LEWES, EVELYN ANNA (c. 1873 - 1961), author

One of the three children of Major Price Lewes, adjutant of the Pembroke militia, and his wife Florence (née Kinnear, of Halifax, Nova Scotia); born c. 1873 in Canada, but brought up at Poyston, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, and educated privately. About 1902 the family moved to Tyglyn Aeron, Cardiganshire, one of the seats of the Lewes family who had taken a prominent part in Cardiganshire for the last four centuries as justices of the peace, high sheriffs and members of parliament. She moved to Eithinfa, Cliff Terrace, Aberystwyth c. 1928. She died 4 March 1961 in hospital at Oswestry aged 87, and her ashes were buried in Trefilan, Cardiganshire.

She was a woman of great character and personality. She began writing poems, articles and stories for publication in 1896 when a poem appeared in Wales, and continued to do so until about 1940. Her work appeared in countless magazines including The Gentleman's Magazine, c. 1905, The Field and the Queen, c. 1905-14, The Bookman, Fishing Gazette, 1923-31, T.P.'s and Cassell's Weekly, 1927, Every woman's world (Toronto), Western Home monthly (Winnipeg), etc.; and in The Western Mail, The Cambrian News and other newspapers. Among her books are Picturesque Aberayron (1899), and A guide to Aberaeron and Aeron valley (1922). She taught herself Welsh and was a diligent reader (1924-33) of Lewis Glyn Cothi's works for a dictionary of the Welsh language, Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru. Her translation of portions of the poems of Dafydd ap Gwilym appeared in The life and poems of Dafydd ap Gwilym (1915). Essays on ' Theatres of West Wales ' and ' From Neuaddlwyd to Madagascar ' (in Welsh) are among her MSS in the National Library of Wales. She became an authority on Welsh folklore. Her story ' Hywel of Claerwen ' was published in the transactions of Bangor national eisteddfod 1902, and others appeared in Dream folk and fancies (1926). Her best known work, Out with the Cambrians (1934), is a record of outings with the Cambrian Antiquarian Society, of which she was a committee member for many years. She became a member of the Gorsedd in 1916 and was a member of the court of governors of U.C.W. and N.L.W. from 1940.

Author

• Dr Mary Auronwy James

Sources

• The Biographical Index of W. W. Price, Aberdâr
• Evelyn Lewes Manuscripts at the National Library of Wales
• The Cambrian News and Merionethshire Standard, 24 March 1961
• Glyn Lewis Jones, Llyfryddiaeth Ceredigion, 1600-1964 (Aberystwyth 1967) and A Bibliography of Cardiganshire … 1964-1968 Supplement (Aberystwyth 1970) for a list of some of her articles

Additional Links

• Wikidata: Q20738066

Published date: 2001

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