First son of Thomas EVANS 1716 - 1774 and Jane JONES 1717 - 1783

Born 13th October 1746

Married Elizabeth CARPENTER 1760-1782 who was from Herefordshire.

They had five children.

James studied Civil Law at Pembroke College, Oxford. He was ordained in 1768 as Curate of Churchdown, Gloucestershire. In 1798 he had a ‘seminary for ten pupils’ in Kensington Square. He was in 1800 appointed to the royal living of Welsh Bicknor.

Thomas Evans a son of James and Elizabeth, secured employment as a Professor of Languages in Moscow.

Welsh Bicknor (Welsh: Llangystennin Garth Brenni) is an area in the far south of the English county of Herefordshire. Despite its name, it is not now in Wales, but it was historically a detached parish (exclave) of the county of Monmouthshire. It lies within a loop of the River Wye and covers 8,502 acres (13.3 sq mi). Wikipedia.

We don’t know how resident James and Elizabeth would have been with their five children. Welsh Bicknor would have been a huge cultural change from the society of Oxford and Kensington; Churchdown even. Hidden on the English/Welsh borders within the Forest of Dean, the area retained its own culture, neither truly English, neither truly Welsh, but a place retaining its own ways and traditions right up to living memory. The church was entirely rebuilt in 1858 (after James’ time there) and a huge new rectory built, which is now a Youth Hostel.

The old boundaries of Llandaff diocese would have included Welsh Bicknor at that time. (1700 was pre Diocese of Monmouth and pre disestablishment of the Church in Wales.)