Edward Hawkins facts for kids
Edward Hawkins (born February 27, 1789 – died November 18, 1882) was an important English church leader and scholar. He was the head, or Provost, of Oriel College, Oxford for a very long time. He was well-known for being strongly against the Oxford Movement, a religious group that started in his college.
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Edward Hawkins' Early Life and Education
Edward Hawkins was born in Bath, Somerset, on February 27, 1789. He was the oldest child of Edward Hawkins, who was a vicar (a type of priest) and rector (another type of priest in charge of a parish). His brothers, Caesar Henry Hawkins and Francis Hawkins, also became notable.
Edward went to school at Elmore, Gloucestershire and then to Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood. When his father passed away in 1806, Edward helped manage the family's affairs, as he was one of the executors.
In 1807, he went to St John's College, Oxford. In 1811, he earned top grades in two subjects, which was called a "double first class." He continued his studies and became a tutor (a teacher) at his college in 1812. The next year, in 1813, he was chosen as a fellow of Oriel College. A fellow is like a senior member or researcher at the college.
Life at Oriel College, Oxford
Oriel College was a very famous college at this time, with many brilliant scholars like Edward Copleston, John Davison, Richard Whately, and John Keble. Edward Hawkins stayed at Oriel for over sixty years, first as a fellow and then as its Provost.
In 1815, he was in Paris when Napoleon escaped from Elba. Hawkins left the city on the very day Napoleon returned. He became a priest and, in 1819, became a tutor at Oriel College. From 1823 to 1828, he was the vicar of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin in Oxford. He started the Sunday afternoon sermon there, which became very popular under his successor, John Henry Newman.
Becoming Provost of Oriel College
On February 2, 1828, the fellows of Oriel College chose Hawkins to be the new Provost. He took over from Edward Copleston. The choice was between Hawkins and John Keble, who had just published his famous book, Christian Year. Hawkins was chosen partly because of support from Edward Pusey and John Henry Newman, who were also at the college. At this time, Newman and Hawkins were quite close.
As Provost, Hawkins also became a canon (a type of priest) at Rochester Cathedral and was given the living of Purleigh in Essex. Later, from 1847 to 1861, he was the first Dean Ireland's Professor of the Exegesis of Holy Scripture at Oxford, which meant he taught about the Bible.
Challenges and Conflicts as Provost
Hawkins found it difficult to connect with the younger students (undergraduates). He was also very strict about his authority with the other fellows.
In 1831, three tutors – Newman, Richard Hurrell Froude, and Robert Wilberforce – wanted to change how teaching was done at the college. Hawkins stopped their plans, and the three tutors resigned. Hawkins tried to fill their places by teaching himself and getting Renn Dickson Hampden to help him. However, the college seemed to struggle after losing those tutors.
Hawkins also had a big role in the wider University of Oxford. At first, he supported reforms, but later he resisted almost all changes. He supported Hampden when he was appointed to a teaching role in 1836.
Opposing the Oxford Movement
Edward Hawkins was a strong opponent of the Oxford Movement. This was a group of influential thinkers at Oxford University who wanted to bring back older traditions and practices to the Church of England.
In February 1841, when the leaders of the university wanted to condemn a famous document called Tract 90 (which was part of the Oxford Movement), Hawkins was asked to write the official statement against it. For several years, his life was made difficult by his struggle with the followers of the Oxford Movement.
Later Years and Retirement
In 1850, university officials were appointed to look into the colleges. Hawkins was one of the heads of houses who did not give them any official information. However, when new rules were put in place for the college and university in 1854, he accepted them.
In 1874, when Hawkins was 85 years old, a vice-provost was appointed at Oriel College, and Hawkins finally left Oxford. He moved to his house in Rochester. He tried to stop the plan to separate the canonry at Rochester from the provostship of Oriel in 1875, but he was unsuccessful. In 1879, he also protested against the idea that fellows at Oriel would no longer need to be priests.
Edward Hawkins passed away on November 18, 1882, just before his 94th birthday. He was buried in the cathedral cemetery at Rochester.
Edward Hawkins' Writings
Edward Hawkins was also a writer. On May 31, 1818, he gave a sermon (a religious speech) at the university that became very famous. He published the main ideas of this sermon in 1819. It was later reprinted in 1889 with the title, A Dissertation upon the Use and Importance of Unauthoritative Tradition. This book talked about how important old traditions are, even if they are not official rules.
He later wrote more about this topic in his Bampton lectures (a series of lectures given at Oxford) in 1840. This work was called An Inquiry into the connected Uses of the principal means of attaining Christian Truth. It explored how people find Christian truth through the Bible, the church, human reason, and God's grace.
Hawkins also edited the poems of John Milton, a famous poet, adding notes and a biography. This was published in four volumes in Oxford in 1824. He also published many sermons, including:
- 'The Duty of Private Judgment,' Oxford, 1838
- 'The Province of Private Judgment and the Right Conduct of Religious Inquiry,' 1861
- 'The Liberty of Private Judgment within the Church of England,' 1863
Other books he wrote include:
- 'Discourses upon some of the Principal Objects and Uses of the Historical Scriptures of the Old Testament,' Oxford, 1833.
- 'A Manual for Christians; designed for their Use at any time after Confirmation,' Oxford, 1826. This book was very popular and had at least seven editions by 1870.
Edward Hawkins' Family
On December 28, 1828, Edward Hawkins married Mary Ann Buckle. She passed away on January 14, 1892. They had a son and a daughter who survived him. Sadly, two other daughters and his oldest son died before him. His eldest son went on a mission to Central Africa and passed away in 1862 when he was 29 years old.
