William David Evans facts for kids
Sir William David Evans (1767–1821) was an important English lawyer. He lived a busy life, working in different legal roles and even receiving a special honor from the King.
Evans was born in London on May 25, 1767. His parents were John Evans and Janet Butterfield. He went to a well-known school called Harrow School. When he was sixteen, he started training to become a lawyer with a solicitor in Warrington. He worked hard, but he also enjoyed reading and writing in his free time.
Becoming a Lawyer
In February 1789, Evans officially became an attorney. He started his legal practice in a town called Leigh, Lancashire. Soon after, he continued his legal studies at Gray's Inn, which is a famous place for lawyers in London.
By February 1794, he had completed his training and became a barrister, which is another type of lawyer who argues cases in court. He joined the "northern circuit," meaning he traveled to courts in the northern part of England. He lived in Liverpool for several years, working as a lawyer who specialized in writing legal documents and preparing cases.
Important Roles and Knighthood
In 1813, Evans was chosen for a new and important job: he became the first full-time judge (called a stipendiary magistrate) in Manchester. Two years later, in 1815, he was also made the vice-chancellor of the County Palatine of Lancaster. This was a high-ranking legal position in that region. He held both jobs at the same time until 1818, and everyone respected how fair and dignified he was.
In 1817, he tried to become a judge but wasn't successful. However, two years later, in 1819, he received a very important role: the recordership of Bombay. This was a top legal job in Bombay, India (which was then part of the British Empire). At the same time, he was given the honor of knighthood, which meant he could now be called "Sir William David Evans."
Life in India and Legacy
On his long journey to India, Sir William kept busy. He started writing a book called A Treatise upon the Civil Law, which was about legal rules. He also created a weekly newspaper just for fun, to entertain the other people on the ship.
He began his new job in India with great enthusiasm. However, after only about fifteen months, he became very ill. He had been sick for a while, and the hot climate in India made it worse. Sir William David Evans passed away on December 5, 1821, when he was 54 years old.
He had married Hannah Seaman in 1790. She was from Warrington and lived until 1832, outliving him. An artist named Edward Scriven made an engraved portrait of Sir William shortly before he left for India.
