Denbighshire Parish records - Dr. Evan Pierce

[Beulah]

I am seeking the names and other details of parents and siblings of  Dr. Evan Pierce b1810 (or 1812 or 1808) of Salusbury Place Denbigh.  This is the Dr. who stands atop the large monument in Vale Street, Denbigh. Apparently the family moved to a farm at Plas Meifod, Henllan from Bryn near Prion, Denbigh.
Many thanks Pauline

[Raido]

I too would like to know this. Does anyone know where he was born? I assumed Denbighshire but nothing has come up in the records.

I think I've managed to link him to my family through the address he lived at - Plas Meifod.

There's a couple of newspaper articles that shed some light on his family.

Ah here we are.

Dr Evan Pierce
Evan Pierce6 was born in an isolated small fann (the house is now derelict) called Bryn, in
Prion near Denbigh on 1st March 1808, his mother was a devoted Wesleyan Methodist. The
family later moved to Plas Meifod, Henllan, a prosperous farm in the Vale of Clywd. This
farmhouse dates from 1510 and is one of the Historical Houses of Wales. Cromwell is said to
have visited it So they were quite well-to-do. He became a pupil of Denbigh Grammar
School and later was apprcnticcd to Drs Yorke-Jones and Lodge in Denbigh. He then went to
Edinburgh University, completing his medical course in 1832. During the early summer of
1832 a cholera epidemic occurred in Musselburgh and Portobello near Edinburgh All thelocal doctors fled and the professors called upon the medical students to assist in the
emergency; Evan Pierce was one of those recruited. When he returned to Denbigh during the
summer holiday he found a cholera epidemic raging there as well There were 300 deaths
(10% of the population) during June and July 1832. He assisted the town doctors during the
ep~deniic
and 17 years later he was given an illuminated address and portrait in recognition of
his work
He began to practise from his home in Plas Meifod in 1833, most of his patients coming from
the rural areas. Later he movcd to live ill Salisbury Place, Denbigh, an imposing property in
Vale Street which has been demolished and on which site now is Gateway Superstore. In
183h he bccame a Licenciate of the Royal College of Surgcons of Edinburgh, of the Royal
Colleyc ol' Physicians of Glasgow, and of thc Society of Apothecaries, London. In 1844 he
graduated MD St Andrew's University and in 1870 he was elected Fellow of the Royal
College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. His Day ~ o o k ' for the period September 1833 to August
1834, and also August - December 1836, is in the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth.
Hc had catehlly indexed the names and addresses of his patients, their occupations, medicines
supplied and their costs, and his travelling expenses - unfortunately, this is his only surviving
Day Book. He claimed to have delivered Henry Morton Stanley in the cottage of his
grandfather, Moses Pany, which stood outside Denbigh Castle. The explorer was born John
Rowlands on 28th January 1841, the illegitimate son of Elizabeth Parry, and during the labour
he rccited Welsh poetry to Eli~abeth. A ceramic mural in Denbigh library incorporates the
names of notable people of Denbigh and it includes both Evan Pierce and Flenry Morton
Stanley. The only memorial to Stanlcy is a plaque in St Asaph Cathedral.
Pierce had a number of pupils in his charge and was therefore a doctor of repute who liked
teaching In 1850 he was requested by Queen Victoria to choose a Welsh nurse for Prince
Arthur of Connaught. IIis selection was accepted, so he was a doctor of integrity whose
judgement was valued His obituary in the Denhigh FPcr 1'res.r of 23rd March 1895 pointed
out that he did not chargc the poor for consultation and medicines, and that he had maintained
at his own expense a hospital where he admitted the sick poor free ofcharge. On this work of
charity he spent in a few years betwecn £1,500 and £2,000. An article in the Proviricial
AdcdicalJotr~rnlin January 1893' stated that for many years he maintained entirely at his own
expense a private hospital containing I5 bcds; this hospital was at Salisbury Place.

Strange, seems to suggest he was born in Denbigh but I can find no sign of this.

