1860 BURTON COURT Three A/L by Revd W. E. Evans to Bodenham of Hereford

BURTON COURT. Eardisland, Near Leominster, Herefordshire.

The Evans family at Burton Court In 1782, daughter Margaret married William Evans, son of Arthur Evans of Buckland in the parish of Docklow, and by 1796 only an ageing John and his other daughter Anna remained in residence at Burton Court, his mother and wife both having died. After his death in 1804 his two daughters were joint heiresses, with only the unmarried Anna living at Burton Court and she made a will the contents of which she hoped would prevent her sister Margaret’s husband from ever getting his hands on Burton Court. Of course, with him being entitled by right of marriage to half of Margaret’s possessions this was never going to work and after Anna died in 1811 aged only thirty nine, the next Lord and Lady of the Manor were William Evans and his wife Margaret. They both died in 1822, and thus the occupation of Burton Court passed to the Evans family. Memorial in St. Mary the Virgin, Eardisland

Rev W.E. Evans

In 1830 the Rev. W.E. Evans, the youngest son of J. Evans M.D., married Elizabeth Evans, one of his cousins, who had inherited Burton Court. He had been educated at Cambridge and after taking Holy Orders became Curate of Llanymynech in Shropshire. In 1841 he was appointed prebendary of Hereford.

Rev. W.E. Evans was on the provisional Committee, and was a shareholder of the Welsh Midland Railway, which was to connect Birmingham with Swansea via Worcester, Leominster, Ludlow, Hereford, The Hay, Brecon, Llandovery, Llandilo. Capital to be raised was three and a half million pounds in 70 thousand shares. He became Canon of Hereford Cathedral and wrote several books which received acclaim, including one called “The Songs of the Birds” (or analogies of animal and spiritual life), which was re published after his death.