Edward Tagart (8 October 1804 – 12 October 1858) was an English Unitarian divine.

Biography

Tagart was born at Bristol and educated there and at

Bath Grammar School King Edward's School (KES), Bath, Somerset, England is an independent co-educational day school providing education for 1,016 pupils aged 3 to 18. The school is a member of The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. The school was establi ...

(King Edward's School, Bath). In 1820 he entered the dissenting theological academy Manchester College, which was then at York, and which eventually became Harris Manchester College, Oxford. He was ordained in 1825 as the minister of the Octagon Chapel, Norwich. In 1828 he moved to the York Street chapel (now

Browning Hall Browning Hall, properly The Robert Browning Settlement, was a social settlement established in Walworth, London, in 1895, one of a number of such 'settlements' arising out of the settlement movement and the university extension movement. It prov ...

) in Walworth, south London. In 1833 the congregation moved to a new chapel in Little Portland Street, off

Regent Street Regent Street is a major shopping street in the West End of London. It is named after George, the Prince Regent (later George IV) and was laid out under the direction of the architect John Nash and James Burton. It runs from Waterloo Place ...

. Tagart worked there for a quarter of a century. In 1844 the congregation gave him a set of plate with an inscription by Charles Dickens, who at that time attended his services. Tagart was foreign secretary, then

general secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

1842–58, of the

British and Foreign Unitarian Association The British and Foreign Unitarian Association was the major Unitarian body in Britain from 1825. The BFUA was founded as an amalgamation of three older societies: the Unitarian Book Society for literature (1791), The Unitarian Fund for mission w ...

. He was a fellow of the Linnean Society, the

Geological Society The Geological Society of London, known commonly as the Geological Society, is a learned society based in the United Kingdom. It is the oldest national geological society in the world and the largest in Europe with more than 12,000 Fellows. Fe ...

and the Society of Antiquaries. He was a trustee of Dr Williams's foundations 1832–58. In August 1858 Tagart went on an official visit to the Unitarians of Transylvania. On his way home he was taken ill in Brussels and died there.

Publications

*Reply to Address i
''The Service at the Settlement of the Rev. Edward Tagart, as Minister of the Octagon Chapel, Norwich, August 10, 1825''
Arthur Taylor, London, 1825
''A Memoir of the late Captain Peter Heywood, R. N.''
Effingham Wilson, London, 1832
''Remarks on mathematical or demonstrative reasoning''
John Green, London, 1837
''Sketches of the lives and characters of the leading Reformers of the Sixteenth Century''
John Green, London, 1843
''Remarks on Bentham, His Obligations to Priestley, and His Early Studies''
Charles Green, London, 1844
''Locke's writings and philosophy historically considered, and vindicated from the charge of contributing to the scepticism of Hume''
Longman, London, 1855 (of this Hallam wrote, 'I think it will have the effect of restoring

Locke Locke may refer to: People *John Locke, English philosopher *Locke (given name) *Locke (surname), information about the surname and list of people Places in the United States *Locke, California, a town in Sacramento County *Locke, Indiana *Locke, ...

to the place he ought to take in the estimation of his country')

Family

Tagart married in 1828, Helen Bourn (1797–1871), daughter of Joseph Bourn, a grandson of Samuel Bourn the younger. She was the widow of Thomas Martineau, brother of Harriet Martineau, and survived him with an only son and three daughters. She is often known as Helen Martineau.

References

Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Tagart, Edward 1804 births 1858 deaths People educated at King Edward's School, Bath Alumni of Harris Manchester College, Oxford English Unitarian ministers Fellows of the Linnean Society of London Fellows of the Geological Society of London Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London