Edward Backhouse (1808–1879) was a

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

philanthropist and writer on

church history 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 spiritual side of t ...

. He was also one of the founding fathers of the ''

Sunderland Echo The ''Sunderland Echo'' is a daily newspaper serving the City of Sunderland, Sunderland, South Tyneside and Easington (district), East Durham areas of North East England. The newspaper was founded by Samuel Storey (Liberal politician), Samuel ...

'' newspaper. He was recognised as having the gift of vocal ministry in 1854.

Early life

Edward Backhouse was born in

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...

on 8 May 1808, the son of Mary and Edward Backhouse of Darlington. When Edward senior moved to

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...

in 1816, his family traveled with him. Edward junior remained in Sunderland until just before his death.Sunderland Daily Echo: 29 May 1879

Working life

Backhouse became a partner in the family banking firm of Backhouse & Co, but did not take an active part in the business. Instead, he engaged in many philanthropic activities and the concerns of the

Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

from 1854. He travelled in the ministry to France and Norway. In 1862 and 1863, he served as Clerk to the annual national gathering of Quakers known as

London Yearly Meeting The Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain, also known as Britain Yearly Meeting (and, until 1995, London Yearly Meeting), is a Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in England, Scotland, ...

. In Sunderland, he was active in establishing the ''Sunderland Indigent Sick Society'', the '' British School'' in Borough Road, Sunderland, and the old Athenaeum and Reformatories.Sunderland Daily Echo: 28 May 1879

Political life

Backhouse, who held Liberal political views, was a leading supporter of Sunderland Infirmary, and of temperance work. At the time of his death in 1879, he was President of the Sunderland

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

and treasurer of the

Bible Society A Bible society is a non-profit organization, usually nondenominational in makeup, devoted to translating, publishing, and distributing the Bible at affordable prices. In recent years they also are increasingly involved in advocating its credi ...

. He was also a prominent opponent of the

Contagious Diseases Acts The Contagious Diseases Acts (CD Acts) were passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom in 1864, with alterations and additions made by the (29 & 30 Vict. c. 35) and the (32 & 33 Vict. c. 96). In 1862, a committee had been established ...

, serving as President of the Northern Counties Association for the Repeal of the Contagious Diseases Acts. The political views of Backhouse were shared by

Samuel Storey Samuel Storey may refer to: * Samuel Storey (Liberal politician) (1841–1925), British politician and newspaper proprietor, member of parliament for Sunderland * Samuel Storey, Baron Buckton (1896–1978), his grandson, British Conservative poli ...

and other leading local politicians of the day. His political opinions eventually led Backhouse to become one of the original seven founders of the

Radical Radical (from Latin: ', root) may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Classical radicalism, the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and Latin America in the 19th century *Radical politics ...

-run Sunderland Echo in 1873.

Personal life

Backhouse married Katherine Mounsey in 1856. The couple had no children. He died in

Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...

, where he had gone for his health, on 22 May 1879. The work Backhouse carried out on church history was published posthumously.

Publications

*''Early Church History to the Death of Constantine'', edited and enlarged by Charles Tylor (1884) (Available online ). *''Witnesses for Christ : and memorials of church life from the fourth to the thirteenth century : a sequel to "Early church history'' : in two volumes / by Edward Backhouse and Charles Tylor (1887) (Vol.1 is available online ). *''The Religious Society of Friends : the doctrines and practices in which they agree with their fellow-Christians, and those in which they differ'' / by Edward Backhouse. - London; Sunderland : Kitto : William Henry Hills, (1870) (Available online ) *''Det religiose Vennernes Samfund : laerdomme og skikke, hvori de ere enige med deres Medkristne, og andre, hvori de ere forskjellige'' / af Edward Backhouse. - Stavanger : Paul T. Dreyer, (1871) n Norwegian*''Biographical memoirs : being a record of the Christian lives, experiences, and deaths of members of the religious Society of Friends, from its rise, to 1653'' / By Edward and Thomas J. Backhouse, and the late Thomas Mounsey. Vol. I. - London : W. & F. G. Cash, (1854) (available online ). *''Martyr scenes of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries'' / designed and drawn by Edward Backhouse and William Bell Scott. - ill.. - (1888) p. 56 p.. - London : Hamilton, Adams & Co.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Backhouse, Edward 1808 births 1879 deaths English Quakers Quaker ministers English philanthropists People from Darlington People from Sunderland Writers from Tyne and Wear 19th-century Quakers 19th-century English people 19th-century British philanthropists