Sydney Hall Evans,

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(23 July 1915 – 6 January 1988) was the

Dean of Salisbury The Dean of Salisbury is the head of the chapter of Salisbury Cathedral in the Church of England. The Dean assists the archdeacon of Sarum and bishop of Ramsbury in the diocese of Salisbury. List of deans High Medieval * Walter * Osbert ...

in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

from 1977 until his retirement in 1986.

Early life

Born on 23 July 1915, Hall Evans was educated at

Bristol Grammar School Bristol Grammar School (BGS) is a 4–18 mixed, independent day school in Bristol, England. It was founded in 1532 by Royal Charter for the teaching of 'good manners and literature', endowed by wealthy Bristol merchants Robert and Nicholas Thorn ...

and

Durham University , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills (Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_chan ...

, where he was President of the

Durham Union This is a list of social activities at the University of Durham, including details of clubs, societies and other common leisure activities associated with Durham University. Over 200 student clubs and organisations run within Durham Students' Un ...

during the

Michaelmas term Michaelmas term is the first academic term of the academic year in a number of English-speaking universities and schools in the northern hemisphere, especially in the United Kingdom. Michaelmas term derives its name from the Feast of St Micha ...

of 1937.

Career

Ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

to the priesthood in 1940, his first posts were

curacies A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy ...

in Bishop Auckland and

Ferryhill Ferryhill is a town in County Durham, England, with an estimated population in 2018 of 9,362. The town grew in the 1900s around the coal mining industry. The last mine officially closed in 1968. It is located between the towns of Bishop Auckland ...

. He was then a

Chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve from 1943 to 1945. Following this, he became

Warden A warden is a custodian, defender, or guardian. Warden is often used in the sense of a watchman or guardian, as in a prison warden. It can also refer to a chief or head official, as in the Warden of the Mint. ''Warden'' is etymologically identic ...

of King's College London's post-graduate college at Warminster, and then from 1956 was Dean of King's until 1977, when he was elevated to the Deanery of Salisbury. Hall Evans's career at King's made him one of the most influential churchmen of his generation, as he trained over one thousand Anglican priests. He was primarily a pastor and a nurturer of the potential he saw in people. He personally interviewed candidates for the Theology course at King's and made offers of places in advance of 'A'-level results. A low requirement, of perhaps only two 'A'-levels, would ensure that many men got their only chance of a university education. The first year at King's was designed to sort 'the sheep from the goats', so that some would continue to the degree and ordination qualification combined (BD/AKC), with others pursuing the AKC alone for ordination. He retired as Dean of Salisbury in 1986 and at the time of his death on 6 January 1988 was living in

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

. He left an estate valued at £116,000.The Very Reverend Sydney Hall Evans
in ''England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858–1995'', ancestry.co.uk, accessed 10 April 2022

References

1915 births People educated at Bristol Grammar School Alumni of St Chad's College, Durham Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II Deans of Salisbury Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Chaplains of King's College London Deans of King's College London 1995 deaths Royal Air Force chaplains World War II chaplains Presidents of the Durham Union {{ChurchofEngland-dean-stub