Basil Joseph Mathews (28 August 1879 – 29 March 1951) was an English historian, biographer, and writer on the ecumenical movement. In his early life, Mathews was a librarian, a journalist, and Editorial Secretary of the London Missionary Society. During the First World War he worked for the Ministry of Information.

Early life

Mathews was born at Oxford in 1879, the eldest son of Angelo Alfred Hankins Mathews, an insurance broker, and his wife, Emma Colegrove.Norman Goodall, "Mathews, Basil Joseph (1879–1951)" in '' Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/34933 accessed 10 February 2021 After leaving the City of Oxford High School for Boys, he worked at the

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second- ...

and the Oxford City Library, then was employed by

A. M. Fairbairn A is the first letter of the Latin and English alphabet. A may also refer to: Science and technology Quantities and units * ''a'', a measure for the attraction between particles in the Van der Waals equation * ''A'' value, a measure o ...

, Principal of Mansfield College, Oxford, as a secretary. He then matriculated at the University and in 1904 graduated Bachelor of Arts in modern history.

Career

After the university, Mathews was a journalist for the ''Christian World''. Soon after reporting from the World Missionary Conference of 1910, he became Editorial Secretary of the London Missionary Society. In 1913, he published his first book, an illustrated biography of David Livingstone, the Victorian missionary. From 1917 to 1918, during the First World War, he worked for the Ministry of Information. As well as works on the history of religion, including a life of Jesus, Mathews published biographies of Booker T. Washington and John Mott. He also wrote the hymn '' Far round the world thy children sing their song''.

Private life

In 1911, Mathews was living in Reigate,

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, with his first wife, Harriett Anne Passmore, a farmer’s daughter, and his mother-in-law. Mathews’s father died at Boars Hill, near Oxford, in 1928, leaving his mother widowed. She lived until 1948, when she was aged ninety. Mathews’s first wife died in 1939."Mathews, Basil Joseph, (28 Aug. 1879–29 March 1951)" in ''Who Was Who'' (London: A & C Black) In the spring of 1940, in

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

, he married secondly Winifred Grace Wilson. He spent his final years at Triangle Cottage, Boars Hill, and died at the Warneford Hospital, Oxford, in 1951, leaving a widow, Winifred, and an estate valued for probate at £3,706."MATHEWS Basil Joseph of the Triangle Cottage Boars Hill" in ''Probate Index for England and Wales'' (1951), p. 786

Honours

* Doctor of Law, University of British Columbia

Major publications

* ''Livingstone, the Pathfinder'', illustrated by

Ernest Prater Ernest Prater (1864–1950) was a noted English artist and book illustrator, notable also for his work as a war correspondent and reportage artist during the Anglo-Boer War. Life and works Prater was born in Islington in London, of Cornish d ...

(Oxford and London: Henry Frowde Oxford University Press, 1913) *''John Williams, the shipbuilder'', illustrated by

(London and Oxford: Humphrey Milford Oxford University Press, 1915; new edition by Ulan Press, 2012) *''The Ships of Peace'' (London and Oxford: Humphrey Milford Oxford University Press, 1919; new edition by Wentworth Press, 2016, ) *''The Argonauts of Faith; the adventures of the "Mayflower" Pilgrims'' (Washington DC: Library of Congress, 1920) *''The Clash of Colour: a study in the problem of race'' (Doran, 1924; reprinted Port Washington, NY: Kennikat Press, 1973) *''Young Islam on Trek: A Study in the Clash of Civilizations'' (1926) *''The Clash of World Forces: a Study in Nationalism, Bolshevism and Christianity'' (London: Edinburgh House Press, 1931) * ''A Life of Jesus'' (New York: R. R. Smith Inc., 1931) *''The Jew and the World Ferment'' (London: Edinburgh House Press, 1934) *''John R. Mott, world citizen'' (New York and London: Harper & Brothers, 1934) *''Shaping the future : a study in world revolution'' (London: Student Christian Movement Press, 1936) *''East and West: conflict or cooperation?'' (1936) *''Booker T. Washington, educator and interracial interpreter'' (Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 1948) *''Crisis of the West Indian family; a sample study'' (1952) *''Disciples of All Nations'' (1952) *''The Riddle of Nearer Asia'' (New edition by Nabu Press, 2010, ) *''Essays on Vocation'' (New edition by Wentworth Press, 2016, ) *''Yarns on African Pioneers to Be Told to Boys'' (New edition by Wentworth Press, 2016) *''Kerala: the Land of Palms'' (New edition by Wentworth Press, 2016) * ''Paul the Dauntless, the Course of a Great Adventure'' (New edition by Wentworth Press, 2016, ) * ''Fellowship in Thought and Prayer'' (New edition by Wentworth Press, 2016, ) * ''The Book of Missionary Heroes'' (New edition by Wentworth Press, 2016, ) *''Three Years' War for Peace'' (New edition by Palala Press, 2016, )

Notes

External links

* *
Basil Mathews
hymnsam.co.uk {{DEFAULTSORT:Mathews, Basil Joseph 1879 births 1951 deaths 20th-century English historians English biographers People educated at the City of Oxford High School for Boys University of British Columbia people