Henry Walter (antiquary) facts for kids

Henry Walter (1785–1859) was an English church leader and a historian who studied old things. He was known for his work as a professor and a parish priest.

Early Life and Education

Henry Walter was born in Louth, Lincolnshire, England, on January 28, 1785. His father, James Walter, was the headmaster of Louth grammar school. Interestingly, Henry's family was connected to the famous writer Jane Austen! His grandfather was the step-brother of Jane Austen's father.

Henry was a very bright student. He went to St John's College, Cambridge, in 1802. He graduated in 1806 as one of the top students in mathematics, coming in second place. He also won a special math prize. He became a teacher and a fellow at his college. He continued his studies, earning advanced degrees in 1809 and 1816.

In 1810, Henry Walter visited Hawkstone Park. Years later, in 1852, he wrote about a famous "hermit" who lived there. He discovered that the hermit was actually a poor man paid to act the part. Eventually, a stuffed dummy even replaced the actor!

Professor and Priest

In 1816, Henry Walter became a professor of natural philosophy at the East India Company College. This college trained people who would work for the East India Company. In 1817, he traveled with Hugh Percy, 3rd Duke of Northumberland, who had been one of his students at Cambridge.

He was recognized for his scientific work and became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1819. This is a big honor for scientists.

In 1821, Walter also became the rector (head priest) of Hazelbury Bryan in Dorset. He held both his teaching job and his church job until 1830. Some of his students at the college even gave him the nickname "Bobby."

Helping His Community

As a parish priest in Hazelbury Bryan, Henry Walter cared deeply about the people in his community. In the 1820s, he helped create a system of allotments. These were small plots of land that poor families could rent cheaply to grow their own food. He rented out 13 acres of his own land for this purpose.

He also tried to improve how the poor were supported in his parish. He didn't like the system where farmers would send poor workers from one farm to another, with the parish paying part of their wages. He wanted a fairer system. He later wrote about the social challenges in the area, including a period of unrest in 1830.

A local leader, David Parry Okeden, praised Walter's work in helping the poor. Okeden saw Walter as a great example of a priest who actively helped his community. Walter also wrote more about social conditions in Dorset, discussing wages and support for working families.

Later, in 1838, he was involved in a discussion with George Loveless, a famous farm worker who fought for better rights. Walter also taught private students and wrote for religious newspapers. He passed away in Hazelbury Bryan on January 25, 1859, and was buried in the churchyard there. In 1824, he had married Emily Anne Baker.

His Writings

Henry Walter was a talented writer from a young age. In 1800, he won an essay competition.

He also edited several important books for the Parker Society, which published old religious texts. He worked on three volumes of writings by William Tyndale, a key figure in the English Reformation:

• Doctrinal Treatises, and Introductions to different portions of the Holy Scriptures, published in 1848.
• Expositions and Notes on sundry portions of the Holy Scriptures, published in 1849.
• An Answer to Sir Thomas More's Dialogue, published in 1850. This book also included other works. Walter initially thought one of these works was by Tyndale, but later realized it was by George Joye, which scholars now agree with.

Walter also published an edition of The Primer, a prayer book from the time of King Edward VI, in 1825.

His own books included:

• Lectures on the Evidences in favour of Christianity and the Doctrines of the Church of England (1816).
• A Letter to the Right Rev. Herbert Lord Bishop of Peterborough, on the Independence of the authorised Version of the Bible (1823–1828). In this letter, he discussed the translators of the King James Bible.
• The Connexion of Scripture History made plain for the Young by an Abridgment of it (1840). This book was made to help young people understand Bible history.
• A History of England, in which it is intended to consider Man and Events on Christian Principles (1840), a seven-volume history of England.
• First letter to the Lord Bishop of Salisbury (1845), a controversial work.
• On the Antagonism of various Popish Doctrines and Usages to the Honour of God and to His Holy Word (1853).