Researching Lewis Evans

He was the son of Sir John Evans, an archaeologist, and younger brother of the more famous archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans (1851–1941) who excavated the archaeological site Knossos in the island of Crete, Greece. He studied chemistry at University College London and became a businessman. During his career, he rose to the chairman role in the family paper-making firm John Dickinson & Co. Ltd and lived at Russels, a country house near the company's paper mill, close to Watford.

Over the course of approximately fifty years, Evans also built up an important collection of scientific instruments. In 1924, he presented this collection of sundials, astrolabes, early mathematical instruments and associated library of early books to the University of Oxford. The Lewis Evans Collection was made accessible to the public in the same year and he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree by the university in 1925.

Through the efforts of his friend Robert Gunther, Evans donation helped in the founding of the History of Science Museum, Oxford in 1930 by providing what became known as the Lewis Evans Collection of Historic Scientific Instruments, the core of the museum's initial collection. The museum was originally called the Lewis Evans Collection but with the addition of material from other sources, the name was changed in 1935 to the Museum of the History of Science and in 2018, to the History of Science Museum. His library is also owned by the museum.

Lewis Evans became a major shareholder of Watford FC upon its incorporation as a limited company in 1909 and acted as chairman of the football club between 1909–14; he had earlier played football for Hertfordshire Rangers F.C.

Evans was called up to the senior Wales squad for the tour of North America in 2009, though he was later cut from the squad and put on stand by. In November 2011 Evans was named in the senior Wales squad for the match versus Australia on 3 December 2011.

In the 2012–13 season, Newport Gwent Dragons named Evans as their captain, replacing the departing [Luke Charteris] and then later again for the 2015–16 season. He eventually captained the region on more than 50 occasions.

After many years coaching age grade rugby for the Dragons region and Newport RFC in the 2016–17 season, he is now retired as a player and the recently appointed Director of Rugby for Kroll USRC Tigers in Hong Kong for the 2021–22 season.

He was born in 1904 and educated at Tonbridge School. He was ordained in 1938 and began his ecclesiastical career with a curacy at St Mary's, Prittlewell followed by the post of Warden of St Peter's Theological College, Jamaica. He was successively Rector of Kingston Parish Church, Archdeacon of Surrey and then Bishop Suffragan of Kingston before his translation to Barbados. A noted author, he died on 30 December 1996.