| Charles Frederick Holt Evans was born in
Mauritius in 1903. As he tells in his autobiographical account [1] he
could not remember a time, even as a small boy, when he was not
interested in genealogy. He was invited to meet Colonel W H Turton at
his home in Bristol, the author of The Plantagenet Ancestry
(1928), who was very kind and helpful. Charles started to amplify
correct and annotate his own copy of the Ancestry, in the process
developing an acute critical sense. This annotated copy is now preserved
by the Foundation. Although professionally Charles became known for
his medieval scholarship, it was also his life’s ambition to take back
his own (and later his wife’s) ancestry as far as possible along as many
lines as possible. He was particularly proud of his matrilineal pedigree
(ie his mother’s ancestry following the female line at each generation).
He had no time for those who pursue only their male line, or indeed
those who research only their own ancestry. He felt that a true
genealogist should pursue the discipline for its own sake. His own male
line was illustrious enough – his great grandfather was the brother of
Mary Ann Evans (George Eliot, the novelist) – but what glories he found
elsewhere! From the conquistadors of South America, to the founding
fathers of New York, from plantation owners in the Caribbean to Huguenot
refugees from France, and within Britain itself extending from deepest
Cornwall to remotest Caithness. The ancestors were from all walks of
life: humble yeomen, soldiers, nobility, and medieval royalty. A
compilation of his family researches was published in 1983 giving his
own ancestry to ten generations [2], with relatively few gaps – a most
unusual achievement.
This extraordinary man was honoured, for his 80th
birthday, by a Festschrift or Tribute of "Studies in Genealogy
and Family History" [3]. A more personal appreciation is given by E E
Harrison in that Tribute (pp. 1-3).
Charles Evans died in 1988. His collected papers and notes on
medieval genealogy and his own family’s ancestry have been preserved by
his family and friends, together with the core items from his extensive
personal library. As explained elsewhere it
was the desire to secure the long term safe-keeping of these items,
together with a wish to take forward his work on the Plantagenet
Ancestry and other researches, that led to the formation of the FMG.
In 2003 the FMG published the
Complete Works of Charles Evans in CD and hardcopy formats
to celebrate the centenary of his birth. To
order these go to our secure online shop by
CLICKING HERE.
[1] A genealogical odyssey to the West Indies, by Charles Evans, FSA,
FSG. Family History Annual (1986) edited by Michael J Burchall,
pp. 137-142.
[2] Ancestor table, by Charles Evans. The Genealogist (1983)
vol. 4, pp. 230-265.
[3] Studies in genealogy and family history in tribute to Charles
Evans on the occasion of his eightieth birthday, edited by Lindsay
Brook. Association for the Promotion of Scholarship in Genealogy,
Occasional Publication No.2 (1989). |
