Sir David Martyn Evans-Bevan (4 March 1902 – 9 September 1973) was a wealthy industrialist from south Wales. He was the owner of the Vale of Neath Brewery, and purchased Margam Castle from the Talbot family.
David Evans-Bevan was the son of Evan Evans-Bevan, a brewery owner who was Mayor of Neath on several occasions,[1] and his wife Caroline (née Thomas). He was educated at Uppingham School.[2]
David, already High Sheriff of Breconshire, inherited the Vale of Neath Brewery on his father's death in 1929, at the same time becoming wales's leading mine-owner, but decided to concentrate on the brewing business.[3] David married Eira Winifred Glanley, daughter of Sidney Archibald Lloyd Glanley, in 1929, and they had two children, David (born 1932) and Marigold (born 1934).[2]
In 1942 he acquired the Margam estate,[4] including the castle, the ruins of former monastic buildings attached to Margam Abbey, the orangery and about 850 acres of land.[5] Felin Newydd, a country house near Brecon, purchased as a shooting lodge, became a family home, and was converted to a hotel by his grandson Huw in the 2000s.[6]
In addition to the purchase of two Spitfires to help the war effort, David Evans-Bevan was known for his philanthropy and became High Sheriff of Glamorgan in 1951. On 9 July 1958 he was created a baronet, of Cadoxton-juxta-Neath in the County of Glamorgan.[7][8]
In 1967, Sir David sold the brewery to Whitbread, and it finally closed in 1972.[9]
David Evans-Bevan died in September 1973, aged 71, and was succeeded in the baronetcy by his son Martyn. His widow, Eira, died on 24 December 2001.
References edit
- ^ Arthur Mee (1921). Who's who in Wales. Western Mail Limited. p. 140.
- ^ a b Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, volume 3, page 3413
- ^ Brian Glover (1 January 1993). Prince of Ales: The History of Brewing in Wales. A. Sutton. p. 134. ISBN 978-0-7509-0331-8.
- ^ "Margam Castle and Estate". http://Kenfig - The Complete History (e-Resource). Kenfig Local History Group. 8 April 2016.
- ^ Port Talbot Historical Society (1965). Transactions. p. 108.
- ^ "Escape to the country at Felin Newydd House". WalesOnline. 22 August 2009. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
- ^ "No. 41442". The London Gazette. 11 July 1958. p. 4348.
- ^ Debrett's Peerage Ltd (1 June 1990). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage: With Her Majesty's Royal Warrant Holders. Debrett's Peerage. p. 80. ISBN 978-0-312-04640-8.
- ^ "Vale of Neath Brewery Records". Archives Wales. National Library of Wales. 9 April 2016. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2016.