Henblas B Manuscripts

A collection of 1734 items relating to the Lloyd, Morgan and Evans families of Henblas and Trefeilir, which include, family papers, such as marriage settlements; the wills of Ann Lloyd of Gesail Gyfarch, 1773; Henry Morgan of Henblas, 1779; Henry Prichard of Trescawen, 1781; Charles Evans of Trefeilir, 1802; the Rev. John Evans of Trefeilir, 1802; Elizabeth Evans of Trefeilir, 1800; the Rev. Anthony Poole, Rector of Mallwyd, 1773; and Charles Henry Evans of Henblas, 1842; letters of administration, recoveries suffered on Henblas lands and miscellanea, 1654-1889; title deeds relating to lands belonging to the Lloyd and Morgan families in Llanddyfnan, Llaneilian, Llanfair Mathafarn Eithaf, Llangristiolus and Llanrhuddlad, co. Anglesey; and in Llandysul and Rhandir, co. Montomery, 1625-1771; title deeds and other documents concerning Wern Uchaf in the parish of Clynnog, co. Caernarfon, Trefeilir in the parish of Trefdraeth, co. Anglesey and lands in Dinlle, co. Caernarfon, belonging to William Evans of Llethrddu, Llanaelhaearn, co. Caernarfon, who married Margaret, daughter and heiress of William Morgan of Henblas, 1591-1734; title deeds and documents relating to lands acquired by Charles Evans of Trefeilir (son and heir of William Evans of Llethrddu; ob. 1802) in Llangristiolus and Point Lynas, co. Anglesey, and in Llanbeblig, Caernarfon and Llanwnda (Bontnewydd estate), co. Caernarfon, 1716-1801; deeds relating to the Glan Alaw (and Llynnon) estate acquired by William Evans, third son of William Evans of Llethrddu, 1700-1816; deeds concerning properties acquired by or belonging to Hugh Evans of Trefeilir (ob. 1831) in Llanrhyddlad and Llangristiolus, co. Anglesey, and in Morfa Dinlle, co. Caernarfon, 1808-1821; papers in lawsuits involving members of the Evans family, 1803-1815; deeds concerning the Plas Gwyn estate and other property acquired by or belonging to Charles Henry Evans (ob. 1855) of Trefeilir in Llanddaniel, Llanedwen, Llangristiolus, Llanidan, Llanrhyddlad and Trefdraeth, 1734-1857; papers relating to Mrs Henrietta Evans of Trefeilir (widow of Charles Henry Evans; ob. 1889), including correspondence, diaries and account books, 1855-1885; miscellaneous papers of Warren E. Evans of Trefeilir, 1891-1916; abstracts of title; rentals and valuations, 1739-1928; maps and plans; miscellanea and addenda, including a few papers relating to William Bulkeley, the diarist, of Brynddu (see collection-level description for Henblas A Manuscripts), letters from Mrs Henrietta Evans to her agent, 1856-1860; letters from Warren Evans from India to his mother and sisters, 1858-1860 and letters concerning Lieutenant Charles Henry Evans, killed in the battle of Inkerman.

David Lloyd of Henblas, Anglesey, eleventh in descent from Llywarch ap Bran, was a learned linguist who married Catherine, daughter of Richard Owen of Penmynydd. One of his issues, William Lloyd of Henblas, became Rector of Llaneilian and married Anne, daughter of William Cynwric of Maen-y-Driw. Their only daughter and heiress, Anne, married Robert Morgan, D.D., Bishop of Bangor. He died in 1673 and his heir was William Morgan of Henblas LL.B., Chancellor of Bangor, who married Dulcibella, daughter of Henry Jones of Plas Llangoed. They had a son, Henry and a daughter, Margaret. Henry died without issue, and Margaret became the heiress of the estate. She married William Evans of Trefeilir.

The Lloyds, and the Morgans, did secure control of a good portion of the parish of Llangristiolus, Anglesey, along with unimportant outliers in other parishes. However, with the marriage in 1725 of Margaret, to William Evans of Llethrddu near Llanaelhaearn, new life and personality was brought to the fortunes of the family. In 1725 William Evans and his father were able to bring into the marriage settlement a few holdings on the rocky slopes of Llanaelhaearn with some purchased lands in the parish of Clynnog, not forgetting the messuage of Borth, alias Gorffwysfa in the parish of Bangor. Within a few months he was making inquiries about the estate of Bodowyr, and ready to offer D2000 for it. Soon after he secured the agency of the Vaenol estate and by 1728 he had bought up the old Trefeilir inheritance of the Owen family. Then early in 1743 he made the final bargain with Rice Brereton of Beaumaris to buy up the Brereton holdings at Llanwnda in Caernarvonshire. After his death there was but one substantial accession to the estate - the Bont Newydd lands, some in Llanwnda and some in Llandwrog, including a mill, an inn and some profitable tenements.

For all his worldly success, William Evans the elder is a somewhat unknown entity. It is believed he belonged to the Wynn family of Brynkir, which was akin to the houses of Graianog and Elernion, his father being Richard ap Evan of Llethrddu. However, the documents in this collection say quite definitely that his father was Richard Evans of Bwlan (near Aberffraw) in Anglesey. The only way to equate these contradictory testimonies is to assume that the squire of Llethrddu migrated to Anglesey about the end of the seventeenth century and decided to call himself Richard Evans instead of Richard ap Evan.

Charles, the son of William Evans, was lucky in marrying an heiress, but her estate was small and heavily incumbered. Charles proceeded to incumber the estate. His son Hugh succeeded his father after the successive deaths of two unmarried brothers. He again, by his assignments, saddled the estate with an incubus which it found impossible to shake off. The eventual solution was to refer the impossible situation to the Court of Chancery, which could only lead to the inevitable decree that part of the estate be sold to liquidate the mortgagors and to carry out the provisions in the will of Hugh's son, Charles Henry Evans. Charles Henry Evans left a widow, Henrietta Evans, to cope with a world of difficulties, in poor health, jealously guarding the interests of her young son Warren.

According to subject then chronologically mainly

Open to all users

Deposited in 1944 by Miss Dulcibella Evans of Trefeilir, Anglesey.

It was necessary to adopt the Henblas A designation to distinguish these manuscripts from the bulk of the estate papers that were deposited in the Library in 1944, Henblas B. Access Points

Catalogue at item and series level

Usual copyright conditions apply. Reprographics made at the discretion of the archivist.

None expected

Henblas A Manuscripts Plas Gwyn Manuscripts Bangor Manuscripts 32502, 27391, 34776

J. E. Griffith, Pedigrees of Anglesey and Carnarvonshire Families with their Collateral Branches in Denbighshire, Merionethshire and other parts, (Horncastle, 1914), p. 122.

Sir Bernard Burke, A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain, (Harrison and Sons, Pall Mall, 1914, 12th Ed.).

It was necessary to adopt the Henblas A designation to distinguish these manuscripts from the bulk of the estate papers that were deposited in the Library in 1944, Henblas B. Access Points