I'm wondering if my relatives may just have been tenants. The Foulkes lived at Plas Meifod at least from 1851 to possibly the 1870s) I'm wondering if they may be related to the wife of my ggg grandfather Thomas Jones (b 1814 Llansannan) who lived there from 1881 according to the census records.

His wife was a Miriam Williams who's father was William Williams (b~1777, Henllan, Denbighshire) of Cefn Fforest, Llansannan. I know this because of the following newspaper article, translated from Welsh. In 1841, her husband was living next door at Pen Cae'r Cwm. She moved to Plas Meifod with him and stayed there so shows up in the 1881, 1891 and 1901 censues. Her short obituary is on the link below. There are also the names Roberts, Pierce and Davies living at Plas Meifod in 1841. I really need to establish why this property keeps changing hands.
http://welshnewspapers.llgc.org.uk/en/page/view/3610624/ART24/jones%20plas%20meifod

Mr. William Williams, 38, Stanfield Road, Liverpool. The deceased was a son of the late Mr. William Williams, Cefn Fforest, Llansannan. where he was born and grew up. He was also a brother of Mrs. Jones, Plas Meifod, Hoellan, Mr. Moses Williams
January 12, 1895 - Banner and Times of Wales - Denbigh, Clwyd, Wales

I haven't quite proved the connection between all these families. Sadly one of the Foulkes' daughters died and her obituary gives some further information about the family.
http://welshnewspapers.llgc.org.uk/en/page/view/3773268/ART39

[Raido]

There's also a number of wills held at the National Library of Wales relating to the Plas Meifod estate that may shed some light on things. Particularly the following one,

Will of John Roberts of Coppy in the parish of Henllan co.

Denbigh, tanner, referring to estates called Plas Meifod ..., 1812, June 5.
Ref no.   271.

Title   Will of John Roberts of Coppy in the parish of Henllan co. Denbigh, tanner, referring to estates called Plas Meifod ..., 1812, June 5.

Summary   Will of John Roberts of Coppy in the parish of Henllan co. Denbigh, tanner, referring to estates called Plas Meifod and Tany Park in the parishes of Henllan and Llanufydd, co. Denbigh, with note of probate on 7 May 1814.

Any help anyone can give on proving this connection and shedding some light as to the background of the generations of people who lived at Plas Meifod and Cefn Forest before the 1841 census, would be much appreciated.

There's also a couple of interesting people who's family are connected with Cefn Fforest.. The family trees of Anne Williams and Margaret Roberts highlight this.

https://histfam.familysearch.org//getperson.php?personID=I110055&tree=Welsh
https://histfam.familysearch.org//getperson.php?personID=I198060&tree=Welsh

Incidentally, my great uncle David Parry Jones (grandson of the Thomas Jones above) who lived at Brondyffryn farm, Denbigh with his father Thomas ended up living in a detatched house later in life (I think in Park Street and after his father died) called Meifod. I dunno if that's just a coincidence but is worth mentioning. He used the money from the sale of the farm to set up a butchers shop.

[hanes teulu]

Find My past has the baptismal image of the nonconformist baptism of -
Evan Pierce, 21 May 1815, parents Joseph and Ann, father's occupation labourer, abode Denbigh, denomination Weslyan Methodist. However, the description "labourer" doesn't quite fit with the later newspaper descriptions of his pedigree eg

His obituary in the Rhyl Record and Advertiser, 23 March 1895 has him "born at the picturesque farmhouse of Plas Meifod, 2 miles from Henllan", and his parents are described as "well to do people of yeoman stock".

[Raido]

Thanks for that.

The article, APOTHECARIES' HALL . The Standard (London, England), Friday, August 18, 1854; Issue 9370, seems to report on him completing his examination in Science and Practical Medicine, receiving a Certificate to Practice Medicine, but it refers to him as Evan Pierce Williams, Denbigh. This is a couple of years before he's appointed medical officer.

