EVANS, DAVID TECWYN (1876 - 1957), Meth. minister

Born 5 December 1876 in Aberdeunant Uchaf, Llandecwyn, Merionethshire, son of Evan and Catherine Evans. He was educated at Llandecwyn national school, Talsarnau board school (where he was also a pupil-teacher), the University College, Bangor, and the theological college at Didsbury, Manchester. He began preaching on Whitsunday 1894 when he was 17 years old, and quickly gained recognition. In 1902, at the beginning of his career, he went on a preaching tour of America, and again in 1913. He was minister at Aberdovey 1902, Llanddulas 1904, Portdinorwic 1907, Conwy 1910, Llanrwst 1911, Birkenhead 1914, Wrexham 1919, Rhyl 1922, Bangor 1925, Llandudno 1928, Tregarth 1931, Abergele 1936, Aberdovey 1939. In 1941 he became supernumerary and moved to Rhyl where he died 27 October 1957. He married Nanna Stirrup of Llangefni, who died 1925. He was awarded an M.A. degree of the University of Wales in 1927 for a thesis on the Welsh language, and an honorary D.D. (Wales) in 1951. He was Moderator of the Welsh Assembly in 1929-30 and chairman of the second North Wales district from 1936 to 1941.

He was one of the greatest 'princes' of the pulpit in his day, and his sermons were an unusual combination of scholarship, warmth and eloquence. He was also a popular lecturer in Welsh on topics such as the Book of Job, the Book of Jonah, the Welsh Bible, Ann Griffiths, and J. Puleston Jones. Many of his lectures were published as booklets. He was a very faithful disciple of John Morris-Jones and did much to popularise the new Welsh orthography in lectures and journals and through his book Yr iaith Gymraeg: ei horgraff a'i chystrawen (1911) which was re-printed several times. He was editor of Yr Eurgrawn for twenty years (1931-51), which also gave him the opportunity to teach many to write correct Welsh.

He composed some hymns ('Duw a thad yr holl genhedloedd ' being the best known), and translated hymns and poems, some of which appeared in Bytheiad y nef a chaniadau eraill (1927). He was co-editor (with E. Tegla Davies) of Llestri'r Trysor (1914) and in 1920 published a translation of T.R. Glover's Jesus of history. He also published a commentary on I Corinthians (1926) for Sunday schools, a collection of prayers (1945), many sermons in magazines and books, and his memoirs, Atgofion Cynnar.

Author

• Gwilym Richard Tilsley, (1911 - 1997)

Sources

• Atgofion Cynnar (Tywyn 1950), (1950)
• The Minutes of the Annual Conference Methodist Church, 1958
• Yr Eurgrawn Wesleyaidd, Winter 1976 (commemorative issue to D.T.E.)

Additional Links

• Wikidata: Q20732889

Published date: 2001

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