Virtually nothing is currently known about Timothy Evans of Gelligwenyn. He was the youngest son of Rachel Davies and Stephen Abel Evans of Gelligwenyn, Silian, and the only evidence of his existence is in his father’s will, which was written in 1808. The will gives the farm to Evans’ elder brother, Abel, £10 to his sister, Mary, and £90 to his sister, Martha. The remainder of the estate was entrusted to Evans’ mother to be given him once he reached the age of maturity: 21 years.[1]
Before her death in 1818, Evans’ mother, Rachel, wrote her own will. It’s interesting that she wrote a will at all, given that very few women wrote wills at this time. The majority of women who did write wills were either unmarried or widows, like Rachel. The reason that few women wrote wills at that time was that married women were not legal owners of their wealth until the late 19th Century. The ownership of any wealth that a woman made or inherited (with the exception of her dowry) was legally transferred to her husband when they married. Women’s rights to property ownership began to change starting with the “Married Women’s Property Act” of 1870, which declared that married women owned the money they made. Later amendments continued into the 20th Century and gave married women full personal rights to their wealth and inheritances.[2]
In his mother’s will, Evans is noticeably absent and yet she mentions her other three children, five of her eldest daughter’s children, and three children of her youngest daughter.[3] She also gives the “residue of [her] estate,” presumably some of which was the residue of her husband’s estate, to her eldest son, Abel. This, and the fact that Evans is absent from the will, suggests that he may have died some time between the writing of his father’s will in 1808 and his mother’s will in 1818.
What I Learned While Writing this Biography
I encounter a lot of ancestors through wills because they are my favourite genealogical record. What I’ve learned from people like Timothy, is that even a mere mention can lead to approximate dates and those are sometimes the key to moving forward. If a child is to receive their inheritance when they complete 21 years of age, then you automatically have a birth date range. If they’re already married, they’re usually over the age of 21 in Wales and England. If they’re receiving an inheritance, the day that will was written is the last day you can prove that person is alive. Even these broad ranges are helpful in the long run.
Citations & Footnotes
[1] 1808. Stephen Evans. Will dated Mar. 22, 1808. Proven Apr. 15, 1808. Welsh Wills 1556-1858. Silian. Diocese of St. David’s, National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth. http://hdl.handle.net/10107/838919
[2] UK Parliament. 2024. “Marriage: Property and Children.” https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/private-lives/relationships/overview/propertychildren/
[3] 1818. Rachel Evans. Will dated May 15, 1818. Proven Dec. 1, 1818. Welsh Wills 1556-1858. Silian. Diocese of St. David’s, National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth. http://hdl.handle.net/10107/617430
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