Dennis Hird
Encyclopedia
James Dennis Hird was a British
clergyman, educator and author.
Hird was born in Ashby, Lincolnshire (now part of Scunthorpe
) to Robert and Fanny Dennis Hird née Kendall. He was the second of five sons, though only three survived to adulthood. In later life he became known by his middle name of Dennis, this being the maiden name of his maternal grandmother Fanny Kendall. The Kendall's were a well known family in Ashby and were credited as been the main instigators in bringing Primitive Methodism
to the hamlet. Six of Dennis maternal Uncles were ordained ministers in this faith along with a cousin Holliday Bickerstaffe Kendall. The Hird family were also Methodists
and a well known family in the hamlet, Robert Hird was a grocer and a road Hird Terrace(no longer standing) was once named after the family. Primitive Methodism
was a big influence in Dennis's early life and may be the spark for his socialist tendencies as it was more favoured by the working classes of the time.
as a Church of England
deacon, appointed to St Michael and All Angels Bournemouth
. Then exactly a year later he was ordained
as a Church of England
priest where he was appointed curate
of Christchurch, Battersea
. Hird's talents and oratory skills were soon recognised and it was decided he could better serve the church in the role of General Secretary of the Church of England Temperance Society
(C.E.T.S.) and London Police Court Mission
to which he was appointed in October 1887. for the Diocese of London
. When it was discovered that Hird was a member of the Social Democratic Federation
in 1894, he was forced to resign from the Temperance Society. He was removed from London to become rector
of Eastnor, Herefordshire
.
. The college's governing charter required the institution to show "neutrality in religion and politics". However, Hird, who was described as "a man of a forcible and attractive personalty, ...known also to hold Nationalist and Socialist views of an advanced type" was found to be using the college for propagandist purposes and was dismissed from his post in 1909. His sacking from Ruskin led to a students' strike, and he became warden of the Central Labour College
established by trade unions to provide independent working class education
.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
clergyman, educator and author.
Hird was born in Ashby, Lincolnshire (now part of Scunthorpe
Scunthorpe
Scunthorpe is a town within North Lincolnshire, England. It is the administrative centre of the North Lincolnshire unitary authority, and had an estimated total resident population of 72,514 in 2010. A predominantly industrial town, Scunthorpe, the United Kingdom's largest steel processing centre,...
) to Robert and Fanny Dennis Hird née Kendall. He was the second of five sons, though only three survived to adulthood. In later life he became known by his middle name of Dennis, this being the maiden name of his maternal grandmother Fanny Kendall. The Kendall's were a well known family in Ashby and were credited as been the main instigators in bringing Primitive Methodism
Primitive Methodism
Primitive Methodism was a major movement in English Methodism from about 1810 until the Methodist Union in 1932. The Primitive Methodist Church still exists in the United States.-Origins:...
to the hamlet. Six of Dennis maternal Uncles were ordained ministers in this faith along with a cousin Holliday Bickerstaffe Kendall. The Hird family were also Methodists
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
and a well known family in the hamlet, Robert Hird was a grocer and a road Hird Terrace(no longer standing) was once named after the family. Primitive Methodism
Primitive Methodism
Primitive Methodism was a major movement in English Methodism from about 1810 until the Methodist Union in 1932. The Primitive Methodist Church still exists in the United States.-Origins:...
was a big influence in Dennis's early life and may be the spark for his socialist tendencies as it was more favoured by the working classes of the time.
Ministry
In December 1884 Hird was ordainedOrdination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
as a Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
deacon, appointed to St Michael and All Angels Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
. Then exactly a year later he was ordained
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
as a Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
priest where he was appointed curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
of Christchurch, Battersea
Battersea
Battersea is an area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is an inner-city district of South London, situated on the south side of the River Thames, 2.9 miles south-west of Charing Cross. Battersea spans from Fairfield in the west to Queenstown in the east...
. Hird's talents and oratory skills were soon recognised and it was decided he could better serve the church in the role of General Secretary of the Church of England Temperance Society
Temperance movement
A temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...
