J. Silas Evans

Silas Evans was born in 1864 in the village of Pencarreg near Llanybydder in southwest Wales. His university education took place at Saint David's College, Lampeter, where he graduated with a B.A. in theology in 1885.

He served as a cleric in the Anglican Church in Wales. He was a curate in Dyserth, in Rhosddu and in St. Asaph. He was Vicar of Cyffylliog in Denbighshire between 1901 and 1909. In 1909 he became Vicar of Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant in the Berwyn Mountains between Bala and Oswestry. He became a canon of the church in 1928. He developed an interest in astronomy and was a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society for a period.

He wrote an English-language popular book on astronomy called "Marvels of the Sky" (publ. A. H. Stockwell, London, 1931, 97 pages) and a compilation of 'astronomical sermons' called "Ad Astra" (publ. A. H. Stockwell, London, 1931, 80 pages). He is best known as the author of the Welsh-language book about astronomy "Seryddiaeth a Seryddwyr" (publ. William Lewis, Cardiff, 1923, 323 pages). He also wrote a history of the parish of Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant in Welsh, "Hanes Plwyf Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant" (Gwasg Gomer, Llandysul, 1940, 87 pages), and a set of religious meditations "Myfyrion Min yr Hwyr" (Gwasg Argraffwyr Abertawe, Swansea, 203 pages).

He retired firstly to Aberystwyth, and later to Pencarreg, the village where he was born.