Evan Davies (missionary)
Encyclopedia
Evan Davies was a Welsh
Protestant Christian
missionary in the Congregationalist tradition
. He served with the London Missionary Society
and worked among the Chinese in Malaysia in Penang
.
Davies was born in Hengwm, Lledrod
, Cardiganshire
, Wales
. He was educated at the academy at Neuaddlwyd and also at the Western Academy at Exeter. After completing college, he settled at Great Torrington, Devonshire. In 1835 he was ordained at Wycliffe Chapel, London and commissioned to be a missionary to the Chinese. He and his wife and a Rev. S. Wolfe sailed for the "British Straits Settlements
" aboard the Duke of Sussex on May 8 of that year. They arrived at Penang on September 11.
He served alongside other pioneer missionaries such as Samuel Dyer
and his wife, Maria (Tarn) Dyer. Davies established a boarding school for Chinese boys and trained them in the English language as well as other "European instruction". After serving as a missionary in Penang for four years, failing health caused him to travel to Singapore in 1839 and in September of that year returned to England aboard the Appoline with his wife and children. They arrived in London on February 13, 1840.
Back in England he was appointed to be inspector of the Missionary School at Walthamstow
in 1842. In 1844 he moved to Richmond, Surrey where he served as pastor of the Congregational church for 13 years.
Davies' impact on Christian missionary work in China is often understated. His book "China and Her Spiritual Claims" (1845) was a blueprint in many ways for the book by Hudson Taylor
, China's Spiritual Need and Claims
, which moved hundreds to pursue missionary work in China, especially for the China Inland Mission
.
He died at Llanstephan, near Carmarthen. Davies lies buried at Abney Park Cemetery
in London.
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
Protestant Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
missionary in the Congregationalist tradition
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
. He served with the London Missionary Society
London Missionary Society
The London Missionary Society was a non-denominational missionary society formed in England in 1795 by evangelical Anglicans and Nonconformists, largely Congregationalist in outlook, with missions in the islands of the South Pacific and Africa...
and worked among the Chinese in Malaysia in Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
.
Davies was born in Hengwm, Lledrod
Lledrod
Lledrod is a small village in Ceredigion, Wales....
, Cardiganshire
Ceredigion
Ceredigion is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire , it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. He was educated at the academy at Neuaddlwyd and also at the Western Academy at Exeter. After completing college, he settled at Great Torrington, Devonshire. In 1835 he was ordained at Wycliffe Chapel, London and commissioned to be a missionary to the Chinese. He and his wife and a Rev. S. Wolfe sailed for the "British Straits Settlements
Straits Settlements
The Straits Settlements were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia.Originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Company, the Straits Settlements came under direct British control as a crown colony on 1 April 1867...
" aboard the Duke of Sussex on May 8 of that year. They arrived at Penang on September 11.
He served alongside other pioneer missionaries such as Samuel Dyer
Samuel Dyer
Samuel Dyer 台約爾 , was a British Protestant Christian missionary to China in the Congregationalist tradition, who worked among the Chinese in Malaysia. He arrived in Penang in 1827. Dyer, his wife Maria, and their family lived in Malacca and then finally in Singapore...
and his wife, Maria (Tarn) Dyer. Davies established a boarding school for Chinese boys and trained them in the English language as well as other "European instruction". After serving as a missionary in Penang for four years, failing health caused him to travel to Singapore in 1839 and in September of that year returned to England aboard the Appoline with his wife and children. They arrived in London on February 13, 1840.
Back in England he was appointed to be inspector of the Missionary School at Walthamstow
Walthamstow
Walthamstow is a district of northeast London, England, located in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is situated north-east of Charing Cross...
in 1842. In 1844 he moved to Richmond, Surrey where he served as pastor of the Congregational church for 13 years.
Davies' impact on Christian missionary work in China is often understated. His book "China and Her Spiritual Claims" (1845) was a blueprint in many ways for the book by Hudson Taylor
Hudson Taylor
James Hudson Taylor , was a British Protestant Christian missionary to China, and founder of the China Inland Mission . Taylor spent 51 years in China...
, China's Spiritual Need and Claims
China's Spiritual Need and Claims
China’s Spiritual Need and Claims is a book written by James Hudson Taylor, the founder of the China Inland Mission, in October, 1865. It is arguably the most significant work regarding Christian missions to China in the 19th century...
, which moved hundreds to pursue missionary work in China, especially for the China Inland Mission
China Inland Mission
OMF International is an interdenominational Protestant Christian missionary society, founded in Britain by Hudson Taylor on 25 June 1865.-Overview:...
.
He died at Llanstephan, near Carmarthen. Davies lies buried at Abney Park Cemetery
Abney Park Cemetery
Abney Park in Stoke Newington, in the London Borough of Hackney, is a historic parkland originally laid out in the early 18th century by Lady Mary Abney and Dr. Isaac Watts, and the neighbouring Hartopp family. In 1840 it became a non-denominational garden cemetery, semi-public park arboretum, and...
in London.
Works authored or edited
- An appeal to Reason and Good Conscience of Catholics
- China and Her Spiritual Claims (1845)
- Memoirs of Rev. Samuel Dyer; London : Snow, 1846
- Letters of Rev. Samuel Dyer to his children (Ed. By Evan Davies) (1847)
- Rest. Lectures on the Sabbath
- Lectures on Christian Theology (2 vols.) (1850) by George Payne (Ed. By Evan Davies)
- Revivals in Wales. Facts and correspondence supplied by the Pastors of the Welsh Churches; London : J. Snow, 1859. 96 p.
- Works of the late Rev. Edward WilliamsEdward Williams (minister)Edward Williams was a Welsh nonconformist minister, theological writer, and tutor.-Life:He was born at Glan Clwyd, near Denbigh, on 14 November 1750. His father, a farmer of good position, sent him to St. Asaph grammar school, and he was intended for the Church of England...
of Rotherham. 4v; Edinburgh : Ballintyre, 1862. (Ysgrifennodd nodiadau ar Bechod Gwreiddiol a Bedydd a welir yng ngwaith Dr Williams) (Editor)