Henry Wace (10 December 1836–9 January 1924) was an English

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of t ...

priest and ecclesiastical historian who served as

Principal of King's College, London This is a list of Principals of King's College London. The office of the Principal (Principal and President from 2009) is established by the Charter of King's College London as "the chief academic and administrative officer of the College". To da ...

, from 1883 to 1897 and as

Dean of Canterbury The Dean of Canterbury is the head of the Chapter of the Cathedral of Christ Church, Canterbury, England. The current office of Dean originated after the English Reformation, although Deans had also existed before this time; its immediate prec ...

from 1903 to 1924. He is described in the ''Dictionary of National Biography'' as "an effective administrator, a

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

churchman of deep scholarship, and a stout champion of the Reformation settlement".

Early life and education

Wace was born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

on 10 December 1836 and was educated at

Marlborough College ( 1 Corinthians 3:6: God gives the increase) , established = , type = Public SchoolIndependent day and boarding , religion = Church of England , president = Nicholas Holtam , head_label = Master , head = Louis ...

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. ...

King's College, London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King G ...

, and

Brasenose College, Oxford Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the m ...

( BA '' literae humaniores'' and mathematics,

Honorary Fellow Honorary titles (professor, reader, lecturer) in academia may be conferred on persons in recognition of contributions by a non-employee or by an employee beyond regular duties. This practice primarily exists in the UK and Germany, as well as in ...

1911).

Career

He took Holy Orders and served curacies at St Luke's, Berwick Street (1861–63), St James's, Piccadilly (1863–69), and

Grosvenor Chapel Grosvenor Chapel is an Anglican church in what is now the City of Westminster, in England, built in the 1730s. It inspired many churches in New England. It is situated on South Audley Street in Mayfair. History The foundation stone of the Grosven ...

(1870–72). He moved to

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincol ...

, where he served first as Chaplain (1872–80) and later as

Preacher A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach components such as ...

(1880–96). He was additionally Chaplain of the Inns of Court Rifle Volunteers (1880–1908) and the

Warburton Lecturer The Warburton Lectures (until the end of the nineteenth century often called the Warburtonian Lectures) are a series of theology lectures held in Lincoln's Inn, London. They were established in 1768 with money given by William Warburton, and were i ...

for 1896. In 1875, he became Professor of Ecclesiastical History at

, of which he served as Principal (1883–97). He was

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of St Michael's, Cornhill 1896–1903 and

from 1903 until his death in 1924. He is buried in the

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary ...

of the great cloister of the

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...

Writings

He wrote, contributed to, and edited, many publications in

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

and

ecclesiastical history __NOTOC__ Church history or ecclesiastical history as an academic discipline studies the history of Christianity and the way the Christian Church has developed since its inception. Henry Melvill Gwatkin defined church history as "the spiritua ...

. His best-known work, of widest application, is the ''

Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century ''A Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century A.D., with an Account of the Principal Sects and Heresies'' is a 1911 religious encyclopedia of biographies. Edited by William C. Piercy and Henry Wace, Dean o ...

A.D., with an Account of the Principal Sects and Heresies'', written in collaboration with William Smith. From 1902 to 1905 he was editor of ''

The Churchman ''Churchman'' is an evangelical Anglican academic journal published by the Church Society. It was formerly known as ''The Churchman'' and started in 1880 as a monthly periodical before moving to quarterly publication in 1920. The name change to "C ...

'', an

evangelical Anglican Evangelical Anglicanism or evangelical Episcopalianism is a tradition or church party within Anglicanism that shares affinity with broader evangelicalism. Evangelical Anglicans share with other evangelicals the attributes of "conversionism, a ...

academic journal.

Other accomplishments

He delivered the

Boyle Lectures The Boyle Lectures are named after Robert Boyle, a prominent natural philosopher of the 17th century and son of Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork. Under the terms of his Will, Robert Boyle endowed a series of lectures or sermons (originally eight ...

in 1874 and 1875 and the

Bampton Lectures The Bampton Lectures at the University of Oxford, England, were founded by a bequest of John Bampton. They have taken place since 1780. They were a series of annual lectures; since the turn of the 20th century they have typically been biennial ...

at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

in 1879. He was Select Preacher at

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

in 1880–81 and 1907 and at

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

in 1876, 1891, 1903, and 1910. He was appointed

Prebendary A prebendary is a member of the Roman Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of th ...

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglicanism, Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London ...

in 1881 and received the honorary freedom of the

City of Canterbury The City of Canterbury () is a local government district with city status in Kent, England. As well as Canterbury itself, the district extends north to the coastal towns of Whistable and Herne Bay. History The district was formed on 1 April ...

in 1921. In 1922 he played an important role in the foundation of the

Bible Churchmen's Missionary Society Crosslinks is an evangelical Anglican missionary society, drawing its support mainly from parishes in the Church of England and Church of Ireland. It was known as the Bible Churchmen's Missionary Society (BCMS) until 1992. The BCMS was created a ...

and was its Vice-President from 1923 until his death on 9 January 1924, following a road traffic accident.

Publications

* ''Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century A.D., with an Account of the Principal Sects and Heresies'' *
The War and the Gospel: Sermons & Addresses During the Present War
' (1917)

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wace, Henry 1836 births 1924 deaths 19th-century English Anglican priests 20th-century English Anglican priests Academics of King's College London Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford Alumni of King's College London Anglican scholars British historians of religion Deans of Canterbury Editors of Christian publications Evangelical Anglican clergy Historians of Christianity Literary critics of English People educated at Marlborough College People educated at Rugby School Principals of King's College London