Henry Gally facts for kids

Henry Gally was an English church leader and a smart scholar who lived a long time ago, from 1696 to 1769. He was known for his religious writings and his knowledge of old Greek and Roman texts.

Henry Gally's Life Story

Henry Gally was born in August 1696 in a place called Beckenham, Kent. His father, Peter Gally, was a French Protestant who had come to England.

When Henry was about 18, he started studying at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. He was a very good student. He earned his first degree in 1717 and a master's degree in 1721. In 1728, when King George II of Great Britain visited Cambridge, Henry Gally was given a special Doctor of Divinity degree.

In 1721, he became a lecturer at St. Paul's, Covent Garden, a church in London. He also became the rector (the main priest) of a church in Wavendon, Buckinghamshire, that same year.

A very important judge, Lord-Chancellor King, chose Henry Gally to be his personal chaplain in 1725. This was a big honor. Lord King also gave him important jobs in the church. Henry became a prebend (a special church position) in Gloucester in 1728 and in Norwich in 1731. He also became the rector of churches in Ashney (or Ashton) in 1730 and St. Giles-in-the-Fields in 1732.

After getting these new jobs, Henry Gally gave up his position at Wavendon. His own father took over that church. In 1735, the King made Henry one of his regular chaplains. Henry Gally passed away on August 7, 1769.

Henry Gally's Writings

Henry Gally wrote several books and sermons during his lifetime. Here are some of his notable works:

• The Misery of Man (1723): This book was based on two sermons he gave at St. Paul's, Covent Garden. Sermons are talks given in church about religious topics.

• The Moral Characters of Theophrastus (1725): In this book, Henry Gally translated ancient Greek writings by a philosopher named Theophrastus. These writings described different types of people and their personalities. Henry also added his own notes and an essay about writing character descriptions.

• The Reasonableness of Church and College Fines asserted (1731): This book was written to defend the financial rights of churches and colleges. At the time, there was a debate about how these institutions managed their money and renewed their leases. Henry Gally argued that their traditional ways were fair and reasonable.

• A Sermon preached before the House of Commons (1739): This was a special sermon that Henry Gally gave to the members of the House of Commons. He gave it on the anniversary of the King's accession, which is the day the King officially took the throne.

• Some Considerations upon Clandestine Marriages (1750): This pamphlet discussed the topic of secret marriages. It was an important topic at the time and was even mentioned in discussions in parliament about new marriage laws.

• A Dissertation against pronouncing the Greek Language according to accents (1754) and A second Dissertation... (1763): In these two essays, Henry Gally shared his ideas about how the ancient Greek language should be spoken. He argued against using certain accents when pronouncing Greek words.

Henry Gally also helped to prepare another book for publication. He edited Some Thoughts concerning the proper method of Studying Divinity, which was written by W. Wotton. This book was about the best way to study religious subjects.