In an article in ST. ASAPH . North Wales Chronicle (Bangor, Wales), Saturday, December 15, 1860; Issue 1757. he is again referred to as Evan Pierce Williams, Denbigh. Infact I think in this article he's actually introducing himself as such.

I suppose his mother might be a Williams but seems slightly backward for the time to put his mothers maiden name after his father's surname.

Interestingly he's not living at Plas Meifod in 1841, and he doesn't seem to show up in any census records there, so, where is he? Is he next door?

Also, 'plas meifod has been mistranscribed in the census records a number of times. There's Plas Morfod, Plas Minfod and Plas Merford.

Edit: Oh I think this explains it. Turns out there's two of them.

  Deputy coroner  [no ref. or date]
.....
.....
Appointment of Dr Evan Pierce Williams, Vale Street, Denbigh, as deputy coroner for the Denbigh Division to Dr Evan Pierce of Denbigh.  QSD/DO/4/1  1857

http://apps.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=209-qs_2&cid=1-12-4#1-12-4

Wonder if they're related.
 

[despair]

There is an article in the "Welsh Journals Online" series at NLW,which,I think,gives his parents as Thomas and Mary(I am not a Welsh speaker):-

http://welshjournals.llgc.org.uk/browse/viewpage/llgc-id:1120965/llgc-id:1122716/llgc-id:1122731/get650

This further reference to Thomas(1834) suggests to me perhaps they were tenant farmers?


Agreement to let Bronhaulog, 1834, Jan. 17. 

Level
File 

Summary
1. Jennet Williams Edwards of Cerrigllwydion, co. Denb., widow, 2. Ellis Davies of Bronhaulog, p. Llanynus, and Thomas Pierce of Plas meifod, p. Henllan, farmers. Agreement to let Bronhaulog. 
 
 
Regards
Roger 

[hanes teulu]

"Wonder if they're related".

Llangollen Advertiser.... & North Wales Journal, 29 Aug 1879
Deaths - Aug 15, age 49, at Salisbury Place, Denbigh, at the residence of Dr Evan Pierce, his uncle, Evan Pierce Williams, M.D.

Dr Williams was appointed because of the demands of Dr Pierce's ".... many official duties" - well documented in the piece spotted by Roger. 

 

[despair]

There is a record for Mary Pierce dying aged 72 at Plas Meifod in 1840,who looks like a reasonable candidate for Evan's mother(she would be approx. 40 at Evan's birth),though I can't find a confident record for Thomas.
I think the lack of baptismal records for the Pierces' children may be due to their Wesleyan non-conformity.While the Blackwell Index gives a Wesleyan Chapel founded 1802,the records don't begin until 1813.
I think Evan Pierce Williams is the son of Robert Williams And Mary Pierce(therefore Evan's sister),married Henllan 1819,meaning Mary was born circa 1800?.

Regards
Roger

[Raido]

Thanks for the help guys. I found a couple of trees on Mundia that match and asked one of the creators whether the Evan Pierce in their tree was the same Evan and apparently it's likely that he is.

Evan's father Thomas Pierce appears to show up in the 1851 census living in Ty Gwyn, Henllan near Trefnant born 1773, Nantwich , Cheshire. The head of the household is Robert Williams (b 1796 Llanefydd, Denbighshire, Wales) with wife Mary, and Thomas is his father in law so Mary Pierce's father. The house nextdoor is Bryn. Is this the same Bryn as mentioned by the OP? Incidentally, Bryn is where the Foulkes later live, according to that Welsh newspaper article above.
http://welshnewspapers.llgc.org.uk/en/page/view/3773268/ART39

edit: That address is actually Brynllyfanen, Henllan. Sorry don't mean to confuse people.
http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/CLWYD/2004-01/1073210397

I think I've also found the Robert Williams family living in Back Row, Denbigh in the 1841 census. Just search for Cadwalader Williams, b 1841. The chlidren match up to the names and ages on the mundia trees. He's an inn keeper. Anyone any idea which inn?