Queer Places:
King Edward's School, Edgbaston Park Rd, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2UA
University of Cambridge, 4 Mill Ln, Cambridge CB2 1RZ
Rugby School, Lawrence Sheriff St, Rugby CV22 5EH, United Kingdom
Clifton College, 32 College Rd, Clifton, Bristol BS8 3JH, United Kingdom

Charles Evans (January 1824 – August 18, 1904) was born in Coventry on January 1824, the son of John Southam Evans. Growing up on Little Park Street, Charles was immersed in a prominent local family; his father established himself as a successful ribbon manufacturer while actively contributing to civic life as a bank director, church warden, and turnpike trustee. Leveraging these strong local connections, Evans secured a recommendation to King Edward’s School, Birmingham, entering in 1838. At the time, the school was situated on New Street within a newly erected 1835 Gothic Revival building designed by the eminent architect Charles Barry, featuring interior detailing by Augustus Pugin.

Thriving under the mentorship of the school's visionary Headmaster, James Prince Lee, Evans rose to the position of School Captain. When Prince Lee moved on, Evans followed his mentor's academic orbit to Trinity College, Cambridge, being admitted on May 1, 1843.

He distinguished himself brilliantly across both the Mathematical and Classical Triposes: Scholar (1845), Craven Scholar (1846), 1st Chancellor’s Medal (1847), Senior Classic (bracketed 1st in the 1st Class of the Classical Tripos, graduating with a BA in 1847), Fellow of Trinity College (elected and serving from 1848 to 1852; MA obtained in 1850).

During his undergraduate and fellowship years in Cambridge, Evans was also inducted into the elite, clandestine intellectual discussion society known as the Cambridge Apostles. He was later ordained as a deacon in 1852 and a priest in 1854.

Following his time at Cambridge, Evans began a long tenure as an Assistant Master at Rugby School (serving from 1849 to 1862), working alongside contemporary masters under the influential tradition of Thomas Arnold.

In 1861, recognition of his leadership capabilities led to his appointment as the first Headmaster of Clifton College in Somerset. However, before taking up the post—having worked closely with the council to plan the new institution's launch—he received an irresistible call to return to his alma mater.

In 1862, Evans resigned his post at Clifton to return to King Edward’s School, Birmingham as Headmaster, succeeding where he himself had once sat as a student alongside future luminaries like Joseph Barber Lightfoot, Brooke Foss Westcott, and Edward White Benson.

His decade-long tenure (1862–1872) was defined by a modernising ethos that balanced rigorous classical scholarship with progressive reforms:

Introduced formal entrance examinations, established Annual Speech Day, and deliberately integrated science into the traditional classical curriculum.

Anticipating the eventual urban encroachment and 1930s relocation of the school, he proactively purchased new playing fields on the Bristol Road.

Gained a formidable reputation as a strict disciplinarian, famously instituting Saturday detentions to curb student laxity.

Upon stepping down from King Edward’s in 1872, Evans transitioned into the church, taking up appointment as Rector and Rural Dean of Solihull (serving from 1872 to 1894) and relocating his family from the Hermitage to the Rectory. Later, in 1874, he was named Honorary Canon of Worcester Cathedral, a post he held until his death.

Deeply committed to civic welfare and community elevation, Canon Evans:

Chaired local charities, instituting winter soup kitchens and adult reading groups to support the working classes.

Spearheaded the crucial reform and physical relocation of the local Grammar School to its new site off the Warwick Road, overseeing the construction of the striking Gothic building that now serves as School House.

On December 29, 1852, Evans married Susannah Sarah Lee at Prestwich, Lancashire. Susannah was the younger daughter of his former headmaster, J.P. Lee, who later became the Bishop of Manchester.

The couple had a large family of nine children. However, deep personal tragedy struck when three of their children died young; a poignant memorial window designed by the renowned studio of Charles Eamer Kempe was dedicated to them in St Alphege’s Church in 1880. Among their surviving sons were Harold J. L. Evans (born 1876), Philip H. L. Evans (born 1885), and William M. L. Evans (born 1893).

In his later years, Canon Evans resided at St Alphage in Parkstone, Dorset. He passed away there on August 18, 1904, at the age of 80.

Canon Charles Evans left behind a profound legacy across the West Midlands. Remembered equally as a brilliant Cambridge Classic, an uncompromising disciplinarian, a pioneering educational reformer, and a dedicated parish priest, his imprint remains permanently fixed upon the academic institutions of Birmingham and the civic framework of Solihull.

References:


The Cambridge Apostles, 1820-1914: Liberalism, Imagination, and Friendship in British Intellectual and Professional Life 1st Edition
by W.C. Lubenow

Other references:

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