Frondirion Manuscripts,

Papers of, or collected by, Evan William Evans, Dolgellau, 1808-[1921x1925], consisting mainly of material of Dolgellau local historical and religious interest, including rate assessments and valuations, accounts, rentals, chapel records and other records, 1813-1877; agricultural, timber, slate and other account books, 1823-1879; papers of T. Mordaf Pierce, including correspondence, essays, sermons and material relating to Dolgellau history, 1894-1914; material relating to Calvinistic Methodism in Llanidloes and Dolgellau, 1808-1918; and correspondence, 1850-1921, mainly addressed to Evans.

Evan William Evans (1860-1925), of Frondirion, Dolgellau, Merioneth, was an editor and publisher. He was born in Cae Einion, Dolgellau, and received his education at the town's grammar school. On leaving school he worked at the offices of the Herald newspaper in Caernarfon. When the offices of the periodical Y Goleuad were relocated from Caernarfon to Dolgellau, Evans moved back to his home town to work and, while still a young man, took over the ownership of Y Goleuad in 1884. In 1914 he embarked on editing, printing and publishing his own Welsh weekly newspaper, titled Y Cymro. His offices also printed other newspapers and periodicals such as The Merionethshire News, Cymru Fydd and Y Gymraes, as well as books. Evans took a great interest in local history, especially that of the Calvinistic Methodists, and collected a substantial amount of related manuscripts and papers. He was twice married.

Arranged according to NLW MSS reference numbers: NLW MSS 6154-6189, 10850-10865, 11026A.

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NLW MSS 6154-6189; Mr Einion Evans; Frondirion, Dolgellau; Purchase; March 1929
NLW MSS 10850-10865; Mr Einion Evans; Dolgellau; Purchase; July 1936
NLW MS 11026A; Mr Einion Evans; Wrexham; Purchase; November 1935

Evan William Evans (1860-1925), of Frondirion, Dolgellau, Merioneth, was an editor and publisher. He was born in Cae Einion, Dolgellau, and received his education at the town's grammar school. On leaving school he worked at the offices of the Herald newspaper in Caernarfon. When the offices of the periodical Y Goleuad were relocated from Caernarfon to Dolgellau, Evans moved back to his home town to work and, while still a young man, took over the ownership of Y Goleuad in 1884. In 1914 he embarked on editing, printing and publishing his own Welsh weekly newspaper, titled Y Cymro. His offices also printed other newspapers and periodicals such as The Merionethshire News, Cymru Fydd and Y Gymraes, as well as books. Evans took a great interest in local history, especially that of the Calvinistic Methodists, and collected a substantial amount of related manuscripts and papers. He was twice married.

Title based on domicile of collector.

Formerly Frondirion MSS 1-53.

The descriptions are also available in Handlist of Manuscripts in the National Library of Wales, Part XIX, 256-261.

September 2005-August 2015.

Description compiled by Bethan Ifans for the retrospective conversion project of NLW MSS, and revised by Rhys M. Jones. The following sources were used in the compilation of this description: Handlist of Manuscripts in the National Library of Wales, Volume 3 (Aberystwyth, 1961); Y Bywgraffiadur Cymreig hyd 1940 (London, 1953); Cydymaith i Lenyddiaeth Cymru (Llandysul, 1986); Oxford Dictionary of National Biography on-line;

Usual copyright laws apply.

Parts of the collection were formerly in the possession of Thomas Mordaf Pierce (1867?-1919), Calvinistic Methodist minister at Llanidloes and Dolgellau.

Manuscripts deposited with the 1929 purchase are now NLW Minor Deposits 253-260A.

Published

Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru = The National Library of Wales