Biography
Childhood and family
Hathaway grew up at "Crevecoeur Hall", an Oxford estate where his father Philip was estate manager ("The Dead of Winter"). Hathaway attended Cambridge and is a former Catholic seminarian. In the episode, "Wild Justice", Hathaway is offered a junior lectureship in theology. He expresses some interest in taking up teaching if Lewis were to retire. In the first episode of series 3 there is slight reference to Hathaway's childhood. When his father is mentioned he becomes rather irritable and changes the subject rather quickly. In the first episode of series 4 it is mentioned that Hathaway's father was the estate manager at the estate of a lord and that Hathaway used to play with the other children who lived at the estate. Later in the episode it is revealed that the Lord of the manor has been systematically abusing young children living on the estate but whether or not Hathaway has been one of his victims or has been aware of what went on is not discussed. In the same ''Lewis'' episode Lewis and Hathaway deal with a difficult case involving a complex family relationship. The eventual outcome is difficult for Hathaway to digest, leading to conjecture that he may himself have some experience in the subject matter. This links back to "Life born of Fire", where Jonjo, a former friend of Hathaway's, asserts his friend is not happy with his life. Something in Hathaway is always questioning his desires with his duties. Season nine introduces Hathaway's family properly. We meet his father Philip who is suffering from dementia and his sister Nell with whom James has a tense relationship. It is also revealed that Hathaway's mother has been dead since before the show started. Hathaway's relationship with his family is fraught but Lewis serves as a link helping him to at least partially connect with his ailing father as they go fishing together and Lewis encourages James to allow himself to hold his father's hand even though this is not how they usually express their emotions. We meet Philip Hathaway in the prequel show ''Endeavour'' (series 3, episode 3), where a young Philip is introduced as a groundsman at the same Crevecoeur estate. It throws light on his father's passion for fishing, as that would have been a groundsman's way to relax on a huge estate.Education
Hathaway, like Inspector Morse, Lewis' old boss from his days as a Detective Sergeant, is cerebral. Unlike Morse, Hathaway trained in