Henry Wharton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Henry Wharton
Born	9 November 1664
Died	5 March 1695  (aged 30)

Henry Wharton (born November 9, 1664 – died March 5, 1695) was a smart English writer and librarian who lived a long time ago. He was known for his amazing memory and for writing many books about history.

A Young Life of Learning

Henry Wharton was born in Worstead, a village in Norfolk, England. His father, Edmund Wharton, was a vicar, which is a type of church leader. Henry was taught by his father at home.

He later went to Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, a famous university. Henry was incredibly hardworking and talented. He did very well in his studies at Cambridge.

In 1686, Henry started working for a church historian named William Cave. He helped Mr. Cave with his writing. However, Henry felt his hard work wasn't fully appreciated, so he soon left that job.

Working with Important People

In 1687, Henry became a deacon, which is a step towards becoming a priest in the church. The next year, 1688, he met William Sancroft, who was the archbishop of Canterbury. This was a very important person in the English church.

Archbishop Sancroft thought very highly of Henry. He saw Henry's good character and great skills. The archbishop made Henry one of his personal assistants, called a chaplain. He also gave Henry jobs as a vicar in two different places in Kent: Sundridge and Chartham.

In 1689, Henry swore loyalty to the new rulers, King William III and Queen Mary II. However, he wrote a strong review of a book by Gilbert Burnet, who was a bishop. This disagreement might have stopped Henry from getting even more important jobs in the English church.

Henry Wharton died on March 5, 1695, when he was only 30 years old. He was buried in Westminster Abbey, a very famous church in London where many important people are laid to rest.

Henry Wharton's Writings

Henry Wharton wrote many important books during his short life. His most famous work is called Anglia Sacra, which means "Sacred England." This book was published in 1691 and has two volumes.

Anglia Sacra is a collection of stories about the lives of English archbishops and bishops. Some of these stories were written by Henry himself. Others were taken from older writings, like the Vitae Archiepiscoporum Cantuariensium by Stephen Birchington.

Other books Henry wrote include:

• A Treatise of the Celibacy of the Clergy (1688): This book discussed whether church leaders should be allowed to marry.
• The Enthusiasm of the Church of Rome Demonstrated in Some Observations upon the Life of Ignatius Loyola (1688): This book looked at the beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church.
• A Defence of Pluralities (1692): This book defended the idea of one person holding more than one church job at a time. A new edition of this book came out in 1703.

Henry Wharton left behind many handwritten papers. Sixteen volumes of his manuscripts are kept safe in the Lambeth Palace Library. A famous historian named William Stubbs called Henry "this wonderful man." He said that Henry did more to help us understand English Church history than anyone else before or since.

You can also find a story about Henry Wharton in George D'Oyly's book about William Sancroft, which was published in 1821.

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