THOMAS, EVAN LORIMER (1872 - 1953), priest and scholar

Born 21 February 1872, son of David Walter Thomas, vicar of St. Ann, Llandygái, Caernarfonshire, and his wife Anna ('Morfudd Eryri'). He was educated at Westminster School and Jesus College, Oxford. Like his father, he was a scholar of his college. He was trained for holy orders in the Clerical School, Leeds. He served as curate of St. Mary's, Bangor, 1897-98, Wrexham, 1898-1900, Cuddesdon, Oxfordshire, 1901-02, and Colwyn Bay, 1902-03. He married Mary Rice-Williams, Holyhead in 1903 and they had a son.

In 1903 he became Professor of Welsh at St. David's College, Lampeter. There he made every effort to ensure the position of the Welsh language in the curriculum and in the life of the college. He revived the honours course in Welsh, established a Welsh Library which included the Cenarth Collection which was bought by the college in 1904, and for the sake of the Welsh students he began Cymdeithas y Brythoniaid, a society which met every other Saturday evening in his house with not a word of English spoken. On Sunday afternoons he held a Welsh Bible class for the students. He moved in 1915 to be vicar of Holywell, and in 1922 to a similar post in the parish of Tywyn, Abergele. He published Welsh commentaries on St. Luke's Gospel in 1920 and 1922 and on 1 Corinthians in 1934. He became Archdeacon of Montgomery and vicar of Llansanffraid-ym-Mechain in 1938. He retired in 1944 and went to live in Llanfairfechan.

He was a gentle and firm man who found pleasure in all kinds of sport, particularly through angling and in ornithology. He died 9 April 1953, and was buried in St. Seiriol's churchyard, Holyhead.

Author

• Reverend Canon David Trevor William Price

Sources

• Who was who?
• St. David's University College archives

Further Reading

• Wikipedia Article: Evan Thomas

Additional Links

• Wikidata: Q5415556

Published date: 2001

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