B.), where he was President of the Union in 1909, Evans was called to the Bar in 1910 and he practised both in London and on the South Wales Circuit. He served with the R.A.S.C. in France during World War I and was promoted to the rank of Captain. From November 1918 to December 1920, he was a private secretary to David Lloyd George. In 1921, M.L. Vaughan Davies, an out-and-out Tory who sat as the Liberal M.P. for Cardiganshire from 1895, was created a peer, with the title Lord Ystwyth of Tan-y-Bwlch. With Lloyd George's support, Evans fought the ensuing by-election against William Llewelyn Williams, the candidate chosen by the traditional liberals in Cardiganshire. He won the seat after a bitter battle which split the Cardiganshire Liberal Party for many years. At the 1922 general election, Evans ' majority fell to 515 after a contest against Rhys Hopkin Morris, who stood for the Independent Liberals. At the 1923 general election, he lost the seat to Rhys Hopkin Morris in a three-cornered fight, with Lord Lisburne as the Conservative candidate. In 1924, he won the University of Wales seat in a contest against George M.Ll. Davies, the Labour candidate, and he held this seat until 1942. Evans was made a K.C. in 1937 and from 1942 until his retirement in 1957 he held the post of a county court judge. He was a member of the council of N.L.W. and a vice-president of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion. Evans specialised in agricultural law and he wrote, with Clement Edward Davies, An epitome of agricultural law (1911) and, on his own, Elements of the law relating to vendors and purchasers (1915) and Agricultural and Small Holdings Act.

He married, in 1925, Constance Anne, daughter of Thomas Lloyd, draper, of Hadley Wood; at the time, her widowed mother was married to J.T. Lewis of London and Llanarth, Cardiganshire. Evans died on 18 January 1965 at his home, Traethgwyn, Ffordd Tymawr, Deganwy, Caernarfonshire

Author

Published date: 2001

Article Copyright: http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/

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