There he wrote many Latin and Greek poems, many voluntarily and inspired by personal events and escapades, as well as school exercises.
There in 1834 he won the blue ribbon of Shrewsbury for the best poem in Latin hexameters on a given theme, which that year was "Arcticus Oceanus".
Joseph Waite (editor of the book referenced below) could not find any copy of this entry; but Evans recited about ten lines of it shortly before he died.
In 1843 a sister of his died after a day's illness, and Waite wrote that the distress caused may have pushed Evans into going for Holy Orders.
The old stone buildings and wooded slopes in Durham inspired him to write many admiring Latin and Greek verses.
Joseph Waite MA, DD, was vicar of Norham and a canon of Newcastle upon Tyne, and a schoolmaster of University College, Durham.