Evans, Katharine

Writer and Quaker missionary Katharine Evans (née Canual or Canval) (c. 1618–1692) traveled extensively, working in tandem with her colleague, Sarah Cheevers. Together they recorded their experiences in the Roman Inquisition at Malta, a standing tribunal operating as part of the Holy See that prosecuted heresy, including the possession of prohibited books. Evans and Cheevers had been bound for Alexandria, where they planned to preach Quakerism. When their ship stopped at Malta they were apprehended for passing out Quaker tracts and then held as prisoners of the Inquisition from 1658 to 1662. Although Evans actively preached before and after her imprisonment by the Inquisition, her extant writing dates only to this period of her life, recording her interrogations, visions, poems, and letters to family and friends. Her writing is notable for its autobiographical trial narrative that supplements and counters the existing court record.