James Bevan

James Alfred Bevan (15 April 1858 – 3 February 1938) was a Wales international rugby union three-quarter who played club rugby for Clifton RFC and Newport. He is best known for being the first Welsh international captain, whilst at Cambridge University.

For the British diplomat, see James Bevan (diplomat).

James Bevan
Birth nameJames Alfred Bevan[1]
Date of birth(1858-04-15)15 April 1858
Place of birthSt Kilda, Victoria, Australia
Date of death3 February 1938(1938-02-03) (aged 79)
Place of deathLeytonstone, London
SchoolHereford Cathedral School
UniversitySt John's College, Cambridge
Rugby union career
Position(s) Three-quarters
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)

1877–1880
1882
1880–1881		 Abergavenny RFC
Cambridge University R.U.F.C.
Clifton RFC
Newport RFC		 ()
National team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
1881 Wales[2] 1 (0)

Early life

Bevan was born in St Kilda, Victoria, Australia, the son of Elizabeth (née Fly) and James Bevan. His parents were from Grosmont, Monmouthshire, Wales, and came to Victoria during the gold rush of the early 1850s. He was a childhood friend of Alfred Deakin, the second Prime Minister of Australia; their fathers were partners in a coaching business.[3] On 11 January 1866, Bevan's parents died when the SS London sank in a gale in the Bay of Biscay.

He was sent back to Wales after being orphaned to live with paternal relatives. He attended Hereford Cathedral School.[4]

Rugby career

Bevan played for Abergavenny[4] before attending university at St John's College, Cambridge, graduating in 1881.[5] Bevan played for Cambridge University R.U.F.C., was awarded two Blues for rugby (in 1877 and 1880)[5] and while with Cambridge was selected to captain the first Welsh international, against England.

The Rugby Football Union insisted that the England vs Wales match be played on 19 February 1881. This was the same day that Swansea were playing Llanelli at Neath in a semi-final cup-tie thus depriving Wales of several players. This was Wales's first international, organised before the Welsh Rugby Union was set up. The players had never played together before, though one player, Major Richard Summers, was selected for Wales on his performances a couple of years earlier for his school, Cheltenham College, in matches against Cardiff and Newport. No formal invitations to play were sent out to the Welsh XV. Two of those expected to appear did not turn up, so bystanders, university undergraduates with tenuous Welsh links who had travelled to London to see the match, were called in to play for Wales.

It was a humiliating defeat for the Welsh team and Bevan never played for Wales again (under modern scoring values Wales lost 82-0). A month after the match the WRFU was founded at the Castle Hotel, Neath on 12 March 1881.

The James Bevan Trophy was named in his honour to celebrate 100 years of Test Rugby.

International matches played

Wales[6]

Clergy career

Bevan later became an Anglican clergyman.[5] He was ordained deacon in 1888 and priest in 1889.[5] He served his title first at Christ Church, Hampstead (1888-1892) and secondly at Trinity Church, Hampstead (1892-1899). From 1899 to 1936 he was vicar at St George's Church in Great Yarmouth (now St George’s Theatre).[7] In addition, he was Vicar of St Margaret's, Herringfleet from 1906 to 1908.

Personal life

He married Annie Susan Woodall in 1882. One of their sons was Kenneth Bevan, who also became a clergyman, and went on to become a missionary bishop in China. Bevan died in 1938, aged 79, at the vicarage of St Paul’s, Leytonstone, where another son, Ernest, was the incumbent. [5] He is buried in Hampstead Cemetery.[8]

Bibliography
  • Smith, David; Williams, Gareth (1980). Fields of Praise: The Official History of The Welsh Rugby Union. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 0-7083-0766-3.

References
  1. Newport RFC player profile Archived 17 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  2. WRU player profiles Archived 17 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Judith Brett (2017). The Enigmatic Mr Deakin. Text Publishing. pp. 15–22.
  4. Smith (1980), pg 24.
  5. "Bevan, James Alfred (BVN877JA)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
  6. Smith (1980), pg 463.
  7. James Bevan biography Clifton RFC
  8. "Find a Grave: James Alfred Bevan". Retrieved 22 December 2020.
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