John Evans (died 1779), was curate of Portsmouth.
Evans was born at Meini Gwynion, Llanarth, Cardiganshire, and was educated at Oxford. His first curacy was that of Llanarth, whence he removed to Portsmouth. The author of the âÂÂWelsh Bibliographyâ supposed him to have been the Ioan Evans who translated Dr. Jabez Earle's âÂÂMeditations on the Sacraments,â 1735; his âÂÂHarmony of the Four Gospelsâ was published in 1765. This was the first work published in Welsh to expound any portion of the Bible, being fifteen years earlier than that of Peter Williams.
He is supposed to have seen through the press the Welsh bible of 1769 (twenty thousand copies); he translated Bishop Gastrell's âÂÂChristian Institutes,â 1773. A second edition of the âÂÂHarmonyâ was published in 1804.