Albert Basil Orme Wilberforce (14 February 1841 – 13 May 1916) was an Anglican priest and author in the second half of the 19th century and the first two decades of the 20th. He was the

Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons The Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons, also known as the Speaker's Chaplain, is a Church of England priest who officiates at services held at the Palace of Westminster and its associated chapel, St Mary Undercroft. The Chaplain ...

and

Archdeacon of Westminster The Archdeacon of Westminster is a senior ecclesiastical officer within the Chapter of the Royal Peculiar of Westminster Abbey in London. The holder of the post oversees relationships with the twenty-four parishes of which the Dean and Chapter ar ...

Biography

Early life

Born in Winchester as the youngest son of

Samuel Wilberforce Samuel Wilberforce, FRS (7 September 1805 – 19 July 1873) was an English bishop in the Church of England, and the third son of William Wilberforce. Known as "Soapy Sam", Wilberforce was one of the greatest public speakers of his day. Natural ...

(and therefore grandson of famed abolitionist

William Wilberforce William Wilberforce (24 August 175929 July 1833) was a British politician, philanthropist and leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780, eventually bec ...

; his elder brother

Ernest Ernest is a given name derived from Germanic word ''ernst'', meaning "serious". Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People * Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553–1595), son of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor *Ernest, ...

became Bishop of Newcastle then of Chichester), he was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI of England, Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. i ...

and

Exeter College, Oxford (Let Exeter Flourish) , old_names = ''Stapeldon Hall'' , named_for = Walter de Stapledon, Bishop of Exeter , established = , sister_college = Emmanuel College, Cambridge , rector = Sir Richard Trainor ...

and ordained in 1866.

Career

He was

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...

to the

Bishop of Oxford The Bishop of Oxford is the diocesan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford in the Province of Canterbury; his seat is at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. The current bishop is Steven Croft, following the confirmation of his elect ...

and then held curacies at Cuddesdon, Seaton and

Southsea Southsea is a seaside resort and a geographic area of Portsmouth, Portsea Island in England. Southsea is located 1.8 miles (2.8 km) to the south of Portsmouth's inner city-centre. Southsea is not a separate town as all of Portsea Island's ...

. 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. Mary's,

Southampton Southampton () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire, S ...

from 1871 to 1894, and an Honorary Canon of Winchester. In April 1894 he was appointed Canon of

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

and Rector of the parish church of St John the Evangelist, annexed to Westminster. He was appointed

in 1896, and continually re-elected to the post until his death in 1916. Biographer Charlotte Elizabeth Woods wrote that " w Chaplains have filled this time-honoured post with so much dignity, grace, and distinction." In 1900 he was appointed the

Personal life

Basil Wilberforce, Vanity Fair, 1909-01-06

He married Charlotte Langford on 28 November 1865 at

St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge, is a Grade II*listed Anglican church of the Anglo-Catholic tradition located at 32a Wilton Place in Knightsbridge, London. History and architecture The church was founded in 1843, the first in London to champio ...

. He was a strong supporter of the

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...

, and abstained from all alcohol after 31. He was good friends with temperance leader Lady Henry Somerset. He met 'Abdu'l-Baha, the last of three "central figures" of

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the essential worth of all religions and the unity of all people. Established by Baháʼu'lláh in the 19th century, it initially developed in Iran and parts of the ...

, in 1911. He died on 13 May 1916. He was 75.''Death Of Archdeacon Wilberforce. Chaplain To The Commons''.

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ...

, Monday, May 15, 1916; pg. 4; Issue 41167; col F.

Partial list of published works

*''The battle of the Lord''. (London : Elliot Stock) *''The established church and the liquor traffic : being a letter addressed to His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury''. *''Important correspondence with Canon Wilberforce on vivisection''. (Boston, Mass.) *''Mystic Immanence, the Indwelling Spirit''. *''New (?) theology : thoughts on the universality and continuity of the doctrine of the immanence of God''. (London : Stock) 1908 *''Our Father's Lent and His Easter land''. (Butler & Tanner) *''The secret of the quiet mind''. (London : E. Stock) *''Seeing God : personal recognition of divine love''. (London : Elliot Stock) *''Sermon preached to the 2nd special service battalion of the Royal Canadian regiment, in Westminster Abbey, on Advent Sunday''. *''Spiritual consciousness''. (New York : Dodd, Mead) *''There is no death''. (New York : Dodd, Mead) *''The trinity of evil : I. infidelity, II. impurity, III. intemperance''. (Toronto : S.R. Briggs) 1885 *''Why does not God stop the war?''. (London : Elliot Stock) *''Down in the Depths: The Awakening of the Spirit''. *''Following on to Know''. 1904 *''Speaking Good of His Name''. 1905 *''Sanctification by the Truth''. 1906 *''The Hope that is in me''. 1909 *''The Power that Worketh in us''. 1910 *''Sermons preached in Westminster Abbey''. 1898 (1st series), 1902 (2nd series)

References

Works cited (by date)

''News items and websites listed in Reference section only.'' * * * *

External links

*
National Portrait Gallery - Albert Basil Orme Wilberforce (1841-1916), Archdeacon of Westminster; son of Samuel Wilberforce
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilberforce, Basil 1841 births Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford Archdeacons of Westminster 1916 deaths Canons of Westminster

Basil Basil (, ; ''Ocimum basilicum'' , also called great basil, is a culinary herb of the family Lamiaceae (mints). It is a tender plant, and is used in cuisines worldwide. In Western cuisine, the generic term "basil" refers to the variety also ...

People educated at Eton College