A Llanstinan wedding
On the 20th September 1870 a wedding took place in Llanstinan Church, of the daughter of the Rector to a Surgeon in the Royal Navy. The bride and groom were Edward Higgon Evans and Mary Elizabeth Sarah Bowen – Edward had been born in Treffgarne Hall and was the fourth son of the late David Evans. As Mary’s father was at that time, the Rector of Llanstinan Church, the marriage ceremony was conducted by the Rector of Letterston.
Amazingly their wedding photograph has survived being part of a collection of photographs recently lent to Ein Hanes on Fishguard Square. The photograph is attributed to Henry Jackson who was a photographer in Fishguard from the mid 1860s through to his death in 1896. The photograph featured in an album with a number of the honoured guests conveniently named. These included Sir Hugh Owen and his wife as well as other members of the Bowen family. (More information about Sir Hugh can be seen here.)
The exposure time for the image would have been quite lengthy as this was still relatively early days for non studio photography and yet there is no obvious blurring where someone inadvertently moved – even the two dogs stayed still!!
The bride was accompanied by seven bridesmaids and her husband wore his Royal Naval uniform. Their wedding certificate has also been located together with the public notice of the wedding which appeared in the Pembrokeshire Herald and Guardian.
Further research has revealed that once married, the couple settled initially in Fishguard and Goodwick with Edward Evans being assigned to HMS Nankin, a former war ship which in the 1870s became a hospital ship at Pembroke Dock. Edward Evans had a distinguished career in the Navy, rising eventually to the rank of Deputy Inspector General. At the time of his death in 1913 at the age of 83, he and his wife had moved to Gerrards Cross in Buckinghamshire where they lived in a property called Treffgarne!
Following his death, an obituary appeared in the British Medical Journal which gave details of his medical and Naval career.
His wife, being almost 20 years his junior, was left a widow until her death in 1933 aged 85. The couple had no children.
With thanks to Mary Robinson for identifying the marriage and locating the marriage certificate and public notice
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