Robert Forman Horton (18 September 1855 – 30 March 1934) was an English

clergyman Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

and writer. He was minister of Lyndhurst Road

Congregational Church Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice congregational government. Each congregation independently a ...

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

, a position he held for 50 years.

Early life and education

Horton born in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and was educated at

Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by royal charter, to replace the town's Saxon collegiate foundations which were disestablished in the sixteenth century, Shrewsb ...

and

New College, Oxford New College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by Bishop William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as New College's feeder school, New College was one of the first col ...

, where he was awarded a

First First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

classics Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

. He was president of the

Oxford Union The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford, England, whose membership is drawn primarily from the University of Oxford. Founded in 1823, it is one of Britain's oldest unive ...

in 1877. He became a fellow of his college in 1879 and lectured on history for four years. He was the first non-Anglican to have a teaching position at the Oxford University since the Reformation.

Church role

In 1880 Horton accepted an invitation to become minister of the Lyndhurst Road Congregational Church, Hampstead, and subsequently took a very prominent part in church and denominational work. This included establishing a mission hall for the Hampstead church in

Kentish Town Kentish Town is an area of northwest London, England, in the London Borough of Camden, immediately north of Camden Town, close to Hampstead Heath. Kentish Town likely derives its name from Ken-ditch or Caen-ditch, meaning the "bed of a waterw ...

, known as Lyndhurst Hall. Horton delivered the

Lyman Beecher Lyman Beecher (October 12, 1775 – January 10, 1863) was an American Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, Presbyterian minister and Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist. Father of 13 children, many of them became writer ...

lectures at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

in 1893. In 1898 he was chairman of the London Congregational Union, and in 1903 he was chair of the

Congregational Union of England and Wales The Congregational Union of England and Wales brought together churches in England and Wales in the Congregational tradition between 1831 and 1966. Background The Congregational churches emerged from the Puritan movement, each church operating ...

. In 1909 he took a prominent part in the 75th anniversary celebration of

Hartford Theological Seminary The Hartford International University for Religion and Peace (formerly Hartford Seminary) is a private theological university in Hartford, Connecticut. History Hartford Seminary's origins date back to 1833 when the Pastoral Union of Connectic ...

. His numerous publications spanned theological, critical, historical, biographical and devotional subjects.

Animal welfare

Horton opposed

blood sports A blood sport or bloodsport is a category of sport or entertainment that involves bloodshed. Common examples of the former include combat sports such as cockfighting and dog fighting, and some forms of hunting and fishing. Activities characte ...

and was an early vice-president of the

League for the Prohibition of Cruel Sports The League Against Cruel Sports, formerly known as the League for the Prohibition of Cruel Sports, is a UK-based animal welfare charity which campaigns to stop blood sports such as fox hunting, hare and deer hunting; game bird shooting; and anim ...

Personal life

Author Mary Beaumont was lifelong friends with Horton. Beaumont and her husband lived with Horton from 1902 until Beaumont's death in 1910. Horton married Violet Basden in 1918. Their daughter was born in 1928. Horton died in 1934, aged 78. There were 1500 mourners at his funeral held at Lyndhurst Road Congregational Church.

Selected works

* The Courage of Conviction. An address delivered before the Oxford University Nonconformist Union (James Thornton, Oxford, 1882 ) * ''Inspiration and the Bible: An Inquiry'' (T.F. Unwin, 1889) * ''The Book of Proverbs'' (Expositor's Bible series, 1891) * ''Verbum Dei: The Yale Lectures on Preaching'' (Macmillan & Co New York, 1893) * ''Alfred Tennyson: A Saintly Life'' (London J.M. Dent & Co; New York E.F. Dutton & Co, 1900) * ''The Springs of Joy and Other Sermons'' (Fleming H. Revell Company, 1900) * ''The Bible: A Missionary Book'' (Oliphant, Anderson & Ferrier, Edinburgh and London, 1904) * ''The Early Church'' (Hodder & Stoughton New York, 1909) * ''Great Issues'' (New York The Macmillan Company, 1909) * "The Teaching of Jesus" (Isbister and Company Limited 1895) * "Woman of The Old Testament" * ''Studies in Womanhood'' (James Nisbet & Co, Limited 1904)

References

External links

Robert Forman Horton photographs
at the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Horton, Robert 1855 births 1934 deaths Academics from London Alumni of New College, Oxford British animal welfare workers Christian writers about animal rights and welfare Clergy from London Congregationalism English Congregationalist ministers English theologians League Against Cruel Sports workers People educated at Shrewsbury School Presidents of the Oxford Union