Benjamin Harrison (archdeacon)
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Harrison was an Anglican clergyman and ecclesiastical administrator.
His father was Benjamin Harrison, Treasurer of Guy's Hospital
.
Harrison was educated at Christ Church, Oxford
(matriculated 1826; Student 1828). He took his BA in 1830 and his MA in 1833 and achieved significant distinctions in classics, theology, and Hebrew.
He was ordained deacon in 1832 and priest in 1833 and taught at Oxford for the next ten years, particularly specialising in Hebrew. During this time he became involved in the early years of the Oxford Movement, writing numbers 16, 17, 24, and 49 of the Tracts for the Times
.
His ecclesiastical career outside the University started in 1842 when he was made one of the Six Preachers
at Canterbury Cathedral
.
In 1843 he was appointed domestic chaplain to William Howley
, archbishop of Canterbury.
Howley appointed him in 1845 to the post of Archdeacon of Maidstone and to a canonry at Canterbury Cathedral, posts which he retained until his death.
In 1841 he married Isabella Thornton, daughter of the late Henry Thornton
MP, one of the founders of the Clapham Sect
.
He was very active as a residentiary canon at Canterbury where "he proved to be an energetic and popular archdeacon. Friendly to the clergy and regular in his attendance at cathedral services, he was actively involved in church societies and keenly participated in secular gatherings, such as those of the Canterbury cricket week or the meetings of the agricultural and archaeological societies."
Following his death in 1887, Isabella Thornton gave his considerable library, consisting of some 16,000 books and pamphlets, to Canterbury Cathedral where it is housed in the old 17th-century library, renamed the Bibliotheca Howley-Harrisoniana (Howley-Harrison Library) after Harrison and his patron.
His father was Benjamin Harrison, Treasurer of Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital is a large NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in south east London, England. It is administratively a part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It is a large teaching hospital and is home to the King's College London School of Medicine...
.
Harrison was educated at Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
(matriculated 1826; Student 1828). He took his BA in 1830 and his MA in 1833 and achieved significant distinctions in classics, theology, and Hebrew.
He was ordained deacon in 1832 and priest in 1833 and taught at Oxford for the next ten years, particularly specialising in Hebrew. During this time he became involved in the early years of the Oxford Movement, writing numbers 16, 17, 24, and 49 of the Tracts for the Times
Tracts for the Times
The Tracts for the Times were a series of 90 theological publications, varying in length from a few pages to book-length, produced by members of the English Oxford Movement, an Anglo-Catholic revival group, from 1833 to 1841...
.
His ecclesiastical career outside the University started in 1842 when he was made one of the Six Preachers
Six Preachers
The college of Six Preachers of Canterbury Cathedral was created by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer as part of the reorganisation of the monastic Christ Church Priory into the new secular Cathedral....
at Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site....
.
In 1843 he was appointed domestic chaplain to William Howley
William Howley
William Howley was a clergyman in the Church of England. He served as Archbishop of Canterbury from 1828 to 1848.-Early Life, education, and interests:...
, archbishop of Canterbury.
Howley appointed him in 1845 to the post of Archdeacon of Maidstone and to a canonry at Canterbury Cathedral, posts which he retained until his death.
In 1841 he married Isabella Thornton, daughter of the late Henry Thornton
Henry Thornton (abolitionist)
Henry Thornton was an English economist, banker, philanthropist and parliamentarian.-Early life:He was the son of John Thornton of Clapham, London, who had been one of the early patrons of the evangelical movement in Britain...
MP, one of the founders of the Clapham Sect
Clapham Sect
The Clapham Sect or Clapham Saints were a group of influential like-minded Church of England social reformers based in Clapham, London at the beginning of the 19th century...
.
He was very active as a residentiary canon at Canterbury where "he proved to be an energetic and popular archdeacon. Friendly to the clergy and regular in his attendance at cathedral services, he was actively involved in church societies and keenly participated in secular gatherings, such as those of the Canterbury cricket week or the meetings of the agricultural and archaeological societies."
Following his death in 1887, Isabella Thornton gave his considerable library, consisting of some 16,000 books and pamphlets, to Canterbury Cathedral where it is housed in the old 17th-century library, renamed the Bibliotheca Howley-Harrisoniana (Howley-Harrison Library) after Harrison and his patron.