Dr Evan Pierce,

Dr Evan Pierce (1808-1895) was a physician born and based in Denbigh, North Wales, celebrated for his work during the cholera epidemics that struck the town in the 1830s and for a lifetime of public service to his community.

Pierce trained as a doctor in Edinburgh before returning to practise in his home town of Denbigh, where he gained considerable public recognition for his tireless work combating the 1832 cholera epidemic, during which around a tenth of the local population died. He went on to serve as coroner for Denbighshire, sat as an alderman on Denbigh Town Council for over fifty years, and was elected mayor of the town on five separate occasions. He is also credited with starting the town's local fire brigade.

A noted benefactor, Pierce donated the land that became the Pierce Memorial Garden, funded two fountains marking Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887, and built the Dr Evan Pierce Memorial Hall at his own expense in memory of his mother. In an unusual tribute, a statue of Pierce was erected in the garden during his own lifetime rather than after his death — a rare honour reflecting the esteem in which he was held locally. Local tradition also holds that he acted as an adviser to Queen Victoria, though this specific claim is not corroborated by major archival sources and should be read as local lore rather than established fact.

Pierce died in 1895, and it is recorded that the whole town turned out for his funeral.