(C.E.T.S.) and London Police Court Mission
Rainer Foundation
The Rainer Foundation, currently named Catch22, was a charitable organization originally formed as the London Police Court Mission as a result of a 5 shilling gift made by Fredrick Rainer in 1876 to Church of England Temperance Society part of the Temperance movement...
to which he was appointed in October 1887. for the Diocese of London
Diocese of London
The Anglican Diocese of London forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England.Historically the diocese covered a large area north of the Thames and bordered the dioceses of Norwich and Lincoln to the north and west. The present diocese covers and 17 London boroughs, covering most of Greater...
. When it was discovered that Hird was a member of the Social Democratic Federation
Social Democratic Federation
The Social Democratic Federation was established as Britain's first organised socialist political party by H. M. Hyndman, and had its first meeting on June 7, 1881. Those joining the SDF included William Morris, George Lansbury and Eleanor Marx. However, Friedrich Engels, Karl Marx's long-term...
in 1894, he was forced to resign from the Temperance Society. He was removed from London to become rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of Eastnor, Herefordshire
Eastnor, Herefordshire
Eastnor is a village in Herefordshire, England, east of Ledbury. Eastnor Castle is nearby, and named after the village.St John's Church was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1852.-External links:...
.
Education
Hird was a member of Socialist Educational Association, and in 1899 resigned his church living to become a non-collegiate tutor in Oxford. In the same year he was chosen to be the first principal of Ruskin College, OxfordOxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. The college's governing charter required the institution to show "neutrality in religion and politics". However, Hird, who was described as "a man of a forcible and attractive personalty, ...known also to hold Nationalist and Socialist views of an advanced type" was found to be using the college for propagandist purposes and was dismissed from his post in 1909. His sacking from Ruskin led to a students' strike, and he became warden of the Central Labour College
Central Labour College
The Central Labour College was a British higher education institution supported by trade unions. It functioned from 1909 to 1929.The college was formed as a result of the Ruskin College strike of 1909. The Plebs' League, which had been formed around a core of Marxist students and former students of...
established by trade unions to provide independent working class education
Working Class Education
Working class education is the education of working-class people.-History:Prior to the 19th century, education for most members of society was elementary and only an elite received advanced education...
.
Works
- 1889/90 The Guide to C.E.T.S. Work in the London Diocese James Dennis Hird
- 1890 Church of England Temperance Society, Junior Division. Health, Wealth and Temperance . Being the syllabus of instruction for Church Bands of Hope, etc.
- 1890 Temperance Reader. Rev J Dennis Hird.
- 1894 Toddle Island: Being the Diary of Lord Bottsford Lord Bottsford (pseudonym of James Dennis Hird).A Gulliverian journey to an unknown republic somewhere in the vicinity of New Zealand.
- 1894 Wife-lending, How to preserve the poor, etc. [Papers on social questions.] Walter James, pseud. [i.e. James Dennis Hird.]
- 1895/6 Four leaflets Published from Lectures given at Leadbury in 1895 listed under Rev. Dennis Hird
- Jesus the Socialist
- Mistakes about the Bible and in the Bible
- How man was Made
- How the Devil was Made
- 1896 A Christian With Two Wives
- 1897 Pulpit Science: Is Immortality of Physical Fact
- 1897 In Search of a Religion
- 1899 Palaestra Oxoniensis. Palaestra Logica by W. H. Forbes, M.A., and D. Hird, M.A. (reprinted on numerous occasions)
- 1900 Was Jesus Christ a Ritualist?
- 1901 Believing Bishop; Havergall Bates (pseudonym of James Dennis Hird)
- 1903 Easy Outline of Evolution
- 1906 Picture Book of Evolution; Part I Containing Lessons From Comparative Astronomy-Geology-Zoology.
- 1907 Picture Book of Evolution; Part II Containing Lessons From Comparative Anatomy And Embryology, And Giving The Pedigree Of Man.
- 1907 Brute to Brother
- 1908 Shear my Sheep
- 1908 Jesus the Socialist; re-released.
- 1915 A Christian With Two Wives; re-released.